Digital Production Buzz

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with: Tom Coughlin, President, Coughlin and Associates, Inc. Tom Coughlin, President of Coughlin & Associates, is a Silicon Valley consultant, a storage analyst and and the organizer of the annual Storage Visions and Creative Visions Conferences. Storage has undergone a transformation over the last year, with the rapid growth of SSD, increased capacity of spinning media, and a new LTO format. We talk with Tom about what’s happened and what we can expect in 2013. Mario Blandini, VP & Chief Evangelist, Drobo This morning, Drobo announced the newest member of its family: the Drobo 5N. This joins the recently shipping, Thunderbolt-based Drobo 5D and Drobo Mini. Mario Blandini, VP & Chief Evangelist for Drobo, joins us to talk about their new products, how to understand what performance claims actually mean, and how to pick the right storage for your project. Here’s how to get answers all your questions about picking the right storage. Eric Quanstrom, COO, Sorenson Media Eric Quanstrom is COO of Sorenson Media , which just released Squeeze Server 2.0. This provides a streamlined version of the company’s high-volume video encoding solution. Video compression is central to the distribution of virtually every film and video, so we want to learn how to pick the best compression software to get the best results for, naturally, the lowest price. Without having to become a rocket scientist in the process. Peter Stelzhammer, AV-Comparitives Peter Stelzhammer is a self-described security addict. Ten years ago, Peter joined with fellow security junkie Andreas Clementi and founded AV-Comparatives, which specializes in independent testing of anti-virus software. He joins us today to talk about keeping our computers safe, avoiding problems when storing materials on-line, and where to go for recommendations on the best anti-virus software. Ryan Rutz, Founder/CEO, Alkali Infusion Ryan Rutz created MyInteractiveResume.com, a web -based video profile of himself – to help land a job in LA. He figured this was a great way to give employers a “first look” into his background and personality before that infamous first phone interview. We thought this was an interesting way of self-promotion, so we invited him on to tell us more.

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with: Dan Deluca, Founder, Contender Films Dan Deluca is Founder of Contender Films. His latest endeavor is listed on Indiegogo where the production team is raising money for a sizzle reel. We want to learn whether funding films via crowd-sourcing actually works, what budget ranges are most effective, and how their fund-raising is going. Hope Hall, White House Videographer Filmmaker Hope Hall is the official videographer of the White House. We spoke with her at length after her keynote speech at the recent Government Video Expo 2012, and were struck by the balance she looks for when covering private meetings at the White House. As the official documentarian of the President of the United States, she literally can change history simply by turning on her camera. She has an amazing job and describes it in a fascinating way. You don’t want to miss this! Jeff Mann, Founder/COO, RenderLife RenderLife began only six months ago, and Jeff Mann is the founder. Based in Toronto, RenderLife sells assets for 3D projects. Whether you are looking for 3D shapes to put into Maya or Cinema 4D, something simple like a telephone, or complex like a Pentagon drone, RenderLife either has it, or can create it. Jeff joins us this week to describe how using their 3D elements can shave time and dollars off a tight production schedule. Mark Spencer, Motion Graphic Artist, Day Street Productions Mark Spencer, is a Bay-Area-based editor and motion graphics designer. He has been using, writing about, and teaching Motion since its introduction in 2004. He owns Day Street Productions, a production and post studio focused on corporate and industrial video. Recently, Mark has developed a series of plug-ins for Motion 5, the latest is called Optics. We want to talk with him about the process of developing plug-ins for this new platform.

