{"id":40534,"date":"2017-04-10T08:36:05","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T13:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=40534"},"modified":"2019-01-08T13:47:31","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T19:47:31","slug":"filmmakers-creative-partner-inspires-grand-prize-winning-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/40534-filmmakers-creative-partner-inspires-grand-prize-winning-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Filmmaker\u2019s Creative Partner Inspires Grand Prize-Winning Video"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Toven Stith seen directing a video. Stith won the 2016 MacSales.mm video contest.)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Toven Stith didn\u2019t have to look very far to find inspiration for his entry in the 2016 MacSales.com<\/a> video contest \u2014 it was just quick phone call away.<\/p>\n

He already posessed the professional experience and talent, so all the LA-based cinematographer needed was a great subject. As luck would have it, one of Toven\u2019s long-time creative partners, audio engineer Tyler Parkinson, is a long-time customer of MacSales.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cTyler called and told me all about how much OWC saved his bacon, time and time again, when computers are having issues or they just need a boost in performance,\u201d <\/i>Stith said. \u201cHe raved about the customer service as well. It was a no-brainer to simply tell that story.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

In fact, it was Tyler who informed Toven about the second annual MacSales.com video contest in the first place. And considering the first edition of the contest in 2015 had nearly 70 entries, Stith knew he needed a good story.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was on [MacSales.com] ordering components for work when he came across the contest. He called me and told me about it and that he purchases equipment from [MacSales.com] all the time. I said, \u2018Tell me more about that…\u2019 and I knew we had a story to tell.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Upgrading His World<\/strong>
\nThe subject of the video, Tyler, had actually upgraded his Silver Tower Mac Pro<\/a> several times with gear from MacSales.com. He\u2019s upgraded with OWC memory<\/a>, SSDs<\/a> and more<\/a> to keep his Mac Pro up to speed with the performance demands of a professional audio engineering workflow.<\/p>\n

Tyler\u2019s experiences with OWC and MacSales.com \u2014 along with the fact that he has actually made the upgrades he describes on-screen \u2014 made the video \u201cbiographical\u201d as Stith puts it. And the director of the video himself had also upgraded his own Mac with OWC solutions.<\/p>\n

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(Stith’s partner Tyler Parkinson inspired the contest-winning video.)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c \u2018Upgrade The World\u2019 as a tagline seemed like a perfect theme for the story we were telling. The story kind of just told itself. I pretty much just hit record and let him tell me a bit about his day-to-day,\u201d <\/em>Stith said. \u201c… We [both] absolutely try to keep our hardware and machines as up-to-date as possible. I just replaced the hard drive in my laptop a few months ago with one of your 1TB 6G SSDs. It\u2019s so much faster now!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

With the ideal subject lined up and the theme arriving organically, Stith got to work. After scouting and deciding on a location that visually fit the narrative, Stith began the shoot.<\/p>\n

First, he interviewed Tyler about all facets of his workflow and the hardware that plays a role in his day-to-day life. Then he began to actually show what he did on-screen. Stith shadowed Tyler on a typical workday as an audio engineer for a film composer and captured footage of him in action.<\/p>\n

\"\"The result was a \u201csimple\u201d story about an audio engineer whose needs to maximize current technology in order to meet evolving needs without breaking the budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find that when telling a story, the simpler you can tell it, the better it will communicate to more people. We had a really fun day shooting and crafting this story,\u201d <\/em>Stith said.<\/p>\n

Beyond a straightforward approach to storytelling, the contest judges were equally impressed by film\u2019s technical achievement. One judge in particular, Lewis Smithingham- president and partner at 30 Ninjas, highlighted the professional feel of the video.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful piece and I wouldn\u2019t think twice if I saw this on TV,\u201d <\/em>he said. \u201cExcellent post production, with detailed attention to sound and visual quality. A very strong piece!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

After the public voted and narrowed the entry pool to its 10 favorites, Smithingham and the other judges ultimately awarded Stith the grand prize package worth more than $10,000.<\/p>\n

Helping Tell The Story<\/strong>
\nAs Stith mentions, it wasn\u2019t just the inspiration and subject of his prize-winning video who has benefited from upgrading his Mac and keeping his current gear running with help of MacSales.com and OWC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found out about OWC about a year or so ago, when I was frustrated with how slow my MacBook Pro was running … and I\u2019ve been hooked ever since.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

He added that he has big plans for the future that will only be possible with the help of great technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been fortunate with the caliber of work we\u2019ve been handed to produce. I\u2019m looking to the future, and I see us telling even more great stories \u2014 big and small.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

The Winning Video<\/strong><\/p>\n