There's Something in the Air

Tim Wilson CreativeCOW.net Palm Springs California USA ©2011 CreativeCOW.net. All rights reserved.

In this 25th Issue of Creative COW Magazine, we've done something that we've never done before, which is to feature individual stories, rather than draw attention to an overall theme. We still have a theme, of course, so please allow Tim Wilson to introduce this issue by its official name: In the Air. We thought about calling it "On the Air," just in time for NAB, but we're doing more than just talk about broadcast. This issue is a look at, not just the changes that are coming to our industry, but also the changes that are already here. Your future may well have shown up already.

Very close to the end of preparing this issue of Creative COW Magazine, we were delighted to add Debra Kaufman to the Creative COW team, as our new Associate Editor. After over 20 years as the most respected freelance writer in the industry, she has joined us full time, and we're truly honored. More prudent magazine builders would have waited for the next full cycle before getting underway -- but what fun would that be? Instead, with a week to go before our deadline, we added not one but two stories by Debra to this issue, both of which are featured on the cover.

As a result, we did something that we've never done before, which is to feature individual stories, rather than draw attention to an overall theme. We still have a theme, of course, so please allow me to introduce this issue by its official name: In the Air. We thought about calling it "On the Air," just in time for NAB, but we're doing more than just talk about broadcast. This issue is a look at, not just the changes that are coming to our industry, but also the changes that are already here. Your future may well have shown up already.

We first started thinking about this when George Bellias told us the story you'll find in these pages: his very small company is already doing over half its business in stereo 3D projects. Let the scowlers scowl: George is making money from 3D today. He thinks there's room for you too, no matter what the size of your company.

This theme echoes in Angela Gyetvan's story. Formerly a VP at 3ality, producers of some of the most pioneering -- and best -- 3D events we're seeing, she has been directly involved with 3D production long enough to see through both the hype and the misinformation surrounding it. As she begins her own consulting business, she, too, is making money from 3D today, from producers who aren't waiting to see what's going to happen in the industry some day. They're making it happen, today.

In addition to two wonderful camera stories -- one offering practical advice on calibration from Creative COW Contributing Editor Gary Adcock, the other a rollercoaster trip through one of the most elaborate music videos ever created -- this issue brings our first advertising supplement to the COW magazine, thanks to the folks at Blackmagic Design. The result is a unique mix of customer-driven articles you'd expect only from Creative COW, which also happen to be some of the coolest production stories we've ever run.

April 2011 also marks an important milestone: the 10th anniversary of the founding of Creative COW. It was a big deal for the industry, but also for me personally. The COW's original incarnation was a critical part of the success of my own production business, and Ronald and Kathlyn Lindeboom became two of my dearest friends along the way. I'm very proud to share my take on their story, one that now embraces over 1.6 million people monthly, and continues to touch every corner of film, broadcast, web and mobile production.

To finish telling the story of the name of this issue, "In the Air:" regular readers know that music is a vital part of what we do. For me, this issue of the magazine has been fed on a steady diet of Genesis, in the years that the group was led by drummer Phil Collins. Phil also had an incredible solo run in the 80s that included the song "In the Air Tonight," featuring one of the most distinctive drumbeats in music history. As we were going to press, we read that he is retiring, with nerve damage so extensive that he can hardly hold a fork, much less a drum stick. We send him every good wish as we recall the words to that song: "I believe there's something in the air tonight…and I've been waiting for this moment all my life."

We also recall Thunderclap Newman's 1969 hit, "Something in the Air," in which he observes, "We've got to get together sooner or later, because the revolution's here." Not later. Now. This begs the question: if the future that you thought was out there someday is actually here today, what's really ahead in your future? You can wait to for it to happen, or you can start making it happen.