New interviews every show! Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with:r Navarro Parker, Motion Graphics Animator — and – Bradley “Gmunk” Munkowski, Design Directorr The latest James Bond film, “Skyfall,” has captured the attention of movie-goers around the world and inspired other to emulate its effects. Recently, Sony created “Mouse and Cat,” a TV, print and web-based campaign which leverages the James Bond franchise. Two members of the effects team that created the broadcast commercial join us this week to talk about their work: Navarro Parker and Bradley “Gmunk” Munkowitz. We want to learn what they they did, the tools they used, and how they went about planning their effects. This will be an exciting interview.r Michelle Yamazaki, VP – Marketing, ToolFarmr Our favorite plug-in-ologist, Michele Yamazaki, VP of Marketing for ToolFarm, joins us again this week to share her latest findings on new plug-ins for filmmakers and editors. Cool tools, and some cool toys, as Michele explains on this week’s show.r John Dower, Filmmaker, “Bradley Wiggins – A Year in Yellow”r Filmmaker John Dower spent a year producing a documentary about the Tour de France and its winner, Bradley Wiggins. The film, “Bradley Wiggins – A Year in Yellow,” has just been released to the festival circuit. John joins us this week to tell us more about his film, and why he decided to make it.r Jonathan Handel, Entertainment Labor Reporter, The Hollywood Reporterr When activists tried to unionize New Zealand actors on The Hobbit, they knew it wouldn’t be easy. In fact, New Zealand has the world’s only non-union English-language film business. In his book, The New Zealand Hobbit Crisis, reporter Jonathan Handel covered the negotiations and the repercussions. Jonathan joins us this week to tell us about the negotiations, the results and the book that chronicles all of it.r SPECIAL REPORT: Government Video Expo 2012, Washington, DC.r This week, the annual Government Video Expo is going in Washington, DC. On this week’s show, we have three interviews with some of the keynote speakers:r Katie Snider, Executive Producer, “Oceans Today,” NOAAr Kevin Beverley, Chief – Army Televisionr Hope Hall, White House Videographer

Happy Thanksgiving Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with: Douglas Sloan, Director, iContent Films The photo is famous: a Vietnamese general shooting a Viet Cong during the Viet Nam war. Taken by photographer Eddie Adams, this one image changed the direction of the war. Filmmaker Douglas Sloan created a documentary about that image – and discovered that what it shows is only a part of the story. We talk with him this week about the power of a photograph, the back-story behind the image, and why he created his documentary: Saigon68. David Newman, Senior Director of Software Engineering, GoPro GoPro cameras are everywhere, but they don’t get a lot of respect. This week, we talk with David Newman, Senior Director of Software Engineering for GoPro, about their cameras and the latest update to the line: the Silver and Black Editions. For filmmakers looking for more image quality and control, these new cameras are worth a look, as David explains. Elena Miliaresis, Filmmaker, “While Time Stands Still” We’ve been following Elena Miliaresis on her journey as a first-time filmmaker as she works on “While Time Stands Still,” a documentary about the families of military personnel who are left behind when their soldier-spouse goes to war. Production is complete, and she is now in the middle of her final sound mix. We thought it would be a good time to check back to learn what we as producers, directors and editors need to know to prepare for a sound mix. Rich Kwiat, Co-founder/Managing Director, Doddle and David Plant, Founder, Doddle/Canada Doddle is a website devoted to saving filmmakers time. Whether it is their daily newsletter, or their Cloud-based production services, they have a range of new technology that can save filmmakers time, money and resources. In this interview, with Rich Kwiat, Managing Director of Doddle, and David Plant, co-Founder of Doddle/Canada, we talk about their recent expansion into Canada, their latest product offerings, and how transitioning from paper to the web can save producers thousands of dollars for each production. Ned Soltz, Contributing Editor, Digital Video magazine The holidays are approaching and its time to buy new gear! And who better to explain what gear we need to buy than Ned Soltz, contributing editor for Digital Video magazine. Ned is back with his take on what’s hot, what’s not, and where we should spend our holiday dollars.

