Stop Doing Free Work

To view the version of the spec with music, go here:  https://vimeo.com/503267765   BTS VIDEOS:   Camera Test for a Spec Commercial | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHrzkxrmJ78&t=215s   BTS of our Spec Commercial | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAEwxx7uY4E&t=25s   It's finally here! Last fall Alex Carter, Cody Jones, and I got together to assemble a team to produce and post-produce Alex's spec commercial. We filmed it in one day last fall and finished post-production in mid-December. We tried connecting with Gillette to see what they thought about the spot we made, but we didn't hear back from them. 😢   But we didn't really expect to, either.   So now we're bringing the spec to you to see what you think AND to learn more about Alex's idea, the issues we had in production in post-production, and what we learned from making our very first big brand commercial on spec.   TECHNICAL DETAILS:   Canon C300 MkII  Vintage Nikkor Photo Primes (cine-modded, of course)  Edited with Final Cut Pro  Color in DaVinci Resolve  Sound Mixed in Adobe Audition   CREDITS:   Santa | Gary Planck  TV Personality | MJ Peters   Written & Directed by Alex Carter  Produced & Edited by Matthew O'Brien  Cinematography & Color by Cody Jones  Gaffer | Cadet Fowler  Key Grip | DJ Hornacek  Sound Mixed by Kyle Ranney   ALEX  YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCguzWaeZ0DaJDezjmN0Yu0Q  Instagram | @made.by_alex  Letterboxd | https://letterboxd.com/alexcrter/  Website | https://alexccarter.com/n   CODY  Instagram | @codyjonescolor  Website | https://www.codyjonesdp.com

Sooooooo...you want to be a video editor. Well, step into my office, friends. 'Cause I want to drop some knowledge on ya'll and save you from the pain and suffering I went through as I started my career as a professional post-production person guy. Starting a career as a freelance video editor? Deciding to add videography to your photography business and you need to learn how to edit video? Starting a YouTube channel and you just bought Final Cut Pro X, and you're here on the YouTubes looking for advice for beginning editors? Check out this video and learn!  Hit me up in the comments with the things you're facing as you're upping your editing game ... and also tell me why so many of you aren't charging your clients for data / data storage and using that money to buy LEGIT hard drives you can FINALLY STOP the hard drive shuffle. Ugh. Also, here's that Dropbox link to my FREE file folder and FCPX Library templates:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hrx7efimrp12see/AABxuAaPCwS8-SCFk5wdtJDpa?dl=0 FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

🏈💵🤑$500 MILLION DOLLARS! 💵🤑🏈 Congrats, Patrick Mahomes, the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs! But why should someone who throws a ball around a field get paid HALF A BILLION DOLLARS? It's all about value, folks. If you haven't taken a deep dive into the Value Mindset, you'll want to watch this video. If you feel stuck in the Commodity Mindset, you need to start thinking about the value you create and what your superpower is - what's your magic? - that makes you different from EVERYONE else? Whether you're a filmmaker, a plumber, an accountant, a lawyer ... how do you create value for those who hire you, and how can you leverage that value and the results you get to CHARGE WHAT YOU'RE WORTH? It's time to start thinking differently about how you price your work.  It's time to start thinking like Patrick Mahomes. FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good." That saying has been ringing in my (Matthew's) ears for the last few weeks. To get my head around this whole COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself wanting to work on projects in my studio that could move the needle for how I film and create content - a bunch of drywall work, a bathroom in dire need of updating, and a back hallway were all nagging at me over the years, but I kept putting it off due to busy-ness. What I learned while doing this work - work I didn't have much experience with - was how to challenge myself to push through the desire to "just finish" and really task myself with doing better, doing more, focusing on the quality of the work. From drywall patches that weren't smooth enough to caulking that didn't have straight edges, to areas where the paint could use some touch ups and maybe an extra coat - I found that sometimes I had to really discipline myself to make the work I was doing rise from "yeah, it's okay - kinda good" to "yes, that looks RIGHT." So in today's video I'm chatting about that experience and how it relates to my business and my filmmaking. Let us know in the comments how work unrelated to filmmaking and video has made you a better artist, creator, technician - AN ARTISAN. FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

