So you finally did it. You made that film that you were threatening to make. You’ve made a distribution deal, or at the very least have posted clips on the net. Soon your public will find you. Either way, your work is done and you can now turn your attention to your next project. If you posted it on your own, “they” will eventually discover you and if you have a film company handling your project, they’ll take care of all the heavy lifting from this point on. Well, that’s a good fantasy.

I’ve run the gamut when it comes to representing authors and filmmakers from self financed ventures to multi-million dollar corporate projects and, I am sad to report, the one common link among all the artists we work with is that, unless their names happen to be household names, not many seem to receive much support, even from the big boys.

If you’re a novelist you have to deal with the fact that most publishing companies have slashed their in-house staffs and their publicists are overloaded. Every month, up to thirty books are dumped on one or two in-house publicists. And in the film world, many deserving project fall through the cracks due to lack of public awareness.

Most projects have a window and this is one time you don’t have the luxury of learning as you go. Although you hope that your project will become a classic and continue to sell throughout the years, your book has a shelf life. You need to launch an effective campaign even before it’s been released. I suggest that author s who are publishing with a major house, view their publisher primarily as a printer and distributor and assume that all of the responsibility for securing media coverage for their book rests firmly on their weary shoulders.

The same is true in the film world, actually in the art-world in general. If your publisher, producer or distributor actually launches a campaign for you, that’s great, but don’t count on it. You don’t have the luxury of being wrong. If you assume the media relations will be done for you and it’s not, by the time you discover your error, it will be too late. So, don’t think your job is done once you’ve finished your project. See that as your starting point. Learn the basics of PR and marketing. Take control of your project.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2007

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

UPDATE 7.2.08: Check out our new site The Final Cut Professional for the latest Final Cut Pro help.

People often get caught up in the technical aspects of editing and forget about the actual process. These are a few tips that I have learned in my 5 plus years editing video that I thought might be helpful to people just starting out and maybe the few who need to get back to the basics.

1. Detach yourself from the content.

This is especially true when you are editing your own work. You slaved away writing, directing, and shooting the film and now it is your baby that you don’t want to mess with. In order to be an effective editor, you must look at the piece from an objective angle or else you will restrict your editing choices and possibly sacrifice the quality of the final piece.

2. Experiment

Now that pretty much all editing is done on non-linear editing systems like Final Cut Pro and Avid, editors are free to try new things and they should. For example, when I edit in Final Cut I will often come up with an idea that might completely redo the whole sequence I have been working on. In this case, I will just copy the original sequence and then I have a saved version and I am free to hack up the new sequence and see where I end up.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Cut

This ties into the first two tips. If something does not work in your sequence, get rid of it. I can think of countless examples when there was a bad take or line that made me cringe and I did not think it was possible to get rid of it. Once I took the leap of faith and cut that out, creativity took control of the rest and made the sequence work. You will feel better as an editor and the final product will be greatly improved if you cut the things that don’t work no matter how attached you may be to them (see tip #1).

4. Share Rough Cuts

It is crucial to step away from the work and allow someone else to look at it. Whether this is your producer or your buddy, either way you get a fresh perspective. Often you will work on a project for so long that you don’t know which way is up and an outsiders perspective helps you notice things you may have missed. A second opinion also gives you a better idea of where you are in the overall process.

5. Attention to Detail

Every frame counts. When you watch a sequence and something doesn’t seem right or it doesn’t quite fit, moving or cutting a clip a couple frames here and there often makes a world of difference. This also applies to the content within the clip. You should try and pay attention to everything going on in the frame because it affects the viewing experience whether or not the audience notices it at first.

Let me know what editing tips or tricks you have in the comments.

From my first reading of Catcher in the Rye at the age of sixteen, I knew I wanted to be a writer. It was all I ever wanted, imagined, or fantasized about (girls aside). I shunned anything that had to do with business. Business was anathema. In my fantasy, real writers never became businessmen and neither would I. So in my late teens I began to write. I wrote and published some poetry, keeping myself afloat taking odd jobs delivering newspapers and driving airport shuttles. Eventually, to help pay the rent, I began to work as a freelance writer for a local music publication, which led to assignments with other publications. But this was no good. I was working as an entertainment journalist; my calling was to write literature, not to interview rock stars. Still, I continued. I eventually began writing for national magazines and interviewing even more prominent rock stars. This had to stop; my entire artist-self was being compromised. So, I made a stand, albeit a subconscious one. One evening when I was scheduled to interview the Rolling Stones, I fell asleep. I missed the interview. I figured that my tainted life as a music journalist was over. But I continued to receive writing assignments in spite of my faux pas and eventually moved from journalism to PR to production.

