New movie

Siphon from Suha Gur on Vimeo.

Rx movie teaser

Rx Movie Teaser from Suha Gur on Vimeo.

wireframes

home page wireframe

video page wireframe

motion page wireframe

photo page wireframe

Formats

The website is going to be the most effective portfolio for my industry.  It will be easily accessible by sending the link in an email, the recipient will be able to view my work on their desktop instantly.  The DVD or CD will be the second choice, I would be able to furnish the prospective employer with a hard copy of my reel or digital portfolio.  

Audience

After researching a couple of video editing companies in NYC, I've made the following observations.  The first company, Park Avenue Post is a full service post house with a high end client list (including my former employer).  It seems like a laid back studio but I can imagine the stress level as the deadlines loom.  I've worked in professional recording studios so I know the environment that these professionals work in.  This is a small firm but with a talented staff.  Two things of interest are the Nitris Hi def editing system, and that most high end editing companies are using the Avid instead of FCP or Premiere.  

The other company is Ballistic.  Their website is minimalistic but visually appealing.  Although it is a static site there is a page with examples of their work.  It definitely looks like something I can do, mostly rig removals, text replacements.  They speak to the clients with confidence while highlighting the quality of their work and their staff.  Their offices are on Lexington Ave. so I can assume they have a large number of advertising firms as clients.  If you click on the HD tab you will get a simple lesson in HD vs. SD and the pros and cons of downconverting.  Very nice.  I also noticed that the refer to their company as a "finishing house".

Resume

My first draft of my resume.  I appreciate any comments.

unifying element

The one unifying element in my work would be that it is all visually time based.  By that I mean videography, motion graphics, flash animations.  I will be showing some static artwork (photography, vector graphics) but the focus will be on the time based pieces.  I don't feel like I have enough material to create separate reels so I'll organize the one reel by content, as well as presenting the works inside a user interface.  I would like to highlight the editing so the transitions will have to spectacular.  

Portfolio trends

Flash sites seem to be the best at grabbing ones attention immediately.  The motion and animation are very pleasing to the eye instead of a motionless and static page.  My personal favorite is the website for the movie "Coraline".  Visually it is stunning, the page moves with the direction of the mouse (very good action scripting).  There are many animations that bring you to new "rooms" or spaces.  If I could find one flaw and it's not that big a deal, it would be the preloader that gets a little boring after you've seen it a dozen or so times.  The hidden avenues the user takes to get through the house is fun and engaging.   Now this is not a personal portfolio but I will use it as inspiration when the time comes to design my own site.  In exploring other personal sites for motion graphics professionals I've found some excellent ways of displaying the artists work.  I believe that the theme that is common in all portfolios is the quality of the pieces not the quantity.  Just like a printed resume, the pieces should be short and specific to the job you are applying for.  The viewer will not be spending a lot of time on the site, so there is a need for some serious shock and awe!  Readability of the fonts is going to be a big issue.  There were some sites where the font was so small that I found myself just skipping to the next site instead of trying to read it.  Helen Simms portfolio has a very simple interface and strong graphics.  This made it interesting enough for me to explore the rollovers.  Sometimes simple is best.  

Font Family

Here is what I came up with as far as fonts go.

concepts

in trying to come up with some concepts for my brand identity, I came up with the following ideas:  

• cutting tape, razor blades, splicing block, pieces of splicing tape
• 
  
• wheels, flames, highway, smoke
  
• 
  
• music notes, film, lighting, camera, microphones
  
• 
  
• 3D, computer keyboard, paintbrush, palette
  
• 
  
• arrows, bulls-eye, antlers, feathers

these are just groups of words that could possibly lead to an image that I could use

Brainstorming

5 things I Love to do:

• Making Music
  
• Riding my Harley
  
• Deer Hunting
  
• Bone Fishing
  
• Going to the movies
  

5 things I hate to do:

• going to the dentist
  
• commuting
  
• riding in the rain
  
• opening mail
  
• saying goodbye
  

5 things I'm proud of:

• my daughter
  
• my career in music
  
• my band
  
• my achievements at MCCC
  
• my Harley
  

5 things I'm good at:

• playing the guitar
  
• editing and mixing music
  
• listening to other people
  
• being a Dad
  
• learning new software
  

5 things that make me unique:

• I'm Turkish
  
• I love southern culture
  
• I'm an outdoorsman
  
• I love to flower garden
  
• I love to ride motorcycles
  

5 adjectives that describe me:

• fun
  
• smart
  
• hardworking
  
• curious
  
• ambitious
  

5 adjectives about the company I want to work for:

• fun
  
• local
  
• creative
  
• small
  
• successful
  

5 adjectives about the boss I want to work for:

• laid back
  
• smart
  
• charismatic
  
• technical
  
• kind
  

5 things I will do for the company:

• edit
  
• sync
  
• record
  
• film
  
• restore
  

5 words that describe my industry:

• video
  
• post-production
  
• graphics
  
• motion
  
• audio
  

reasons my job exists:

• entertain the masses
  
• inform the masses
  
• to create art
  
• to MAKE MONEY
  

Web 2.0

In researching the term web 2.0, I came across this article which explains it pretty good.

