My name is Matt Kraft and I’m a multimedia designer, editor, producer and artist based just outside of Washington D.C. I started in the production business in 1999 as a production assistant while studying for my undergrad at Salisbury State University. Since then, I have worked with hundreds of clients developing marketing strategies and videos that pinpoint their message while delivering a cutting edge unique style.

It’s hard to believe that my love of video production started as a fluke. As a student at Salisbury State University in 1998, I decided to take a television production class completely on a whim. I was, at that point, a physics major that had changed from a music major, and still not in love with what I was learning. Let me tell you, physics is not the most riveting subject to a college sophomore. That television 101 class with Dr. Kendell really changed my entire life. There was something about being able to make any story and any quirky idea come to life that I enjoyed so much. By the end of sophomore year, I was a fully declared TV major, and I never looked back.

I made my start as a Production Assistant, doing camera work for the local news while still attending college. After graduation, I became a Video Instructor teaching the basics of studio and field production in Montgomery County, Maryland, before moving onto long-form educational productions at the Teaching Company. I decided to try my hand at being a full time freelancer, picking up jobs for companies like Sure Shot Productions in Arlington, and for a short time with the Washington Capitals hockey team. I was then presented with an opportunity at Cox Media in Northern Virginia as a Producer/Director. I wrote, shot, produced, and edited hundreds of commercials, won four national awards and one international award for my productions. Currently, I am part of the Arlington Virginia Network where I write, produce, shoot, and edit the EMMY nominated program Food For Thought, which looks at Arlington’s diversity and sustainability though food and the people behind it.

I still find myself studying every system I come across, reading text book after text book on the latest technology (I once read the users manual to AVID media composer 2.5 on a flight from Washington DC to Seattle, cover to cover, twice), and teaching kids and teens the basics of video editing . I have worked in nearly every field in video production, but have spent the majority of my focus on AVID editing.

To me, this is more than a job or career, it’s fun. I work with video both professionally and independently, and no matter what project I am currently on, I will work hard and have fun with it. The ability to create and think outside the box, to me, is what makes production so unique.

Matthew A. Kraft

Work Experience:

Arlington County Government: August 2008 – Present
Cable Programs Producer

• Writer, producer, director, videographer, and editor for a monthly series, Food For Thought.
• Lead graphic coordinator and designer for regular series programming using Adobe After Effects.
• Manage and coordinate videographers and crew for regular series programming.
• Editor, writer, graphic designer, and producer for (:30) and (:60) second Public Service Announcements.
• Train staff and interns on AVID editing, After Effects, and Photoshop.
• Assist other staff producers with studio and field cameras, audio engineering, and lighting design.
• Direct and shoot live County Board meetings using robotic cameras.
• Develop marketing strategies with various County departments and deploy them through television and the web.

Cox Media: January 2005 – August 2008
Producer/Director

• Responsible for concept design, scripting videography, editing and delivery of (:30) second commercials to clients.
• Produced and completed an average of 15-20 (:30) second productions a month.
• Lead AVID editor. Responsible for all AVID updates, upgrades, maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Designated lead audio and lighting engineer for all studio productions.
• Installed, maintained and updated equipment.
• Managed production time frame based on client budget. (Average client budget: $600-$1200)
  • Field videography: Three hours per client. Editing: Three hours per client.

The Teaching Company: September 2003 – October 2004 (moved to Freelance, Oct ‘04)
Producer

• Produced a long form series of studio lectures on a variety of higher education courses.
• Researched for accuracy all topics chosen for presentation before production.
• Gathered releases and copyright information for all images and stock video used in production.
• Gained rights and clearances to all quoted material from outside sources.
• Edited video using Incite Non Linear systems and Boris FX.
• Wrote and edited copy for promotions used in catalog and web advertising.

Montgomery Community Television: October 2001 – September 2003
Studio Training Instructor

• Instructor for three courses:
  • Director’s class:  Proper terminology, shot composition, pacing of a program, etc.
  • Technician class:  Fundamentals of studio equipment: Cameras, audio operation, Grass Valley Switcher, Deko Character generator, SVHS/DVC-pro VTR, and teleprompter.
  • Producer’s class:  Script writing, timing a program, set and light design, talent booking, release rules and regulations, copyright rules.
• Supervising producer for several on-going productions, as well as all new studio productions.
• Director for MCT’s annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony (2002, 2003).

Salisbury State University Television: April 2000 – May 2001
General Manager

• Regulated, reviewed, and approved all productions and programming.
• Supervised eight students as a management team, and delegated responsibility.
• Trained students on audio and video editing machines.
• Supervised all equipment and up to ten users.

WBOC-TV 16, CBS affiliate: October 1999- April 2000
Production Assistant

• Operate studio camera during newscasts.
• Check and verify all equipment and lights function properly.
• Set up and shoot in-studio live shots.

