OWC RADiO

Lij Shaw speaks with OWC RADiO producer and host, Cirina Catania. He shares a bit about his Grammy awarded recording studio, The Toy Box Studio in Nashville. And if that isn't enough, we also get a chance to hear about his yearly adventures with Hay Bale Studio at Bonnaroo, and his sessions with some of the world's greatest musicians! They also discuss how Lij relies on OWC gear for his workflow and he shares detailed insight on its everyday use.

In This Episode

00:17 - Cirina introduces Lij Shaw, a chart-breaking, award-winning music and podcast producer and the host of the podcast, Recording Studio Rockstars. Lij is also the owner of the Grammy awarded The Toy Box Studio in East Nashville, TN.07:03 - Lij describes the work that goes into doing a full studio setup for their Bonnaroo recording studio.15:32 - Lij expresses how he prefers to mix while the band performs rather than doing a lot of work in post-production.21:56 - Lij talks about his podcast, Recording Studio Rockstars, and the gears he uses for interviews and production.27:33 - Lij tells the story of how he bought a vintage MCI board console that was supposedly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to put on display.36:17 - Cirina and Lij discuss how OWC equipment helps them with their heavy workflow using storage and machine reliability.43:40 - Lij tells how he quit his two jobs in London and left to join his brother’s band in Hong Kong.50:16 - Cirina asks Lij how he handled shifting from analog to digital recording and the differences between the two.56:06 - Lij shares some of the memorable moments he’s had with musicians throughout his music industry career.63:40 - Visit Lij Shaw’s website, Toy Box Studio at toyboxstudio.com, and listen to his podcast, Recording Studio Rockstars, at recordingstudiorockstars.com.

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Transcript

This is Cirina Catania with OWC Radio. I have Lij Shaw on the line. I cannot tell you how many awards this man has won, how many groundbreaking music projects he's been involved with. And I have been doing some research also in prep for this interview. T here's just so much. Lij, welcome. I've been reading about you, been listening to some of your work, and you have an amazing history. So how are you? What's going on today? 

I'm doing good. It's a pleasure to be here, Cirina. And today, I don't know what date this airs, but in Nashville, it's just gorgeous outside. The summer has landed here. I think we just had the summer equinox. Every morning is beautiful, and you can mow your lawn till nine o'clock at night. 

That's awesome. I'm in San Diego. And it's also nice, and the hummingbirds are flying around the feeders. But I talked to a friend of mine in Berlin this morning. It's 104 degrees there. 

Well, that is hot. It'll get close to that at some point this summer.

So you just came back, I don't know, it's recently from Bonnaroo–where you are running the Hay Bale Studio. Can you tell people what Bonnaroo is? And I love what you did with the double-wide. 

Oh, cool. Yeah. So this was actually my 15th year doing that. And the Bonnaroo festival is a festival of about 80,000 ticket concert goers. And then you probably have like another 20,000, and I'm sure on top of that are the staff, so you got 100,000 people who descend on Manchester, Tennessee. And at the beginning of this thing, at the birth of this thing, they basically just found a farm there that would let them start doing kind of a jam band festival. And then over the 15 to 17 years something that they've been running the festival, eventually, they just bought all this land. I don't even know the exact number, and it's so many acres of land down there that just belongs to this festival. And once a year, for about a week, it becomes like a city. I mean, it's bigger than the town that it's hosted in. But this year, I got a great statistic from somebody. And they said, "Well when you're in front of the center stage,

Cinematographer Dan Kneece has worked with some of the world’s most iconic directors, including David Lynch, Wes Craven, Quentin Tarantino, and Joel Schumacher. But did you know that he was an award-winning musician, that he comes from a very small town in the American south, that he has worked on more than one movie simultaneously, traveling across the country to meet deadlines with no sleep, and that his favorite camera is… nope, no spoiler alerts here!

Bringing some of the world's greatest films to a screen near you.

