Meet Dustin Lau!


	COW Leaders : Dustin Lau

Creative COW Magazine Writer, Web Writer, Contributing Editor

Dustin Lau
Luminoir
Singapore

Dustin graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore with a Diploma in Film, Sound and Video.

He went on to edit documentaries and long-form programmes broadcast on Discovery Channel Asia, Mediacorp and Mediaworks during his tenure at The Moving Visuals Company.

Following that, he spent 2 years as lead editor, then director/producer at Freeflow Productions, specializing in TV commercials and corporate videos.

He now works at ESPN/Star Sports Asia editing a video game review show ("Game") for the Asia Pacific market.

First and foremost, I'm a solutions guy. I don't see formal roles or designations as the rule. If I need to crawl behind a table or behind a rack to fix it now, I'm there. Need to shoot and don't have a cameraman? I'll do it. Computer failed to boot up? Crack open the case and I'm elbows deep into it.

What that means is that I've gained experience and knowledge in very disparate fields, particularly in computers and networking. After all, I've been building my own computers since I was 16 to play Doom and Quake, and constructing home servers for myself since I could afford them.

More than a decade on, this has served me well, especially now that computers and the internet have rapidly come to define how we do our business. I don't really need that as an impetus though, I still consider a weekend setting up my home media server a weekend well spent.

I used to frequent the Avid forums a lot more when I was on Avid, mostly to find solutions :) My first job was at a place that ran Meredien based Avids but used Medea SCSI Drives configured badly, rarely maintained and always full.
Hence, I came to know the DRAGON UNDERRUN OVERRUN codes very well through the forum.

I'm trying to find the time to get into Color and other finishing tools. The problem of working in Singapore is that the main priority for a lot of places here is speed and throughput. Hence, I rarely have more than 1 day to do any finessing of a project. Part of the reason I'm such a workflow Nazi is to try to squeeze more time for finishing!

Articles by Dustin Lau

Motion Graphics

Media Management Nightmares? Game On!

Here's how one team turns 14 hours of raw footage on the latest games into a 30-minute TV show every week, 40 times a season. In this Creative COW Magazine article Dustin Lau discusses some tricks for high end digital media management.

Editorial

Apple Final Cut Pro

Become replaceable. Have a life with better FCP project management

Sure, being replaceable can be scary -- but sometimes you NEED somebody to step in and help. Here are some of the tricks that Cow author Dustin Lau has learned for project set-up, file naming, and clear communication with other members on the team. These tricks will create smooth hand-offs from you to your temporary replacement -- and back to you when you return, without driving anyone crazy.

Tutorial

Apple Final Cut Pro

Better Media Management in Final Cut Pro

Looking for better media management in Final Cut Pro? TV producer and Cow contributor Dustin Lau says it all begins with better file naming. He shows how its working at ESPN/Star Sports Asia, as they manage their workflow across multiple teams, under the high pressure of episodic TV deadlines. It will work for you too.

Tutorial

Apple Final Cut Pro

Get Fast in Final Cut Pro -- <i>FAST!</i>

Get Fast in Final Cut Pro -- FAST!

It does not make you a better FCP editor, but no matter what kind of work you do, speed still matters. Cow author Dustin Lau shares some tips and tricks to accelerate your work in Final Cut Pro that even the old dogs can learn from.

Tutorial

Apple Final Cut Pro

Using Automator for repetitive tasks in Final Cut Pro

Apple Automator is a tiny application included with Mac OS X with big power, quickly and easily creating custom workflows based on the work you actually do - no programming required. Its the perfect way to handle those pesky repetitive tasks in FCP. Do something once, then let Automator take it from there. This handy little tool can make the difference between keeping and losing your sanity -- and making or missing your deadline.

Tutorial, Feature