i get too surrounded by what i know
by what i have to offer everyone else
by what i do to keep my life afloat…
when all i really want to do is fucking write.
fuck. (!)
If you get pleasure out of helping others, isn’t that technically considered a “selfish” act?
I don’t consider myself a selfish person, but before I started my production company, I used to do this every single day at Apple, as I trained my customers how to do use their Macs in ways that simplified their lives and blew their minds all at once!
There’s just something absolutely gratifying about seeing the lightbulb go off in people’s heads when you teach them a vital piece of knowledge that they’ve been trying to sort out themselves.
As such, I’ve been in development for the last 3 months on a video training series that I’ll be offering very soon for the world to learn how to do what I thought was once only a dream. The difference in this training content is that I reinforce the mistakes made every single day by most of the amateurs that I’ve run into and witnessed along this path to storytelling awesomeness-icity.
screenshot from my upcoming training series I’m doing entitled “The Storyteller’s Guide to Video Production”.
In the meantime, I started “Tutorial Tuesday (yeah!)” on Youtube a couple of months ago to entertain those questions that I get asked on a weekly basis via video editing in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere.
If you’ve got a question, please feel free to ask me through Tumblr, email me, or even publicly question me on Twitter!
Stay tuned as “The Storyteller’s Guide…” launches later this month!
-@thejonacosta
Life out here in San Leandro, CA has been rather awesome…
VIDEO UPDATE RUNDOWN:
- Ronnie, the neighbor across the street is still looking out for our hood, #LIKEABOSS
- Drew and myself started pre-production on our upcoming micro-series, Band Practice, which will showcase the stigmas, cliche’s and hilarity that a band endures while trying to make music together
- WHAT THE FUCK IS “BROOMING”? Or rather, this “BROOM PHENOMENON”…. someone please tell me
- MyNights is still in post-production as our director, Barry Gray, finishes the editing aspects, which at this point, will be sent over to our base in San Leandro, where I’ll be taking care of shot tightening and Color Grading.
- My latest tutorial web series, entitled, “Tutorial Tuesdays”, launched last week and will have a new episode every week
Drew and I will be making a trip out to Atlanta this week to take care of a few productions on the East Coast. If you’re around, make sure to give us a shout out and maybe grab a beer while we’re in town!
A couple of weeks ago, I took a business trip to Atlanta to work on a production with Barry Gray, one of AP’s videographers, on location in the offices of a Wealth Management client (Russell E. Holcombe) who wrote a book on the process of staying wealthy entitled, “You Should Only Have To Get Rich Once”.
When our project was wrapped, the producer, Dennis Ross (who is also a highly successful writer and music producer), handed me a few notes to reference while editing.
As I was sifting through these bullet points earlier in the week, i suddenly discovered a monologue of writing that he had left binded in the pages of production notes…
Here’s a transcription of what he said:
How do you see yourself
Recently, a videographer visited our offices to film interviews on wealth management. He had one camera. I’m not a director, but I guess from all the movie sets i’ve seen, I was expecting this set to have heavy lighting and someone holding a boom-mic over my head that looks like a racoon. So I asked, “Where’s your camera”? He said, “this is it”, and pulled out a small photo taking professional camera. He then said, “It’s all about the lens!”.
Jon had an expensive lens, but a simple camera. He explained how movies are made now and that the glass determines the quality, it’s how you see yourself, it’s your filter.
What do you need to produce what you need to produce? Many wealth clients believe they need “wealthy stuff” when they really only need “quality stuff”. A bond can be like that simple camera, bonds just aren’t set like stocks, but they work, they lower risk and help you stay wealthy.
The trappings of wealth can be just that… trappings. I’m frequently advising clients to concentrate on what really matters. Put a $100,000 camera in the hands of an amateur filmmaker and a $1,000 camera in the hands of Steven Spielberg and the amateur doesn’t even have a shot. Experience makes much out of little.
—————————-
Very cool to know that I provoked some sense of metaphorical thought by my simplistic production nature.
I believe all things should be simple… and at the end of the day, it’s not about the tools you have anyway… it’s about the story you’re trying to convey, and the approach that you’re using in order to convey that story.
Just another vlog update in San Leandro as we prepare for a few new awesome productions, meet our creepishly awesome neighbor, and try to figure out who the hell I look like…
The virtual tour of our new home in San Leandro, CA, posted on my youtube vlog channel:
After a week of searching and house viewing, we finally found a place to call home in the quaint and awesome town of San Leandro, just 20 minutes across the bay from San Francisco.
We’re excited to call this place home and begin transforming our unusually massive garage into the new Downstairs Studios “Cloud Room 2.0” & Acosta Productions “SL Editing Lab”.
“How Not To Drive Cross Country”. Post 1
I’ve been slacking a bit in regards to my social media presence. I apologize. This move has got me going out of my mind.
Just to backtrack for two seconds… last weekend, myself and my production team (Drew Gibadlo, Barry Gary, & Kamran Habashi) shot a series of interviews for former “Miss America” and “The Apprentice” contestant, Marshawn Evans, at the super swank hotel in Downtown Atlanta, The Renaissance. Much more production will be coming from this new business relationship, as Marshawn has a lot of great things planned in the near future. We’re all very excited about what’s to come!
The last 4 days have been an absolute madhouse as I’ve finished gathering all of my valuables into a small, condensed pile of things worth traveling across the country with me and selling, donating, burning, or throwing away the rest. Tomorrow, myself, Drew, and two gorgeous pups begin our journey to a new life on the golden coast.
Finally. Time to go…
And so, as the week begins to unravel its way back into itself, hinting closer at our moving date with every passing hour, myself and my co-pilot, Drew Gibadlo (of Downstairs Studios), have been on a manic dash to tie all loose ends here in Atlanta, Georgia before our big move to San Francisco, California next Monday!
