OT: Must See Video

I could give them star wipe.

i have an ongoing competion with my editors here ... first justifiable use of the star wipe in a 2 minute news package wins 1000 ringit 🙂

Hey wait just a minute, I have a Breitling chronograph, I was an Army pilot what are you trying to tell me? Now I do all of my in-flight calculations on a dual Garmins...

The point I was going trying to make is that the message in that video, which is repeated anytime a group of editors/artists get together, is just as true for every profession on earth.

There are exceptions to everything, of course, and you are probably an elitist Longfellow. He was a very creative guy.

I think it's okay to be elitist in this case. If pros weren't elitist every now and then, the amateurs would have nothing to aspire to. And besides, I'm assuming those being elitist have spent many years working their butts off to be where they are.

On the other hands, its hard to say to someone with a Mac Pro and a copy of "Boy, Doesn't Making Movies Sound Fun and Profitable?" that they aren't the real thing. We all have to start somewhere, and for every 10 people who think Magic Bullet is, well, a magic bullet, there's gonna be one guy who really gets it and will move beyond that phase. If people have the drive, they'll learn the realities of production soon enough. Just because the barrier for entry is lower, it doesn't mean the bar at the high end has stopped being raised. The "easy" part of this digital video thing is that it lets more of us be more experimental with (somewhat) less risk.

I think a good way to summarize the sentiment towards people who think this stuff shoots itself is to reiterate what someone said to me on a shoot this past weekend: "People don't realize how much time and effort goes into making something looks natural."

If I put "Elitist" on my biz card, do I get to charge more...?

Seriously, tho, I started editing on a straight cut 3/4" U-Matic system ... we did our first title keys by supering Letraset made titles from a copy stand and switching it thru one of the studio cams ...

What that made me aware of was how to use lighting, framing, cutting and just the write copy to tell the story because really, we had nothing else.

As I progressed thru dedicated A/B roll to the Amiga Toaster, to Lightwave, to Premiere to here, all those kewl toys just added more to the basic concepts of : What makes a good story, coupled with: What makes a good shot.

Every now and then, just for the heck of it, I grab my nephew's cheap as dirt mini-DV cam take the subway downtown and say to myself: Tell a story about (fill in blank) shoot for an hour, bring it back, cable that came to another cam and finish the "story" by straight cutting from one to another. No one's ever gonna buy it .. but boy, does it keep you honest

The bar is being raised at the high end - its called HD and it is quickly separating the wheat from the chaff.

I was recently talking to an editor friend of mine [who edits big time prime time TV shows and who shall remain nameless - MIKE I know you read this forum...] and he tells me he can edit HD because he has FCPHD. Things that make you go hmmm.

And VLK your right, I ain't buyin it... [just kidding]

"Seriously, though, I started editing on a straight cut 3/4" U-Matic system ... we did our first title keys by supering Letraset made titles from a copy stand and switching it thru one of the studio cams .."

See that's the thing about being "elitest." I lot of us have spent years learning the trade and paying our dues and now we're out there trying to make a living doing this stuff.

Unfortunately, we don't hold licenses or have significant professional organizations so just anyone can call themselves a video professional which is damaging to those of us who really are.

There's a guy in my area who has called himself a professional, but from what I've heard of him, he doesn't know what he's doing. He actually called me to sell me a spot on his TV show about local businesses. For just $100 I would get my :30 seconds on his show...or whatever.

He's just a guy who purchased cheap TV time and is trying to resell it to the local business community and he's wrapping it all up in his idea of what production is. These guys give the real professionals a bad name.

When my clients call to ask me about them, I don't bad mouth the guy, but I do remind them of a few questions they should ask and the appropriate answers.

I don't resent people trying to get into the business, but they often believe that they can start in the middle or at the end without doing the work and it can make cast a poor light on "true" professionals.

I've been at it so long I started cutting film, after quite a long apprenticeship as a sound librarian, sound effects and dialogue editor, etc etc. It's been a lot of fun and a heartbreak at the same time. New York in the 70's was a terrific time and place for film. Woody Allen, John Cassevetes, Scorsese, Brian DePalma-the list goes on-- were all going strong. Exciting times. I've seen a lot of people fall out over the years, all the while wondering where are the limos and champagne. Wrong side of the camera, kids!

And way back then, nobody wanted to teach you anything. Afraid you'd take their job. Which is why I hang around this board. I may be grumpy, but I always told myself I'd help those who REALLY wanted to know.

About 15 years ago I got a corporate client here in CT who did a TON of videos. Too much work for any one producer/editor. There was a whole stable of us, and we all shared resources, ping-ponged back and forth working for each other on different projects. That was a terrific sense of a community of professionals. But life marches on. I still have that client, but there is only one other from the old days still working with them.

Sheesh, why am I even saying all this? I guess it's Michelle's post-- we've got those type of folks here too. But they'll fail as sure as rain. You'll see them selling used cars for the dealer they used to make 30 second spots for.

Seriously, though, I started editing on a straight cut 3/4" U-Matic system ... we did our first title keys by supering Letraset made titles from a copy stand and switching it thru one of the studio cams

When we did that (at a network affiliate broadcast station!) we would stack the cards one in front of the other and create "wipes" by pulling them out one at a time to reveal the next.

As for the "bad apples" in the field, every profession has em, even those with the most significant "professional organizations" Just look at the number of bad lawyers and shady doctors out there!

The only way to beat them is to insist on maintaining your own professional standards and pricing cause once you lower those you don't get them up again and you do the whole profession a dis-service in the long run.

We all know that the latest gadgets don't make you a pro in any field. But I have to say that I can't blame some for thinking they might, after all, these are some pretty cool gadgets we work with! (;

Have Fun

rh


rh

And way back then, nobody wanted to teach you
anything. Afraid you'd take their job. Which is
why I hang around this board. I may be grumpy, but I
always told myself I'd help those who REALLY wanted
to know.

I've worked with folks who were afraid to teach what they knew and I always thought that was silly. To me the more people that know a job, the more people there are to help get a project done. All of my best work has been done in collaberation with other people.

I also think it's great that folks on the board take the time to answer all of the questions out there. It's generous and I've been the benefactor of that generosity many times. So to you and yours...much thanks!

Shane, I've only just managed to download the movie and watch it - the first attempt failed for some reason (maybe I didn't have an expensive enough version of QT or something - must look into that).

Seriously though, I have to say a big thank you for that link - it's such common sense - but so many people seem to think they have to have the very latest gadget or they can't work.

Good quality, functional gear is important but there's no cash shortcut to imagination and creativity.

Andy

Quad 8GB. 250+500 HDs. G-Raid 1TB. NORTON. FCP 5.1.2. QT 7.1.3. Panasonic HVX200 Mac OS X (10.4.7)
"I've taught you all I know, and still you know nothing".

Good quality, functional gear is important but there's no cash shortcut to imagination and creativity.

Andy, I think that you summed up the entire video in that one sentance. Well put.

> Andy, I think that you summed up the entire video in

that one sentance. Well put

Thanks Ken.
(Now where did I leave that XDCAM PDWF350 Brochure? . . .
Ah! I know. it's in my Glidecam V-25 carry case)
Kidding, of course

Andy

Quad 8GB. 250+500 HDs. G-Raid 1TB. NORTON. FCP 5.1.2. QT 7.1.3. Panasonic HVX200 Mac OS X (10.4.7)
"I've taught you all I know, and still you know nothing".

Someone once said to me "A good producer has three
things: Good taste, a sense of humor and a GREAT
rolodex."

Did you mean a great Rolex? Ha!
--Bob