For years, in my mind there was no place for business or marketing in the writer’s universe, real writers weren’t business people, they were artists. Trouble was, I never thought to question my definition of an artist. Truth is, apart from doing the work, there is none. There is no writer’s lifestyle, or director’s lifestyle, real writers write, and director’s direct - that is their one directive, so to speak. I am amazed by the number of people who chose to live what they believe is the artist’s lifestyle, in order to avoid doing the work. That’s the ultimate in image manipulation. That is the “if I appear to be an artist, people will assume I am,” school of art.

Yes, I am a writer and a director but I am also a businessman and an entrepreneur. And, the real surprise? I didn’t have to make a choice between the businessman and the artist. They are both parts of who I am. I run a company, I write nonfiction books, and I write novels, plays and direct. None of it has anything to do with image or a preconceived “artist’s” lifestyle. What it has to do with is - the doing.

So, if you find yourself trapped in the web of the artist’s myth, save yourself some valuable time. Shatter the myth. Blaze your own path. Become an artist and, if so inclined, a successful entrepreneur and business person as well. Those who insist that in order to be an artist you have to dress, live, think, and create in a prescribed way, are trapped in the myth themselves. Forget about fashion. You are after substance. The bravest artists are trailblazers. They shatter the rules, destroy the stereotypes, and live life on their own terms. Forget about the artist’s myth. Trailblaze your own life.
Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

www.modernlovetheplay.com

Having worked as a novelist, playwright and director, I know that often the last consideration is branding or marketing. Yet, in the real world, those are important considerations. Having worked as journalist, editor and producer, I know from the media’s perspective what makes a powerful and compelling story. And finally, having served as president and CEO of Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. for over sixteen years, I also know from the perspective of a public relations consultant what creates a story the media will respond to.Emotional branding is considered by some to be a relatively unique field, yet in the PR world we have been using it for years. The PR process is not only effective as a media placement tool, innovative companies and entrepreneurs are utilizing the basic methodology, understanding that it is one of the most powerful and effective brand building tools available. A company builds a lasting successful brand by developing and creating an effective story. It is not about the hard-sell, or being the biggest, or the flashiest, or even the coolest; it is about making a deep powerful connection, about communicating on a basic human level.

The two criteria are generally quite similar. For a story to work it must be engaging, interesting and hit a basic human core, and public relations is the only form of marketing that lives or dies on how compelling the story truly is. Unlike advertising, with PR you cannot pay to have a story placed in the editorial section of the media (well, at least it shouldn’t work that way). You must craft and pitch a story compelling enough to capture the media’s attention – a story that in essence is strong enough to become the news.

PR is a process and using that process is the most effective and powerful way to create and develop an effective brand. Generally companies have turned to marketing firms to build their brands and whereas these firms can be effective, it is the PR mindset and methodology that truly creates the most powerful and lasting brands. When I’m wearing my PR hat, my job is to communicate, to be a consummate and effective storyteller, which is what branding is all about. A successful brand tells a story both emotionally and narratively, which is why used effectively, PR is the most effective brand creator around.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2008

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

www.modernlovetheplay.com

UPDATE 7.2.08: Check out our new site The Final Cut Professional for the latest Final Cut Pro help.

When I first started out using Final Cut Pro, I felt like I knew what needed to be done, but I didn’t know how to do it. Then after a while things started to flow and I could get the work done. However, I always felt that there was a more efficient way to accomplish the task. As any FCP user knows, there is an infinite number of ways to achieve a desired result. These are what I think are the most useful keyboard shortcuts to improve your workflow. (Note: I am assuming you have used the program before and understand some of the features).

• B - The B key switches to the razorblade tool which allows you to split a clip at a point that you choose. This is the essence of cutting and I use it constantly. Pressing B twice gives you the double razorblade which will slice through all the layers of your timeline.
• Command+“+” or “-” - This zooms in or out respectively.
• Shift+Z - This zooms out and allows you to see your entire timeline. Very useful, especially when you have gotten down into the nitty gritty of frame by frame editing and you need to see the big picture.
• Command+L - This links or unlinks selected clips. Used mainly to separate audio from video so you can overlap one or the other. Also useful if you want to use different audio on a given video clip.
• T - The only time I use this, I press it four times. This gives you a double arrow icon which will select all the clips after the point that you click. Great for awkward gaps.
• Control+U - Snaps you back to the default layout. Especially useful after someone else has been using your computer to quickly get you back into familiar territory.
• Command+8 - Brings up the log and capture window.
• I and O - When logging clips, press I to mark the in point and O to mark the out point.
• J-K-L- Playback keys. J plays in reverse, K stops and L plays forward. Tapping J or L multiple times will increase the speed of playback in either direction. Also holding K while you hold J or L will give you a slow scrub. These are crucial and I use them constantly.

There are many many more shortcuts that are not listed here, but these are what I use most. Leave a comment and let me know if there are some that you think are vital that I did not include here. Happy editing!