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with: Natasha Deganello Giraudie, CEO/Founder, Micro-Documentaries Natasha Deganello Giraudie, CEO & founder of Micro-Documentaries, managed crews from many corners of the world to produce a series of 3-4 minute films of young people demonstrating how they live, work and engage with technology. The project was sponsored by Cisco. We talk with her about what she did. Grant Burton, Producer/Digital Analyst, Royal Australian Air Force There is a continuing conversation about the business model of broadcast television. Where’s the money going to come from as audiences get smaller, and sponsors concentrate their efforts on more targeted media. Grant Burton, Editor with the Royal Australian Air Force return to the BuZZ to update us on the future of TV in Australia! Ben Alpi and Jeff Handy, Cowboy Creed Here’s another chance to learn how filmmakers get their projects done. Ben Alpi wrote and directed, and Jeff Handy edited, the short film “Cowboy Creed.” It was shot on 16mm, which is really unusual these days, and premiered recently in Los Angeles. We want to find out why they shot on film, how hard it was to work with, and how they completed their project. Andrew Little, CEO, Red Giant Software Red Giant Software continues finding exciting small companies to partner with. This summer, CrumblePop joined up with Red Giant. Andrew Little, CEO, Red Giant, stops by to talk about the new partnership, their latest products, and why they partnered with CrumblePop. Philip Hodgetts, CEO, Intelligent Assistance Earlier in the show, we heard Grant Burton’s take on the future of television. Philip Hodgetts, CEO of Intelligent Assistance, has a different perspective, which is rooted on the economies of the micro-audience and micro-payments. He’s been talking about this for a while, but we decided it would be a good contrast to hear from both Grant and Philip in the same show.

The BuZZ Show is live from 2012 ETE in Burbank, CA Join host Larry Jordan, live from our booth #100, as he talks with: Heather Williams, Global Business Development, Atomos Malcolm Mills, Director of Sales, Cinemills Eddie Barber, Founder, Barber Tech Tony Davis, Founder, Tessive

The BuZZ Show is live from 2012 ETE in Burbank, CA Join host Larry Jordan, live from our booth #100, as he talks with: Dave Walton, Assistant VP Marketing, JVC Professional Doug Pircher, General Manager, International Supplies Richard Schleuning, National Sales Manager, Carl Zeiss Mas Omae, Sales Manager, Accusys, Inc.

Chad Andrews,Vertical Strategist, Dell. Dell is making a concerted push into media production. Chad Andrews, of Dell, joins us to explain why this market is so important to the company and what they are doing to make our lives easier. Bram Desmet, General Manager, Flanders Scientific. Flanders Scientific makes monitors designed for people that need to see high-quality images on professional monitors without breaking the budget. With a range of monitors, including 3D and full 10-bit image support, Bram Desmet, General Manager of Flanders Scientific, joins us at Entertainment Technology Expo, to tell us more about their latest gear. Ryan Avery, Sales Manager, Schneider Optics. Schneider makes renowned professional optics and high-quality filters. Century lenses, adapters, filters — everything the professional cinematographer needs. Ryan Avery, Sales Manager for Schneider Optics, joins us at Entertainment Technology Expo 2012, to show us their latest products. Lewis Gerr, Western Regional Sales Manager, Azden Corporation. For more than 30 years Azden manufactures professional quality audio products — mixers, shotgun mics, and wireless audio — all at affordable prices. Lewis Gerr, Western Regional Sales Manager for Azden, joins us at ETE 2012 to explain their latest range of audio gear.

The BuZZ Show is live from 2012 ETE in Burbank, CA Join host Larry Jordan, live from our booth #100, as he talks with: Mark Anderson, Account Executive, G-Technology Jose Larios, Sales and Marketing, Libec Sales of America Greg LaPorte, VP Sales and Marketing, Sonnet Technologies Timothy Decker, Director of Marketing and Advertising, Alan Gordon Enterprises

Join Larry Jordan this week as he talks with: Dylan Carter, Director Non-Linear Workflows, Company 3 The lines between production and post are blurring. Digital workflows have changed how people think about working with creative assets and post is often on location with production. Dylan Carter, from Company 3 joins us today to talk about the new workflow. Dave Walton, Assistant VP, Marketing Communications, JVC Professional Products JVC continues to turn out cutting edge cameras for the semi-pro and professional markets. As part of our coverage of the Entertainment Technology Expo, in Burbank, CA, this week, we are talking with Dave Walton, Asst. VP of Marketing Communications for JVC about their latest cameras, the “600 Family.” Jérôme Brunet, Owner, Jérôme Brunet Photography Jerome Brunet is an award-winning music photographer who has been published internationally in such publications as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Premiere Guitar, PDN, American Photo, Forbes and the New York Times. How does he get these great shots, what gear does he use and how does he make those amazing prints we saw at PhotoPlus? (courtesy of Hahnemuhle). Jonathan Handel, Entertainment Labor Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter Jonathan Handel, Entertainment Labor Reporter for The Hollywood Reporter – and regular reporter for The BuZZ – joins us this week to bring us up-to-date on a number of labor issues, including California ballot propositions and Hollywood unions, a SAG/AFTRA Hurricane Sandy relief fund, and a cautionary tale about making sure you understand your job’s benefits. Mark Anderson, Account Executive, G-Technology This week, at the Entertainment and Technology Expo, we talk with Mark Anderson, Account Executive for G-Technology, about their latest storage products, a look at the speeds of USB(3) drives, and why Thunderbolt RAIDs are taking so long to come to market.

