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Since the Thunderbolt release on my Macbook Pro, I was just considering it as another hole in the Laptop. Until now. As I had to go to China to shoot and edit onsite, The Thunderbolt external Hard drive had to be the solution for handling HD files without any frame skipping. I bought one of those new Seagate GoFLex Pro  500Gb ( 149$ )and a Thunderbolt adaptor for almost the same price as the drive . I must say I was quite surprised by the overall built quality. The baby can do the job as fast as promised. And the good news is you do not have to buy a Thunderbolt interface anymore after, as this swappable disk lands on a dock. You can also commute to USB and  Firewire, but if you have the TB interface on your Mac I suggest you go for it ! With finalCut Pro X, disc access is the key element to a fluid playback. One can regret the fact that the seagate disc only feature one port. Which can be a problem when you connect a second display for example ( The only solution would be to buy an expensive LaCie hub or a New MacBook Retina ). The other bad engineering is the USB interface which has tendency to disconnect itself. But once you go around those limitations, you have a great portable and somehow affordable product for Nomad Directors / Editors.

I am currently in China where I was hired by the City of Dalian to make a promotional short film. The challenge is to make it look expensive with a tight budget. Thanks to a lot of new gears. Hollywood fits in your luggage nowadays. Here is how...

First of all we bought a Skater ! It is a cheap efficient alternative to a track/dolly system. Overall, you can use it not only on a floor, but also a table even a car. This is a simple marvelous piece of metal that will give you impressive shots with a minimal setting. It does exist for every budget. I am down for the three wheel heavy duty one. it is stiff and precise. And it is much cheaper in China !

The second piece of equipment that is a "must have" today is the slider. I opted for the Beijing Wieldy one. It is better than most cheap sliders that are made with a simple piece of aluminum. This one has four independent wheels that makes your slide smooth and precise. This easily replace small tracks and it is perfect for objects or establishing shots.

Las but not least, make steady cam takes without a steadicam thanks to After Effects CS 5.5 incredible Warp Stabilizer. It does not only solve the rolling shutter issues from your DSLR but ultimately makes your shots look like if you had a 15000$ equipment. vibrations issues solved. And creativity unleashed.

Last tip... leave the tripod at Home and buy a shoulder rig. Tripods are heavy and make you waste time every time you move them. Time is valuable on small unit productions. The final result will be available soon. Stay tuned...