Taking The Long Way

Old Dog's Learning New (Editing) Tricks

Taking The Long Way, the 2006 album by The Chicks, remains one of my favorites.

The album’s title also sums up how I approach learning new things. I’ve never been one to take the direct route to mastery. For me, it’s all about the detours, the scenic paths, and maybe a little unnecessary wandering—and wondering.

Take video editing, for instance. I’ve been a DIY, self-taught video enthusiast since high school. I’ve dabbled in it here and there, experimenting with different tech and tools, learning what I need for whatever project I’m working on.

Over the years, I’ve tried my share of video editors—each with its own pros and cons. My two most recent editors of choice especially.

CapCut is a decent, free-to-use option, but its limitations quickly show for anything beyond a TikTok-length project. (It’s worth noting that CapCut is owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.)

Filmora, on the other hand, performs well when it’s working—but its frequent bugs and crashes have derailed more projects than I care to remember. (As a result, let’s just say I consider Wondershare, Filmora’s parent company, less than wonderful.)

After running into these software limitations one too many times, I’ve decided it’s time to stop settling for “good enough” and switch to a truly world-class tool.

DaVinci Resolve is a freemium suite of professional-grade editing tools. I’ve dabbled with it before but initially found it a bit much for my kind of videos. That said, I know it’s more than capable of handling everything I currently require—and plenty more I’ve yet to explore.

The irony? I’ve had this solution in my back pocket the whole time but stuck with what felt easier or more familiar. Classic long-way behavior.

Switching to Resolve feels like a quiet acknowledgment of something I’ve been hesitant to admit: maybe I’m not just a hobbyist anymore. Now that I make a (modest) living creating and curating videos, maybe it’s time to start thinking like a pro.

I still consider myself an amateur in the best sense of the word: someone who’s passionate, curious, and deeply invested in the craft. I enjoy experimenting and figuring things out, even if it means learning the hard way.

Today, I’m wrapping up a couple of projects in Filmora and diving into the deep end with DaVinci Resolve. There will likely be a few, unexpected learning curves, but this old dog is up for the challenge.

Here’s to taking the long way—and finally arriving somewhere worth staying.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

P.S. I know it’s a big holiday week for many. So I’m holding off including patron and supporter credits until I hear back from more folks. If you’re a paid subscriber and would like to be included in the credits, please reply to this newsletter or email me—collidepress@gmail.com—how you’d like your name—or pseudonym—to appear.

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ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 27

BIRTHDAYS

• 1874 = Charles A. Beard = American educator and The New School co-founder

• 1922 – Hall Bartlett = American independent filmmaker

• 1935 = Les Blank = American documentary filmmaker

• 1936 = Gail Sheehy = American journalist and author

• 1939 = Buzz Cason = American singer-songwriter

• 1940 = Bruce Lee = Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist

• 1941 = Eddie Rabbitt = American singer-songwriter

• 1942 = Jimi Hendrix = American singer-songwriter

• 1943 = Martha Shelley = American activist and writer 🌈

• 1945 = James Avery = American actor

• 1951 = Kathryn Bigelow = American filmmaker

• 1955 = Bill Nye = American engineer, educator, and tv host

• 1957 = Callie Khouri = American director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1961 = Steve Oedekerk = American actor, director, and screenwriter

• 1963 = Fisher Stevens = American actor, director, and producer

• 1973 = Samantha Harris = American model and television host

• 1976 = Jaleel White = American actor

• 1977 = Jani Toivola = Finnish actor, dance, and politician 🌈

EVENTS

• 1809 = The Berners Street hoax is perpetrated by Theodore Hook in the City of Westminster, London.

• 1835 = James Pratt and John Smith became the last people to be executed in England for sodomy.

• 1895 = Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel's will establishes the Nobel Prize.

• 1924 = In New York City, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held.

• 1963 = POTUS Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the "Let Us Continue" speech, in which he advocated for civil-rights legislation and national cohesion, to a joint session of the U.S. Congress five days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

• 1967 = The Beatles release Magical Mystery Tour in the US.

• 1968 = Penny Ann Early becomes the first woman to play in a major professional men's basketball league, for the Kentucky Colonels in an ABA game against the Los Angeles Stars.

• 1970 = Gay Activists Alliance representatives Marty Robinson, Arthur Evans, and Mattachine Society of New York president Dick Leitsch appear on The Dick Cavett Show to discus the gay liberation movement.

• 1978 = San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White. Protests and riots ensued.

• 1980 = Bosom Buddies—a sitcom about two young broke New York men having to dress in drag to live in a low rent, but all-girl hotel—premieres on ABC. It stars Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Holland Taylor, Telma Hopkins, and others.

• 2013 = Frozen, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, is released.

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PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”
Bruce Lee

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