Welcome and thank you for being here! Before we dive into the details of your setup, can you provide us with some background information about your journey into the industry and some of your previous experiences?
Born in Louisville, KY, I’ve always had interest in film from my early days of documenting life events on my parents Sony camcorder. My passions eventually led me to Atlanta, GA where I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Film from Georgia State University. While in college I gained the opportunity to be a Production Assistant on Musiq Souldchild’s “So Beautiful” video shoot. The shoot lasted 16 hours but the networking has lasted me a lifetime. One being an Art Director by the name of Tim Barrett where I learned cinematography and mastering set design. That sparked the founding of my own business, Kutt Kreww Films, LLC. A company where I could showcase the videography, cinematography and editing skills that I have developed over the years.
After taking two years to build my Kutt Kreww Films, LLC I then decided that I wanted to get back on set and was provided an opportunity to do so through a show called Atlanta Plastic on Lifetime TV. Since then I have worked for a number of productions as an Editor/ DIT / Data Wrangler including The Amazing Race, The Real World Atlanta, Making The Band, Go Big Show, College Hill: Celebrity Edition, Married to Medicine, Iyanla Fix My Life, America Inside Out with Katie Couric, One Strange Rock, The Rap Game w/ Jermaine Dupri and MORE!
Atlanta Plastic | Spivey Surgical Center & The Rap Game w/ Jermaine Dupri | Southside Studios
What types of productions do you usually work on? What are the main ways in which they differ from each other?
I mostly work in reality tv because of the “run and gun” aspect it provides. Randomness seems to excite me and on those type of shows anything can happen. You get to experience watching the cast in real time as they go through self discovery, growth, grief and joy. Although exaggerated at times, I feel like it captures the true human experience in the best of ways.
And a follow-up question to that, do you have a favorite type of production to work on?
I would say any show that allows me to travel outside of my home area either domestically or abroad would be my favorite type of show to work on. Being paid to travel the world is second to none. After that though would be productions that educate me on things that I wouldn’t normally be privy to on my own.
The Amazing Race | Angkor Wat Temple – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Now everyone has different preferences and a different cart/workstation set-up, could you tell me about yours?
Well currently my workstation consists of:
(1) 27″ Dell Monitor for viewing.
(1) M1 chip Macbook Pro Base Model w/ ShotPut Pro and (1) M1 Pro chip 14″ Macbook Pro 16GB Ram / 1TB storage w/ Adobe Programs & ShotPut Pro for offloading and editing projects.
(1) Sandisk G-RAID Shuttle 4 (72TB Raided to 54TB) for my backups in addition to multiple 2TB SSDs.
(3) OWC Thunderbolt Docks for connectivity with all of my Thunderbolt 3, 4, USA-A and USB-C connections.
(2) Alxum SATA HDD Docking Station for 2.5 & 3.5 inches SATA HDD/SSD drives for additional storage or offloading.
(5) Sony XQD/SD Card Readers, (2) Sony CFexpress Type A/SD Card Readers, (1) Sony SXS Card Reader, (2) Angelbird Angelbird CFexpress Type B Memory Card Readers and (2) Angelbird CFast 2.0 Memory Card Readers for offloading a variety of media.
(1) LG – 27” IPS LED 4K UHD AMD FreeSync Monitor with HDR (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB) – White for editing and footage playback.
Antoine “Twanee” Dykes on set at his workstation in Atlanta, GA. – 2023
For those that may just be starting to build their cart/workstation, or are in the early stages of it, what are some pieces of equipment that you consider absolutely essential?
I would suggest, that if you are in the beginning stages of building your kit/cart/workstation, that you should at least have a computer that can contain the appropriate editing/offloading programs you need and has enough speed to process, edit, and playback footage you may be dealing with.
I’m always looking to improve my kit in that area. Actually looking to get a Mac Studio as well as a Inovativ Apollo cart for it to land on for a better DIT workflow. Speed is everything in this industry and having equipment that can easily navigate through footage is a must.
Going along with the previous question, do you have any tips for beginners in the field? What’s something you wish you knew when you were first starting out?
My #1 tip for anyone that wants to get into production work is to ASK QUESTIONS. Once you run across someone that works in production, pick their brain. BE A SPONGE.
Don’t ever feel like any question is not a good question to ask. There are so many people that are excited to work in this industry from all walks of life, including myself, full of knowledge and tips. We LOVE to share our experience and help others who have genuine interest to get into production.
Just ask, listen and be observant. You’ll learn…..
The Rap Game w/ Jermaine Dupri | Atlanta, GA. – Southside Studios
Do you have any on-set stories you’d like to share?
I actually have one or two that I would like to share.
After filming Season 3 of The Rap Game w/ Jermaine Dupri, the camera crew all decided to take a trip abroad as a bonding and celebratory trip for a great season. The plan was to fly to Iceland, then to The Netherlands and then take a train to Paris. We all had pitched in and booked Airbnbs for the entire trip and it was beyond an amazing experience.
Rap Game cam crew | Blue Lagoon and Antoine w/ Will Smith
After a 36 hr drive I was finally in the place of my dreams. Ready to expand my network and enjoy my new scenery. The show was a reenactment show and featured a ton of talented actors from the LA county area. While working behind the scenes as the DIT for the show, I had no idea I would be called to do the unimaginable. Work BOTH in FRONT of the camera AND BEHIND THE SCENES.
Married With Secrets | S2 E205
That opportunity was incredible and I was able to be featured in TWO episodes for my parents and my hometown of Louisville, KY to see. SUCH AN AMAZING BLESSING! Production man. Production. What a life.
Antoine, I want to extend my gratitude to you! Your answers have been incredibly insightful, and I’m confident they’ll be of great help to those who are new to this field. Please don’t forget to join us again next week for another interview with a data expert!