Andrew O’Hara — How caffeine fuels a growing video workflow

Here’s how a host of tech products come together to help AppleInsider’s Andrew O’Hara meet the increasingly demanding demands of Apple-centric filmmaking.

here at Apple Insidermost of my work revolves around the production of our videos and the occasional news reporting and review writing. I spend most of my time in the production studio, but I’m not good at staying put.

I’m always moving around and that dictates what gear I use. For example, when I drool New Mac mini Not even updated yet Mac StudioI use a M3 maximum 16-inch MacBook Pro Due to its portability.

Here are other pieces of equipment I use in my day-to-day work.

xBloom smart coffee machine

I don’t mean to be a cliche tech writer, but my day is fueled by coffee. I’ve tested a lot of coffee-related gadgets over the years, but currently I love and rely on xBloom smart coffee machine.

I have always loved the convenience of pod coffee makers. I could never get over a Keurig because the coffee always tasted bland to me and we did have Nespresso Used for espresso.

When it comes to coffee, though, I always use pour-over coffee. Until recently I started using xBloom.

It’s still available in pods, which you can order directly from the company, and many of the pods are roasted on demand when you order. They’re whole beans, not pre-ground beans, and come in paper packaging, so they’re completely compostable.

If you don’t want to use pods, you can also use your own beans. This is great because my wife and I love traveling, trying different coffee shops, and bringing coffee beans home.

There is a scale on the bottom of the machine so you can weigh your coffee beans before pouring them into the top grinder. You can load your recipes from the app or NFC-based card, and you’re ready to go.

It will adjust the grind level based on the recipe, water temperature, bloom duration, etc. It only takes a few minutes to make a delicious cup of pour-over coffee that I’ve been doing all day long.

Nikon Z8

Although I write extensively, most of my time is focused on filmmaking. write script on mine iPad or Mac, shoot in a studio ready for renovation, and edit in Final Cut Pro.

Recently, our video strategy is here Apple Insider The scope of the business continues to expand, not only producing several full-length videos per week on YouTube, but also regularly providing short-form content for sites such as Instagram reelYoutube shortsand Tik Tok – you know, if so not bannedone.

For most of our shots, I used my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless camera. I know a lot of video enthusiasts have moved on to the Sony range, and while I’m tempted, I’ve always liked Nikon.

I grew up shooting with a Nikon film camera and developing photos in the basement darkroom my father had set up. So part of it is nostalgia, part of it is familiarity, and part of it is because I have a lot of Nikon system glass.

It’s at least a modern camera, capable of shooting vertically, and can wirelessly transfer footage to my iPhone. It works great and is getting even better with some recent software updates.

When creating vertical short form content, I still shoot footage on my iPhone, but I’ve gotten into a good habit of shooting some extra headshot A-rolls when setting up the camera after shooting longer videos.

Lexar Action SSD

When considering a third device in my daily workflow, I have a lot of options. Especially Apple products.

I take my oath apple watch Can rely on it for messages and alerts when I’m filming instead of checking on my Slack apple. I use my iPhone 16 Pro for shooting, texting, and everything else.

The Apple TV 4K has always been one of my favorite devices, not only do I use it every day, but it’s also the primary home hub of my smart home. Of course, there’s also mine MacBook Pro The iPad can get a lot done.

However, I wanted to choose a non-Apple product, so I chose mine Lexar Action SSD. It’s one of many external storage devices I use, and it’s become my go-to lately due to its size.

It’s just a few millimeters thick, runs over USB-C, and has 4TB of capacity, making it perfect for video editing. When I’m sitting at my desk I back up with a larger SSD array, but for mobile work that’s what I do.

I can use this external disk directly to edit in Final Cut Pro, freeing up my internal SSD. It’s very fast, easy to carry, and very reliable.

My other portable drives include the equally great LaCie Mobile SSD and has been popular Samsung T7 shield But since they don’t have that much capacity, I don’t use them that often.

I love the flexibility of working from anywhere, whether in the studio, out in the sun, or even remotely at a trade show. Just like CES in January.

Looking back at my daily workflow, I use a lot of unnamed gear. I mentioned a lot throughout this process, but a lot still gets overlooked.

For example, my CFExpress Type B Card Readermy blazing mesh router, the huge key light used in the shoot, or the Elgato teleprompter William Great comments All are critical to the job. There are a lot of them, but they’re all perfect for modular, mobile, modern filmmaking workflows.