Helping Hands from 2005

[Greg Boston]

Scott,

I will be happy to do that stuff here in Dallas when and if they decide to shoot here. Sounds fairly straightforward to me.


regards,

=gb=

[Scott Shuster]

Thanks, Greg. This group has held meetings in Dallas in the past so it's totally possible they may wish to head that way again in the future. Your contact will be passed along.
Many thanks - !

-scott

[Rhett Allen]

So what kind of budget do you "think" you would expect them to come up with? I mean no sense shooting everyone in the foot, after all mic'ing and shooting 10-12 people at a round table discussion could get a little freaky shooting solo with only 2 cameras. Then you have to shuttle the tape around, edit it and give them a web version. I'd just hate to see it turn into another one of these discussions.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=32947
Especially if they are a BIG company. (Just makes it easier to step on little people) I've seen companies spend $2000 on dinner to discuss how to save a couple of hundred dollars at the office! (no really, I have, and very recently).

Please, I mean no disrespect, but I just hate to see people get taken advantage of. I also hate to see people drive the industry price and expectations down. It's not good for any of us in the long run. It obviously doesn't make business sense to you to invest more resources in it so why should someone else?
It could be a really good gig. I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying that I know how big business thinks and it's "who can we screw to get more for less". Come to think of it, small business is thinking that way too. Of course I also know that the BIG video production houses have some serious overhead and thus can't compete as easily on budget conscious projects that don't need $20K in effects.

[Scott Shuster]

Thanks for responding, Rhett.

>So what kind of budget do you
>"think" you would expect them
>to come up with?
Well like I said they don't have a budget. They are looking for a price that's lots lower than what those "BIG video production houses" charge (the ones with the "serious overhead" due to which they "can't compete"). Can't compete with who?: With independent folks here at DVinfo! I'm just trying to throw the doors open here on DVinfo and see who wants to make contact with what could be a great client relationship going forward.

>mic'ing and shooting 10-12 people
>at a round table discussion could
>get a little freaky shooting solo
>with only 2 cameras.
Not really. This is gonna be really easy. I mean really, really easy. These jobs are so simple it's just perfect for an independent shooter (with the necessary audio support) to handle. Totally no sweat, easy job. But it's so small that the large production houses with salaried people etc. just HAVE TO charge "TOO MUCH" in order to make it worth their while to send their high-end gear and costly salaried staff.

And hey some of those big production guys are my good friends: I understand and appreciate them. But they would never dream of shooting something for a corporate client on miniDV with no lights. That would just freak them out totally. Yet you and I and everyone else here knows that that is exactly what this job needs. This is not a job for a big production house! So why should small providers not bid on it? I'm just trying to enable that access, that's all.

>Especially if they are a BIG company.
>(Just makes it easier to step on little
>people)
These are fine, fine people who have always treated me well. I have done jobs for this company since the '80s. I even know the CEO. Everybody I have dealt with there is a sweetheart. Ummm...Ok, ok, there IS one guy at this company who I DON'T like. But except for him everyone I have met is great. And that bad guy works in a different department. So: NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

>I've seen companies spend $2000
>on dinner to discuss how to save a
>couple of hundred dollars at the
>office! (no really, I have, and
>very recently).
I believe you!

Please, I mean no disrespect, but
>I just hate to see people get taken
>advantage of.
Me too. And I would have no part of that. Whatever price is agreed between the big company and the small shooter is going to have to be satisfactory to the small shooter or the small shooter should not agree the price. Duh!!

>I also hate to see people drive the
>industry price and expectations down.
>It's not good for any of us in the
>long run.
I'm totally on-board with you about that. I would urge whoever does this job to charge a good healthy price. It doesn't have to be ultra ultra cheep. But we all know it won't be hard AT ALL for an independent shooter to beat the kinds of prices charged by the large midtown production houses and still walk away with a VERY tidy profit. It's just a nice opportunity, that's all, for gosh's sake...

>It obviously doesn't make business
>sense to you to invest more
>resources in it so why should someone else?
Oh boy now you're hittin' close to home! I would LOVE to do this job! But my staff is all about 'dance' and 'fitness' and 'lighting' and 'PAL' and '16x9' and now'HD' -- so when I ran this past them everybody gagged and spit. Sure we could find the time. It was a little disingenuous of me to say my 'staff and gear are totally tapped out.' -- naw, we could do it. But my people don't WANT to do it. They'd be shooting daggers at me with their eyes during the whole job. THAT's why I'm passing it along here.

