Editors have to work with whatever audio they're given, whether it's recorded well or not.…
10 Gifts for Filmmakers and Editors! (2022 Edition)
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season are upon us once again. If you’re looking for a gift for an editor friend, or maybe something for yourself, we’ve put together a list of 10 gift ideas across all price ranges that should get the ball rolling. And just a note, we don’t get paid for any of this stuff – these are just things that we like.
#1 – External SSD
Fast storage is vital when working with high resolutions and high bit rate files. SanDisk’s Extreme Pro series of external SSD drives can hit speeds of up to 2000 MB per second, and they connect via USB-C. It’s a great gift for any editor.
#2 – Large Monitor
Editing on a small screen can be difficult, so a larger monitor is a great buy. This 27-inch monitor from Dell’s Ultrasharp line has a resolution of 3840×2160.
Our favorite thing about it, though, is actually it’s selection of ports. For example, you can connect your laptop to this monitor via USBC. That means one cable is going to charge your laptop, send the video signal to the monitor, and allow your computer to access the monitor’s LAN port and USB hub. I wouldn’t necessarily use this monitor for professional color grading, but for general creative editing, it’s going to be a great option.
#3 – Studio Monitors
Good audio is half the edit. If you’re looking for better speakers for your workstation, try the M-Audio BX5 D3 studio monitors. Overall, they put out clear sound, solid bass, and they support balanced XLR inputs. That’s going to help eliminate basically any of that obnoxious hum that you might get. At $300 a pair, they’re also pretty affordable.
View M-Audio BX5 D3
#4 – Acoustic Insulation
Continuing on the theme of audio, good speakers can be ruined by bad acoustics. Reverberant rooms not only affect your ability to record audio, but they also degrade the sound produced by your speakers.
We’ve previously made our own acoustic insulation, but if you’d rather skip the DIY, try these inexpensive phone panels – they’re great. You just peel off the backing, and then stick them right to the wall. No promises on how easily they’re going to come off though! One thing to note, if you do want to reduce the reverb of lower frequencies, you’re going to want to consider thicker acoustic panels.
#5 – Wireless Charging Stand
Now, you might have heard it said that a tidy desk means a productive mind. Give your mobile phone somewhere to live and power up with a wireless charging stand. We like this one from Anker because it stands upright, so you can actually use your phone as needed. Note, it does not come with an AC adapter, but if you’re like most people, you probably have a bunch of extras lying around the house.
View Anker 313 Wireless Charger Stand
#6 – Productivity Book
Now, this is not an editing book per se, but it’s relevant to editors. Deep Work contains advice and techniques for becoming more focused in your work, especially in a sea of notifications and digital distractions. This book was actually recommended to me by one of our students, so thank you, Jared.
View Deep Work
#7 – Wireless Headphones
Now, if you don’t have room for speakers on your desk or you’re constantly on the move, headphones are obviously great substitutes. There are lots of expensive options out there, but these headphones from Sony are great at a pretty reasonable price. They’re wireless, and they have noise cancellation. Win-win!
View Sony WH-CH710N Headphones
#8 – Card Game
Not everything has to be about work. If you’re looking for a game to play with all your movie nerd friends, try Cinephile. This card-based party game contains 150 cards and five games that you can play. It’s only 20 bucks, so it’s not going to break the bank, and should be a little bit of fun.
#9 – Cinema Subscription
There’s still nothing quite like going to the cinema to see a movie. Most theatre chains now offer subscriptions that allow you to visit repeatedly for a lower price. In the US, AMC Stubs allows you to see three movies per week for around 25 bucks a month. That’s a pretty good deal, because at 12 included movies a month, you’re basically seeing each one for $2. In the UK, check out the Cineworld subscription for something similar.
#10 – One more thing…
If you’re serious about improving your editing skills, here at Film Editing Pro, we think that there’s no better way to do that than…wrapping yourself in a cozy, movie-themed blanket!
View Movie-themed blanket
You probably thought I was going to suggest that you buy one of our training courses, right? You can do that too, I’m not going to stop you.
Wrap Up
Anyway, I hope you found these gift ideas helpful. For tons more editing training, head over to our Free Training page to get started with some sample lessons on any topic that you like, from general creative editing, to working with music, cutting action scenes, trailers, promos, and a bunch more.
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