After about 4 hours of extensive research through every viable option possible (including shipping my car to our new location and just grabbing a flight with our dogs), i do believe i’ve found the most economical and substantial way to move across the country with two people, my car, and our beautiful K9 companions, all for under $1000!
What have I learned? Well…
Hitches from UHAUL can be attached to most midsized cars… that would include my 2008 Nissan Sentra (note: if you own a 2006 or prior, your car is considered “compact” and you might need to consider other options)
um… TravelMath.com is flippin’ awesome.
esurance is now owned by ALLSTATE?!
Penske Truck Rentals hooks you up with a 20% discount if you’re a AAA member. Likewise, if you’re a student with an ID, they give you an additional 10% off….Round up a college kid and a friend with a AAA card if you need a truck!
And finally… Flo (from Progressive) isn’t the biggest fan of Erin (from esurance).
but i digress… 5 days!!!
I think i’m going to create a micro-series for the move as we roll along to the best coast next week… be on the lookout for that! And also, if you missed the launch of “Tutorial Tuesday” yesterday… check it out below!
In the past few months, I’ve had a ton of people asking me questions in regards to my productions and how I go about certain aspects of my editing such as workflow, shortcut keys, and project media management…
So, today I’m launching the first of a weekly youtube series called “Tutorial Tuesday”, where I go in depth with a tip or trick inside of prosumer video production apps like Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, etc.
In this first episode, I go in depth with the amazing audio/video synchronizing application called PluralEyes. I explain how to use it with Final Cut Pro 7 and show you how much time it saves by piecing together a multidevice shoot right on the fly!
No time. NO TIME! I decided to do a video blog instead to tell you guys what I’ve been up to in the last few days of January. Check it out!
LINKS FROM YOUTUBE PAGE:
Check out our Backalley Strut Kickstarter Campaign here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1531483571/web-series-based-on-cowboy-bebop
I talk (at hyper speed!) on what’s happening in the ream of Acosta Productions, what’s currently cooking in the editing lab, and our latest Kickstarter Production campaign!
For a full portfolio of my work, check out my site:
http://thejonacosta.tumblr.com/2011portfolio
Follow me on twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/thejonacosta
And if you’d like to creep even harder, check out my personal blog here:
http://www.jonacosta.com
Also, check out and like my band on facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Livid-Ends/203682636376711
Just catching up on my “creation period” for January… seems that I’ve slacked a bit with posts this week. Time to recap!!!
JANUARY 8: Storyboarding
Created a screen shot storyboard outline of a current motion graphics production for a new client.
JANUARY 9: Compositing
Started creating compositions in After Effects for project listed above.
JANUARY 10: Pre-Production Conference Call
Created a new client for an upcoming motion graphics promo involving a 3D fly-thru of their online learning center.
JANUARY 11: “Dino Partayyy!” Time-lapse
Created a fun time-lapse entitled “Dino Partayyy!”. (major thank you to the wonderful Miss Kate Alice Gervais for the idea and props!)
JANUARY 12: Music Recording w/ Livid Ends
Created some music with Drew Gibadlo and Dane Alves of my band, Livid Ends. Laid down drums for a song that we started tracking back in July, entitled “Three Forty-Five”, featuring the super talented, Janine DeMichele on keys.
OKAY! I think that puts us up to speed.
What have I learned from the past days and all of this creation? I can tell you now…
…never lose sight of your twelve year-old self. ever.
yes. resolutions are always a blast to make and even easier to break…
instead, what i’ve decided to do this month is hyperfocus my entire January 2012 into a “creation period”.
for the next 31 days following December 31st, 2011, I am to create SOMETHING every single day. Whether it be a video tutorial post, a guitar lick, a full fledged song, live recording session, client shoot / promotional, write scenes for upcoming productions, a time lapse, or anything else… it has to be a “digitally tangible” entity that can be enjoyed by the masses, because that’s what i do… i tell stories through the medium of art. and with less than 31 days in this god forsaken town that i currently reside in… i’d say it’s important to make every one of them count.
naturally, i’ll be documenting my creations via this tumblr blog, so just be prepared to see them daily.
and now to catch up… because it is currently January 4th:
JANUARY 1: …uh. recovery period. created a concoction for a hangover…
JANUARY 2:
Created 5 video interview samples for Global Restaurant Consultant, Aaron Allen (client)
JANUARY 3:
Created Guru account and code for upcoming AcostaProductions.com website.
JANUARY 4:
Created 4 video proposals for upcoming projects & an outline for my upcoming e-book that I’m writing
whew. okay. i think we’re up to speed here… lots to come as i’ve got 5 original productions as well as 2 music videos to shoot before I’m out. no time… NO TIME!! ah!
as i sit in this 737, traveling over the U.S at 578miles/hr at an altitude that’s far too high to jump out of as a novice skydiver… i’m suddenly reminded why i do what i do.
i’m a professional storyteller. the whole point of my work is to tell stories. and this final decision to move my life across the country once and for all at the top of 2012… this is the greatest chapter to my own personal story that i’ll ever have… for now.
it’s the climax. the most pivotal scene. the one where the audience is cringing at the thought of what happens next. it’s the most uncanny part of the story where our main characters makes a realization that can only be written in the stars above.
it’s the orgasm of that raunchy porn with no solid plot.
this realization makes me fearless and superior to anything that’s ever effected my well being before.
life is grand, just like this cabin of a 737. i’m ready san francisco. let’s do this bitch.
-Jon
The latest blog update via video on how our trip is going in San Francisco as Drew Gibadlo and myself finalize our week of city/house searching for our big life altering change in the coming months. Very exciting stuff…
-Jon Acosta
