Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm Carly McCarthy, I'm a filmmaker, musician, illustrator, creator of things.
What hardware do you use?
I always have my point-and-shoot 35mm camera on my shoulder, or up to my eye. If I'm gonna capture motion, I have a 5D Mark II and a 16mm Bolex. A notebook and pen in my backpack, most likely an autobiography of an admired artist or thinker. I always stay curious about what gear and tools are out there to help me take a story to the next level, but I really prefer to keep it simple so I can shoot in a more guerrilla style.
And what software?
GarageBand and Maschine for making weird soundscapes and scores for my films. So far I have done all of the sound work and composed the music in my films, which is always an unpredictable process. Making music is different every time for me. I bought a Maschine Mikro a few years ago, and honestly hadn't used it that much recently, but I've really taken some time to understand how it functions and it's a seriously powerful tool.
I use Adobe Premiere for all of my editing needs.
I've recently been messing with Photoshop's animation function, and I'm loving that and have some really exciting stuff in store for my first feature film that's currently in production. I haven't ever used animation as an element in my stories, but I think it's gonna be the key to stringing together this project.
What would be your dream setup?
Dream set up... damn. It would be like a playroom for my imagination! A room that would nurture big visions, and have all of the tools to get the nitty gritty details.
So far my workspaces have always also been my bedrooms, so instinctively I see a really comfortable bed somewhere in the room and almost can't imagine not living in the space I work in. It feels like too much of the same thing to me. What if I wake up in the middle of the night and feel inspired? I have to have access!
The walls would be half chalkboard, half corkboard. I need space to pin up illustrations, write passing thoughts, make lists... sometimes I think so fast that if I don't find a pen it'll vanish forever!
I'd need an equal amount of openness and privacy... maybe big windows in a more secluded place? A big window with a great view (possibly a busy city, possibly somewhere deep in nature) with a long desk in front of it. I need room to spread out and get messy, but there will always be in order to my chaos. I love working off of a widescreen Mac desktop and I would also get a premium monitor for color correction. I see many drawers that pull out from this desk and my KORG MIDI keyboard and Maschine beat pads would have their own spaces for easy access.
I would definitely get some sort of surround sound bumpin' stereo system. I could put my guitars up on the wall, some vintage microphones and tube amplifiers to record off of, bookshelves embedded into the wall filled with my growing collection. I like the idea of decorating the room with the tools that I use like a workshop.
I would most definitely get every Prisma marker, and be stocked on Uni Ball and Staedlter pens. Right next to those would be an endless supply of bond paper, so I could illustrate for days.
An HD projector that would remotely roll down a screen so I could watch films, and also have the possibility of hosting my own film screenings. Even though I need my privacy to work in, I would love to have the space to create community and host gatherings to get like minds in the same room.
At night I would want lots of soft/warm light (strings of christmas lights, perhaps?). Light is really important in any room.
I would somehow install a simulation of a night sky on my ceiling. I would want it to project our universe, and I would be able to lay on the ground and look up and explore different stars and planets. It's crucial for me when I'm working or just thinking to much to have access to expansiveness and mystery. It breaks up mental patterns of needing to get things right and perfect, and lets me see the beauty in things that are misshapen and ambiguous.
I see myself standing in the middle of this room looking out the window... I like the way it feels.