The iconic animated duo of Beavis and Butt-Head are back and dumber than ever! The '90s pop-culture phenomenons return, voiced by creator Mike Judge, to confound common sense, torment each other, and showcase some of the dumbest comedy imaginable. Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head is streaming August 4th, exclusively on Paramount+!
Beavis and Butt-head Do The Universe Trailer
In perhaps the dumbest space movie ever made, Beavis and Butt-head are sentenced to Space Camp by a "creative" judge in 1998, leading to a trip on the Space Shuttle, with predictably disastrous results. After going through a black hole, they reemerge in our time, where they look for love, misuse iPhones, and are hunted by the Deep State. Spoiler: They don't score. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe is streaming June 23 exclusively on Paramount+.
Virtual Roundtable for Post Production →
After working for Conan O’Brien for the last decade, Robert James Ashe is currently editing animatics for Beavis and Butt-Head, which is coming to Paramount+ next year.
Rob Ashe
Assuming you’ve been working remotely this year. Can you talk about your setup/workflow?
My setup has been evolving since March of 2020. I started with dual laptops, as I was so fearful of rolling blackouts, but they haven’t been that much of a problem where I live.
I currently edit with an iMac Pro and a 24-inch Cintiq Pro. I decided to adopt the Cintiq to help me battle running RSI issues, and I have fallen in love with it, especially for animation editing, as I have to do so much masking, etc. Depending on the show, I’ve been using tools like Jump Desktop, Evercast, Frame.io, Google Drive, OBS, EBS and an iPad for taking notes. I have a 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro as a backup. Once Apple releases the silicon version of the MacBook Pro, I will probably invest in it.
Have you also been in-person? Can you talk about how that experience has been during the pandemic?
I have not worked with anyone in person since March of 2020. For Conan, it was somewhat of an easy transition, as everyone had known each other for over a decade. The different projects that I have been working on since are a little more challenging, as it can get tough to get to know folks over chat. Everyone is so incredibly nice though, which helps tremendously.
What were some of the biggest challenges of editing this past year and a half?
A big part of it has been time management. I have three kids who I now get to see a lot. It can be tough for them to understand that I have work to do. On the flip side, it can also be tough for a client to understand that you’re going to hear my kids when we talk. But everyone is in the same boat, which helps. Just takes some getting used to.
If you had the option to choose, would you work full-time in-studio, full-time at home or hybrid?
I would choose 90% home and go in-person for the more important screenings. If working from home will be the majority of the future (and I think it will), then I’d love to build an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in the backyard just to have a different space to work, and my wife can have her dining room table back.
Do you have a wish list for makers of editing products or editing-related products?
I fantasize about this imaginary streaming box that I plug a video output and camera into that works with all the communication apps (FaceTime, Zoom, BlueJeans, Messenger). It has controls like the ATEM Mini so you can control what the client sees and when. It’s tough for clients during a session to know when an edit is ready for viewing.
How have you been collaborating during this time?
Mostly via Evercast and Frame.io.
What NLE or software worked the best when working remotely? If hybrid, which software needed the least amount of new knowledge?
I’ve been working in Premiere Pro and Media Composer on different projects. I prefer Premiere remotely because I really love its NDI integration, but each has its pluses and minuses.
Super Basic Avid Media Composer profile for Elgato Stream Deck
My Media Composer profile for my Elgato Stream Deck XL
I was asking around a few weeks ago if anyone had made a profile for Media Composer for the Elgato Stream Deck. Couldn’t find any so I decided to make one for myself for the Mac.
I’m doing a little experiment here to see if this is the sort of thing that people would like to buy so you can find it for sale below. If it gains any traction, I can make a much more thorough version.
The commands are starting from top left:
Row 1 - Mark In, Mark Out, Mark Clip, Zoom Out, Zoom In, Clear In, Clear Out, Clear Clip
Row 2 - Trim Mode, Trim A Side, Dual Roller Trim, Trim B Side, Trim Left 10 frames, Trim Left 1 frame, Trim Right 1 frame, Trim Right 10 frames
Row 3 - Timeline large, timeline small, match frame, find bin, add edit, add transition, top, tail
Row 4 - back to default profile, lift, cut, copy, Multicam 1, Multicam 2, Multicam 3, Multicam 4
These are my go to commands. I kept it cheap to see if there’s interest. You can purchase below (or not).
Avid Media Composer Profile (Mac) for Elgato Stream Deck - SUPER BASIC
$0.69
A VERY basic profile for Avid Media Composer on the Mac.
A little announcement
I accepted a position as an animatic editor for a new Beavis and Butthead special coming to Paramount+ next year. I’ve always wanted to work in animation. I am very excited.
The Creative Jungle Podcast
Had a great time talking with The Creative Jungle Podcast about my work on CONAN.
Editing Comedy
Here are two clips from my podcast with Musty Creative. The first is my thoughts on editing comedy and the second is how I ended up working for CONAN. My apologies for being clean shaven. I will never do it again.
The Musty Creative Podcast
Had a great time talking with Michelle Nolad from The Musty Creative Podcast about my time working for CONAN and editing comedy.
Cut/Daily Meets... Conan Editor Rob Ashe →
Welcome to the first in a series of micro interviews with Post-Production professionals from across the industry. I hope you will find them thought-provoking, informative and inspiring!
Today Cut/daily meets editor Rob Ashe who has (among other things!) been the lead editor of Conan for the past 11 years, deftly meeting the demanding schedule of getting funny content on the air four nights a week.
Conan’s Editing Team Cuts DIY Episode While Working From Home →
Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen creativity and innovation at its best. In order to keep producing regular content, late-night talk show hosts found ways to keep shooting from their homes while their tech teams created new workflows to keep things moving.
Maybe it was audiences’ ability to accept seeing their favorite shows presented in different ways that led to “DIY Conan.”