22 episodes
Midland Pictures FM Midland Pictures FM
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- TV & Film
Welcome to Midland Pictures FM!
Tune in to listen to us interview filmmakers, discuss gear/tech/apps we use on a daily basis, and get real about our successes and failures with running a company where we work with/for clients, create our own original content, and figure out this whole process of building a company and a brand from nothing.
This should be fun.
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We Made a Spec Commercial | A Conversation with Writer/Director Alex Carter
To view the version of the spec with music, go here: https://vimeo.com/503267765
BTS VIDEOS:
Camera Test for a Spec Commercial | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHrzkxrmJ78&t=215s
BTS of our Spec Commercial | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAEwxx7uY4E&t=25s
It's finally here! Last fall Alex Carter, Cody Jones, and I got together to assemble a team to produce and post-produce Alex's spec commercial. We filmed it in one day last fall and finished post-production in mid-December. We tried connecting with Gillette to see what they thought about the spot we made, but we didn't hear back from them. 😢
But we didn't really expect to, either.
So now we're bringing the spec to you to see what you think AND to learn more about Alex's idea, the issues we had in production in post-production, and what we learned from making our very first big brand commercial on spec.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Canon C300 MkII
Vintage Nikkor Photo Primes (cine-modded, of course)
Edited with Final Cut Pro
Color in DaVinci Resolve
Sound Mixed in Adobe Audition
CREDITS:
Santa | Gary Planck
TV Personality | MJ Peters
Written & Directed by Alex Carter
Produced & Edited by Matthew O'Brien
Cinematography & Color by Cody Jones
Gaffer | Cadet Fowler
Key Grip | DJ Hornacek
Sound Mixed by Kyle Ranney
ALEX
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCguzWaeZ0DaJDezjmN0Yu0Q
Instagram | @made.by_alex
Letterboxd | https://letterboxd.com/alexcrter/
Website | https://alexccarter.com/n
CODY
Instagram | @codyjonescolor
Website | https://www.codyjonesdp.com -
Five Mistakes Beginning Editors Make
Sooooooo...you want to be a video editor. Well, step into my office, friends. 'Cause I want to drop some knowledge on ya'll and save you from the pain and suffering I went through as I started my career as a professional post-production person guy.
Starting a career as a freelance video editor? Deciding to add videography to your photography business and you need to learn how to edit video? Starting a YouTube channel and you just bought Final Cut Pro X, and you're here on the YouTubes looking for advice for beginning editors? Check out this video and learn!
Hit me up in the comments with the things you're facing as you're upping your editing game ... and also tell me why so many of you aren't charging your clients for data / data storage and using that money to buy LEGIT hard drives you can FINALLY STOP the hard drive shuffle. Ugh.
Also, here's that Dropbox link to my FREE file folder and FCPX Library templates:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hrx7efimrp12see/AABxuAaPCwS8-SCFk5wdtJDpa?dl=0
FOLLOW MIDLAND:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures
Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures
FOLLOW MATTHEW:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien -
Are you Worth 1/2 Billion Dollars Like Patrick Mahomes?
🏈💵🤑$500 MILLION DOLLARS! 💵🤑🏈
Congrats, Patrick Mahomes, the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs!
But why should someone who throws a ball around a field get paid HALF A BILLION DOLLARS? It's all about value, folks. If you haven't taken a deep dive into the Value Mindset, you'll want to watch this video.
If you feel stuck in the Commodity Mindset, you need to start thinking about the value you create and what your superpower is - what's your magic? - that makes you different from EVERYONE else? Whether you're a filmmaker, a plumber, an accountant, a lawyer ... how do you create value for those who hire you, and how can you leverage that value and the results you get to CHARGE WHAT YOU'RE WORTH?
It's time to start thinking differently about how you price your work.
It's time to start thinking like Patrick Mahomes.
FOLLOW MIDLAND:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures
Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures
FOLLOW MATTHEW:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien -
Starting Over When What You Made Isn't Good Enough
"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."
That saying has been ringing in my (Matthew's) ears for the last few weeks. To get my head around this whole COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself wanting to work on projects in my studio that could move the needle for how I film and create content - a bunch of drywall work, a bathroom in dire need of updating, and a back hallway were all nagging at me over the years, but I kept putting it off due to busy-ness. What I learned while doing this work - work I didn't have much experience with - was how to challenge myself to push through the desire to "just finish" and really task myself with doing better, doing more, focusing on the quality of the work. From drywall patches that weren't smooth enough to caulking that didn't have straight edges, to areas where the paint could use some touch ups and maybe an extra coat - I found that sometimes I had to really discipline myself to make the work I was doing rise from "yeah, it's okay - kinda good" to "yes, that looks RIGHT."
So in today's video I'm chatting about that experience and how it relates to my business and my filmmaking.
Let us know in the comments how work unrelated to filmmaking and video has made you a better artist, creator, technician - AN ARTISAN.
FOLLOW MIDLAND:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures
Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures
FOLLOW MATTHEW:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien -
Pricing Your Work
Pricing your work - especially Creative Work - can be incredibly difficult. Which method do I use? Hourly? Day rates? Cost Plus? What amount should I markup my costs? Are you stressed about projects that aren't profitable, too little profit to actually grow your business? Are you tired of feeling like you're just a vendor who's there to take orders from your client? Frustrated that your client thinks they know what's best for them more than you do?
Let's talk about the Value Mindset before we go all-in with Value-Based Pricing. What does it mean to think about the value your work creates for your clients and their business rather than the time + materials it takes to make a video for your client? How can thinking based on value lead you to greater profits and happier clients?
If you've even touched on the world of Value-Based Pricing you need to know these FIVE advocates for the practice:
Blair Enns | The Win Without Pitching Manifesto & Pricing Creativity | https://www.winwithoutpitching.com
Chris Do | The Futur | https://thefutur.com
Jonathan Stark | Ditching Hourly | https://jonathanstark.com
Marcus Rideout | Video Warriors | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw7uK6zDkqZwroM2rLzNtcQ
Joel Pilger | RevThink | http://revthink.com
FOLLOW MIDLAND:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures
Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures
FOLLOW MATTHEW:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien -
Will Coronavirus End My Business?
What a crazy two weeks it's been. The Coronavirus. COVID-19. In Omaha. Coromaha.
Matthew got out of the house for the first time in over a week to keep his distance from everyone but try to get an idea of what things feel like out in the world. So join him as he checks out the riverfront in Omaha to not only get a sense of this new world we live in, but to try to work though just what he and Midland Pictures are going to do now that business has dropped off COMPLETELY and new projects don't seem likely any time soon.
Do we pivot? Do we slash prices? Do we give up and go find "normal" jobs?Do we double-down on marketing and content and get ourselves in front of people to keep inspiring brands, businesses, non-profits to tell stories?
Let's figure it out together.
FOLLOW MIDLAND:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures
Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures
FOLLOW MATTHEW:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien