"Tag...I'm It!" Five Things You Don't Know About Me

I've just been "tagged" by Lois Kelly over at The Foghound Blog. 

For those who don't know, the latest meme is being "tagged" by someone.  When you get tagged, you have to share five things about yourself that most people don't know about you.

I like it because it adds a sense of play to the "oh, so serious" things we spend all day doing.

So here's my five:

1.  I'm a Beatles collector...big time.  Prized possessions: Ringo Starr's autograph and Pete Best's autograph (the original drummer) on an extremely rare LP.  Since I was a kid when The Beatles landed in America in 1964, I just hung on to all the 45 picture sleeves, colored vinyl LP's from different countries and various posters, etc.

2.  I opened a concert for singer-songwriter Tom Chapin (Harry Chapin's brother) while at Loyola University in New Orleans, LA in 1979. 

3.  I almost became a monk.  Meditation, Eastern Wisdom and more recently quantum physics have been deep interests throughout most of my life, right along with filmmaking.  My filmmaking style over the years has actually "morphed" to incorporate these holistic concepts into the films I produce.

4.  In the summer of 1975, my rock 'n' roll band was booked to open a concert for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at The Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.  A few weeks before the concert, we got word the concert was cancelled.  Life certainly would have been different had it not been cancelled!

5.  I was the only guitar student Jeff Pevar ever taught.  Who's Jeff Pevar?  The "guitarist to the stars."  Why was it a big deal?  He doesn't teach...anyone...period.  I've played guitar since the 1st grade, but I still wanted to improve my playing.  So, one night in 1980 when I saw Jeff's band play, I begged him at every band break to teach me guitar...he finally caved in!  After a few years, my lessons quickly came to a halt when Jeff was asked to go on tour with Rickie Lee Jones.  Jeff currently plays guitar with David Crosby and his band CPR.  Jeff also played for Graham Nash, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Joe Cocker....and on and on!

Well, that's it for me...now I get to "tag" five people!

Ken Gronbach, Jeff Barr, Christian Long, John Moore, Tom Monhan.

The Future of Learning

Some things need to be shared ASAP.

Like this manifesto about "The Future of Learning."

Brilliant.

---Tom 

What the Heck is "Counter-Intuitive Generational Marketing?"

I know you don't know Ken Gronbach...but you really should.

Ken is an amazing person.  I'm lucky to be able to call him a great friend.

Call yourself lucky, too, after hearing his story. 

I really don’t care for numbers and hated math…but, I love a good story.

And if you don’t care for numbers either…you’re going to love this story! 

Spiral Story is featuring "Zoomer" Ken Gronbach  Ken is a counter-intuitive person. 

That is…much of what Ken writes about is contrary to what common sense would suggest.

And his secret weapon is generational marketing...counter-intuitive style, to boot.

For instance:

If you want to know why American Honda Motorcycles lost 80% of market share in the late 1980’s…just ask Ken.  It's not what you think.

And if you think the “Graying of America” is real…just ask Ken.  It's not what you think--again.

Head on over to Spiral Story to discover how the world of demographics and numbers can actually change how you think about the world around you...you'll be glad you did.

---Tom 

Oh...one more thing.  Time for a selfish "plug" :-)

I co-created Spiral Story with Jatin DeSai, the CEO of DeSai Learning whose real passion in life is creating Living Organizations.  Thought you'd like to know.

Sooner or Later? When Does a Client Get to See Their Show?

 

Kathy Sierra over at Creating Passionate Users raises a question I struggle with every film... 

When does a filmmaker present a show to a client?

1.  When it's completely finished and they may have to go back for changes after the client sees it?  Or...

2.  When it's in a rough state so further discussion and changes can be created without heading down the road of no return?

It's a challenge that really never goes away. 

So, one of the biggest decisions a corporate filmmaker faces is how polished their show should look before showing it to their client.

Enter...the "rough cut." 

Clients who have created videos before with a local production company probably know about "rough cuts."

A "rough cut" is a term carried over from the early days of editing on tape, before the digital revolution.

Simply put, a producer would create a basic show without getting carried away with lots of music, graphics, professional voice-over and extra time spent editing footage throughout the program.  The rough cut was then presented to the client to get feedback, make corrections, etc.  After that discussion, the show moves on to the final phase of editing...complete with effects, music, graphics, voice-over and footage placed in the appropriate places. 

The game is different now.   

Non-linear and digital editing has created mixed blessings for filmmakers.

On the one hand, it's pretty easy to quickly move sound and video around to see what would happen if things looked another way.  ("Hey, let's take the last shot and open the show with it...perfect!")

Of course, because it is so easy (compared to the days of long ago!) to edit and create a more finished show, rough cuts are quickly fading away.  Once the footage is in the computer, it's tempting to just create what you envision.

In the end, every show and every client is different.  Some situations will require a rough cut to determine if a show is too long in length and to see if there are other variables that  need to be determined sooner rather than later.

Other times, the nature of the show resolves this question on its own.

Sometimes life is good like that :-) 

---Tom 

The "Z List"

 

Marketing guru Seth Godin just published his new lens on Squidoo called the "Z List." 

It's a list of blogs worth looking at and you can cast your vote for each blog.

The "Director Tom" blog is placed at #22.  

Of course, that will change as the Z List is always in flux, which is the cool part...re-visit it often to see new rankings and catch new blogs.

With hundreds of blogs listed, the Z List is a great way to discover new blogs.  Explore and cast your vote!

(Oh--If you're not registered on Squidoo, you can do it for free...heck, you might as well build a lens while you're at it!  You can create a lens in minutes!)

---Tom