Let’s get the basics covered that everyone should know and can be used in pretty much all programs (CTRL is for PC users/CMD is for Apple users):

CTRL/CMD + C = COPY
CTRL/CMD + X = CUT
CTRL/CMD + V = PASTE
CTRL/CMD + A = SELECT ALL
CTRL/CMD + Z = UNDO
CTRL/CMD + S = SAVE
CTRL/CMD + SHIFT + S = SAVE AS
CTRL/CMD + P = PRINT
ALT + F4/CMD + Q = EXIT PROGRAM
CMD + W = CLOSE WINDOW

Word/WordPress/Text Shortcuts:
CTRL/CMD + B = BOLD
CTRL/CMD + U = UNDERLINE
CTRL/CMD + I = ITALICS

Internet Browsers (most use these):

CTRL/CMD + T = NEW TAB
CTRL/CMD + N = NEW WINDOW
CTRL/CMD + D = BOOKMARK
BACKPSACE = GO BACK

If you are using the Adobe Creative Suite there are countless shortcuts you can use. One of the things I love the most with Adobe products is that you can create your own shortcuts.
In Photoshop I have a number of files I use and update often so I created specific shortcuts to help me speed things up quite a bit:

CMD+SHIFT+P = PLACE
SHIFT+CMD+ALT+S = WEB SAVE
ALT+CMD+I = RESIZE IMAGE

*And if you’re really into video editing, there are keyboards you can buy with every shortcut on it.
** If you want to know what shortcuts are in Adobe, you can usually hold the mouse over the tool and it will show you the shortcut key is.

These are only a few shortcut keys, each program can have their own set or created shortcuts and it really saves a lot of time for you once you learn them.
If it takes you 3 seconds to move your mouse to the toolbar and select the tool you need to use or .5 seconds to hit your shortcut keys, that really adds up after a while.

Hope it helps.
Matthew A. Hawkins

• Micro Blogging
• Guest Blogger – Adam Besse
• My Take on Buying New Gear

We had an awesome time in November putting together 2 great designs for clients.

The first was a logo. The client gave us some great insights of what they’d like to see in their logo. We came up with the following:

We also worked on the 3rd ad we’ve created for Shuswap Bliss, the first one we’ve created with 1Day Design.

Make sure you sign up for our December 1Day Designs as well!
It’s a great way to get awesome design work done and give back to the community.

Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

• 1Day November & Geoff Heith
• 1Day Design Launches
• 1Day Design: November

Jason Lum – I wrote about him already, just check it out here.

Chuck Stam – He’s experienced and a successful, honest business man in town. I think he’s great potential to continue his work on city council.

Ken Popove – I don’t know much about Ken, but what I do know is enough for me to mark his name on my ballot. We buy all our tires from him because he’s a local business and he has some of the best customer service in town. Aside from business he’s also been heavily involved in the community.

Sue Attrill – She has 3 years of experience on council already and she has a wealth of experience in business. She’s been very involved with the community and is passionate about the work she’s done and hopes to continue to do on city council.

Ken Huttema – Ken was very well spoken both on camera and off camera for our interview. Hearing him talk about getting the library built in Sardis and all the work that’s gone into planning the downtown revitalization you could see a spark in his eyes for the work he does on council. He’s a successful business man in agriculture which I think is so important to have represented on council.

For my last choice it’s a toss up between these two. I’ll be reading more tonight to figure out who I’ll choose tomorrow.

Mitchell Nosko – I had a great interview with Mitchell for the Valley Votes website. He has a very interesting perspective on Chilliwack as he gets to deal with a lot of tourists through his flight business at the airport. I can’t say I’ve liked everything I’ve read about him saying at meetings and such, but from our 1 on 1 conversation, I was really impressed with his platform and honest opinions.

Ron Browne – Ron has an abundance of experience in the medical and administrative fields. He is soft spoken but very intelligent. This is what I gathered from our first 10 minutes together for our interview. He has a balanced approach to work on city council and a real heart to serve the citizens of Chilliwack. I appreciated his soft voice and his passion to help shape our community.

