I'm promoting this not because I'm mentioned (which I am and thanks to Steven) but because IMO it hit's the nail right smack on the head. Those of us who have been around a while STILL have a lot to offer and a lot of experiences that maybe some of the folks who haven't been around quite as long might benefit by. Or not, it's up to you.
Regardless, it's a well written piece and I think should be read by all!

The Evolution of My Industry at DV Info Net (http://www.dvinfo.net/article/misc/the-evolution-of-my-industry.html)

Gentlemen,

Please keep in mind that much of this article is satirical humor. I am not making a statement, I attacked everyone from the manufacturers to us end users. The only problem with it is I am not as funny as Don Bloom! Thanks for the prop Don. I knew you would get it.

Steve

Yeah I forgot to mention the humor. Satirical humor. Maybe some won't get it but I think most will.
Enjoy!

Great insight Steve - thanks for sharing!

Trust me, I had to grit my teeth through a couple specific paragraphs, but in the long run, I did next to no copyediting on this piece. So yes, I took my lumps along with everybody else... heh.

OK, shields are up, standing ground. No one has ever accused me of not liking a good debate. But I have never started one. Oops, bold face lie. Won't do that again. I just noticed something.....I did not attack myself. Oh well, shields up. Don, you still going to have my back?

Chris H: Thank you for having the guts to publish this seven headed monster. Just keep reminding yourself.... I have been here since the site was called the Canon XL1 Watchdog. Never mind, so I don't really have skin in this game....You do...Brave man...Thank You!

Steven

You forgot the D at the beginning of DEVOLUTION...

;)

Well written, Steven. I'll read it again with fresh eyes tomorrow as I'm tired from the awesome 2 hour discussion I just had over supper with a guy a couple of years (okay... TEN) my senior who is also a news shooter from my home town. We compared notes and laughed and cried... okay, actually just laughed.

I'm an Old Guy in a slightly less old body at 42 with 15 years in as a pro and 32 years in as an enthusiast.

In solidarity, although I've never shot from the end of a rope...

S.

Shaun & Art,

Thank you for the positive comments.

Shaun, I checked out your web page and blog a couple of weeks ago. If I had done that before I wrote the article there is a line on your blog I would have stolen for sure. "There is more to video than a shallow DOF". You said it, we both live it. I have read enough of your page (all of it, because you made it clear and easy) to know I can say we operate in the same world. I am not a film maker either, you make it clear you're not. Like you, I am a working videographer, with a background in sports. Then I transitioned into the corporate production world. If I had not read your entire web site I would never be presumptuous enough to compare myself to someone I have never met. Your site is something I am keeping in mind as I rebuild my own right now.

Steve

Steven - that was a fun read! If you ever need a second career perhaps writing would be a good choice.

There were a number of things I would have liked to comment on but now I've forgotten them. One thing I would say, is shortly after joining DVinfo I was doing some Internet searching about my new-to-me 4-year old prosumer camera and came across some really neat videos taken by a guy using the same camera I had. He was in Texas and liked cars. You know, the soup-ed up ones, chrome, fancy paint jobs, tough sounding engines, etc.

He was a hobbyist like myself, just shooting with neat shots, wide to close up, low and high angles, using reflections, really just a lot of very imaginative shots. Even the edits were good with short cuts to a long but only when it added, and then just enough. The cars were glitzy teen-age or young dude types.

I tried to get him to join the forum but being a real-name board I think is what caused him not to. The other thing was, he and his brother were from Jamaica so that may have been a problem. Anyway, like you said, it is the talent that is important.

Video cameras and radioactive materials have one thing in common: they both have a half-life. The $1,500 pro-sumer camera that I got came out in 2006 but today it would have a street value of, maybe, on a good day, around $300. Fortunately, I got it used in 2011 so not that much loss. My other kit gear, though, will hold the value much better. I am looking out for another camera that will have better image quality and be a little bit better in low light.

