Worth Watching #124: What is neorealism?

Two visions of the same movie. One by the director of The Bicycle Thieves. One by the producer of Gone With the Wind. - Eric Maierson What is neorealism? from kogonada on Vimeo. Also see the accompanying essays: Video essay: What is neorealism? Indiscretion of an American Wife & Terminal Station "Every cut is a form of judgment, whether it takes place on the set or in the editing room. A cut reveals what matters and what doesn’t. It delineates the essential from the non-essential. To examine the cuts of a filmmaker is to uncover an approach to cinema." See what else we think is Worth Watching.

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Read more about the article In Praise of Tim McLaughlin
Eric and Tim. Photo by Shameel Arafin.

In Praise of Tim McLaughlin

Do you know Tim McLaughlin? If you do, then you know he’s a gem. Not only is he a seriously genuine person–one of the finest–he’s also a tremendous editor. Go watch Surviving the Peace: Angola, a project he produced with gorgeous footage from Rick Gershon. It’s hardly a secret around the office that I have a 5-lb.-gummy-bear-sized man-crush on Tim. What I love about our relationship, besides his immense patience for my shenanigans, is his almost incessant drive to improve his skills. Tim’s desire to be better is palpable. And it’s infectious. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve meandered into his room feeling self-satisfied with my own work only to be floored by some sleight-of-hand he’s conjured up. Inevitably, such moments send me back to my desk, convinced I can do better. In moments of fancy, I imagine us as something akin to K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, the fierce…

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Thoughts on Going Further

At MediaStorm we strive to depict the truth of every single person we document. I sometimes refer to this process as going with the grain of the wood. That is, telling the stories that are embedded in the raw material. We aim to shape what is documented, not what we would like to see. That is our highest aspiration, to reveal the specific. In pursuing this ideal for close to a decade now, we have employed a number of techniques that permeate our work [1]. You are no doubt familiar with some of them: Stories that begin with an individual’s plight and end with a larger call to social justice. A steady pace defined by frequent cutting on musical beats. Video portraits that blend photography and motion. We use these conventions because they work and when used effectively they are powerful. I believe in them. I helped, in part, to create what…

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Read more about the article Introducing the Newest MediaStorm Workshop: Editing Workflows
Eric and Tim. Photo by Shameel Arafin.

Introducing the Newest MediaStorm Workshop: Editing Workflows

MediaStorm is proud to announce our newest workshop, Editing Workflows. This one day workshop is a deep dive into the 200-plus step workflow that MediaStorm producers use every day to organize and create our films. Led by producers Eric Maierson and Tim McLaughlin, participants will learn the keys to organizing and working with large scale projects. While some editing techniques will be discussed, this workshop is primarily focused on methodology. We’ll be sharing the editing workflow we’ve refined over 7 years to produce more than 200 projects. This workshop uses Premiere Pro and Aperture, though the principles apply to Final Cut 7 as well. Applications are now being accepted online. Upcoming Dates Saturday, August 10, 2013 - Apply by July 10, 2013 Saturday, September 7, 2013 - Apply by August 7, 2013 Workshop Details Tuition for selected participants is $500 Workshops will be held at MediaStorm's office and will start at 10 am…

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MediaStorm Guide to Copy and Pasting a Clip Range in Premiere Pro

This article is part of a new series of posts with tips and tricks from our producers' experience working with Adobe Premiere Pro after years of working in Final Cut Pro. To read more about why we made the switch, check out this post. Today's post was written by MediaStorm producer Eric Maierson. A neat new feature in Premiere Pro is the ability to copy and paste a range of clips (or one clip) without first having to use the Razor Tool (C). To do this simply mark an In (I) and Out (O) on your timeline. Then, Copy (Command-C) and Paste (Command-V). Super easy, super helpful. Note that if a clip is already selected, you’ll simply copy and paste whatever is highlighted, not the range indicated by in and out marks. Use Command-Shift-A to first deselect all clips. To learn more about how our producers are using Adobe Premiere Pro see…

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