Inspire Design Create with David Lee

It's that time of the year friends, where all the pre NAB and Cinegear hype is coming in! New equipment to water our mouthes and to delete our bank accounts with. However, I believe the beginning of the year is the best time to start to look at the equipment you have right now in order to identify which you need keep, sell and what business purchases make sense for your in 2024. Let's chat! If you...

Should you still be posting to Instagram these days? What about YouTube, is it still worthwhile creating video content on a very saturated platform? I believe it is, but you also should have a very specific goal in mind otherwise your time and effort might not be put towards the best areas in your life. In today's episode i'll be covering some of the reasons people shy away from posting more on so...

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Today we're breaking down a scene from the feature film I was on earlier this year. We'll take a look at one of the night interior scenes and the approach I took for fighting against what could otherwise be a very flat and dark image. Link to the breakdown images will be right here for you to follow along! https://atdavidlee.com/breakdowns/ If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me kno...

Is this a joke? What do you mean tools for success without gear?!?! Clickbait??? Nope, just real talk on how to set yourself up for success when it comes to the business aspect of being an owner/operator. Things like communication, team management, client expectations vs your own person needs are skillsets that will help you grow your business year in and year out. If you enjoyed this episode plea...

With the recent strikes in the industry concerning mostly the use of AI, I felt it was time to make this episode as some crew members i've spoken to this year have been concerned around AI taking away jobs from practically every department of production. From working on virtual production sets to speaking with union members I can honestly say that you don't need to be worried about AI taking away...

Yup, she's gone boys but she had a great run for the last two years. As 2024 is approaching i've already started my business purchase sheet for next year and the Komodo would have been sitting in a pelican probably for the rest of the new year. So let's have a little chat and why I decided to let the Komodo, go. If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the p...

Is Cinematography an Art or more of a structured approach to the visual arts? How do we reconcile our drive to "create art" but also get paid and be able to earn a living doing what we love? Let's a little heart to heart conversation shall we? If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends! ww...

One fear many owner/ops hate being in the middle of is the fear of being undercut by others and missing out on a job. Now I totally understand that getting paid is way better than not being paid at all, however when you do too many jobs where you intentionally undercut yourself, not only do you continue a pattern of losing out on overall income but you soon start to realize (or I hope you start to...

Short episode today but one I think many of you might need. We're talking all about rentals, how to price your rentals, ways to keep things organized and resources online to get the information you need. If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends! www.atdavidlee.com | Instagram @atdavidlee...

In today's age of digital and quick to access exposure tools, are light meters still useful? What benefits are there from using a light meter compared to false color and other monitoring tools we have? Let's have a nice discussion about it shall we! If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your frien...

Let's talk about the FX3, PRORES RAW, Gimbals and why would a $80 million dollar budget used a YouTuber friendly camera. If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends! www.atdavidlee.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee  

In 2023 are SmallHD monitors still worth it? What type of productions are you consistently on that might require the purchase of a SmallHD or Atomos monitor? As I own both monitors from both brands I wanted to share my own experiences on set with what I see more of and what I would recommend for you to look into. If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the...

Long time Pelican owner? Maybe you've been using only SKB cases for a time. Well as someone who owns all three but over the years i've only been buying Nanuk cases. Why is that? Let's find out! If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends! www.atdavidlee.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube...

Wonder why your monitor looks vastly different than your viewfinder? Can't figure out why your display is too blue or warm and it's been driving you crazy? Chances are you most likely need to calibrate your monitors, both your onboard monitors and post production monitors. In today's podcast episode we talk all things calibration related included what tools and software I use to keep my monitors l...

There's a fine line between charging a half day or a full day and many times we're stuck with deciding on which to charge. Is a half day for you 4 hours, 5 hours, maybe 6 hours? Is a full day for you 8 or 10 hours? And when the time comes when you're met with a potential or confirmed half day, how do you approach charging for it? Let's talk about it! If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and...

The great debate between owner/ops, free lancers and film school graduates; should you join your Local under IATSE? Whether you're camera department or G&E, heck even HMU and Wardrobe have their own union should you wish to join! What are the advantages and disadvantages of joining your local union? The last year i've met with colleagues of mine on various shoots and have catalogued their answ...

With so many dual native ISO cameras out on the market it can be easy for many of us to lean into cranking up the ISO for a cleaner image. However, there's a difference between having a clean image but still a flat looking image and a clean image with depth and contrast. In this episode I talk about how I approached a recent feature film I was on by going with a lower ISO and utilizing all the lig...

So you've watched some video or listened to an interview with someone saying, "Gear Doesn't Matter" or "Just go out and make the thing" right? Now that's partially true but the one thing many people leave out of the equation is the goal you have for your project. Without the goal how do you know how to get to where you want to be or what you wish to achieve? In today's episode I want to break down...

The return on your investment for cameras, lights, lenses and everything in between is a huge factor in the growth and potential success for your business. In this episode I go over my top business assets to focus on with regards to a sustained ROI as well as what category of equipment to consider based upon your geography and the market you work in. I know, it's not a gear review or something tha...

No it's click bait, but in actuality if you're working in Resolve 17 or 18 I found out that the new HDR wheels can be applied with great results to SDR content. I'm not 100% sure how it works but with new technology, algorithms and of course "AI" we now have the ability to manipulate our images even more so with regard to remapping certain parts of our dynamic range. I may start making YouTube vid...

Ever used a wall spreader? More importantly, WHY haven't you used a wall spreader? They're fantastic! Especially when you don't have any windows to light from and are looking to create your room tone from over head rather than from the ground. In this episode i'll be going over why Wall Spreaders are so handy and especially for the price they will instantly be a part of your G&E kit. WALL SPRE...

Looking to match your Sony FX and Alpha line cameras? Perhaps you're in the market for a B-Camera and want to know how you can match your existing Sony camera to another that isn't the same model as your current camera. I own a Sony FX9 and Sony A7IV which honestly has been the closet match in terms of color and white balance matching. I've also used the FX6, FX3 and A7SIII alongside my FX9 and th...

We're back! Can you believe it! Yes I am alive and well, though I would lying if I said the last two weeks of the feature film haven't been rough. Rewarding but tough, anyways! Today we're talking about how to approach shooting fight scenes with the theme of "Shoot for the edit". The main take aways from this episode to help you with your next fight scene are the following: 1.) Know your location...

Well well well, looks whose back! Me...no one special *sigh* BUT we have a breakdown of a scene from my recent Kickstarter project "A Drowning Heart" that we had to shoot two cameras at the same time in this dialogue scene for the sake of staying on schedule. I could ramble on about why and what we used or you could take a few minutes to listen to the episode instead! Shooting multi camera is some...