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton this week as they talk with: Kristin Petrovich-Kennedy, Founder/President, Createasphere Createasphere’s Entertainment Technology Expo blasts its way into the Burbank Marriott on November 7 and 8. This annual show is a great way to see the latest in filmmaking technology. In fact, The BuZZ will be there next week, originating four live programs directly from the show floor. In advance of the event, Kristin Petrovich-Kennedy, Founder/President of Createsphere, previews all the excitement. Chad Andrews, Vertical Strategist, Dell – Brandon Bussinger, CTO, Sixteen 19 As filmmaking becomes every more digital, media management is now increasingly done on the set. The Digital Process Workflow Lab at Createasphere’s Entertainment Technology Expo (ETE) presents real-time demos of ideal media workflows and offers solutions to secure data handling, large data storage requirements, color management, and metadata issues. Chad Andrews, Vertical Strategist for Dell and Brandon Bussinger, CTO for Sixteen 19, join us to explain what they are premiering next week at Createasphere. Dawn Wilson, Content Marketing Director, New Dawn Media Dawn Wilson the Content Marketing Director at New Dawn Media, helps companies discover ways to engage potential customers. Since most of us need to increase both visibility and profitability, we invited Dawn on The BuZZ to give us some pointers geared to building business on the internet. Philip Hodgetts, CEO, Intelligent Assistance Nothing gets a discussion started like talking about Final Cut Pro X. With its major update last week from Apple, those discussions have increased. This week, Philip Hodgetts, CEO of Intelligent Assistance, follows up on his blog about the future of Final Cut Pro X. Join Larry, Philip, and Michael as they look to the future of where NLE software is heading.

Join Larry Jordan as he talks with: Dan Rayburn, Executive VP, StreamingMedia.com he world is quickly shifting from distributing media on physical objects, to downloads and streaming over the web. Dan Rayburn, executive vice president of StreamingMedia.com, and the head of Streaming Media West, coming to LA later this month, joins us to explain what streaming media is, how filmmakers can take advantage of it, and spots some of the trends we need to watch over the coming months. Norman Hollyn, Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts Norman Hollyn is an experienced film editor, a professor at USC's School of Cinematic Arts... and a world-traveler, helping filmmakers around the globe improve their story-telling skills. Norman joins us this week to discuss why filmmakers are looking to the US for hints on creating great movies. Their focus isn't on technology, its on the craft of story-telling, as Norman explains. Lynn Elliott, Product Manager, Telestream The good news is that Telestream has a big announcement for us. The bad news is that they aren't making it until just before our show starts. So, you'll just have to wait until Lynn Elliott, product manager at Telestream, stops by to explain what all the excitement is about. (It's pretty cool, though.) Michael Cowan, Founder/Executive Producer, Commotion Machine Media reating successful advertising is hard enough for most businesses. But when you are a professional, like a lawyer, the rules and regulations of your industry can make advertising far harder. Michael Cowan, Executive Producer for Commotion Machine Media, specializes in helping professionals advertise; both legally and successfully. Recently, Michael has featured a series of blogs called: "Weapons of Influence," which he shares with us on this week's show.

