Camera Considerations

[Perrone Ford]

Originally Posted by Greg Laves

Perrone, when I have shot for networks, they certainly do not want me to "convert" any footage. They do not want anyone to have any copies of the footage. The footage is their intellectual property and they absolutely do not want anyone to be copying, converting or dubbing anything. They usually stipulate that the footage needs to be FedEx'ed out the same day, as soon as the shoot ends. I don't think they would be open to the idea of you sending them a drive where you have obviously duplicated the footage and you now have a copy of the original footage. The legalize in the contracts makes this pretty darned clear.

When did we start talking about Networks? We started off with a guy talking about buying a new camera... I would EXPECT a network to have 5-10 different types of decks just for this purpose. I wouldn't expect the average Joe hiring a cameraman for a day to have the same.

[Greg Laves]

Originally Posted by Perrone Ford

Of course, it works great *IF* the producer has a deck that reads your tape format. What if you had a Canon? Do the JVCs and Sony's now shoot the same tape format? At least with card based, you can convert footage without having to worry about a physical format issue. Then it's just a matter of how to get the stuff to the person. Small drives seem to be all the rage, and at about $50 to store 20+ hours of footage, it's not hard to see why.

I would imagine that any producer that hires me will easily be able to figure out a way to play my tapes. If they can't, I would be really surprised. But my point is that most clients that I deal with do not want ANYONE to have a copy of their footage except for who ever is putting the program together. In that situation, tapes are cheap and easy to get. And I don't need to worry about getting a portable drive or several memory cards back from a producer that I might have never dealt with before. And the client does not have to worry that someone might be able to leak his footage before hand. Then it just becomes a situation where the client pays $20 or $30 for the tapes and it is a done deal. Clean, simple, easy.

[Perrone Ford]

Yea, I guess I can see that. I've just never worked for a producer who didn't trust me or my work. Not sure I would want to.

[Greg Laves]

Originally Posted by Perrone Ford

I've just never worked for a producer who didn't trust me or my work. Not sure I would want to.

I don't see it as a "trust" issue. They probably wouldn't hire me if they didn't trust me. I have worked for producers from California, NY, Chicago, Dallas, etc. It is SOP from what I have encountered. Shooting for local producers is a different story. Handing them a portable drive, a flash card or a tape usually isn't a big deal.

[Alister Chapman]

Originally Posted by Greg Laves

But my point is that most clients that I deal with do not want ANYONE to have a copy of their footage except for who ever is putting the program together.

That's a very old fashioned approach. How are they going to work in the future when almost all acquisition will be file based. Does this mean they expect people that use expensive P2 or SxS cards to ship them thousands of dollars worth of cards. Given that it is so easy to stick an extra DV deck or Nanoflash on the back of most cameras to make a duplicate while you shoot, simply specifying that they want the originals offers them little protection from shady operators. I understand that they don't want anyone to have copies but what about the scenario where FedEx loose the tape or disc? If you have made a copy you can step forward and save the day. Once they confirm they have received the footage then you delete your copy.