In the meantime, what I'm working on is the story line, doing better edits, and improving audio. Just watched a good library video "Tales From The Script" and I'm in the middle of "How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck," by Steve Stockman, a fun read by the way. All this while concurrently learning the FCPX 10.1 update. For the record, while I have a Mac I won't knock PC users. I still have my old HP Pentium Pro running Windows XP (Preliminary) for some legacy stuff. While I won't knock 'em, I will feel sorry for 'em.

Did my first video with a Bell & Howell standard 8 then upgraded to a Sekonic standard 8 but with a built-in light meter and a 3-lens turret. Both cameras were wind-up (no batteries).

Steven, you are seriously too kind.

Are you heading to NAB this year? I should be there Monday to Wednesday again this year...

I'm probably going to skip NAB. I am not in an acquisition phase right now and I find window shopping painful. But.....after what I have learned about you and Dylan in the DV Challenge forum I am tempted to go just to tip one back with you guys. On second thought, no, that could be painful too. I don't recover from nights like that as fast as I used to!

Steve

Actually, I quit drinking. NOW the question will be whether NAB is REALLY as fun as I remember it being, running through the streets, getting into fist fights in front of Caesar's Palace...

I'm sure D will still bring his "A-Game" though...

I'm looking at 4k this year. 4k and post.

Steve: we have an entire evening at NAB devoted to a friendly DVi get-together... it's on Monday night at our secret headquarters (think ultra-retro cozy lounge and cocktail waitresses)... it would be well worth the trip up from PHX!

You guys are killing me. Come to think of it, there are some new webcasting solutions I need to research...

Steve

You guys are killing me. Come to think of it, there are some new webcasting solutions I need to research...

Steve

I know a thing or two about webcasting... happy to bend your ear with what I know...

Shaun,

I need to pick your brain. I have been webcasting since 2006. It looks like you and I both do the same thing. I broadcast multi-cam video feeds and PowerPoint out of corporate meetings to who ever the client wants to view it. I have owned a Sony Anycast since 2002. It is a very versatile switcher but it is not the encoder they claimed it was (story for a different thread). Anyway, what forum should we post in for webcasting. I will get a thread started. Right now, there are threads scattered around but not much info. Lets go for it.

Steve

Mr. Diggs...thank you for a wonderful journey through your experiences in the world of video capture.

The humor wasn't lost. I recognized myself in your descriptions of 'factions' and remember telling one of the 'Secrets' at a Workshop, "The only advantage I have at this point in my life (I'll be 60 in August) is a little more disposable income". Yes, I'm one of those. : )

I also come from the world of 'stills' and like you, have used those ancient cameras with no batteries in them. It's funny when I'm asked by young people, "How did you know what shutter speed and f/Stop to use?" My usual answer is to just point to my head - I didn't have the heart to tell them about handheld light meters. TMI!

Thanks,

J.

Thanks Steve for the article, its a great read.
Being a similar age but from a slightly different starting point (shooting 16mm film for local news), I could truly relate. Felt as though you had hacked my foggy brain and made sense of some of the random thoughts!
I dont know how you did it but your humor still managed to show respect for all camps, well done.
Also appreciated the way you highlighted the importance of this forum and the generous contributions from those with experience who are willing to share. If it wasn't for this place, I would be too far behind the industry to earn a living (must update my Z1 sometime:-) )

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the positive comments. I had some fun with this. I am glad to see that as an industry and a community some of us can laugh as ourselves.

Here is the weird part for me....That I have reached a point in my life where I can play the old guy! I am not that old, and I am still here plugging away....just a regular video guy.

Kind Regards,

Steve

Steven.

Wonderful article. Here's to us curmudgeons.....

Piece, love and kisses.

Jonathan

Great read Steven!

Brings back memories of film school, about '98, where this...
The Canon XL1 Watchdog (http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/index.php)
...was an ocean of knowledge in a world populated by geocities webrings

"Never hit on a riggers wife"? Now I'm curious ...

Andrew