Rising Stars: Meet Scot Litteer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scot Litteer.

Hi Scot, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I moved to Tucson in 1986 after graduating from the University of Dayton. The first movie I worked on was Can’t Buy Me Love shot here in Tucson, with Patrick Dempsey.

After that, I did a bit of the Hollywood/LA movie lifestyle thing but learned quickly it wasn’t a healthy place to be.

Tucson, Arizona was a little more my speed. I moved back and worked for a couple of local production companies in the late 80s and early 90s until the last one self-destructed at which point I decided, I should just do this on my own. I had clients that needed new production solutions, so… I became independent.

At that time, in the early to mid-90s, we did not have the computer and production options we do today. We barely had cell phones in those days. During that period, a colleague of mine who did audio production (Fred Porter of Porter Sound) switched his studio from tape to digital around that time and was doing all of his production work through a Mac. I thought “I want to do that for video!”

So I bought my first Mac and figured out how to start using a computer to do post-production work. It was not easy in those days. The technology was new. The hardware and software were buggy, to say the least, but I made it work.

There were a lot of naysayers in those days. The production companies of the day had very expensive facilities to maintain and doing post-production on a little computer in a spare bedroom was unheard of then. Those were the days we still shot film for high-end projects. We would still have to go to LA to do film transfers, and bring the footage back here to finish it off…and getting the machines and the computers to communicate and cooperate was certainly frustrating. But, we figured it out.

Fast forward to today, and the computers are fast and stable, the cameras are small and inexpensive and produce amazing imagery. Those early days were an adventure.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Was it a smooth road? Well, there were certainly bumps along the way. I’m a positive person, so I tend not to linger on the things that went wrong. There are always challenges in running a business but I think overall the fact that I’m still doing it and love what I do and love the people I work with… and have remained friends with most of them over the years, I think that’s a testament to deciding to work with good people who are fun and creative and love what they do as well… It does make the work part a lot more pleasant.

Probably one of the biggest challenges during all that time was just dealing with life..because that happens too. Marriage, children…life is good, but it can get complicated and challenging. Balancing all that is probably the biggest challenge.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Over the years, I have developed a nice reputation in this market. It’s nice to be respected for what you do and I appreciate that very much. I think what I appreciate more than anything is the collegial aspect of the people I work with over the years.

I have clients I work with all the time and folks I might hear from every few years. Friendships develop through the years and we tend to have plenty of fun producing the various projects… And that just helps when everyone’s having fun with the process, everyone gets along for the most part and we can all have a smile on our faces and be proud of what we made and get to look forward to the next project.

Some of the best friends I’ve made over the years are with the people I do I get to do this creative and fun business with. Sometimes the projects are complicated and involved, sometimes the request is as simple as “Hey, go make us a cool video.” and then we go do that!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I listen to all kinds of podcasts as I plow through my day.

Professionally, however, when I get stuck with a question about a technical or creative issue, let’s say an effect I’m trying o make in After Effects or I need to tweak a camera setting or something, YouTube is my main go-to in solving issues or finds inspiration or find out what the “new thing” is out there. Technical or creative issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LitteerFilms.com
• Instagram: @litteerfilms
• Youtube: Litteer Films