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton as they talk with: Michael Earle, President, AIO TV As the industry shifts from traditional distribution models – such as theatrical release, television broadcast, and DVD sales – filmmakers need to find new ways to make money on their projects. That’s where digital distribution comes in. New companies like AIO-TV are finding ways to connect films with an audience. AIO co-founder and president Michael Earle joins us today to explain what his company does and what filmmakers can do to find the money. Tony Simmons, Actor Tony Simmons is an actor that called California home for more than 20 years. Trained in both theater and film, Tony recently discovered that there are better opportunities for actors outside of LA. So he’s picked up and moved out. This week, we talk with him about what he sees as new options for actors outside of Hollywood. Barry Snyder, President/Co-founder, MediaMine Barry Snyder, president and co-founder of MediaMine, is a respected industry leader who specializes in taking legacy media collections and devising new ways to access, revitalize, and repurpose the content. In other words, he makes money on old stuff using new technology. There’s nothing better than making money on work you’ve already done – and Barry joins us this week to explain how it’s done. Jonathan Handel, Entertainment Labor Correspondent, Hollywood Reporter With productions leaving LA for other parts of the world, and producer’s strong preference for non-union labor, these are tough times for Hollywood’s Guilds and craft unions. One of the current flash points are reality and half-hour comedy shows. Currently, IATSE is picketing the production offices of reality show “Fashion Star.” Jonathan Handel, entertainment labor correspondent for the Hollywood Reporter and Buzz regular, joins us this week to explain the issues.

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton as they talk with: Patrick Longman, President, Active Camera Systems Patrick Longman is President of Active Camera Systems, an aerial cinematography and rental company based in Florida. He recently discovered that he could mount the Sound Devices PIX 240 recorder directly on the helicopter’s console and voila.. a great solution for aerial shoots. He joins us this week to explain how his system works. Jessica Sitomer, President, The Greenlight Coach Work is stressful enough, but how do you cope when the stress is coming from outside events, beyond your control? Jessica Sitomer, President of The Greenlight Coach, joins us this week to discuss managing stress and coping with outside pressures on your company. Andy Sheldon, Director of Marketing, Class on Demand Andy Sheldon, Director of Marketing at Class on Demand recently told us about a new partnership between Class on Demand and Amazon. Their goal is to make online learning more and more popular, so we thought we’d ask him a few questions about the new partnership and where Class on Demand is heading for the future. Mark Ditmanson, Owner, FloLight For the last several months, LitePanels has been embroiled in litigation over the patents it holds covering several aspects of LED lighting. Recently, we received an email from a group called PatentFreeLED that makes some strong charges about the impact LitePanels’ patents will have on LED lighting and our industry. We invited Mark Ditmanson, the Owner of FloLight, to come on the show to discuss his side of this issue. (We also invited LitePanels, but, because the litigation is pending, they declined to join us.)

Join Larry Jordan and Michael Horton as they talk with: Woody Woodhall, President, Allied Post Audio The best way to improve the quality of your picture is to improve the quality of your sound. But how? Woody Woodhall, CAS, is President of Allied Post Audio in Santa Monica, CA. and is a highly-respected supervising sound editor, sound-designer and re-recording mixer for independent feature films and television programming. We want to talk with him about audio and post-production. Tony Robinson, Executive Director, KICKS Ministries Recently, Tony Robinson, Executive Director of KICKS Ministries, shot two movies back-to-back, one using Canon DSLR cameras, and the other using a Sony FX100. We want to talk with him about what he liked about each system and how he’ll decide which camera to use in the future. We also want to learn if the different cameras require a different style of shooting. Wendy Woodhall, Founder, LAPPG Wendy Woodhall co-founded the Los Angeles Post Production Group (LAPPG) four years ago with her husband, Woody, and serves as the organization’s Executive Director. She’s been in the entertainment industry for 18 years in various capacities including television production, publicity, marketing and product placement but her passion currently is the creation and growth of the LAPPG. We talk with her this week about what it takes to make a user group work. Philip Hodgetts, CEO, Intelligent Assistance Philip Hodgetts, CEO of Intelligent Assistance, is a regular on The Buzz and he returns this week to comment on his recent blog about the state of television today. Philip’s insights are always interesting and informed. This is one segment you don’t want to miss.