For those of us who live and work on the Web, there is no more important issue that the question of "
net neutrality." While the final ruling is still a few weeks from becoming formal, the impact of the FCC revising the current rule is already being felt. This last week, the
Digital Production Buzz devoted it's show to a discussion of what this new ruling means.
For me, the highlight was an extended interview with
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. Formerly the chief legal counsel to the FCC, he was appointed to Commissioner by President Trump. For this show, I thought it was important to hear directly as one of the FCC Commissioners explained what they were doing. My goal for the show was not to take an editorial position, but to help all of us figure out what was going on and why.
During my conversation with Commissioner Carr, I was impressed with his willingness to
answer questions, discuss the impact of prior rulings and the potential impact of this one. As I told him after the interview, "even when I disagree with you, I enjoy talking with you." I also appreciated his explanation of the policy detail that's necessary for a ruling of this type.
After Commissioner Carr's interview was complete, we turned to entertainment and labor attorney
Jonathan Handel for his interpretation of
what the FCC ruling means. Jonathan did a solid job of translating the legal language Commissioner Carr used into something meaningful for media professionals. Then,
Philip Hodgetts shared his thoughts as a developer on the significance of what the FCC is trying to do.
I suspect we all have strong opinions about net neutrality and the potential for the new rule to disrupt the market. But, I also think it is important for us to hear from the people creating the ruling why they are doing what they are doing. For this reason, I strongly recommend you listen to this week's show.
You'll find it here.
In other news, I had a delightful interview with
Stephanie Ciccarelli, co-founder of Voices.com, about
voice actors. It was an in-depth conversation focused on tips that producers can use in working with actors who never appear on camera.
On a more technical level, I have
two articles, one on FCP X and one on Motion. Plus,
two videos from our webinar last week. The one I had the most fun with - and could easily turn into an hour show - is working with lights and 3D text. You'll find all of these in the Articles section below.
I also included one of my most popular articles on "Final Cut Pro X: When to Use Optimized, Proxy, or Camera Native Media." If you are confused by these options, this article will help.
Finally, I'm doing a webinar this week that I've never done before:
particles and simulators in Motion. A particle system creates a cloud of elements that float around the screen. A simulator gets them to act in unusual ways - for example, a cloud of dust being repelled by something traveling through it. This session will expand your thinking about what Motion can do, especially if you create commercials or info-graphics. Registration to our live events is always free.
Sign up here.
That's it for this week. I have papers to grade and clouds of dust to wade through. It will be a fun week. Until next Monday,
edit well.