Related Skills:

Video Editing:

• Avid Media Composer
• Final Cut Pro
• Adobe Premiere Pro

Graphic Design:

• Adobe After Effects 
  w/ Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator Pro, Boris Continuum Complete, Sapphire 5, Trapcode Suite

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Autodesk 3d Studio Max

Videography:

• XDcam:  SONY PDW-330 (disc), SONY EX3 (SxS card)
• DVCpro50: Panasonic SDX900
• Digibeta
• Beta
• DVcam

Storage/Compression:

• Facilis Terrablock
• Root6 Content Agent
• Sorenson Squeeze 5
• Discreet Media Cleaner

Awards:

• 2010 NATOA Government Programming Award – 3rd Place
• 2010 NATAS Emmy Nomination
• 2008 (1) Bronze Telly Award winner
• 2007 (1) Bronze Telly Award winner
• 2006 (3) Bronze Telly Award winner
• 2006 Silver Davey Award winner

Education:

Bachelor of Arts, May 2001

Salisbury State University, Salisbury, MD

Major: Communications Arts

DOWNLOAD as a word document

2011 Demo Reel

All Editing/Graphics/Videography by: Matt Kraft
©2011 Matt Kraft

Edited on AVID MC v5.0
Graphics: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator, Zaxwerks Invigorator Pro, Trapcode Suite, Sapphire FX

For more examples, please visit my vimeo page.

Here are a few samples of my work. For more videos, please visit my vimeo site, which includes every Food For Thought episode, along with more commercials, graphics and animations I have produced.

Directing/Editing/Graphics/Videography: Community Services Board PSA

Producing/Directing/Editing/Videography: ARPAnet – the team behind the internet

Directing/Editing/Videography: Food For Thought – Episode 5

You can view all 23 episodes here

Graphics/Animation: Food For Thought – Title Sequence

Graphics/Animation: In Performance – Title Sequence

Editing/Videography: Fairfax County Volunteer Fire Dept.

2010 NATOA Government Programming Awards – Third Place

Entry: “Food For Thought”
Client: AVN
Category: Public Information Series

The Government Programming Awards are annual awards that recognize excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia and electronic programming produced by local government agencies. NATOA promotes community interests in communications,  representing local government jurisdictions and consortium’s who oversee communications and cable television franchising.

2010 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences / National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter Emmy Nomination

Entry: “Food For Thought – Episode 1″
Client: AVN
Category: Magazine Program

The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS-NCCB) is a non-profit, professional organization serving the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. television community. The Academy’s Emmy Award is the industry’s benchmark for the recognition of television excellence.

2008 Bronze Telly Award

Entry: “Become A Hero”
Client: Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department
Category: Commercial Campaign – Promotional/Branding

2007 Bronze Telly Award

Entry: “Three Words”
Client: One Spirit Martial Arts
Category: Commercial – Health and Wellness

2006 Bronze Telly Award

Entry: “Website”
Client: Box Cart
Category: Commercial – Miscellaneous

2006 Bronze Telly Award

Entry: “E.D.”
Client: Manassas Video Club
Category: Commercial – Retail Specialty Store

2006 Bronze Telly Award

Entry: “My Gym vs Your Gym”
Client: My Gym
Category:Commercial – Health and Wellness

The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web.

2006 Silver Davey Award

Entry: “My Life”
Client: Clay Cafe
Category: Commerical

The Davey Awards may be for smaller organizations, but the judges have big reputations. The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms

Video Editing Software:

Avid Media Composer Adrenaline (V 5.5)

Graphic Design Software:

Adobe After Effects (v5.5)
Adobe Photoshop (v5.5)
Adobe Illustrator (v5.5)
Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator Pro
Trapcode Suite (Particular, Shine, Form, Lux)
Boris Continuum Complete
Boris Red
Sapphire FX
Avid FX
3D Studio Max

Camera Equipment:

Sony PMW-350K XD-Cam (Disc)
Sony EX3 XD-Cam (SxS Card)
Sony DVW970 Digi-Beta
Panasonic SDX900 DVCpro
Panasonic HVX-200 P2

Lighting Equipment:

Arri Lightkits
Lowel Lightkits
Dedo Lightkits
Chimera Lightbanks
Brightline SeriesONE Studio Lighting

Compression / DVD Authoring / Storage:

Sorenson Squeeze
Root 6 Content Agent
Discreet Media Cleaner XL
AVID DVD
Roxio DVD
CyberLink Disc Suite
Facilis Terrablock & Terrablock Manager
Media Mover
Marquis Medway
Omneon
NVersion

Web design Software:

WordPress
Dreamweaver

Audio Software:

Adobe Audition
Cubase
Sound Forge
Audacity

Other Software / Hardware:

Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Power Point
Adobe Acrobat
Grass Valley 200 & 3000
Mackie Onyx 12ch/24ch/48ch
Sennheiser Wireless Audio
Audio Technica Wireless Audio
Panasonic DVCpro VTRs
Sony BetaCam VTRs
Sony DigiBeta VTRs
Sony 3/4″ VTRs
Sony PDW-F30 XDCAM Deck

Q: What editing platform(s) are you familiar with.

