StudioNow - Making the Cut

StudioNow Partners with Sony Creative Software

2008-04-14T17:51:55-05:00

StudioNow has a large contingent out here at the NAB for an announcement that we are very excited about:

StudioNow and Sony Creative Software's Vegas Pro have formed a partnership that we think is a tremendous win for both sides. Sony Creative Software will be promoting StudioNow as a service through which their Vegas Pro users can access video projects for on-demand work and in turn, Vegas Pro users will have a customized, branded profile and interface that will allow them to access projects and showcase their work.

We are currently accepting registrations through the a co-branded StudioNow-Sony Vegas page at vegas.studionow.com. We expect to launch the customized, co-branded experience for Vegas Pro members within the next 21-30 days.

If you are at NAB and would like to learn more about what we're doing, feel free to email me at john at studionow dot com. I would welcome the opportunity to meet up with you.

-John

New partner for StudioNow...

2008-01-30T11:13:15-06:00

Yesterday, we announced a partnership with Emma, an email marketing and communications service that caters to over 10,000 small businesses nation-wide. Emma will recommend StudioNow's web-based, 24/7 video editing and post-production services and will soon begin offering the capability for its customers to send video emails to their customers.

We are very excited about this partnership as it will only mean good things for our editors as we have another direct source of traffic and projects. To learn more take a look at the coverage on internetnews.com and the full press release.

Jypsi Contest Winner...

2008-01-26T17:22:21-06:00

Congratulations to Faith McQuinn! Faith is the winner for the StudioNow Contest for editing the Jypsi EPK. Faith is taking home $750 as reward for her outstanding work.

Take a look at her version below, and feel free to offer your comments:

Thanks to everyone for participating, and look for more contests in the future.

Is 2008 The Year of the Editor?

2008-01-03T22:59:38-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone who has contributed StudioNow's success to date. We appreciate your hard work, and look forward to a successful 2008.

To get the new year kicked off, I wanted refer you to a blog post by one of our fellow entrepreneurs here in Nashville, Jackson Miller. Jackson weighs in on the potential importance of editors - of all kinds - to the future of content online with a mention of StudioNow.

There is such a demand for quality content out there, and it is only growing. As you might imagine, we agree that the future is bright for editors online.

Here's to Jackson being right about 2008 being the year of the Editor - especially the StudioNow Editor.

John

Jypsi Contest Update...

2007-12-27T11:41:27-06:00

And they're off! The StudioNow's video editing contest for the Jypsi EPK has begun.

For all participating editors, please note that there has been an important adjustment to the Jypsi Contest requirements. The final piece needs to be 6-7 minutes long (NOT the 3-4 minutes that was originally outlined in the invitation email).

If you are a participating editor and have not received an email notifying you of the contest beginning. Please click to visit your editor home page, and login. Once there, you should see it assigned to you on your page. If you do not, please email us at support@studionow.com.

We have 18 editors competing in the Jypsi contest, and we are looking forward to seeing submissions from each and everyone.

Good Luck to all of our contest participants!

Capture the Spirit of Jypsi in our new Contest...

2007-12-26T15:09:09-06:00

We have a new contest up for the StudioNow Editor Network. This time for Arista recording artist, Jypsi. We invite any approved editor to participate. The details are as follows:

Client: Arista Nashville
Project: Jypsi EPK
Deadline: 10:00 PM CST; Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Length: ~~3-4 Minutes~~ 6-7 Minutes
Audience: YouTube/MySpace and other online media outlets
Prize: $750 to the winning editor

Hurry! The deadline for entering this contest is 8:00 AM CST, December 27, 2007.

To sign up, just click the following link: Count Me In and submit the contact form that you find there. You will have access to begin downloading the assets by 11:00 AM tomorrow morning (Thursday, December 27). Before signing up, we ask you to take a moment to review the project information and guidelines provided below.

Description:

The client is looking for a compelling visual piece for Jypsi’s website/MySpace that captures the power of the foursome's music along with the true essence of who Jypsi is.

A talented, exciting group that is on the verge of breaking out, Jypsi is the embodiment of their name: the minstrel spirit, the wanderlust, the tightly woven family bonds, the individuality, and a striking sense of fashion and self-expression. Jypsi is a reverence for history while remaining ultra-contemporary. Jypsi is about feeling, about energy, about possibility … on the edge and over the top.

For even more insight into Jypsi, please visit their website and myspace page through the links below:

http://www.myspace.com/jypsi
http://www.jypsi.net

We are looking to present the best edits from our network to the client for review. Only 1 will be chosen as the winner. The winning Editor will receive $750 along with public recognition on the new StudioNow blog

The client has provided a variety of different assets for use within the piece including photos, several music tracks, and a variety of behind-the-scenes and performance footage.

Project Guidelines:

1. Reply to this email by 8:00 AM CST on Thursday, December 27, 2007.

2. You must complete the project by 10:00 PM CST; Tuesday, January 1, 2008 This contest is entirely voluntary. However, please do not agree to participate if you do not think that you will submit an entry. The success of our contests depends on our knowing how many completed projects to expect by the contest deadline. We WILL NOT consider late submissions or submissions from Editors who do not sign-up to participate through the 'Count Me In' contact form.

