The Lou Lesko show breezed into Seattle's ASMP this evening, not without a little culture shock as histrionic Hollywood met staid Seattle. Great content though, even if his transition to video content was aimed at the high production value ad shoot mode.
“The good news is that professional photographers make fantastic directors. We catch what cinematographers miss. We see details. We have a strong sense of light and how it tells a story.”
Where we get lost is in the gear. We love to master every aspect of a process. Video production doesn't work that way. “Where you will fail, if you're not careful, is to get awash in the technical details. As soon as you step up, get other people.”
If you want work, learn Final Cut. “The biggest demand in the next few years is going to be for video editors.”
The other big takeaway is the necessity of narrative. It's all about story. Even a one minute commercial needs a three act structure. Blake Snyder's “Save The Cat” is a fast read on the subject that Lou says will completely change how you look at movies.
Even though I'm doing small documentary pieces and I prefer to work on my own, I see a lot of value to what Lou has to say. In my own work, I can look at my most successful pieces and see that they obey the three act structure, even if I didn't know I was doing it.
Now I have another model to use to structure my shooting and my editing.
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