Archimedia Studios

What does a Film Editor do?

Film editing is the only art that is unique to the making of motion pictures. Editors must take individual film shots, which are often separated by time and space, and put them together into a coherent whole. Assistant editors usually catalog each individual shot into a database and bring together all the elements necessary to put together the finished film. A film editorworks with the multiple layers of images to create a rhythm that ultimately guides the telling and pace of the story. With the increase in digital editing, film editors are increasingly responsible for assembling all the elements of the story, including sound and special effects. Film editing is said to be an invisible art, since when it is done well, the audience neither notices nor thinks about the editing process.

What skills or qualities do I need to become a Film Editor?

Film editors need to be patient people who work well as part of a team. They need to have an eye for artistic detail and the abstract concepts of emotional continuity and storytelling clarity. Film editors must also have good communication skills and be able to take direction to fulfill the vision of directors and producers.

Archimedia to provide Country Western Music memorabilia to help school scholarship fundraiser

Archimedia Studios will be donating autographed memorabilia from the Country Music world to The Schoolhouse, a K-6 school located in South Burlington, Vermont,  Fall Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday, September 20th from 6-10pm at Shelburne Vineyard (Shelburne, Vermont).

This event, which also marks the 40th Anniversary of  The Schoolhouse, will feature  wine tasting and a silent auction!  Archimedia Studios is happy to provide autographed  memorabilia to the silent auction from it’s Country Music friends; Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Kellie Pickler and Terri Clark.

The Schoolhouse,  is also a recent recipient of a $15,000 donation from Archimedia’s “Give Back” program to promote the media arts in schools across the country.

Should be a great night !

(photograph Shelburne Vineyard)

Twitter Hits Right Notes for Music Industry

Twitter users are more engaged with music – both online and offline – than their non-tweeting counterparts and also are more likely to spend money on downloaded music, according to research from The NPD Group.
Findings from the firm’s latest music acquisition study suggest that Twitter, if approached appropriately by marketers, may have the potential to help spread the word about new music and stimulate more purchases of songs, albums, music-related merchandise and concert tickets.

Twitter Awareness Doubles
The research revealed that Twitter awareness more than doubled in the first quarter of 2009, reaching a level of 52% among America’s internet-using population, up from 22% awareness in Q408.

Among music buyers, awareness of Twitter is even higher, and reached 67% in Q109, with 12% of music buyers saying they used Twitter in the past three months, vs. 8% of web users overall.

More Music Acquired

In terms of music-buying behavior, one third (33%) of Twitter users in the survey reported buying a CD in the prior three months, and 34% purchased a digital download. These figures are significantly higher than those for overall web users (23% and 16%, respectively), NPD said.


More Money Spent

When Twitter users purchase music, they spend more money than do their non-Twitter counterparts, the study found. In fact, people on Twitter purchased 77% more digital downloads, on average, than those who were not tweeting.

More Online Engagement

Twitter users also are much more likely than average web users to be engaged in online music activities. In the past three months, one-third listened to music on a social networking site, 41% listened to online radio (compared with 22% of all web users), and 39% watched a music video online (vs. 25% of all Web users).

Moreover, Twitter users were twice as likely than average Web users to visit MySpace Music and Pandora, said NPD.
“NPD’s latest music-acquisition study shows that there are segments of consumers who are more actively integrating Twitter as a key tool for communicating and networking,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “Based on their music-purchasing history, active Twitter users are simply worth more to record labels and music retailers than those who are not using Twitter.”

Crupnick also noted that Twitter has the potential to help foster the discovery of new music, and improve targeted marketing of music to groups of highly-involved consumers, but only if used cautiously and judiciously. “There must be a careful balance struck between entertainment and direct conversation on one hand, and marketing on the other,” he said.

About the research: NPD’s “Music Acquisition Monitor” measures all forms of music acquisition activity (both digital and physical) as well as volume. It is based on nearly 4,000 survey completions by NPD’s panelists on a quarterly basis. Data is weighted and projected to be representative of the US internet population ages 13+.

The Depth Illusion in Landscape Photography

One of the creative problems inherent in all photographs is that they’re flat.

Photographs exist in only two dimensions–they have height and width, but no depth. While a landscape may spread across miles, your photographs are only as deep as the paper they’re printed on. The lack of a third dimension means it’s up to you to create a believable illusion of distance in your photographs.

