Matthew Allard on location with Kyno

ACS accredited freelance photographer Matthew Allard has captured more than 250 assignments in nearly 50 locations across the globe. Now, with Kyno in his toolkit, Allard’s on-location shoots are better organised than ever.

With 26 years of experience, Matthew Allard is an accomplished cameraman indeed. An ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society) accredited member, he has shot in 47 countries across more than 250 international assignments, capturing such ground-breaking events as the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Now based in Tokyo, Japan, Allard works as cinematographer across a broad range of human interest stories, documentaries, and corporate messages.

The amount of footage he racks up on a daily basis is huge, which is why Allard turns to Kyno to help keep things in order.

Working in the field

“Having Kyno on my side makes it easy to view and log that material for any camera format — that’s a big deal when you’re on location,” begins Allard, reflecting on his experiences in the field. “Before Kyno came along this process was a real headache — there really was no single program that could do everything that it does.”

One on-location shoot saw Allard travel to Leh, India — a high-desert city nestled among the Himalayas. “I was there to film a documentary on Indian Ice Hockey,” explains Allard. “Temperatures were often below -25c and I was operating at altitudes above 3500m. As I was operating as a one-man band and did not have any assistants I was responsible for shooting, doing all the sound, and making sure the vision was backed up.

“Having Kyno on my side during that experience was absolutely key — at the end of each day I knew exactly what material I had captured and I was able to organise and log it efficiently.”

Allard made particular use of the ability to screen footage and create sub clips and favorite shots, something that set him up nicely for the editing process later down the line. “Being able to easily view all my media and clips in one place, in whatever order I want, is a huge timesaver,” he says. “When you’re operating alone and in those conditions, that kind of functionality is key.”

The gift of time

Kyno has formed a key part of Allard’s workflow, giving him greater oversight and control over the projects he’s engaged with at any time, anywhere in the world.

“Kyno is the program I wish someone had made ten years ago,” he says. “With so many cameras and codecs being used these days, you need a program that can work with everything, and Kyno is that program. Its ease of use and simplicity make viewing and logging any media I capture a breeze.”

Allard now uses Kyno on a daily basis, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any other professional working in a media-heavy environment.

“Kyno makes everyone’s life easier, and most of all it saves time — I think that’s something we could all use more of.”

Find out more about Kyno at kyno.software