A: The short answer is: AVID Media Composer Adrenaline, Final Cut Pro & Adobe Premiere.

The longer answer is that I have been primarily focused on AVID over the last few years. I am a certified AVID editor, I provide training on Media Composer and have my own AVID express system (hopefully to be upgraded to 5.0 in the near future). I have edited quite extensively on Final Cut Pro, but it has been a few years. When I first started in the business, I was a linear editor using only two tape decks and a video toaster. From there I was introduced to Casablanca and Incite non-linear systems, both of which have now become obsolete. None the less, all the theories and techniques carry across every platform, and I truly believe that having been trained as a linear editor set the foundation to being a quality non-linear editor.

Q: What camera equipment are you familiar with?

A: I currently film everything on Sony XD cameras, both disc based and the Sony EX-3 with SxS cards. I have also used Beta, Digi-Beta, P2, DVCpro, DVCproHD, DVcam, and Mini DV cameras in previous projects. I haven’t used a DSLR or RED in any of my projects, but I am excited about the possibility of using them in future productions.

Q: Why the name Video Cheese?

A: Simple, my last name is Kraft, and ever since I was a kid I was always asked if I am related to the Kraft cheese founders. To answer that, no I am not. But always having to answer that, I just put together that Kraft equals cheese to most people, and I work in video, so videocheese! Plus, it’s a simple name with a simple web address that most people remember, mainly because they chuckle the first time I bring it up.

Q: What is your scripting process?

A: I like to sit down and talk with you about your business/message first, find out what it is that you do and what you are trying to communicate to your audience, because you know your business better than anyone else. From there, I will generate at least three scripts ranging from your basic informational piece to one that is far out from left field. The reason is to get the wheels turning, and for you to see that sometimes the answer isn’t just listing out information, but to put a creative spin on it. These scripts are springboards for us to mesh together or generate dialogue so that we can finalize an idea you are comfortable with and will address your message.

Q: Do you have all of your own camera equipment?

A: No. I will rent out the necessary equipment needed for each individual shoot. This will be built into the overall budget, and will vary based on project size. I am working on purchasing a full set of gear, and upgrading my editor, but for now I will rely on production rental houses.

Q: My business has little to no budget, would you still be able to work with us?

A: Of course. I work with each client individually, focusing on your message and budget.  It is my goal to find the best solution for your business, send the right message at the highest quality possible. We will sit down, assess your needs and wants, and develop a strategy that suits your needs.

Q: I am looking for a freelance editor, are you available?

A: My schedule varies based on the time of year. I currently have a full time position, so I only freelance after regular business hours and on weekends. I still carry a few freelance positions, but I am always open for the opportunity to pick up more, so if you are interested, please contact me.

Q: Are you familiar with 3D graphics programs?

A: Yes and No. Currently I use a combination of Adobe Illustrator, After Effects and the Zaxwerks Invigorator Pro plug-in to generate all 3D graphics such as those seen in my demo reel and on Food For Thought. I recently completed a course in 3D Studio Max, and have begun training myself in Cinema 4D. I hope to be taking more training courses soon, especially on Cinema 4D, but for now, I will continue to use After Effects with Invigorator to achieve the 3D graphics and animations that are requested.

Q: What was your role in each video on this site, and how did you choose the ones you wanted to show here?

A: I tried to put up only a few examples  as I have produced more videos than I can count. To date, I have produced nearly 20 webisodes of Food For Thought, and I do my best to put them up on the site once they are complete and have aired. Some of the other videos I have produced over the years, and I think showcase a variety of work. Others I wish I could put up, but I cannot either for copyright issues or because I no longer have access to the original files.

Q: I am a freelancer as well, should I build a custom web page to promote myself?

A: Yes, do it and do it right. When I first designed this site a while back, it looked a whole lot different because I was trying to save on money. My suggestion is to spend a little money for a better result. First and foremost, buy a custom domain, they’re pretty cheap these days. Be smart with your domain name and make it easy to remember. For me, it is so much easier to point clients to videocheese.com as opposed to a long random string of words and numbers that no one will ever remember. If you are going to use wordpress, then spend some money and buy a theme, learn how to customize it and make it yours by thinking of your overall design. Finally, if you are going to put videos up, make sure you use the highest quality you can. Sometimes that means moving away from youtube so that you have more flexibility with thumbnails and other options. Explore them all. Start with the basic free version of what you are looking for and see if it’s enough. If it isn’t, then don’t be shy about spending a little money to make it look great, you’ll make up for it as you pick up work.

Feel free to contact Matt for:

• AVID Media Composer training
• Video consultations
• Editing requests
• Video graphic creation and development
• Production training
• General requests, questions or troubleshooting