The Making Of The Making Of

In this episode, we welcome Vimeo curators Meghan Oretsky and Ina Pira. This pivotal team at Vimeo leads the curation of the platform’s celebrated Staff Picks and engages with the filmmaking community on a constant basis. In our chat, we hear their back stories, how they got involved with Vimeo, and their unique roles with curation. In addition, they share insights on the state of independent film today — and what’s coming for Staff Picks events throughout 2024.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
As productions grow in complexity, access to on-set displays for monitoring is crucial. With ample routing inputs and outputs, it’s easy to achieve greater monitoring flexibility and redundancy on-set. Check out this Q&A with DIT Kevin Shiramizu to learn how he’s leveraging AJA KUMO SDI routers to do just this across projects.
Vimeo Staff Picks Screening:
Tuesday, April 23rd | San Francisco
A night of inspiring Vimeo Staff Picks + live filmmaker commentary! 
Join Vimeo curator Meghan Oretsky as she screens a handful of exceptional Staff Picked films with live, unscripted commentary from some of the best creators on Vimeo. After the screening, grab some swag and mingle with other filmmakers over apps and drinks. This event is free to attend.
RSVP here
From our Friends at Videoguys…
Media Composer is the most acclaimed and trusted collaborative video editing software solution across the media and entertainment industry. With options for all types of content creators—from students and independent video editors to creative teams, high-level post-production teams and broadcasters, Media Composer provides the most powerful storytelling tools in the industry. From AI-powered timesaving features, flexible workflow options, to customizable UI and remote collaboration tools, Media Composer makes it easy to create and deliver content from anywhere and turn around more projects faster. In the highest quality. On time and on budget.
Learn more here
ZEISS Wins Multiple Awards at NAB 2024
Congratulations to ZEISS for taking home three awards at NAB 2024 for Nano Primes and CinCraft Scenario camera tracking solutions. Check out these award-winning products and more here
Featured Book:
Stanley Kubrick and Me: Thirty Years at His Side
This intimate portrait by his former personal assistant and confidante reveals the man behind the legendary filmmaker—for the first time.
Stanley Kubrick, the director of a string of timeless movies from Lolita and Dr. Strangelove to A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, and others, has always been depicted by the media as the Howard Hughes of filmmakers, a weird artist obsessed with his work and privacy to the point of madness. But who was he really? Emilio D'Alessandro lets us see. A former Formula Ford driver who was a minicab chauffeur in London during the Swinging Sixties, he took a job driving a giant phallus through the city that became his introduction to the director. Honest, reliable, and ready to take on any task, Emilio found his way into Kubrick's neurotic, obsessive heart. He became his personal assistant, his right-hand man and confidant, working for him from A Clockwork Orange until Kubrick's death in 1999.
View here
Podcast Rewind:
April 2024 - Ep. 29…
The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.
If you’d like to promote your products to 12,600 leading film, TV and video industry pros reading this newsletter, please email us: mvalinsky@me.com


Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we welcome filmmaker Chris Kentis. Chris is a writer, director, producer and editor, who achieved great success with his independent film, Open Water, in 2003. In our chat, we hear his backstory, path into filmmaking, and process making this movie. Chris also shares about his cinematic inspirations, other projects he’s worked on, and what's next for him.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
As productions grow in complexity, access to on-set displays for monitoring is crucial. With ample routing inputs and outputs, it’s easy to achieve greater monitoring flexibility and redundancy on-set. Check out this Q&A with DIT Kevin Shiramizu to learn how he’s leveraging AJA KUMO SDI routers to do just this across projects.
From our Friends at Videoguys…
Media Composer is the most acclaimed and trusted collaborative video editing software solution across the media and entertainment industry. With options for all types of content creators—from students and independent video editors to creative teams, high-level post-production teams and broadcasters, Media Composer provides the most powerful storytelling tools in the industry. From AI-powered timesaving features, flexible workflow options, to customizable UI and remote collaboration tools, Media Composer makes it easy to create and deliver content from anywhere and turn around more projects faster. In the highest quality. On time and on budget.
Learn more here
Visit ZEISS at the NAB Show:
NAB is around the corner, and you don't want to miss what's new at the ZEISS Booth #7312 in Hall C! Come discover the cinematic look of the Nano Prime lenses and check out live demonstrations of the ZEISS CinCraft Scenario camera tracking solution. ZEISS' knowledgeable Product Specialists are excited to discuss your upcoming camera tracking needs and offer their expertise. Whether you're working in indoor or outdoor settings, on film sets with green and blue screens, or in LED volumes, they have the solution for you.
If you're looking to save time on lens calibration, come and see how Scenario can accelerate your workflow. Plus, you can explore the complete lineup of ZEISS cinema lenses — including Supreme Prime, Supreme Prime Radiance, CZ.2 Cinema Zoom lenses, CP.3 Primes, and more! Use ZEISS' guest pass code NS7892 to register for free admission and click the link below to add ZEISS to your planner. 
To add ZEISS to your Show Planner, click here
Vimeo Staff Picks Screening:
April 23, 2024 | San Francisco
Join us for this free screening of recent Vimeo Staff Pick favorites, handpicked and hosted by our curators. Short films will be accompanied by live commentary from featured local filmmakers. After the screening, there’ll be a Networking Party with drinks, snacks, music and swag!
RSVP for free here
Podcast Rewind:
March 2024 - Ep. 28…
The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.
If you’d like to promote your products to over 12,500 leading film, TV and video industry pros reading this newsletter, please email us: mvalinsky@me.com


Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we welcome award-winning photographer and filmmaker, Esteban Toro. Esteban also serves as Adobe’s Sr. Community Relationship Manager and is based in New York City. In our chat, he shares his origin story, how he learned photography, on through becoming an ambassador for brands such as Sony and BenQ. He also talks about his role at Adobe supporting the creative community of filmmakers and editors — and sheds light about recent developments in post workflows, A.I., and much more.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
Versatile color management and conversion with AJA ColorBox
From film to live production, color is an art. Achieving the right look requires a combination of talent and access to tools like AJA ColorBox. The color management and conversion box has quickly become a favorite among DITs with camera log, HDR, and WCG support, 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 connectivity, and unparalleled color processing. Find out why.
ZEISS Conversations with Meena Singh
Join the ZEISS Conversations webinar featuring renowned Director of Photography Meena Singh on Thursday, March 28th at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. Hear her insights about using ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lenses to create the look for the notable romantic comedy film, "Wedding Season." They will also discuss how she created the visual language for Sundance 2024 selected short film “Guts” and several documentary projects.
Sign up for free here
From our Friends at Videoguys…
The Canon EOS C70 offers exceptional cinema capabilities in a compact package. Enjoy stunning images with a 4K Super 35mm DGO Sensor and all the built-in features you could ask for, including ND Filters, mini XLRs, direct touch rotatable LCD screen, Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus, and excellent battery life. Making the EOS C70 even more powerful is compatibility with Canon's expanding line of high-performance RF Lenses.
Check it out here!
Book of the Month:
Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos
Expanding on their hit Talking Sopranos podcast with exclusive interviews for the book with the cast, crew, producers, writers, directors and creators, stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa deliver the definitive oral history of the landmark television series and streaming hit The Sopranos. Packed with untold stories from behind the scenes and on the set, they’re spilling all the secrets.
Get a copy here
Podcast Rewind:
March 2024 - Ep. 27…
The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.
If you’d like to promote your products to over 12,000 leading film, TV and video industry pros reading this newsletter, please email us: mvalinsky@me.com




Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we welcome Emmy-nominated Composer, Score Producer and Musician Chris Ruggiero. Chris has worked on films such as Emily the Criminal, Swallow, The Martha Mitchell Effect, Minding the Gap, Hooligan Sparrow, “Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music,” One Child Nation, Plan C, Camp Courage, episodes of “American Masters" and “American Experience” — and Resynator, which is premiering at SXSW this month. In our chat, we hear Chris’ backstory, his path from working at MTV, to creating jingles for brands, on through scoring many of today’s top independent films and documentaries.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
Versatile color management and conversion with AJA ColorBox 
From film to live production, color is an art. Achieving the right look requires a combination of talent and access to tools like AJA ColorBox. The color management and conversion box has quickly become a favorite among DITs with camera log, HDR, and WCG support, 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 connectivity, and unparalleled color processing. Find out why.
ZEISS Conversations with Meena Singh
Join the ZEISS Conversations webinar featuring renowned Director of Photography Meena Singh on Thursday, March 28th at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. Hear her insights about using ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lenses to create the look for the notable romantic comedy film, "Wedding Season." They will also discuss how she created the visual language for Sundance 2024 selected short film “Guts” and several documentary projects. Sign up for free here
Movie Book of the Month:
Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece
This is the definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, including the inside account of how director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke created this cinematic masterpiece.
Author Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke. Benson interviewed Clarke many times, and has also spoken at length with Kubrick’s widow, Christiane; with visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull; with Dan Richter, who played 2001’s leading man-ape; and many others.A colorful nonfiction narrative packed with memorable characters and remarkable incidents, Space Odyssey provides a 360-degree view of this extraordinary work, tracking the film from Kubrick and Clarke’s first meeting in New York in 1964 through its UK production from 1965-1968, during which some of the most complex sets ever made were merged with visual effects so innovative that they scarcely seem dated today. A concluding chapter examines the film’s legacy as it grew into it current justifiably exalted status. Available here
From our Friends at Broadfield…
The Atomos Ninja bundled with Atomos Connect combines the newest 5" monitor/recorder & playback device with the latest Atomos Cloud features enabled by Atomos Connect. The free 6-month subscription to Atomos Cloud Studio enables camera-to-cloud, remote collaboration and review, cloud editing, live production and streaming. This complete solution will even include an accessory kit with rechargeable batteries, fast-charger, screen protector, travel case and more!
Browse here
Resource of the Month:
The Daily Drop
“The Daily Drop” is all about the tech, craft and business of producing content. The ongoing daily series (Mon-Fri) from Jem Schofield of theC47 focuses on video production and filmmaking with a core focus on education.
Here’s a recent episode that give’s Jem’s initial thoughts on OpenAI’s Sora and how it might impact our industry…
More episodes available here
Upcoming L.A. Event:
Cinelease Open House
Cinelease, known for providing the industry's most extensive array of grip, electrical and lighting equipment and full-service studios, opens

In this episode, we welcome Emmy-winning Cinematographer and Producer Ben Staley. Ben has worked extensively on the popular series “Deadliest Catch” — as well as “Ice Road Truckers,” “Lost Gold of the Aztecs,” “Alaskan Bush People,” “Mysterious Creatures with Forrest Galante,” “Shark Week” and “Pirate Gold of Adak Island”. In our chat, Ben shares all about growing up in Alaska, his path to filmmaking, and tales from shooting in extreme environments all over the world.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
Maximize the production power of AJA BRIDGE LIVE
Whether facilitating remote production, two-way interviews, live event streaming, multi-cam backhaul, field contribution, confidence monitoring, collaborative production, or ABR ladder profiles, AJA BRIDGE LIVE supports many streaming and contribution codecs, including NDI, H.265, H.264, MPEG-2, JPEG 2000, and now JPEG XS. The device also includes support for RTMP, ST2022-7 hitless redundancy, and input auto-reconfiguration for video and audio formats.
Learn more at www.aja.com/bridge-live
ZEISS Nano Primes
Introducing ZEISS Nano Primes - cinema lenses designed for modern full-frame mirrorless cameras - initially available with Sony E-mount. These lenses offer the highest performance and cinematic look in a small package. 
With six focal lengths ranging from 18mm to 100mm, all featuring a consistent high speed of T1.5, the Nano Primes are the go-to choice for diverse cinematic needs. The lenses come with a small and robust real cine lens housing with professional ergonomics, and also have an interchangeable mount, facilitated by the trusted ZEISS IMS. And with a small and lightweight design, they're perfect for shooting on the go or in tight spaces. ZEISS Nano Primes are the go-to lenses for everyday: True Cinema. For All.
Learn more HERE
ASC Members Focus On Lighting At “The Art Of Cinematic Lighting” Event 
The NY filmmaking community gathered at Foto Care Rentals in Manhattan on November 30th to hear ASC cinematographers dive deep into the art of cinematic lighting. The conversation was moderated by Dejan Georgevich ASC and featured Mauricio Rubinstein ASC and Vanja Cernjul ASC. The trio broke down scenes and described how they employed lighting techniques to achieve desired cinematic looks and feels. This edition of Foto Care’s Education & Networking Series was made possible by Nanlux and Nanlite with additional support by ShotDeck. 
From our Friends at Broadfield…
The Atomos Ninja bundled with Atomos Connect combines the newest 5" monitor/recorder & playback device with the latest Atomos Cloud features enabled by Atomos Connect. The free 6-month subscription to Atomos Cloud Studio enables camera-to-cloud, remote collaboration and review, cloud editing, live production and streaming. This complete solution will even include an accessory kit with rechargeable batteries, fast-charger, screen protector, travel case and more!
Take a look HERE
Upcoming Event:
Cine Gear Expo NY | March 14-16, 2024
Mark your calendars for March and head on out to the thriving Industry City complex along the Brooklyn Upper Bay waterside. Cine Gear’s studio-style event is gathering steam as state-of–the-art technology brands are preparing to reveal their latest & greatest gear in the historic Paper Factory Hall. New this year is Photo Focus, a one-day educational event dedicated to the art and craft of Still Photography.
Get your Free Passes here
For this podcast episode, Special Thanks to Neil Matsumoto.
Podcast Rewind:
Jan. 2024 - Ep. 25…
The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.
Interested in promoting your products to over 11K film & TV industry pros reading this newsletter? Send an email to: mvalinsky@me.com










Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we welcome Emmy-winning Documentary Editor Arielle Amsalem. Arielle has worked on docs including By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, “The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth,” Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Whose Streets?, The Education of Dee Dee Ricks, Coming Back with Wes Moore, and They Called Him Mostly Harmless. In our chat, Arielle shares about her upbringing, path into film editing, education at NYU, and mentorship by legendary editor Sam Pollard. She also talks about her creative process on projects — and offers insights on the art of non-fiction storytelling.
The Making Of is presented by AJA Video Systems.
Maximize the production power of AJA BRIDGE LIVE
Whether facilitating remote production, two-way interviews, live event streaming, multi-cam backhaul, field contribution, confidence monitoring, collaborative production, or ABR ladder profiles, AJA BRIDGE LIVE supports many streaming and contribution codecs, including NDI, H.265, H.264, MPEG-2, JPEG 2000, and now JPEG XS. The device also includes support for RTMP, ST2022-7 hitless redundancy, and input auto-reconfiguration for video and audio formats.
Learn more at www.aja.com/bridge-live
From our Friends at Broadfield…
Now through Feb 15, 2024, you can buy your RED camera from a Broadfield Authorized Dealer and get a FREE Memory Card!
Buy RED KOMODO-X or V-RAPTOR Brain and get a Free 325GB OWC CFExpress - $399.99 value.
Buy RED KOMODO and get a Free 256GB SanDisk CFast Card - $329.99 value.
Find your Broadfield & RED dealer Here
ZEISS Conversations with Curren Sheldon
Thursday, February 1st
Join ZEISS Conversations to explore coal country and discuss the ASC Award Nominated documentary, “King Coal.” Filmmakers Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Curren Sheldon have received accolades including an Oscar nomination and Emmy Award for their documentary filmmaking which frequently seeks to shine a light on their home state of West Virginia. The pair’s latest film is the 2023 Sundance premiering “King Coal,” a lyrical tapestry focused on the complex history of the coal industry and the communities that have grown up in its embrace. The filmmakers chose to mix verité with magical realism to stylistically honor the Appalachians who make up the story.
Sheldon selected ZEISS CP.3 lenses with a Canon C300 and a C70 as his primary camera package throughout filming. We are excited hear more about Curren’s novel approach to the cinematography of “King Coal.” Register below to join a virtual Q&A with Curren this Thursday, February 1st at 12pm PST, 3pm EST.
Register for Free Here
Featured Book:
In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought -- provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question -- Why do cuts work? -- Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more. In this second edition, Murch reconsiders and completely revises his popular first edition's lengthy meditation on digital editing (which accounts for a third of the book's pages) in light of the technological changes that have taken place in the six years since its publication.
Get a copy here
Podcast Rewind:
Jan. 2024 - Ep. 24…
The Making Of is published by Michael Valinsky.
If you’d like to be considered as a guest, or to promote your products to over 10K top film & TV production pros reading this newsletter, email us: mvalinsky@me.com




Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe