Blog Archives

Debbie Price was a good friend and a joy to work with. One of my best business decisions was hiring Debbie. Even more important, though, was knowing her as a friend. She died last week.

The search for that “perfect image” started a long time ago and will continue, I’m sure, far into the future. I was reminded of this when I came across this 1897 lens test chart from Cooke Lenses (now called Cooke …

Ransomware is increasing and, increasingly, affecting smaller companies. Robert Cattanach, former trial attorney for the Dept. of Justice, has some thoughts on what we should do based on the recent attack on the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The big news during August was Adobe’s announcement it was acquiring Frame.io. This deal put an exclamation point behind the importance of the new remote collaborative workflows so many of us are now dealing with. Larry Jordan has additional thoughts.

Apple quietly announced a ground-breaking feature: the ability to refocus video during editing in Final Cut Pro. Coming soon from an iPhone 13 Pro. Learn more.

In a decision that puts the welfare of its exhibitors and attendees ahead of its own, the National Association of Broadcasters canceled the 2021 edition of their annual NAB Show. This decision took courage. Larry Jordan shares his thoughts.

Robert Cole sent me an interesting email last week: You might want to explore the sea changes that the pandemic has wrought. For example, clients used to send a crew to create a video interview, sometimes at fairly significant expense. …

WWDC 2021 is over – here are Larry Jordan’s thoughts on what was announced and it’s impact on media creators and filmmakers going forward.

Paying attention to rumors is, most often, a fool’s game. This is why I don’t cover them. There’s nothing “real” we can use for decisions.

With the launch of the new “Camera to Cloud” service from Frame.io, the world of production is about to change. Frame has shown us the beginning of a new world of remote work and collaboration. But, like all change driven by technology, there will be fallout.

My wife has a saying: “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Nowhere is that more true than in technology; and the pursuit of perfection is driving us all nuts – especially in our search for that “perfect” system. Here are some thoughts that can help, regardless of the software you use.

The new normal is anything but normal and the M&E industry will have to test and experiment to find the options that work best for them in satisfying the consumer’s entertainment appetite.

Larry Jordan releases his tenth book: “Techniques of Visual Persusion.” This press release describes more about it.

Should we replace the terms “off-line” and “on-line” editor with “story-line” editor? There are compelling reasons to do exactly that.

The true heroes in today’s world are not the celebrities, sports stars or CEOs. The true heroes are those who help others. Share your thoughts here.

A former technical support engineer for Apple shares his thoughts on the evolving nature of the NAB Show and where it needs to go in the future.

The annual NAB Show is a rite of spring. Except this year, the Covid-19 is making many people nervous. To go or not? Here are some thoughts.

macOS Catalina provides a wide variety of benefits, but media creators should be wary of updating to the new OS too soon, as Larry Jordan explains.

What this experience taught me is that programming takes an idea, a philosophy, and makes it real. Every effective piece of software has a clearly-articulated philosophy of how to solve a problem behind it.

Take a deep breath. Just because a new version of the macOS is released doesn’t mean you need to upgrade… yet.

The technology of 360/VR uses the craft of film and video production; but its content takes its craft from the stage. When working with 360/VR, we need to use the tricks of stagecraft, not film production, to make sure the audience sees what we want when to see, when we want and where we want.

Elon Musk wrote 11 rules to improve business communication and workflow, as reported by Inc. magazine in their June 14 issue. Here are his 11 points.

Here’s a summary of pro video news from Apple’s WWDC 2019 keynote this morning.

Larry Jordan’s podcast, “Digital Production Buzz,” goes on production hiatus. Here are Larry’s comments on the break.

Apple thinks Pro laptops are thin, with limited ports. Pros disagree.

Unlike the past, technology is no longer improving our lives. It is simply making them more complex. This reflects on the impact of technology on society and media, with a look into the future.

Thoughts on what makes a good mentor and how they help shape a career.

Technology causes consequences. This guest blog, written by Clayon Moore, looks at the impact the search for the most clicks has on speciality sites trying to survive. We need a “social roadmap.”

A commentary on the danger of the growing trend of sponsored reviews and interviews.

A tribute to Norman Hollyn. Editor, teacher, and irreplaceable friend.

The Digital Production Buzz announces a partnership with SimonSays.ai to provide transcripts of all NAB podcasts.

Technology is a moving target. New ideas are continually promoted at “the next great thing.” However, the landscape is littered with ideas that, over time, did not prove to be very great at all. Here’s a commentary about over-reliance on hype.

Frame.io announced it was now SOC 2 Type 2 compliant. This is a MAJOR accomplishment in creating and maintaining data security for our media and sets a high-bar for other companies to follow. Larry Jordan reflects on this announcement.

When is USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1 and 3.2 Gen 1 the same thing? Uh, now, actually. The USB-IF renames USB – again – creating a perfect storm of end user confusion. It’s gonna be a mess. Read the details here.

Visual communication skills are no longer “nice to know;” they are a business survival skill. Content, creativity and quality are the touch-points to success, not only in filmmaking but in business today.

For many years, I’ve suffered from a deep internal conflict – I want to find all my media but I don’t want to do any work to find it. This has led me on a long, strange journey exploring a …

Along with the 2019 NAB Show, the Digital Production Buzz launches “NAB Insight,” presenting weekly thought leaders on how to succeed in an era of tumultuous change in the media industry.

The biggest news from CES 2019 was not a product or technology, but something no one talked about. Larry Jordan and Mark Harrison provide insight on a trend that could shake the financial underpinnings of the media industry.

Apple announced it is discontinuing support for key legacy codecs in the next version of the macOS. This is a VERY BIG DEAL – here’s what you need to know. This article has been updated MULTIPLE times since its first release with info from Adobe, Apple, Avid, and Blackmagic Design.

Larry Jordan’s suggestions for improving the interface and usability for Apple Final Cut Pro X – along with the ability to add your own suggestions for Apple.

You are filled with boundless creativity, with a toolkit filled with the latest software to create movie magic. Then, the real world intervenes. Clayton Moore and I were chatting via email this week about client problems that can kill a …

Storage Visions 2018 opens soon. Here’s why you should consider attending.

Storage Visions is a two-day conference devoted to the latest in storage technology. As in year’s past, the Digital Production Buzz is a media sponsor for this event.

I’ve discovered, in working in the media industry, that there are a number of relationships that impact the work we do and results we create. Two of these are triangles, the third is a balance-beam. I first wrote this in …

Thoughts on how to define what a “story” is and what makes it compelling to an audience.

One of my teaching assistants hopes to become a filmmaker after he graduates. Here are some of my thoughts on how to get a career started on the right foot. (Includes interview with award-winning director, Mark Toia.)

A guest blog from Andy Marken on the current potential and market for VR. It’s real, it’s big and it doesn’t involve stories!

[ This commentary was written for the Digital Production Buzz podcast for August 9, 2018. ] I’ve been involved with technology all my life. Even when I was working in marketing, I was marketing software and explaining the benefits of …

[ Updated 7/6/2018 to correct some typos and add links to the interview between Mike Horton and Randy Ubillos. ] “A single grain of rice can tip the scale. One man may be the difference between victory and defeat.” This …

Boxcast launched an exciting new product – Boxcaster Pro – with a live video stream that showcased just how hard creating high-quality live video actually is. This was an object lesson in mistakes to avoid.