Matt D’Avella post-produces content for YouTube with Blackmagic Cloud

Blackmagic Cloud allows documentary filmmaker and youtuber Matt D’Avella to collaborate in real time to simplify the editing and production process for his videos, run in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

D’Avella started his YouTube channel in 2007. In 2017, he decided to dedicate himself entirely to content creation, which focuses primarily on the themes of minimalism, personal development and productivity, which has allowed him to cultivate a community of millions of people across multiple platforms, and specifically 3.6 million subscribers on YouTube.

D’Avella splits his time between Sydney and Philadelphia, which is why he recently standardised his editing process in DaVinci Resolve Studio to accommodate his growing team, which includes editors in Canada and the US: “My team was up and running on DaVinci Resolve within a month, and I was surprised with how easy and intuitive it was to get set up.” D’Avella and his team rely on Blackmagic Cloud to work simultaneously on the same project, which helps simplify the editing process. Using the Blackmagic Proxy Generator feature, they create a proxy file, which allows them to continue editing without having to manage clips offline. They can then use DaVinci Resolve Studio to search and relink the footage with a single click.

D’Avella elaborates: “We are all working from local drives with similar files paths, yet we can work remotely in the same project together. This is only possible thanks to the intelligent media management system within DaVinci Resolve.”

The I Use a Dumb Phone for 30 Days experience

For the editing and post-production of the I Use a Dumb Phone for 30 Days video, which has racked up 1.9 million views, D’Avella and his team were able to shave several hours off the editing process using DaVinci Resolve and Blackmagic Cloud. D’Avella shot all the video footage himself and then shared the proxy files with the team so they could access them remotely: “While I was in Sydney, my East Coast team started the edit, and when I woke up the next day, I could pick up where they left off. This tag team ability in Blackmagic Cloud sped up the editing process immensely, as we were able to complete the video in four days instead of the two week process it would typically take.”

Before using DaVinci Resolve Studio, D’Avella was responsible for editing 90% of his videos. Now, this work dynamic has become more collaborative, efficient and faster: “Prior to DaVinci Resolve Studio, my main challenge was finding a workflow that didn’t slow me down. My team was using two different editing platforms and a third party video sharing site for feedback. It was incredibly difficult to communicate any changes with my team, and we were going through five or six versions for a single video. I found it easier to make edits myself because of how frustrating my workflow was.”

“With my DaVinci Resolve Studio workflow, I am able to collaborate seamlessly with my team, make videos way faster and put out better videos than before. It’s been a game changer!”, concludes D’Avella.