Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts

The term podcast has kind of become one of those terms that gets thrown around today to mean any kind of recorded audio or video program that is being distributed via the Internet. And often they might be programs (or parts of programs) that have originally aired on television or on the radio. Even worse they might just be a promotional piece that is trying to drive the viewer to tv, the theatrical screen or to the iTunes music store to download an album. The term podcast has been hijacked. There is a ton of great information out there (for free!) for pretty much any subject that you want to study. I have a slew of filmmaking podcasts (among all the other subjects) that I listen to on a regular basis. From production to post to RED … I learn, I listen, I debate, I discuss and I am occasionally a guest on the podcasts mentioned below. IMHO there’s no better place to learn today, on your own terms, than the Internet podcast.

Just look at the top 15 podcasts on iTunes and there’s barely an independent, niche podcasts to be seen. You have to search deep into the iTunes store to come across those podcasts where you might actually learn something about your hobby or profession. Often when you do find a category that might be of interest you often find that many podcasts have only managed a few episodes in a year of time and often those available episodes are old and out of date. It takes a commitment to keep a podcast fresh, timely and topical.

With that I thought it would be fun to list out a few of my favorite film / video / production / post podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis. I say listen because the audio podcast is mainly what I enjoy from the podcasting world. The audio podcast allows the opportunity to dig deeper into a subject with interviews and discussion than the video podcast often allows. And it seems as if a lot of the video podcasts these days are just tutorials. That’s fine but I find myself with more time to enjoy the audio podcast with just me and my earbuds.

The first is a new podcast that has just launched from Shane Ross at Little Frog in Hi-Def. Titled The Edit Bay this weekly podcast will cover “The stuff we editors share over beers at the bar or chatting in a co-workers edit bay while we are rendering out a timeline. The fun times, the disasters, the problem clients, the times WE messed up. But very simply these are the stories of the stuff that happens when we are editing.” One of the best things about this podcast is that Shane is going to keep it short, 3-6 minutes so you can give it a quick listen, enjoy the story and move on. It’s not up on iTunes yet so keep an eye on Shane’s blog until it gets there.

Next would be the opposite of the short show … That Post Show is a round-table discussion that digs deep into post issues and filmmaking in general. Created and hosted by John Flowers, it’s tag line is “An open conversation and round-table discussion with experts in new media, film and moviemaking, about the process of film and creating media.” The length of these episodes is usually around 2 hours (the 4 hour screenwriting epic not withstanding) and IMHO that’s a great length for such a round-table discussion. I’ve had the privilege of being on the show twice. We recently recorded a 5 person discussion on Avid, Final Cut Pro and market-share. It was a civil discussion on these apps, where they have come from and where they are going without all of the usual my app is better than your app talk. It’s these kinds of discussions that make podcasting so great. But one might ask how many people really want to hear two hours of discussion on editing applications? Enough that you can cheaply produce and distribute these very niche subjects through the Internet and make it worth doing. The latest edition that I mentioned just went online - A Market For Avid or Final Cut. I was happy to be on this show to have “civil discussion about Avid and Final Cut’s market share, how much editors get paid for both systems, houses who are installing Avid and Final Cut.” It was a great talk with opinion from both coasts and me in the middle of the country. Market-share is always in interesting discussion as your location might have a lot to do with that you perceive that market-share to be. Here’s the direct iTunes link so grab them all and all future shows! Speaking of iTunes, please take time to leave iTunes comments on shows that you enjoy. Besides being a great boost for the creator’s energy and creativity good comments boost the podcast’s standing in the iTunes world and can help new listeners discover the show.

The Digital Production Buzz is a different kind of podcast. It’s actually a “radio” show recorded live every Thursday night. Instead of being focused on round-table discussion it’s a very structured interview style show with hosts Larry Jordan and Michael Horton discussing issues, answering questions (I’ve learned more from the Pick Our Brains segment that I like to admit!) and interviewing subjects on a whole host of topics that run the gamut of all aspects of production. I’m rarely able to catch the show live so it’s great that the show is available as a free podcast as well. (iTunes link)

Despite the fact that Creative COW seems to have engaged in some childish anti-competitive practices over the years I’ll still mention the Creative COW postcast hosted by Franklin McMahon. Franklin hosted years ago and recently returned so now the Creative COW podcast back on track. Franklin covers the new of the week and has interviews with guests and experts covering a wide range of topics from all stages of production, gear and technology and the craft of filmmaking. If Frankin of covering a topic that you are interesting in that week then you will get some good information out of his podcast.(iTunes link)

The Filmmaking Central podcast is part of a larger website from David Basulto. For years now David has been interviewing film and video makers, creators and professionals. While the podcast is a great part of David’s empire it’s only really a small part which also includes newsletters, tutorials, forums, live broadcasts, a premium component and Film School On Demand. This can really be a one-stop-shop if you want to learn and absorb all things filmmaking. (iTunes link)

If you have any interest in the RED camera (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t these days) then the redcentre @ fxguide has to be on your iPod. You probably already know host Mike Seymour from the excellent learning resource fxguide.  He and his co-host Jason Wingrove also host the near-weekly podcast about all things RED. They cover the RED ONE camera and it’s life cycle, hardware that has anything to do with the camera (be it direct components that might attach to the camera itself or support gear), software that supports a RED workflow and interviews with people who are working with the camera. They also step outside of the RED universe from time to time and discuss things that might affect that universe. Recent discussion has been on the new Canon 5D Mark II and its 1080p video capture ability and how that might shake the RED world up a bit. They also talk Scarlet and Epic, except there’s nothing much to talk about right now. As a post guy I wish they would focus on the post-production aspects a bit more but regardless redcenre @ fxguide is the podcast about the RED camera. (iTunes link)

Finally, KCRW’s The Treatment is one of the best one-on-one discussion shows with new and emerging filmmakers that exists on the Internet. Host Elvis Mitchell sits down for an informative and fluff-free discussion with filmmakers about their films. Elvis interviews with a quiet, understated style that is perfect for getting a filmmaker to talk about the meat of their film and not just the flaky outside that they might be used to discussing on lesser interview-style programs. His talk with Ballast director Lance Hammer is one of my favorites and made me seek out that film the next day … though I has to wait 2 + months for the film to open locally. (iTunes link)

While all of these programs are available as a podcast it’s important to note you don’t need an iPod to listen. All can be downloaded and burned to a cd, listened to on a computer and many cell phones or put on most any other mp3 player. Many of them can also be listened to directly from their websites. They are also all audio podcasts. Today it seems like for every audio podcasts that’s 3 video podcasts so there’s a ton of great information out there in the video world as well. Podcasts are a fantastic source of information and entertainment and a great alternative to traditional media. And you can often interact with the creators directly on their website or via Twitter. Search the podcast websites for Twitter handles. Try that with a television program! Download, listen and support … keep the podcast alive!

Do you have any other great filmmaking podcasts that you listen to and want to share? Please comment below and let us all know about them.