So I admit to being an absolute “apple” fan and evangelist without a hint of shame for two reasons: it has overwhelmingly outperformed any of my PC experience, AND it is soooooo intuitive. Thats something I enjoy when I install a new program and dont really want to go through all the menus and tabs to learn how it works. Mac applications have a way of simplifying any users learning curve. Plus in case you havent noticed: Macs are the computers of the artists. And thats what you are my friend. Or will be soon hopefully. A working actor/artist.
Here are some of my favorite applications and their PC counterparts for all you non-believers out there:
MAIL. (PC: Outlook). For obvious reasons this is something EVERY actor needs: access to email accounts and good backup and archiving possibilities. The great thing about using this instead of sticking with hotmail or gmail or any other service is that once the mail has been received, then its yours for the taking. Even if you have no internet connection you can access all your emails with a click. Plus, you can back them up, and also sync them with any calendar or address book. Which brings me to my next app…
ESPY (PC: WinPIM or similar Address Book). The difference between Espy and Address Book (which is also a great free option if you want to save some cash) is that it files your contacts by picture! So instead of looking through a bunch of lists of names and companies, you can see pictures. I think it is also clearly useful because I put a picture of the company logo or production company logo and add all my contacts from it in one simple file. Then when I am looking for them but don’t remember their name exactly I can search for the company image. Obviously to me this is handy because I find it easier to remember visuals. But there is also an easy search bar for you to type. Be sure to write down when you last emailed, called or sent a thank you note to someone to never forget if its time to make contact again…etc
ICal (PC Outlook). I love the simplicity of the calendar app. And how easy it syncs with my Mail and PDA/iPhone, or how seamlessly it can serve as both a professional tool AND as a personal reminder. In PCs you don’t need a separate app, Outlook will do it for you or you can try the SunBird app from Mozilla creators).And for a cool extra download “Desktop Reminder”.
FINAL CUT PRO (PC Avid). Any actor with enough material and money should always make it a priority to hire a proffessional editor to edit your demo reel. BUT it is also fundamental that you know how to cut pieces of your work or other video snippets to analyze and study, and understand that time is money, so the less “padding” you give your editor the faster he can work (hence cheaper). Or even if you are bold enough to try and make your own demo reel. These are the programs to do it.
VLC. (Both systems). It is hands down the best media player you can have. I have yet to encounter any file extension that another media player can play but VLC cant. Yet viceversa, I have converted so many people to VLC. It works flawlessly and is very fast loading files (none of that endless waiting until you finally see anything on the black screen).
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