Read more about the article ‘She Looks Back’ Subjects Tina & Rose Safe After Liberia’s Ebola Outbreak

‘She Looks Back’ Subjects Tina & Rose Safe After Liberia’s Ebola Outbreak

In 2012, Rick Gershon and I traveled to Liberia to document a girls’ education program funded by the American Institutes for Research (A.I.R.). We spent a week following two amazing young women, Rose Kollie and Tina Tyron, both of whom were beneficiaries of A.I.R’s program in the Gokai and Golai school systems. The Ebola outbreak hit Liberia hard in 2014, but we’re happy to report that both Rose and Tina are safe, healthy and still in school. Kathryn Fleming, who is currently the Deputy Chief of Party for the USAID/Quality Reading Program, and who worked directly with Rick and I while in Liberia gave us the update on the girls, as well as their programs. According to Kathryn, A.I.R’s education programs in Gokai and Golai were outside of the Ebola hot zones, and were relatively unaffected. Schools remained open and no one from A.I.R’s staff, or their families were affected by the…

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Read more about the article MediaStorm Guide to Organizing Assets with Color Labels

MediaStorm Guide to Organizing Assets with Color Labels

This article is part of a new series of posts with tips and tricks from our producers' experience working with Adobe Production Pro after years of working in Final Cut Pro. To read more about why we made the switch, check out this post. Today's post was written by MediaStorm producer Tim McLaughlin. At MediaStorm, we use tracks to organize by asset type on the timeline. It gives our timeline a level of organization and visual clarity that allows us to find specific items quickly. Additionally, because we often work on each others timelines, it gives us an immediate sense of familiarity with one another's projects. One of my favorite options in Adobe Premiere Pro is the ability to color code assets directly on the timeline, making the visual organization of the timeline all the more obvious. Below you’ll see a timeline color coded by asset. This post will teach you how…

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Read more about the article Standard Three-Camera Interview Setup

Standard Three-Camera Interview Setup

MediaStorm’s standard interview setup is meant to provide a clean, focused environment for the viewer. It can be used both in a studio or in the field. We typically use at least two cameras, usually three, both for visual variety and for editing on-camera sequences. This is by no means the only way to conduct an interview and you should consider the role and look of the interview before beginning a project. The example below is for an interview with the subject sitting screen-right. If you want the subject to be sitting screen-left, camera and lighting placement should be reversed. Visual Look Background - We often use a black background behind our subjects to focus attention on what the subject says and how he or she says it. A large felt cloth works nicely. Cameras - We currently use the Canon 5D Mark III for our interviews. Camera Settings - It’s important…

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Read more about the article ‘Surviving the Peace: Angola’ Launch, A Great Event for a Worthy Cause

‘Surviving the Peace: Angola’ Launch, A Great Event for a Worthy Cause

The Mines Advisory Group launched a major fundraising initiative, Angola100K, last Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the Goethe-Institut in Washington, D.C. The initiative uses MAG and MediaStorm's latest collaboration, Surviving the Peace: Angola, as a centerpiece to raise $100,000 for landmine education in Angola. As the editor and producer of the piece, I was honored to be part of the event (Unfortunately MediaStorm director of photography Rick Gershon was out on assignment and couldn't make it to D.C. for the event). MAG packed the house—a beautiful cinema that seats 90—with people from organizations that both confront issues surrounding landmine removal and are in a position to do something about the problem. Representatives from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, the Angolan Embassy, the U.S.-Angola Chamber of Commerce, The World Bank and Africare, among others, were in attendance. After a passionate introduction from MAG executive director Jennifer Lachman, the lights went down and…

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Read more about the article Adobe Premiere, It’s Damn Good

Adobe Premiere, It’s Damn Good

Editor's note: After seven years working with Apple's Final Cut Pro, we have decided to begin using the Adobe Production Suite. We were early adopters of FCP 7 and considered making the switch to FCP X. In the end, we felt more comfortable with Adobe's product than Apple's FCP X. We know that many people in the industry are struggling with the same decision, so our producers have agreed to share their reasoning for the switch. Today's post from Tim McLaughlin tells about his experiences editing in FCP X and creating MediaStorm's first project in Adobe Premiere Pro. Eric Maierson posted yesterday explaining the overarching reasoning for the switch. These two posts are just the beginning. Our producers will continue to share their experiences with you on our blog. Also, they'll be posting Premiere shortcuts on a new twitter feed @PrProShortcuts. And stay tuned for the release of a new Post-production Workflow…

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