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Drives in Action

Preston
Clay Reed

Preston Clay Reed is an independent film producer and member of the bi-coastal, American based production company, Fretboard Pictures LLC.

“We couldn't finish films on a limited budget without
using G-Technology.”

Embracing limitations

Preston Clay Reed has produced an impressive portfolio of films often on a low budget, including the indie feature ‘Travelling Salesman’ and ‘The Magician’ - shortlisted at the European Independent Film Festival and screened at Cannes Short Film Corner 2010.

From the inception to the completion of each film, it is Preston’s job to provide ideas and solutions for all the filmmakers on board in order to assemble the best film possible within a strict budget and timeframe.

Preston said: “A producer strives to make wise decisions when using limited resources. I’ve often had to accept the fact that I will probably never have enough time or money to make the film I wanted to make. I embrace these limitations and work as effectively as possible within these parameters. Limitations are the high-octane fuel of creativity. They force me to think creatively and often produce a better product than I first imagined.”

Affordable storage

Preston’s associated production company, Fretboard Pictures, uses G-Technology as an affordable and reliable external storage solution when shooting on RED cameras and during post-production.

Describing the workflow for the low budget production ‘Travelling Salesman’, Preston said: “We used two G-SAFE mirrored drives on set to store our 4K raw files and audio files. We shot completely on location in LA. Though we reviewed sound synced dailies every morning, we did not begin editing until after production had finished.”

“We sent the G-SAFE drives with our raw files to our post facility in Philadelphia. In the studio, we used the RedCineX program to render the RED raw data into Avid files and transferred these files to two G-RAID drives. We are currently editing the film using the G-RAIDS. Our G-SAFES are safely stored in Philadelphia should we decide to go back to the original RED raw files for a HD conform or a film out. The drives allowed us to work at a fast speed within our timeframe. We couldn't have finished the film on our budget without using them.”