Cinematographer Dan Kneece has worked with some of the world’s most iconic directors, including David Lynch, Wes Craven, Quentin Tarantino, and Joel Schumacher. But did you know that he was an award-winning musician, that he comes from a very small town in the American south, that he has worked on more than one movie simultaneously, traveling across the country to meet deadlines with no sleep, and that his favorite camera is... nope, no spoiler alerts here!

Dan Kneece's secrets are revealed in this interview with OWC RADiO Host, Cirina Catania. Listen in!

In This Episode

00:35 - Cirina introduces Dan Kneece, a longtime Steadicam operator and a cinematographer.08:09 - Dan tells the story of how he was first interested in making movies with a Super 8 camera at 13 years old. 17:17 - Dan points out what he learned from the news business that was relevant to the film business.24:08 - Dan shares the first experience using a Steadicam in the movie Chain Gang.32:27 - Dan talks about movies where he worked with David Lynch and how David entrusted him with his skills and ideas.40:53 - Dan explains some of his responsibilities in being a Steadicam operator based on his experiences with various directors and actors.48:28 - Dan explains how important it is for the script to be on point and why it is the foundation of a film  57:35 - Cirina asks Dan if it’s hard to decline projects from his trusted networks. Dan explains his principle of hiring and working with people.64:24 - What are some of Dan’s favorite lenses?71:41 - Follow Dan Kneece on his social media accounts and visit his website at DanKneece.com to learn more about him.

Jump to Links and Resources

Transcript

This is Cirina Catania with OWC Radio. I am speaking today with Dan Kneece, who was a longtime Steadicam operator and now a cinematographer. We call them DPs in our business. And, Dan, I'm so happy to talk to you on the air because you're just a rarity in this town. And welcome to the show.

Thank you very much for having me. 

We have so much to talk about. Let's just start almost at the beginning, and I like asking people what they liked to do when they were 5, 6, 7 years old. What were you like as a little boy, and what was life for you growing up?

I grew up in the small town of Black Hill, South Carolina. It had a population of about 2000 people and was surrounded by swamps and alligators, and it's 10 miles from Barnwell, South Carolina, where James Brown was born. In 14 miles, another side of that is a little town called Allendale, where Jasper Johns grew up. I think what really happened in the area, people are saying this must have been something in the water. But I think really, what happens is so darn boring down there that if you have a creative urge, you got to figure out a way to get it out, or you're going to go nuts.

You need time to be creative. And I think in a busy life in the cities, and we don't often have time, I totally agree with you. I think some of my most wonderful memories are escaping when I was a little girl from my house and climbing into an apple tree to write poetry and just think about the meaning of life. So I think when you're in a small town, that's what happens, right? That's great.

There's not too much trouble you can get into because even if you go out in the woods and get lost, the dog knows the way home. So you just follow the dog out of the swamp, and you're back in your little town. I grew up from a very young age, but when I was a baby, my mother would take me and put me in the playpen. But rather than turn on the television set, she'd put on classical music on the record player. And so I know all of the melodies, from all the classics of classical music. So that was kind of an interesting way and helped my brain develop musically early. And then that took me in a musical direction for a while. And then,

Aubrey Mozino describes herself as a "tornado in a linen closet." This intelligent, weirdly wacky actress has comedic timing and a big brain which comes in handy when dealing with her position at SAG. She talks with host Cirina Catania about her career, growing up in Philadelphia, studying the Meisner approach to acting with Bill Esper, and an organization she helped to start and to which she contributes regularly, "We Make Movies." Put your seat belts on before listening to these two women chat! To learn more about Aubrey, go to AubreyMozino.com where you can see her comedy/character reel and her drama reel. Oh, and did we warn you not to get into a drinking contest with her? Yep. You'll lose.

Aubrey Mozino describes herself as a "tornado in a linen closet."

