LIFE THROUGH A LENS.

Update: Back in Cornwall for a week

I’ve escaped Brighton and returned home for a week to do some work in quieter surroundings. I’ve not been back for over a month, so I get that yearning in my bones for a little wilderness in my life. It’s great to be able to see my family, hang with my dog and squeeze in a surf or two between the work. I’ll head back here at the end of March for a proper break with my girlfriend should everything go as planned, but for now this is mostly if not all business.

What’s going on? Well, I’m in post-production for a couple of projects which require my undivided attention (one of them should be fairly obvious without me saying anything) and the solitude and quietness of my home town provides all the concentration I need. Another great advantage of having a top spec post-production system you can move to anywhere is the ability to go wherever you want and still be able to run a section of your business. 

On the train down I dedicated a little time to writing a new blog post called ‘Innovation or Following Your Gut Feelings’. I’m going to proof read it a little tomorrow, but it’s a good read if you’re an aspiring director who might not know which way to turn when it comes to starting out in this job. That being said though, it’s a read for anyone who’s doing any sort of directing at any level (if you respect my opinion enough!). 

I’ll try and post a few tid bits here and there throughout the week, and I’ve also requested my Edelkrone Slider XL to be delivered to me, so that break down video on my newest piece of gear should come sooner than expected! Until my next post though, stay productive!

R x

Picture above: Spot B - a local secret surf spot in Cornwall my friends and I visit when conditions are suitable.

Gear Focus: Western Digital Nomad Rugged Case (a must for being on the road!)

As most traveling directors/cinematographers/videograpers/editors know, data safety on the road is paramount and too often we travel with a fear of ‘data death’ where our beloved digital art ceases to exist. With it comes that nasty feeling of unprofessionalism and ‘how the hell am I going to explain this’. There are so many hard drives out there at the moment but not many ones offer amazing protection in the grand scale of things. There are different sorts of tough drives etc, but at the same time, sometimes you just don’t have the budget for it. 

Western Digital have met everyone half way on this with this amazing and affordable piece of protection for the cost-wise My Passport drive. Now there is an endless argument about which company is best when it comes to providing hard drives. For me I have always gone with Western Digital, others disagree, but hard drive horror stories surface on the web easily. The reason behind this is, we all have a hard drive in our lives in one form or another. When you consider the amount of hard drives out there in comparison to failures, it becomes apparent that no one company is perfect and you just need to treat your hard drive like you would your lady (or fella, or whatever it is you like a lot). 

So when you combine the western digital ‘my passport’ drive with this protective case, it provides a really cost effective and reliable storage device. To be considered professional with your data storage you need to have at least 2 copies of it with you while shooting or editing. So those of you just about to embark on that level of data protection, this is a good entry level. I myself even take 3 drives on tour sometimes, it really depends on what you feel you are going to encounter and if you have the space. These drives even when in the case fit snugly into your backpack (for me it’s my lowepro fastpak 350) and are ‘bus powered’, so there’s no need to take power cables. That in itself is a godsend when you’re sat on a train or in a van/car/bus and plugs are limited.

The drives themselves that fit in these cases come in 500gb, 1TB or 2TB. These options mean you can suit the capacity to the length of time on the road or the size of the project you’re editing. I’ve recently used one for the transferral of footage from one of my producers after they shot the Basement show at London Underworld. The proof therefore is in the pudding.

Check them out now on amazon via the links below!

The drive

The case

Directing/Producing in 2012.

Tonight I produce and direct the biggest shoot of my life at Brixton Academy London for Mastodon’s new live DVD. A colossal 5000 people will be there as the show is sold out. I’ll be posting pictures and iphone videos throughout the day. So if you’re a budding director/producer and you want to know how to run a shoot of that size, I’m going to show you some sneak previews behind the scenes. Stay tuned. We’re loading up the van as I write this, so I better go help. Have a great Saturday whatever you’re up to.

Ryan