I hope Xmas brought respite and rejuvenation to your tired souls. Whether you spent it with family or not, in full blown celebration or in quiet reverie, I hope it was exactly what you needed.
As I do every every year, there is a free gift in the last 'Tales From the Opening Act' of the year. Like all great narratives of the cultural landscape, however, the payoff will be in the conclusion.
I sincerely hope that your 2015 launches with an exclamation rather than a whimper. Momentum is a powerful bedfellow after all.
We all need some forward inertia.
2014 has been, for far too many, a year of retraction. Yes, the data is in, and it's not looking good for working people around the world.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/reserve-bank-stevens-says-real-wage-declines-a-positive-for-eco/5685874
Real wages are falling.
Do you know what that means?
If not, why not?
This is not some political issue that is detached from your experience of the world. Real wages are the payment that you receive every day for your toil.
But you're going backwards, perhaps without even knowing it. The economic quicksand is swallowing you. You receive small token increases in your salary, to make you feel like you are progressing. Congratulations. Meanwhile, the cost of living is rising faster than your meager remuneration can keep up with.
You're on a Toyota salary in a world full of BMW's.
This is not the way it is supposed to be.
Labour productivity has continued to rise steadily for 20 years, and yet still the illusion of the lazy worker, holding back the growth of the company, is bandied around like a spook story capitalists tell their children.
How have we allowed ourselves to be so railroaded? Is there a way to reverse the tide?
Yes.
And it's my last thought for you in 2014.
Don't stagnate.
You have to wake up.
You have to snap out of your comfortable daydream.
I know that safe feels like a warm blanket on a cold morning, but it's a trap.
It seems like you are treading water, but there is a current you are not even aware of. Staying put is actually going in reverse.
You have to push forward. You have to evolve. You have to develop new skills. You have to shake up your routines. Throw out your thinking patterns and build new ones.
You have to take risks, creating great work.
Because great work, the kind worthy of you, is always a little scary. You're out on that limb.
But it's the vocation that is worth doing.
Comfortable is no longer an option. Be passionate and succeed, or be washed away with the tide into mediocrity.
It's your choice. I, for one, want to see you flourish.
To give you a headstart, here, as promised, is your Xmas gift. Professionals and Hollywood productions all use Davinci Resolve to colour grade and master their films. What many people don't know, is that Davinci has also added an editing function to the software, that is good enough to cut your films with. The best part, is that the Lite version is FREE!
But how will you know how to use it? A very good question.
Well, the resident Santa here at Opening Act Films has also found a free online film software training website, 'Ripple Training' for you. It has everything you need to learn to use Davinci, plus a load of other film related software.
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/au/products/davinciresolve
http://www.rippletraining.com
With the free Davinci educational tutorials on the site, and the accompanying free download of Davinci, you will have everything you need to start the year with a surge.
As a bonus, if you would like to also start the year by doing a good deed, you can be a major part of helping my film, 'Chip' win at The Australian Academy Awards (The AACTAs).
'Chip' is in contention for the AACTAs Social Shorts prize, and we need your support! If you want to help us win at the AACTAs, Australia's version of The Oscars, please vote for 'Chip' at http://www.socialshorts.com.au/independent/chip/
You can also share the 'Vote for Chip' message with as many friends, family and colleagues as possible. If everyone who receives this newsletter votes over the next week, shares the voting link, and can rally their people behind our little animated documentary, we will have a huge chance of winning.
Thank you for continuing to be a part of the tales from Opening Act Films and may you have a wonderful 2015.
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PS: AS USUAL, 'TALES FROM THE OPENING ACT' WILL BE GOING ON HOLIDAYS FOR ALL OF JANUARY 2015. BUT DON'T WORRY, IT WILL BE BACK, BETTER AND MORE PUNCTUAL THAN EVER, IN FEBRUARY 2015. HAVE A SAFE AND RESTFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!! CHEERIO, PETE
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