This intelligent, weirdly wacky actress has comedic timing and a big brain which comes in handy when dealing with her position at SAG. She talks with host Cirina Catania about her career, growing up in Philadelphia, studying the Meisner approach to acting with Bill Esper, and an organization she helped to start and to which she contributes regularly, "We Make Movies." Put your seat belts on before listening to these two women chat! To learn more about Aubrey Mozino, go to AubreyMozino.com where you can see her comedy/character reel and her drama reel. Oh, and did we warn you not to get into a drinking contest with her? Yep. You'll lose.

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Peter Hamilton and Host Cirina Catania discuss the current state of SVOD distribution for Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, PBS and others. Peter is a veteran business development consultant who played a key role in the international expansion of Discovery and other global channels’ brands. His weekly newsletter DocumentaryBusiness.com shares analysis and context on the unscripted video sector with his 20,000 subscribers worldwide. Want to know what deals can be made? Listen in.

Peter Hamilton and Host Cirina Catania discuss the current state of VOD and SVOD distribution for producers who want to sell to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, PBS, and other outlets. Peter is a veteran business development consultant played a key role in the international expansion of Discovery and other global channels’ brands. His weekly newsletter DocumentaryBusiness.com shares analysis and context on the unscripted video sector with his 20,000 subscribers worldwide. Want to know what deals can be made? Listen in.

Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO of OWC (Other World Computing) talks tech with Host Cirina Catania—covering Tim Cook's address to the graduating class at Stanford, his thoughts on “giving back,” the new expandable MacPro, eGPU’s and Helios, Envoy 3 SSD's, Thunderbolt and cautionary tales about low-grade USB's.

Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO of OWC (Other World Computing) talks tech with Host Cirina Catania—covering Tim Cook's address to the graduating class at Stanford, his thoughts on “giving back,” the new expandable MacPro, eGPU’s and Helios, Envoy 3 SSD's, Thunderbolt and cautionary tales about low-grade USB's.

In This Episode

0:16 - Cirina introduces CEO and founder of OWC, Larry O'Connor, who is very involved in the tech and creative world.4:42 - Larry explains why giving back is important to him and his company, OWC.11:26 - Larry excitedly talks about the new Mac Pro and the differences and superior features to its predecessors. 15:44 - Larry discusses the Xeon processor, how it works, and how it is better from other computer processors.21:04 - Larry talks more about modern graphic processing units (GPUs) and how they are more efficient and faster in computers today. 26:07 - Larry explains the difference between USB C and Thunderbolt 3. He reviews which is superior and faster.36:04 - Larry talks about the new products and technologies that excite him and the new solutions they will offer people.43:41 - Cirina and Larry encourage people to check out OWC's website to learn more about Other World Computing and its products.

Jump to Links and Resources

Transcript

I have on the line Larry O'Connor. He is the CEO and founder of one of my favorite companies, Other World Computing. And I say that for many reasons, not just because we are so grateful to them for sponsoring the OWC RADiO, but because they are so involved on many levels in the tech world, in the creative world, and anyone who uses, produces, works with media and needs, just needs technology to back them up. So Larry, thank you from all of us. And thanks for taking the time to do this. I have a ton of questions for you today.

Cool, yeah, well, this is always fun. I enjoy being here. So thanks, again it’s a pleasure.

So I know you've been swamped, and you have not had a chance to even see Tim Cook's address to the Stanford Commencement. But I wanted to just give you a few quotes and see if they resonate with you and get your reactions to them because he talked about builders. When I think of Tim Cook and the folks at Apple and companies like that, I always think about you and OWC because what you are doing is for the future. It's for the present too, but it's also for the future, and you're giving back so much. So, it says here, he talks about, and a lot of the press have been covering the fact that he talked about the crisis and chaos. But what he did say, “The blind faith has been shaken a bit.” He says here, “Crisis has tampered optimism. Consequences have challenged idealism, and reality has shaken blind faith. But then it goes on to say, for good reasons, that big dreams live here, as to the genius and passion for making them real. In an age of cynicism, this place still believes that the human capacity to solve problems is boundless.” And I wanted to get your reaction to that.

