Before joining SlicedTomato, Laura operated a website design firm for five years in Greenville. She understands the needs of creative agencies and her experience will help SlicedTomato to be even more effective.

We’re looking forward to getting involved in the Chamber’s initiatives and attending events. We hope to see you there!

No matter what type of material I’m editing, I find that I always perform the same basic functions when editing (scrubbing the footage, marking in and out points, toggling the snapping and linking features on the timeline, etc.) so here is a brief overview of what I think are the most basic functions and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts.  Commit these to memory and you will quickly cut your editing time in half.

• J, K, L – Rewind, Stop and Forward. These are indispensable. Instead of scrubbing through footage with the cumbersome mouse, use these keys to quickly and more accurately get to where you need. The really nifty part is, the more you press them, the fast your playhead moves (up to 4x).
• Spacebar – In case you didn’t know, you don’t have to waste time moving the mouse up to click on that play button.  The spacebar stops and starts playback with the tap of your thumb.
• I, O – Marks in and out points.  When you are scrubbing through that footage in viewer and find the perfect beginning and ending, you want to mark those spots with an “I” for in and “O” for out. Then, when you drag it to your timeline (or better yet use your F9 key), you have only what you need. “Ah Ha!” you say.  You’ve just experience the beauty of 3-point editing.
• Arrow Keys – Your left and right arrow keys move you frame by frame. When you want to start your in point right after the person says, “Umm….” and right before their eyes blink, use these to find that perfect sweet spot.  The up and down arrow keys will take you to the next edit point, which is a great way to quickly navigate your timeline without the danger of accidentally moving something around with that pesky mouse.
• Shift Z, Command – + - Speaking of navigating the timeline, Command + will zoom in and Command – will zoom out.  Want to see your entire timeline in the window without scrolling? Try Shift Z.
• Home, End – Sometimes you need to jump back to the beginning or go all the way to the end.  These two keys were made to do just that.
• Shift L – This is a handy one to know.  When you get into some real editing, you are going to want to split your audio and video. Editors know that typically audio leads the video cut and if you don’t unlink the two; you are going to be frustrated trying to pull that off.  This is a toggle feature so, just hit the key combo again if you want to make changes and keep your audio and video together.
• N - Turns snapping on and off.  If snapping is on, everything is going to snap to your playhead or the nearest edit point.  Turn it off and you have freedom to move things wherever you want. It’s also helpful to know that you can hit this key after you’ve started dragging something and just enable snapping for your current edit–it will go back to where it was once you let go of the mouse.
• A – Your selection tool (for grabbing things).
• B – Your blade tool (for cutting things).
• R – Your roll tool (for extending / shortening things).

There are about a million more shortcut keys for doing things like making ripple edits, stretching time, doing split edits, etc. but I’ve found that with these in mind, 90% of my edits can stay mouse-free, which means more time to….edit?

You have heard of green marketing initiatives but have you ever considered if the type of marketing
you are doing is actually “green?” Are you using green marketing techniques? Most marketers don’t
really think about it that way. We think about messaging, audiences, and market share but are we
thinking about “doing our share” with the tools at our disposal?

As summer blazes into full effect, it is the perfect time to consider new ways you can market to your
audience using “greener” marketing techniques. Larger corporations are already opting for webinars
over in-person sales meetings; online landing pages over printed fliers; and email over direct mail
postcards. They have eliminated a printed company newsletter and opted to communicate with
customers in real-time through social networks. We are even seeing a rise in “green” coupons from
the likes of Groupon and Living Social.

One area you may not have considered as a green marketing technique is video. By using video to
share your brand message, you eliminate printing cost and waste while also saving on postage. In
addition, video has the potential to grow without you spending additional dollars or resources to
spread your message. With the expanded capabilities of smart phones, email and social networks like
YouTube, videos can easily go viral and exponentially grow your share of voice.

Video is perhaps one of the most powerful forms of marketing with its ability to inspire, educate,
entertain and inform your audience. It taps into both the rational and emotional sides of a
consumer’s brain while delivering your brand message in a full visual and auditory experience that
can be boiled down to two minutes. Where written words are easily overlooked, video captivates.
Video allows your audience to immerse themselves in your brand. With the advancements in video
quality over the past ten years, you can create a signature brand video of the highest quality that can
be used in multiple scenarios from trade shows to sales offices to your website and YouTube to even
your sales guy’s computer.

Remember, using “green marketing techniques” does not have to put your company in the red.
Most new media technologies, including video, can be done at a reasonable cost, and are a win-
win for your company and the environment. You may even score a few brownie points with senior
management for your green marketing practices.

Depending on your marketing budget, videos come in many types. Some you produce yourself and others you hire a professional. Check out this blog on how to “do it yourself”.

A classmate recently reminded me that when Mr. Gettys entered a student assembly, everyone stood without being prompted. Mind you this was not the age of falling in lockstep or demonstrating respect for authority. Whites, blacks, honor students, burnouts, kids from privilege, kids from the mill hill. It didn’ t matter who you were—you showed respect for Mr. Gettys.

More importantly, you meant it.

My class was unique because we were the beneficiaries of Mr. Gettys’ leadership when he was principal at Easley Junior High School (now the middle school that bears his name) and again when he became principal at Easley High School our sophomore year.

As scrawny elementary school students we were aware of his legend before ever setting foot on the junior high campus. My earliest memory of Mr. Gettys was when I was literally being shuffled along a crowded hallway the first day at junior high. The crowds parted in much the same way the Red Sea must have done for Moses. There was the man himself, real flesh and bone, walking through a clearing that had not existed a split-second before. He was fixing his gaze straight ahead. That was good news, because if his gaze was fixed upon you, well, that was bad news.

There are too many memories to mention. But we all laugh about the time he made a brief smokeless tobacco announcement on the intercom. Mr. Gettys switched on the mic in typical fashion, breathing heavily for a few seconds—I suspect for effect—before announcing succinctly “ If I catch anyone else dipping in this school, then you can just dip on outta here.”

We snickered, under our breath. But you know what? We didn’ t get caught dipping at school either.

The most personal contact I ever had with Mr. Gettys is also the most recent. My young son and I have sat near Mr. Gettys for several years at high school football games. He would always smile and ask my boy how old he was and what he was doing in school. He was soft-spoken, and far more human than I ever imagined. But he was still very much “ Mr. Gettys.”

Richard H. Gettys died April 10, 2011. His wife Celia, a lauded educator in her own right, would pass just fifteen days later.

We all agree Mr. Gettys was an icon in our community. He was a natural leader and will be remembered a fair and effective disciplinarian. More than that he was a real man who made a real difference.

When I asked my friends for their memories and comments regarding Mr. Gettys, many of them answered to the effect that he was “ one of the most influential educators of my life.” We can accurately assume there are countless others who would say the same thing.

That simple sentiment is a titanic legacy. One not likely to be matched in the Pickens County schools any time soon.

Rodney Rogers

On His Life and Education:

On the Background of Easley and Gettys Middle School:

A Word to Students: