Virtual Scribe: Or More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Digital Script Supervising: IMDB

The First 5 Things You'll Want to Know About Tablet Computers

The First 5 Things You'll Want to Know About Tablet Computers

If you're new here, or to Tablet PC's, there's a few things you should know. A few bits of information we should get out of the way first...

1. The Tablet I use is a PC, Not a Mac
Everything but the iPad is Windows based. Mac's tablet the iPad is more like a giant iPod Touch, it wasn't designed to have a stylus/pen input, but there are several apps for that now, but you can either type (using the virtual keyboard) or use your finger to write. Also, the only way you can get anything on the computer is through email, there are no input ports, but i understand on the iPad 3 that might have changed. But don't dispare, this is only the third version of the Mac tablet, and only the first since Steve Jobs passed, so there's bound to be a bit of a shake down cruise since he's gone, and they'll probably come out with one that has a few more input choices. In the mean time, there is an after market/third party 'upgrade' you can get that will turn a MacBookPro into a tablet computer, but I'm not sure of the cost. (If you're interested in that, leave a message here, or better yet email me at tmoodyca@roadrunner.com and I'll hook you up with people in the know about such things), i will tell you that from what i have seen it partitions the harddrive so that you can run both Mac & Windows. So you'd still be running Windows programs just on a Mac machine.

2. What Kind of Tablet is Right for Me?
There's two different types of Tablet PC's. A slate tablet, and a convertible. The slate does NOT come with a keyboard but is usually lighter in weight, but a bit more expensive. The convertible allows the screen to swivel all the way around and lay flat on top of the keyboard. These are a bit heavier (although not by an enormous amount), but they cost less. Poke about in this blog to find some of the manufactures of both types of computer, or contact me via email at the above address.

3. Using Tablet PC's On-Set
Every Tablet PC comes with the program - Windows Journal, Journal Note Writer, or something like that, in it. The name varies, but it's exactly the same program & Script Supervisor's can use this program to take their notes AND line their pages. It does NOT turn your handwriting into text. You can enter text in this program, it just takes a few more menu scrolls and pen clicks, but it can be done. You'll have to decide if it's worth the effort. Other programs I know Script Supers to use are Excel, Filemaker Pro, Access, Adobe Acrobat, & Bluebeam Revu (more about those last two in section 4.)

4. PDF Readers & Printers
You may not know what it is, but you're going to need it. It's a program (or programs) that will allow you to read and print your pages and forms into PDF. PDF is a universal format that every computer, both PC and Mac, can view. There's a couple of different ways to achieve this, some more expensive than others, but all viable ways to go. The Acrobat Reader is free and easy to download, but that's just about all it does. And there are several programs out there that are just PDF printer drivers and those are either free or at a nominal cost. Or you can go with a couple of different PDF Editors. These allow you to read, print and manipulate PDF files. The two most well known are Adobe Acrobat, and Bluebeam Revu. I believe both have a 30 day free trial that can be downloaded from their websites. (There are other PDF Editors out there, just Google for a list.) These can be used to take your notes and to line your pages as well. However there is a little bit more of a learning curve involved with all of them.

5. eBay - A cheaper way to shop
Ok, you've decided to jump in and do the deed, but you're a little tight on cash. Or you're still a bit skittish about the whole thing because you're a Mac and it's a PC. Here's my recommendation: go eBay. First you're gonna want to do a bit of research. Find the make and model of computer you like (HP, Lenovo, Motion Computing, Dell, Tablet Kiosk, etc.), then I suggest going to Fry's or Best Buy, or Sears, and basically fondling the merchandise. Find something that you like the feel of, the weight of. You like the way the pen writes on the screen. See what software it comes with (Microsoft Word, or Excel, etc.), what hardware (external hard drive, or keyboard, etc.). Find the one that's right for you. Do NOT skip this step, I know the research is often the boring part, but in this case it's important. You are going to have to spend at least 12 1/2 hours a day with this machine, and a fairly large chunk of money, so it should be something you like. After you've researched it and found the machine of your dreams, then head to eBay. First just see what they have to offer in tablets, you might find something you didn't know about. Then get down to business, and look for that one computer that will make your life complete. Now you might have to settle for last years model (so make sure you get the name and numbers correct), but if it comes at a significant discount (on the order of one half the price or so) you'll have a decision to make.

So there you are, the first five things you need to know. Go forth and compute.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

IMDB - A Huge Revanp Cometh

i posted this to a Script Supervisor yahoo group i belong to. wanted to give this as much as much 'air time' as i could.

if you have any suggestions, please do contact me either here or at my email address at the bottom of the post

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Hey guys,

I ran into a gentleman on set (sound mixer) that’s married to a woman that works at IMDB.com (that’s the Internet Movie Database for those of you that might not know) and he told me that IMDB is about to undergo a major overhaul and they want suggestions on how to make their site better and more useful to people. Of course their goal is to get more folks to decide to pony up the $100/year (or whatever it is) to upgrade to their Pro service, but if it offers significant advantages I don’t see that as a bad thing.

A few quick things, they know that those of us in the Other Crew list want our own category, and they know people want to be able to take things off their own page. Both of these things are currently not possible with this site as it is. They’re also going to make it possible to update your page faster and easier. So it doesn’t take 24700 clicks to put one new project on your page. They’re going to add a new category of projects that will cover those ‘new media’ shoots. Webisodes, web commercials, etc. they’ve just recently added the ability to put your resume on their site, I haven’t had a chance to check that out yet, but it sounds interesting.

But if there’s anything else you can think and would like to suggest, that would be great, and I’d be happy to pass the suggestions along. I’ll cut and paste them into one big list and email them to the woman’s sound mixer husband.

Some interesting info: they are looking into being able to see whether you’ve worked with someone on a set before. Example: let’s say you’re taking over “Without a Trace” (yes I know it’s not coming back), and you want to see if you know anyone on the show. They’re looking at a way to compare your page with the show’s page and displaying any people you have in common. Kind of like ‘mutual friends’ in Facebook. This function is currently scheduled for the Pro service at this time, but I think it’d be interesting to check out.

Also, just some general info, I was recently told that Dreamworks will not hire anyone that doesn’t have an IMDB page. Even if the person is being recommended or put in for hire by the people that are going to be working with him/her, if Dreamworks can’t verify work thru IMDB, that person will not get the job. And I’m sure they’re not the only ones that use the site for verification purposes. The bloody bean counters strike again.

And I know from personal experience that UPM’s, Producers & Directors have looked up my IMDB page during an interview, while I was in the room, because they’ve told me that’s what they were doing. Which is why I try to keep my page up to date. So if you haven’t updated your page lately, now might be a great time to do that. And if you don’t know how, I’m sure there are several of us here on this list that can walk you thru the process.

Now I’m not sure when the unveiling of this new and improved IMDB is scheduled to happen, but I’ll try to get that info for us.

And please feel free to pass this info onto ALL of your friends in the business. I’d love to be able to send a virtual grocery list to these folks. And who knows, maybe the new site will be worth dishing out the extra cash.

Thanks all,

Tracy Moody

tmoodyca@roadrunner.com