There you have it.

If you want to see the video interviews I did, check out Valley Votes here.

I’m going out to vote this November 19th. Are you?

Matthew A. Hawkins

• Chilliwack City Council Candidates
• Chilliwack City Council Votes #1
• Salmar Theatre: Community Investment

As I mentioned before, I got to sit down with almost all of the council candidates and talk with them both on camera and off camera. There were a few that really spoke well and a few that I wish I could have spoken with. Here’s my thoughts of what I’ve learned so far:

Jason Lum

Out of all the candidates I got to sit down with during our interviews, Jason was the one person I resonated best with.
I believe Chilliwack needs some one with the youth, vigor and passion that Jason has. He is passionate about Chilliwack, about it’s people and service and about it’s business. Being involved with the Chilliwack Chamber and Chilliwack Economic Partners Corp. Jason has had his hand on the heart beat of what drives this community. I want someone on council that understands local business and can step up to the plate for improving our local economy.

I also really liked Jason for something simple. You can just talk with the guy. With this being a vote for local government, I want to know I can talk with anyone on council. From the mayor to any of the council members, I want to know, if the need were to arise, I could phone, email, stop by, bug them on the street or whatever and that they would listen. I enjoyed my time talking with Jason and his level headed approach on a number of topics, from budget to downtown Chilliwack, he’s honest and straightforward.

Lastly, I’m voting for Jason because I think he is very honest and transparent. He gives you a straight answer and speaks well. I like that in any level of government.

If you live in Chilliwack, I hope to see you out this Saturday, voting for our municipality!

Matthew A. Hawkins

• Chilliwack City Council Candidates
• Chilliwack Municipal Vote 2011
• Election Rant

This is my first time doing a live performance as an actor, I’ve spoken in front of large crowds a number of times, but this is different. In Witness I get to play 3, yes THREE, characters.
The first is a plain clothed policeman that doesn’t have a line but escorts the prisoner off stage after giving a nod to the inspector… chilling I KNOW!

The second character is the one I had to spend time on, even though I only have 8 or 9 lines. I play Thomas Clegg, a forensic laboratory assistant, and I happen to be on the witness stand for the first time and struggle with a terrible stutter. In all of our rehearsals the cast and crew thought my character was hilarious, the live performances have proven differently. I’m of the opinion that people think I actually stutter and that they can’t help but feel pity and pride that the Player’s Guild reached out to someone like me and gave me a little part to tryout. The community help program is at work, they must think!

My last character is the foreman of the jury. I have two big lines, the first “WE ARE” and the last… well I yell out the verdict of the prisoner and I can’t just give that away! I’m on stage for no more than 30 seconds with this one!

Aside from the acting I also got asked to make a lobby display and take ‘fun’ headshots of everyone on the cast and crew (you can see an example below). It’s been a lot of fun, I’ve met some great people, discovered a part of me that’s been missing for a while and just enjoyed the experience as a whole. I will most definitely try it again!
Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

• My Summer
• What’s Coming Down The Pipe – Chilliwack BC Canada
• The Reality of It

General Tips
- Try before you buy. All of this stuff you can try it out for a certain period of time: software 30 days, camera gear (pay up front + return safely = free rental), computers (unsure…)
- Read reviews online. Lots of them. Amazon is awesome for reading reviews (.com not .ca) and has a lot of the equipment and software you may want to buy. Find out what the Interwebs are saying.
- Buy what works for you. The most expensive isn’t always the best. I started out on a basic camera and Windows Movie Maker. I learned and worked my way up. Just because you go out and buy all the latest, greatest and most expensive doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it. Make what you have work and if you like it go from there.
- Watch tutorials on all things. There are so many video tuts out there it’s not even funny. If you can’t GOOGLE for them, you’re lazy and should stay on the couch.