Resume rough draft

work

MCTV (2008-Present)

Mercer County Community College TV-26

Technical Director

"Split Decision" - weekly sports talk show

"MCN Live" - Weekly news program"

2008-09 MCCC Basketball broadcasts

Universal Music Group (1992-2007)

Chief Engineer

Wea Manufacturing (1990-1992)

CD Quality Assurance Engineer

Atlantic Studios (1985-1990)

Tape Archivist

Production Engineer

education

Mercer County Community College (2008-2009)

A.A.S. Television (June Graduation)

Dean's List Spring '08

President's List Fall '08-'09

Rutgers University (1979-1982)

Course of Study:  Music/Business

Lawrence High School (1979 Graduate)

software

After Effects

Flash

Premiere Pro

Final Cut Pro

Photoshop

Illustrator

Pro Tools HD

Sonic Studio

awards

1998 Hall of Honor Inductee

Lawrence High School

1997 Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album as a Mastering Engineer

"The Complete Bill Evans on Verve"

1996 Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album as a Mastering Engineer

"The Mercury Blues N Rhythm Story 1945-1955"

Experience

I have a lot of experience as a music editor, so much that I would be considered an expert.  I'm going to be bringing this knowledge with me and applying it to the video field.  It's not much different aside from the obvious hardware and software differences.  I've been taking classes in Photography, Graphics and Animation to further my visual skills.  In that field I don't have much experience past my class projects.  I also have experience in the "real world" meaning that I know how corporations work and how to pick your battles in the workplace.  

Entry Level Jobs

A few Entry Level Jobs in the NY/NJ area posted on Mandy.com.  I've noticed that many of the jobs in this field are temporary and that freelancers are much desired.  Probably because they don't get health benefits.  But that's an ok way to go as long as you can keep finding work.  

Assistant Editor

Asst. Editor 2

Intern/Editor

All require knowledge of Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio, Photoshop, Illustrator and Compressor

also requires Macintosh skills

Some of the job responsibilities include organizing footage (logging tapes), importing footage to FCP, add graphics from Photoshop, Illustrator, etc... and making DVD dubs.

These particular jobs I've located are in our immediate area, however there are many more opportunities in the LA area.  

job sites

I've search on Mandy.com, Simplyhired.com and Careerbuilder.com.  Of these 3 sites I found Mandy to be the most productive and focused on the TV/Film industry.  The other two did not even have a TV or Film category.  They were easy enough to navigate through but there wasn't much offered.  Mandy had excellent results with many directions to go.  I will be using it often while looking for work.  Some listings I found:

multimedia Intern

video production intern

intern/editor

video technology

There is so much software that I would need to know as a video professional that i don't think I could learn it all in school.  but I have a good foundation as I have become proficient in Photoshop, Flash, After Effects, Premiere Pro and Illustrator.  I still would like to have some 3D modeling software experience, I might have to get that training on the job or on my own.  I have a version of Final Cut that I will start to use as I am noticing that it is more of a standard in many post houses.  As far as cameras and lighting equipment, I know these are very complex items and can take years to master but I have a good grasp of the concepts and I just need more hands on experience to develop my skills on them.  

Company job listings

HBO
Discovery Channel
Harley Davidson
Showtime
Disney
Outdoor Channel

class questions 1/27/09

• What software do you know?

Photoshop CS3
Illustrator CS3
AfterEffects CS3
Premiere Pro CS3
Flash CS3
ProToolsHD
Sonic Studio

• What creative skills and talents do you have?

Image editing in Photoshop, creating titles and motion graphics in After Effects, video editing with Premiere Pro, audio mixing and mastering and editing with ProTools and Sonic Studio, as a musician I can create original music and soundtracks

• What are you favorite things?

Harley Davidson Motorcycles, Anything made by Apple, Florida Keys

• What are you interested in?

Motorcycle mechanics
hunting and fishing
vintage guitars and amps

• What are you passionate about?

music and video editing

• What do you HATE, can't stand or despise?

people that lie, financial advisors, incompetence

review of Craigslist

I've used Craigslist for many things, job searching included. I like that the site is national and you can search in any city or market you choose. It's very simple to navigate and not too flashy to get you distracted from the job at hand. There are no ads and it is a free site both of which get a big thumbs up from me! The quality of the postings vary depending on the market you choose, for example while searching tv/film/video jobs in NY, I found many good posts but the same search in central jersey yielded next to nothing. So I'm prepared to be a commuter in order to get a better quality job. But I'm not giving up on the local search.

careers

I would like to pursue a career in video post production. Mostly because I already have skills in audio production and I don't think the transition from audio to video will be that hard. However, after taking classes in animation and photography perhaps a job in motion graphics would suit me. But if I had to be specific I'd say a video editor would be my ultimate goal. Having said that I would not rule out any role involving post work be it sound sweetening, special effects or titles, I would be just as happy with any of those positions as well.

Searching CraigslistNYC I've found the following 5 job postings:

2D Effects/Animation Designer needed immediately for major documentary (Greenwich Village)

Part Time Video Editor/Content Manager - NBC Digital Health Network

Junior Editor and Shooter Needed (Nolita / Bowery)

PAID Post Production/Editor for Music Videos GREAT FOR FILM STUDENTS (North Jersey)

Interns Wanted Video Post Production Non-Paying IMMEDIATELY (Manhattan)

Awesome Flash portfolios

I googled "flash portfolios" and got to this page.  There are quite a few cool ideas that I will use as inspiration when designing my site.

first post

Just created my first blog!!!