>It could be a really good gig.
It is!! It is!!

>I'm not saying it isn't.
Good! Good!

>I'm just saying that I know how big
>business thinks and it's "who can
>we screw to get more for less".
"Big Business" is a pretty big group. They're not all bad. These guys are good. Take it from me.

>Come to think of it, small business
>is thinking that way too.
Ha! That's an even bigger group with a still greater variety of personalities. Caveat everybody.

Hey, Rhett! Why don't you take this job? You won't let these NY guys get away with pushing you around! Bid on it! (oops: You're inconveniently located in Plano, Texas) well anyway, relax. This is a good gig with good people. But thanks for keeping us all on our toes.

[Rhett Allen]

Hey Scott, glad my post wasn't taken improperly. I really didn't want to offend. You did a nice job of covering all my points of concern. It does make me feel much more comfortable.

While my profile does list me in Plano,TX I am currently in the New England area (Rhode Island to be precise). (I travel a lot, actually been to NY 5 times in the past year) I understand your crew's reasoning about the whole daggers and eyes thing, I feel the same way. I could see the finished product already and it makes me kind of cringe inside. I guess it could be a pretty good gig if they weren't expecting hi production quality (no-lights). It just reminds me of these other videos I edit on occasion that are shot like that and they make me crazy the quality is so bad, the pay is good though.

I really appreciate your reply and who knows, if they have a gig somewhere I'm going to be, I'd certainly be willing to look at it. The problem is, where the heck am I? I'll be in RI for a while but I've got projects this year in Dallas, Denver and Denmark (trying to stick to "D" places I guess, ha-ha) so we'll see.

Best wishes!

[Ron Edwards]

Additional information, wedding is in May. Still looking for shooters located in Vegas.

[Tim Brown]

I know there was talk last year about VA and DC area indies getting together to collaborate on projects, but it seems the post died off some time ago along with-heaven forbid-the inspiration for doing so.

What happened? It would be tremendous for skilled users to get together to learn from and to crew with, but why did the idea fizzled?

NOVA users, DC.... MD.... where are you guys?

Interested users can contact me at timothy_brwn@hotmail.com. I am contemplating throwing a BLOG together to list projects and other pertinent info about the local scene so all area users have a way to stay in touch.

Let me know if it's worth the trouble.

-Tim

[Barry Gribble]

I was part of that talk... and I am definitely still up for it.

I have no time to talk schedules right now, but Sunday I will post come suggestions...

[Monty Markland]

I speak for security guards everywhere... they are offended by this thread.

Monty

P.S. I am not actually a security guard.

[Ned Cordery]

The 76th Annual American Intl Film & Video Fest for non-commercial productions info at www.ampsvideo.com

Ned Cordery

[Guillaume Tremblay]

I'm gonna make a deal with only one major. Warner Bros shown interest in this proposal. But for now, I just need to know films where we can see security guard that are getting killed.

Regards,

Guillaume

[Richard Alvarez]

Well then, if you are only going to make a deal with Warner Bros, then thats where you need to look.

[Ja Franklin]

Is there anybody from the GL2 family in the area, that can assist me with a shoot tomorrow, January 31st. in Greenbelt Maryland. it's a learning experience not a paid gig. I own and operate two GL2's but I need a third camera to capture this event correctly. Thanks a million if you can.

[Murad Toor]

Barry did a great job shooting at the event last June.

The finished product was supposed to be available and on sale this past August, but that hasn't happened yet. The video production company (Based in Mississauga, ON, I think) hired by the parent organization did not get around to dubbing their raw tapes for me. Supposedly they have now done that and those tapes are in the hands of the person (located in Baltimore, MD), who hired them. I won't know until later this week whether those dubs are even in a useful format for editing (DV rather than VHS). A third person is supposed to visit that person's house, get the tapes and mail them to me.

The Canadian production company people have been total flakes.

I haven't edited the tapes Barry shot because his shots were complementary to the two cameras the Canadians had. I really want to get this project out of the way. It'll be my first four-camera edit. I've edited multi-camera style material such as:
http://homepage.mac.com/tvwriter/.Movies/MPAC%20Commercial.mov ... but that one was shot with one camera, by me and my lonesomes.

Looking forward, I may need a Houston-based 720p HDV shooter for a similar project the first weekend of July.

[Guillaume Tremblay]

I know, I just have to find where they get killed. If you remember seeing one in the past, please let me know which film it is.

Thanks