1. Cameras
I’m a Canon guy. The first digital camera I bought was a Canon. My first digital camcorder was a Canon. My first pro-level camcorder was a Canon. My current camera is a Canon.
I’ve found I really like the Canon brand and warranty. Personally I have never had a problem with any of my Canon’s. I know people who have had problems, but for me it’s Canon.
You need to find what you like. Some people swear by Sony. Some people swear by Nikon. Find which camera does what you want it to and stick with that.

2. Computers
I hate being asked what computers people should buy. People automatically think that because I work with computers a lot, that I know a lot about computers. I know a little. Enough to keep me from having to see a computer guy all the time. I buy the warranty so I can send things back if I need to. I GOOGLE things to learn how to fix stuff. Other than that I’m just a hack with a decent computer.
Basically it comes down to Mac vs PC. It’s age old and tiring. I’ve worked off both. I had way more headaches, frustrations and issues with PCs then I have ever had with my Macs. Personally I would never go back to PCs, I think they are horrible machines unless you buck up and put a lot of time and money into one.
There are some PCs out there that just fly for video and photo editing but I know they spent a small fortune on their machines to get them like that, plus they knew exactly what they needed to put into them (not what some low budget computer shop or London Drugs rep told them to buy).
With Macs right out of the box on a basic Mac you can be flying with some basic video editing. Yes you pay a little more for the fancy Apple, but you get a great machine to do a little bit of everything with right away.

If you want me to tell you what kind of computer to buy, here it is. An Apple. Don’t like my answer or want to argue it? I don’t care. I think it should be an Apple.

3. Camera Accessories
If you get into the DSLR world of filming this area could go on forever. There are so many accessories out there. It almost feels endless at times. For me, and this is just my opinion, you need a good tripod to start off (I’m not going to list brands) but something with an adjustable tilt head is great and something very smooth (again work your way up from what you can afford). Next a mic, video sucks if the sound sucks. You can pick up some decent shotgun mics that are 10x better then an on-board mic and again work your way up. Next up, lighting. There are so many lighting options out there but some DIY lighting kits are great ways to start. My first lighting kit was a cheap one on eBay and it’s proved to be more than worth it. Good lighting, good sound and steady shots (you can add camera shake after if you want!) are key to a good video.

4. Software
This one basically comes down to Final Cut or Adobe (and there’s options within those).
Try before you buy. They usually offer 30 day trail periods. Some people love Final Cut, I’ve actually met people I think were sleeping with the program that they are so in love with it. Adobe seems to have a lot more direct plug-ins, filters, add-ons you can buy compared to what FCP does, but I use Adobe and love it so you’ll just have to figure that out for yourself. If you love Final Cut, well I’m sorry your program sucks and Apple is asking you to pay too much for an updated copy.
I should also mention some people like Sony Vegas too. I don’t know anything about Vegas, but I hear it works sometimes.

There you have it my useful but not so useful take on buying new gear. Just my honest opinion on everything ‘new gear’ related.
It comes down to you putting the work into it. If you want to get into this hobby or line of work, you need to invest some time into it.
There are a myriad of options out there and you need to find what works for you and your budget.

Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

• “Computer Issues” – Matthew A. Hawkins
• My Wish List
• Processing Ideas Step One

I love how quick and simple this app is to use. Here’s how it works: open the app, pick a template (50+ to choose from), add your picture, change the text, save it with or without a filter AND BOOM!

The only downfall is you can’t add your own text box in a place there isn’t one or add different shapes unless they are a part of the template. They have some updates coming, so who knows, maybe they will show up there.
In short I’d give the app an 8 out of 10, 1 1/2 thumbs up and 4 out of 5 stars… is that what you do in app reviews?

It’s only 1.99 so you might as well just try it out, you can’t even buy an energy drink for that price any more!

Here’s a few of my own I’ve created:

• Taking the Shortcut
• Day 21 – One of My Brands
• Day 08 – My Conundrum

DONALD MILLER! Get this. The NHL Hockey Team I grew up cheering for, THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS, and that I have been waiting to see raise the Stanley Cup, is playing tomorrow night.
I want you to know I’m coming to your conference anyways but I’m thinking about the VANCOUVER CANUCKS WHILE I AM THERE. In fact I may even be checking the score periodically.

I would greatly appreciate some sort of notification (I know you are American and from a state that has no NHL team but still), please point out that the ONLY WEST COAST NHL Team, the Vancouver CANUCKS, are playing in game 3 and a cheer or something would be nice!
You want to talk about a great STORY, let me tell you about the Vancouver Canucks. 40th year this year and they’ve yet to win a Stanley Cup. This could be it this week. We can share the story over beers and cigars if you like. I’m buying!

That said, I’m looking forward to your conference and looking forward to seeing a screening of Blue Like Jazz.
I’m going to be the crazy guy with the CANUCKS jersey and I would appreciate at least one SHOUT OUT TO THE CANUCKS!

By the way Don, if I can call you that, I saw the Hangover II as well. I liked it but Bridesmaids was better.

• My Canucks Fan Journey
• Ultimate Canucks Fan Episode 02
• Day 26 – Photo Challenge

I’ve learned a lot about their policies and procedures. Mostly to save myself some money.
The biggest thing I have learned is that no matter what it is that you’re buying there, there is ALWAYS room for a discount.

My latest story:
I was checking out our local Future Shop with my boys, a frequent thing we do to check out the 3D TVs and Video Games, we tested out the Wii game of the week which was Mario Sports Mix. The boys loved playing the game and seeing that Mario & friends were playing HOCKEY I was kind of keen on the idea of getting the game for the boys.

The price at Future Shop was $59.99. The boys persisted on buying it, but for that price I just couldn’t swallow it. Having the Internet in my pocket I decided to check out the price on Amazon.ca. (When I did this a few weeks ago Amazon.ca had their price at $36.99 but it’s gone up a couple bucks since). I showed the sales associate the price on Amazon and he gave me the party line, “Oh we can’t compete with online companies” BULL.

I persisted further with the guy and he just said he’d add a couple bucks for shipping, but it came to $42 total. I was impressed. We bought the game and I learned that no matter what it is at Future Shop, they have room to move on the price. ANYTHING. You just have to do some research and then ask and persist.

I have more Future Shop stories coming up, but what stories do you have?

Matt

• Just Something
• My Everybody Story
• Bridal Falls & Hawkins Boys

It will start with what I’ve been told and then what I’ve learned.

*By no way or means is this a comprehensive list. I’ll probably add more in another post down the road.
**My lessons learned have been from my experiences in production & media, they may not carry over to you, but the principles might.

1.  What I was told: “Work hard at this job and you might do all right.”
1a. What I learned: Work hard enough ANYWHERE and you’ll do all right. Hard work pays off… at some point. Just work hard.

2. What I was told: “I can make some connections for you if you show me how hard you work for me.”
2a. What I learned: Make your own connections. Meet people. Phone people. Talk to people. I had two people, in particular, who told me they’d make connections for me and what I got was one client that brought in $200 over 2 years. No one person knows everyone. Make your own connections. It just takes work.

3. What I was told: “Work 9-5 and enjoy life after that.”
3a. What I learned: Enjoy life. Work is a part of life, it doesn’t mean it has to come between 9 and 5.

4. What I was told: “You don’t produce enough. We expect more.”
4a. What I learned: I quit. When people put unrealistic expectations on you and demand more, you will never succeed there. Find something else where you can excel and forget what you’ve heard.

Obviously there is more I’ve learned in the last 5 years. Obviously 4 quick notes don’t sum up everything, but they are just a few jewels along the way.

Are you in business for yourself?
What are some things you’ve been told but learned differently?

Share.

Matt

• A Note To The Creative’s – Working With Clients by Matthew A. Hawkins
• Day 03 – Weddings in Motion
• An Update & Challenge