100%. I mean, progress doesn't come without consequence. And every step forward, you know, there are new challenges that have to be solved. I know they're referring to many things that are going on with different tech companies that have perhaps forgotten their original mission that started and are still based in Silicon Valley. But you know, ultimately there's a lot of good, and it's like every generation has got to deal with the consequences and perhaps the abuse of, say the temptation of, you know, misusing, I don’t know how to say it- next great leap.

Yeah, he goes on to say.

Yeah, brilliant words.

I think the speech will go into history as one of our generations’ best, to be honest with you. He brought up so many issues, but he did them so eloquently, and as such a gentleman, I appreciated it. He talked about all the mental effort that it takes to build something. He said, “What's true then is true now.

Star Wars fan, techie, successful editor and maker of sawdust, Chris Fenwick, has some great advice for those who wish to get into the “biz.” This one time record-holder for the fastest Rubik Cube solution was raised by a fine-artist mother and engineer father. How do you decide what you want to do in life if you are good at just about everything? Fenwick says it is by learning how to do many things and loving what you do Curious about the creative psyche? Listen in as he talks with host, Cirina Catania on OWC RADiO’s “Creative Club.”

In This Episode

0:00 - Cirina introduces Chris Fenwick for an impromptu interview. Chris is a visual creative editor with more than 25 years experience.7:26 - Chris talks about how he stumbled upon a lucrative part of his business by mistake.13:26 - Chris reminisces about a childhood story of how his parents molded his knowledge in arts and technology.20:07 - Chris shares how he felt when his dad drew a Xenon light drawing over his moon car drawing.22:11 - Chris explains why he makes creative solutions to technical problems and technical solutions to creative problems. 30:32 - Chris describes the changes in video production over the past few years and how it has shifted the way people are producing today.35:34 - Chris explains why it is essential to adapt when a tectonic shift happens in your industry.40:46 - Chris advises the younger generation on what they should look forward to in the future and what to do to succeed in their endeavors.49:11 - Chris shares some funny stories and experiences of when the Internet first came to be.53:28 - Chris encourages listeners to check out his website, ChrisFenwick.com, or follow him on Twitter at Chris Fenwick.

Jump to Links and Resources

Transcript

This is Cirina Catania with OWC RADiO’s “Creative Club,” and I have Chris Fenwick on the line. This is an impromptu interview. Because I wrangled Chris, he's just such an interesting person. And I want to know more about him. And I think you guys will, too. So Chris, tell everybody listening what you do for a living?

It's kind of a loaded question. Primarily what I do seven to five or so every day because I'm an editor, I sit at a Mac and I push pixels around. Editing in the 21st century, it changes quite a bit depending on who you're working for. I may be just what I like to call a “hired wrist.” Somebody who does not actually know how to use the computer will say, “Can you put that in front of that, and that after that?” Sometimes I'm given cards of data from the field and say, “Tell the story about these two sales associates.” Sometimes, I get more into the motion graphics world, and it will be creative visual metaphor for this complex financial transaction. And sometimes, I am actually dealing with large companies at a very kind of high-level, brand identity level. One of my clients, as a matter of fact, has hired me for the last four or five years, I think now, I've been working very closely with them in terms of building a visual language that is easy to share with other content providers, so that all of the video content providers, everything looks the same. So I'm actually building templates and things that they can distribute among all of their contractors. So there's a lot of different things that editor in my world mean. And who knows, maybe I'm just jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But that's kind of in a nutshell, what I do on a day-to-day basis, one of those hats.

That's probably why you're still working, though, don't you think that in this day and age, we need to be able to wear more than one hat? I mean, I think that's why I'm still working after all these years.

Oh, absolutely. I think a Norm Holland, there's a soundbite of him from one of the editor’s lounges where he said, very poignantly, “The Hollywood system is dead. They just don't know it yet.” And so, in today's day and age, in the post-production world, you have to be willing to adapt,