Creating A Sense of Depth

While you can’t get such intense a three-dimensional experience from an ordinary photograph, there are some visual tricks (also known as “depth cues”) you can exploit to enhance the sensation of distance in your photographs. Knowing how depth is created is particularly useful in landscape photographs because one of the things you’re trying to relate is the physical space involved.

Linear Perspective

One of the simplest and most direct ways to create a sense of distance in a landscape is to include a leading line, a cue that artists refer to as linear perspective. Lines work best when they start near the front edge of the image and go to the far horizon (as in  the desert highway photo) and conclude at a single point (“one point” perspective). Highways, fences, rivers, and telephone poles are all things that can take the eye on a deep journey into your image.

Lines are like a siren call to the eye and they beg the eye to follow. It’s hard to look at a photograph that includes a strong lead-in line and not trace its path–it’s the visual equivalent of eating just one potato chip–tough to do!When these lines are combined with what’s calledl a “single vanishing point” the depth illustion gets even stronger. The vanishing point is created whenever all of the lines in a scene appear to be focsed on a single spot in the distance.

Do you want to be a Closer!

Practical presentation advice to help you close the Big Sale! This advice is even applicable if you are trying to land your first or next big job.

Preparation

Are you ready for this? The prospects you are meeting want to do business with someone they can count on. You need to be comfortable and confident during your sales presentation. You won’t close the deal if you’re not ready.

  • Have all of your materials are ready. You should have ample copies of brochures, one-sheets or other handouts.
  • If you’re going to use a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation from your computer, make sure you know how to start it up without fumbling.
  • Bring your own projector. This guarantees you have all the equipment you need to show your presentation. Make sure you’re familiar with how it all works.
  • If you do create a slideshow, rely on images — not words and numbers. Effective sales presentations move and inspire prospects. You can follow up with details.
  • Research your prospect’s company, industry and market.
  • Know your product. Your prospects expect you to be an expert on what you’re selling.

Ask questions

More important than having answers is asking the right questions. Even though you’ve done your research, you need to make sure you understand what the prospects want and need. There is nothing wrong with contacting prospects by phone or email before the presentation to understand their needs. They will appreciate that you want to make sure you aren’t wasting their time.

Ask open questions that get them talking about their businesses:

  • Who are your customers?
  • Why do they buy from you instead of your competition?
  • Who are the customers you don’t sell to yet?
  • What are the challenges you face in this market/industry?
  • What are your goals?
  • What do you expect this product to do?
  • Where do you want help?
  • Who will use the product?

Practice

This isn’t just about memorizing the words. You also need to respect your prospects’ time and keep your sales presentations on schedule. There are a number of resources out there to help you get more out of your practice time, but here are some quick techniques to try right away:

  • Record yourself with audio or video. This will give you valuable insight into what needs work.
  • Rehearse in front of others. Friends or family can give you feedback. Sometimes they will think of questions you haven’t thought of yet.
  • Prepare sales presentations of different lengths. Be ready to take as much time as the situation calls for.

Refine your material

Some sales presentation techniques that will help you close the deal

  • Focus on the benefits the prospects will receive by buying your product. An effective sales presentation does not list features that prospects cannot relate to their problems. A closer explains how the product is a solution to those problems.
  • Use plain English. There’s a good chance that you work in an industry that uses language that your customers don’t recognize. Don’t use that jargon.
  • Solicit feedback. Ask questions that require simple questions such as “Would this help?” or “Is this a problem in your business?” during the sales presentation. This will engage them and help keep them interested.
  • Tell a story. Storytelling will keep prospects interested in your sales presentation. Tell them about a client who had similar problems so they can see how your product can help them.

Close the deal

You’re there to make a sale. Don’t expect it to just happen. Ask the prospects if they’re ready to make a purchase. If not, ask when will they be ready to purchase or what it will take to be ready. There’s a good chance that they have sales presentations from other vendors to consider. Find out what is their time frame. Lead them into the next step.

Follow up

The end of your sales presentation isn’t the end of the process. Keep in touch with prospects so they remember what your product will do for them.

And after you close the deal, build a relationship with your customer. Communication will helps smooth over any problems and open up the possibility for more sales.

Now you’re a closer!

Thanks to all the attention you pay to your sales presentation skills, you’re converting prospects into clients.

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