Post Magazine

G raduating from college always comes with a range of emotions — the two biggies are excitement and fear. And, sadly, these days with the economy being the way it is and the job market so tight, the latter might be a bit more ubiquitous. In our "Transitioning From Student to Pro" fea- ture this month (page 28), I spoke with four young people whose journeys had a happy ending, but that's not always the case, as we know. Zack Wolder (zack.wolder@gmail.com) gradu- ated from SUNY Fredonia back in May. His major was Communications with a concentration in TV and Digital Film Production — he is trained in Avid and Final Cut. And even though he has two industr y internships under his belt, paying jobs have been difficult to come by. He ended up tak- ing an unpaid internship at Shellac in NYC, where he has gotten some footage to work with, but for the most part is doing typical intern-type work. "I was basically spending my days on Mandy.com and other sites replying to job postings and going on inter views only to find out that they found someone more qualified to fill the position. All I could find were internships, most of them unpaid." That is another problem these young people face — competition from more seasoned vets who are willing to work for a bit less than they had been and who come with a wealth of real- world industry experience. "I chose to do the non-paying internship be- cause it will keep me in the industry and keep me active as an editor, because I am around other edi- tors and constantly learning new things," he says. "Although I'm not getting paid with money, I'm get- ting paid with knowledge and contacts, which in the end will lead to a paying job. I think of internships as long training sessions. Companies teach you what you need to know and the specific way they as a company do things, and when it comes time to hire someone, you are already a top candidate." David Blemur (dfblem@gmail.com) is a recent DAVE School grad I met on the plane returning from SIGGRAPH. He was at the show with his reel, trying to find work. He is an animator trained in all the major animation packages, plus Fusion, Nuke, many plug-ins and Final Cut. While there have been a couple of freelance jobs, Blemur has experienced what Wolder has in terms of full-time gigs. "A far as the job search, it is slow going, but I made lots of connections at SIG- GRAPH and I hope to hear back from them sometime in mid to late September." Also like Wolder, Blemur would consider a non-paying internship. "Freelance jobs are few and far between. I would take an internship if it al- lowed me to hone my craft, make contacts and keep growing as an artist." Looking for work E D I T O R ' S N O T E 2 Post • September 2009 www.postmagazine.com By RANDI ALTMAN E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F raltman@postmagazine.com P O S T S C R I P T Learning the new 'Studio' A pple's new Final Cut Studio package has sparked a lot of activity from manufactur- ers of companion and plug-in products. But just as active is the area of training, and in recent weeks, providers have announced incentives and opportunities for those looking to learn the apps or improve their existing skills. Soho Editors (www.sohoeditors.com) in NYC reduced the price of its Gold Level Apple Certified training to under $1,000, allowing stu- dents, graduates or those affected by the reces- sion to learn skills that can help them change careers or break into the post industry. Future Media Concepts (www.fmctraining.com) is holding open enrollment for training on Studio 3.The provider has numerous locations and recently offered incentives on new software or upgrades, as well as the opportunity to take a free certification exam. FMC has also launched FMC|Online, an online training alternative for those who prefer not to travel. Participants join in on live sessions, where they receive feedback and assistance from the same instructors that host the in-person classes. Also this month, the Manhattan Edit Workshop (www.mewshop.com) is offering FCP certification during HD Expo-Createasphere. The program includes a two-day workshop and exam that focuses on FCP 7.Those who pass receive a certificate from Apple that distinguish- es them as an Apple-Certified Professional.They also have the right to use the Apple-Certified Pro logo on promo materials. And Class On Demand (www.classonde- mand.net) is working with Final Cut guru Tom Wolsky, shooting new training videos for both FCP 7 and Studio 3. John Klos operates LA's Big Time Picture Company (www.bigtimepic.com), an Apple Authorized Reseller/rental house with 40 Final Cut and Avid rooms. Klos says Big Time had the new version of Studio almost immediately, and began deploying it across all of their systems.The 4:4:4:4 color space, improved HDV codec support and XML interchange enhancements, says Klos, are all features that his clients will appreciate. So, if you need to get up to speed on the lat- est features, there's no better time! 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