3. The winning editor agrees to provide up to two rounds of revisions for the client. Typically the client has a few tweaks here and there to get it just the way they like it.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays from everyone at StudioNow!

And the Winner Is...

2007-12-15T12:35:49-06:00

Congratulations to Charlie Corts! Charlie is the winner for the StudioNow Contest for editing the Dave Barnes EPK. Charlie is taking home $500 and is going to be included in a press release regarding the success of the project.

Charlie is making a couple of tweaks to his entry for the client, and when it is final, we will post it here for all to see.

Thanks to everyone for participating! We will have many more contests in the future.

How big is this opportunity?

2007-12-11T18:24:00-06:00

An interesting post on video creation and automation showed up over at MediaPost's Video Insider

http://blogs.mediapost.com/video_insider/?p=135

We feel that it highlights the opportunity and the market that is out there for the services that we and you, Our Network, provide. Is automation the answer?

We feel like StudioNow strikes the right balance by offering the benefits of the human creative genius (I mean can you really recreate that with a line of code?) but in a scalable platform that enables mass production.

But we're biased, what are your thoughts? Where do you feel like we (and you) fit in?

Look forward to your feedback.

Thanks,

John

So how do I get paid?

2007-12-08T00:14:00-06:00

We feel that part of the value that we offer to our Network of freelance video editors and post-production professionals, is that we handle the marketing, sales, billing and collection on all of our projects. Our ability to do that frees the members of our Network up to do what they do best - edit, create, and in general, work their magic.

We've gotten a lot of questions regarding how and when StudioNow pays its Network of Editors commissions on purchased projects. We're in the process of developing a new FAQ section for the editors, but I wanted to go ahead and answer this important question.

1. How are commissions calculated?

As of the date of this post, StudioNow calculates project commissions from the purchase price of a project. We agree to pay no less than 30% of the purchase price, and currently we are paying 50% commission on every purchased project.

2. When are commissions paid?

The moment a project is purchased, our system calculates the commission owed on the project and registers that the responsible editor is owed that amount. Our system keeps track of each editor's projects and commissions throughout the calendar month, and any commissions that have been accumulated during that month are paid out to the editor on our about the 15th of the following month.

3. How can I track/verify my commissions?

Obviously, we are tracking your commissions here at StudioNow. We acknowledge that you need a way to see what you are earning, and currently we do not have that available for you. We are in the process of developing a page that will allow you to track your commissions in real-time, by project. We hope to release that page within the next 45 - 75 days. In the meantime, we recommend to all of our editors that they do their best keep track of the projects that are purchased.

4. How are commissions paid?

Currently, we are paying editors by check on a monthly basis. We are evaluating other options and will be enabling those in the future.

5. How do I dispute a commission?

Well, hopefully this won't happen, but if you believe that something isn't quite right with your commissions, please email support@studionow.com

Okay, I think that is about it... that hopefully will answer your questions. Just in case, however, let's look at a hypohetical example:

Joe Editor has 10 projects purchased in the month of November, and the cumulative purchase price of those projects is $1000. He begins another project on the 29th day of November, but the project isn't purchased (for $100) until the 2nd of December.

StudioNow calculates his November commissions at $500. A check for $500 is cut and sent out on our about December 15th. The $50 commission earned on the project begun in November but purchased in December is counted on the editors December commissions and will be paid in January.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts on this procedure. We value your feedback.

Have a great weekend.

John

A Few Resources/Tools that Might Prove Useful

2007-11-27T21:08:00-06:00

This post is designed simply to call your attention to resources online that we have found helpful and think could be of interest to you. We hope to provide posts with additional resources on a semi-regular basis.

Music and Audio:

Soundsnap.com - Need an acoustic guitar loop? How about the sound of a waterfall? Chances are you'll find it at Soundsnap. Soundsnap is a free online sound library and community for sound designers and producers. People can upload sounds and share them with the world.

Shockwave-sound.com - Not free, but still a valuable resource for royalty-free music tracks. They have sound effects too, but I'd scour for free sounds at Soundsnap before paying for it at Shockwave-sound.

Video Editing:

2-Pop.com Forums - This community covers all aspects of digital film-making but plays special attention to editing and editing tools. Chances are that whatever question you have has at least been asked on this forum - and probably answered. Heavily weighted toward Final Cut Pro users but there are also forums dedicated to other systems.

Apple Final Cut Pro Discussions - Go direct to the source for questions regarding functionality and features of Final Cut Pro. Many helpful discussions occur here. At the same time, discussions for many other Apple products including Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Final Cut Express, LiveType, and more are just a couple of clicks away.

Adobe Premiere Forums - Numerous forums for various versions of Adobe Premiere. We don't feel that the layout of these forums is quite as intuitive as the Apple Discussions are, but the content is just as helpful for the Adobe Premiere user. Answers to a lot of questions and a lot of helpful hints can be found here.

The Editblog - A blog dedicated to video editing and film-making run by Scott Simmons, an independent editor who is proficient with both Avid and Final Cut systems. Often times provides helpful tips and reviews of new products among other things.

If you have certain sites, tools, or resources that you find helpful, please share them with us in the comments below. We are always looking for additional information that can help the members of our Editor Network learn, improve, and grow as artists and professionals. We look forward to hearing from you.