Pricing your work - especially Creative Work - can be incredibly difficult. Which method do I use? Hourly? Day rates? Cost Plus? What amount should I markup my costs? Are you stressed about projects that aren't profitable, too little profit to actually grow your business? Are you tired of feeling like you're just a vendor who's there to take orders from your client? Frustrated that your client thinks they know what's best for them more than you do?  Let's talk about the Value Mindset before we go all-in with Value-Based Pricing. What does it mean to think about the value your work creates for your clients and their business rather than the time + materials it takes to make a video for your client? How can thinking based on value lead you to greater profits and happier clients? If you've even touched on the world of Value-Based Pricing you need to know these FIVE advocates for the practice: Blair Enns | The Win Without Pitching Manifesto & Pricing Creativity | https://www.winwithoutpitching.com Chris Do | The Futur | https://thefutur.com Jonathan Stark | Ditching Hourly | https://jonathanstark.com Marcus Rideout | Video Warriors | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw7uK6zDkqZwroM2rLzNtcQ Joel Pilger | RevThink | http://revthink.com FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

What a crazy two weeks it's been. The Coronavirus. COVID-19. In Omaha. Coromaha. Matthew got out of the house for the first time in over a week to keep his distance from everyone but try to get an idea of what things feel like out in the world. So join him as he checks out the riverfront in Omaha to not only get a sense of this new world we live in, but to try to work though just what he and Midland Pictures are going to do now that business has dropped off COMPLETELY and new projects don't seem likely any time soon. Do we pivot? Do we slash prices? Do we give up and go find "normal" jobs?Do we double-down on marketing and content and get ourselves in front of people to keep inspiring brands, businesses, non-profits to tell stories? Let's figure it out together. FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

A popular film/video vlogger with over 700K subscribers recently posted a Contest where contestants could submit a logo design for his brand for a chance to win $1,000, a shout-out on his channel, and the possibility of future work. 2nd and 3rd prizes would include a shout-out on his channel and the possibility of future work. We got involved in the comments and pleaded with this vlogger to cancel the contest because, to put it simply, it's unethical. Nobody should be paid for something as valuable as a logo in the form of Exposure Bucks and the possibility of free work. Find out why we think it's wrong to hold contests like this in our latest video. To learn more about why holding contests like this is all kinds of wrong, check out: www.nospec.com FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

WWDC '19 is in the books, and we thought we'd throw our own opinions around about the new Mac Pro and XDR Display AND that $999 stand. Matthew's chatting about whether or not the new Mac Pro is a solution for Midland Pictures and how photographers might be the MOST excited about that XDR Display and stand. Check it out! Like and subscribe! FOLLOW MIDLAND: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidlandPictures Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

A few weeks ago I (Matthew) flew out to Los Angeles to spend a week with a good friend and fellow production company owner (It Factor Entertainment!). While there, I got re-connected to my goals as a screenwriter AND my goals to create my own original content (short films, indie features, web series, etc.). In today's video I lay out how that trip made me feel and what my plan is to get back into the habit of creating original content on the regular.  Like and subscribe! Click the bell!  FOLLOW MIDLAND: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien

Well, folks, it's been 9 months since we purchased our Canon 6D MkII for a vlogging rig. We've used it everywhere from our trip to Vegas to work on Gwen Stefani's show to the cornfields of rural Nebraska to vlog about producing videos for one of our clients. We thought we'd follow up with all of you to let you know the THREE things we LOVE about this camera ... and the THREE things we DON'T LOVE about it. Quick and to the point with this one, we promise! Like & subscribe! Click the bell!  FOLLOW MIDLAND: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlandpictures Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlandPictures Website: https://www.midlandpictures.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/midlandpictures FOLLOW MATTHEW: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewtobrien Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/matthewtobrien