What do you love most about Photoshop besides making yourself look like you're in space with Tom Cruise? Well only the simple fact that you can retouch things, get rid of blemishes, and basically bring out that gorgeous supermodel underneath all of those flaws. It sucks that it can only be in pictures though, right?...... WRONG! Red Giant Software has created a great plugin for After Effects called Cosmo under the new magic bullet series. It can smooth out skin to make you look amazing and the best part is that it can be done on video!! Now you know that the real people in those music videos don't truly look all that great after all. Red Giant is selling it for only $99. which is a true steal! I got a chance to play with it myself and was pretty impressed. Check out this video to get an example of how it was used.
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I had the pleasure of speaking with Ken Wyatt, a director and filmmaker who was also my previous professor from undergrad school. I realized that since he has some experience in my industry and has found funding for his projects, surely he would know about negotiating. Below is the interview I had with him.
Me: Can you describe a situation where you dealt with some negative emotions during a negotiation?
Ken: There was a position I wanted and they wanted to hire me. I was always told to not throw out a number first. They gave me a number and I told them I would sleep on it. I came back in the morning with a counteroffer. Then the manager began to play hardball and explained how there are many other people they could hire. Eventually, it all worked out.
Me: Do you feel you could have handled the situation better?
Ken: Yes, keep things professional and no emotions. I could have researched negotiating better instead of letting my emotions drive my answers.
Me: Have you dealt with any negotiations involving negative emotions recently?
Ken: No, I haven’t.
Me: Do you have any tactics you use in your negotiations?
Ken: Yes, someone told me the person who talks first loses. It’s like when you go to the pawn shop. Just go over your qualifications and stick to the facts.
Me: Would you recommend these tactics to others?
Ken: Yes, stick to your qualifications and don’t get too personal. Don’t say something like, ‘ Oh, I have three kids to feed and a bunch of house payments and bills.’ No one cares so again, just stick to the facts.
Me: How did you figure out how to use these tactics?
Ken: I figured out how to use these tactics from talking to other people that are successful as well as reading, and listening to some audio books.
Me: Have these tactics been helpful to help you succeed?
Ken: Yes, going into negotiations is like a marriage. It has to be good for them as well as for you. What would make them happy? That’s how you should go about it.
Me: When you had the last situation, which involved some negative emotions, how did you feel?
Ken: Well, feelings aren’t real. Don’t take things personal, in fact some people will do that to you to see how you react. It may also be a situation where that’s a sign that it may not be good for you. No one wants to be somewhere where they aren’t wanted. Sometimes our negative emotions are our best teachers. No place or amount of disrespect is worth any amount of money.
Me: Okay, thank you so much for your time and enjoyed this interview!
Ken: Thank you as well have a great day!
Me: Take care! Good-bye.
