Apple’s Color, my thoughts

[Bbalser]

And let’s all keep in mind, Apple is openly, proudly, and very aggresivley touting FCS 2 as leveling the playing field! “Editing Unleashed”, “Post Without Walls”, “Its A Final Cut World”, “Grading is in the house”, etc.

Apple never said they were going to do anything to help promote colorists or editors on any level. They HAVE said all along they’re trying to put top end tools into the hands of the common folks.

So I don’t get what the debate is? Apple is only doing what they set out, and promised us all these years, that they’d do.

I have the same camera, computer, software etc, as the pro-photography studio down the road. I don’t get nearly what they do for photography, and everyone knows I have all that stuff. I taught that woman how to use PhotoShop and Apeture and Studio Artist, etc! But I SUCK at studio photography. No one in our tiny town would pay me a penny for a photo! But they’ll pay me whatever I want for indstiral training videos, for TV and radio spot, etc.

The photographer down the road has a reputation based on her work. We have our reputation based on our work. The tools either of us use mean nothing outside of that.

Many, many years ago when I moved from other disiplines into video, I started doing weddings and events. Good learning experince, but I’m glad I don’t do them anymore. First lesson I learned from THE single top pro making top dollar in New Orleans was this; “Your clients don’t CARE what your hardware is, they do NOT want to hear about it, and if you bring it up, I’d bet you my whole business their eyes glaze over and you start to lose them.” Well, I found this to be 100% true then, and now. Clients could care less about your tools, they want to see your work! If you can NOT produce professional results, where are you going to get work from?

Is some kid making a Star Wars fan film in his bedroom that much of a threat to anyone else? Lord, I hope not! But that blog, well, you’d think it was EASY for any joe-blow to jump on the train and become famous over night! That’s not real life.

I’ve never had a client call me and say, “I need a project done, but it can only be done on NLE brand-x.” If they did say that, I’d tell them to move on, it’s a red flag for a problem client.

Again, back to the point, Apple is only doing what they have said they are trying to do all along. Democratize production.

My ex-wife did publishing (writing, editing, etc), had her degree, a long professional career. When Apple made desktop publishing a reality, we upgraded from my Mac Plus to an LCIII (state of the art at the time) and she worked at home. She worried about all the “hacks” who sprang up over night. Within a few short years, 99% of those newbies fell off the train and never looked back, and those left were the very talented of the bunch.

The day you fear hobbiests, you need to reasses your self-image, your opinion of your work, and your opinion of your clients. If you fear a hobbiest with top end software, the problem is not “outside” of you or your studio.

Just some random thoughts…

[Chris Poisson]

I found this thread fascinating, just one observation. All the talent in the world and all the technology to go with it are useful and used by a small percentage of all the work out there. The sad, sad reality is that “good enough” is quite good for many clients. And, as stated above quite well, the new bells and whistles only compound the “better, faster, cheaper” mindset. I have had many clients say “get on with it” when I would like to tweak something, christ, it’s like a cabfare telling the driver to take a shortcut, or run a light to save a buck. Sad, sad, sad, but reality.

Great thread though…

[Mutant0]

I haven’t had any experience in the professional “Color” realm.

I actually did work as a color professional in PhotoShop when it first came out — though I am not up to the level of top professionals in the field. I just know how to make people look better, but still it’s a challenge not to get too orange or green.

Having been in the early days of desktop publishing — when the debate was made from people who marked up page layouts in something that looked very much like trying to build web pages in html it was about; “this Quark program won’t work — you cannot kern to a thousandth of a point. Look at the shoddy headlines on the New York Post. Won’t ever work.” Well the desktop publishers rose up “good enough.”

I can say, there probably isn’t any MORE well-kerned headlines. And the salaries of those specialists who worry about the space between an “e” and an “n” is lower.

So I agree and disagree with everyone; There will be more colorists. Good Enough will win. Salaries for the top colorists will go down. Welcome to not the Democratization — but the “Globalization” of color.

But overall — there will be a phase of “bad color” before there is more appreciation of refinements. The analogy of desktop publishing is again very apt; The first Macs brought a lot of Fonts into print. Where before each and every font was dreamt of, and thought out, before your press would get one — a Mac User might use two Serifs and 3 san-serif fonts in a Resume. Plus add in that shadow font — just becasue they could.

You will get the crushed blacks and blue tint of Matrix in the next edition of a Business Meeting — yes you will.

Desktop publishing earn good figures in the early days — when it became part of “what businesses needed to look established.” Guess what? I moved from Desktop publishing, to Computer Interface design, to Web Design and Multimedia, to Video Editing to Presentations (with all that goodness inside) — now I’m going into Kiosks that use Quartz Composer, because it is cool enough and reasonably difficult.

I guess I get bored easily — but from the perspective of multiple fields and perhaps not master of any, I can say that it is always the same pattern; Some decent money, and lots of arcana, then technology makes it cheaper/better/faster and salaries when up for Newbies and Down for the Masters as businesses decided you had to have a “brochure” or “web page” or “3D spinning logo” — and your Cool Tech moment here. But where is the money for the Masters? In training. Walter is poised to train these un-washed wannabee colorists. There is no reason that the “good enough” doesn’t have to have some decent quality.

The Desktop Publishers eventually started to calm down on the fonts. Stopped using Helvetica or “gag” Arial for everything. Professionalism rose — and there is a difference between the experienced and a new user, and perhaps businesses know it. But the salaries go down at first, then go up as the education goes up (of the customers), but the salaries at the top will settle at something lower and the bottom will raise.

What are the salaries for Good web masters now? Not many jobs for bad ones. But there are people who are “masters” that oversee others who follow their direction. The experience with Workflow, Process, and how to run a Business — coupled with some taste will rule the day.

It is always going to require people to differentiate themselves with “what is difficult” even if they have a skill that has subtlety and discernment to command top money for Their Work. But as more people enter the field — you become a manager or you train or you move to something rare. People can have teams of Colorists now.

So while I agree that “talent will out” — it just won’t “out” for the same money. It can make more money, by organizing the new talents. So it is both good and bad. But the overall quality and depth of media will increase. We have 3D graphics and textured washes in Magazines, used with a photo of a model without calling attention to itself — it’s part of the “whole experience” and is nothing special. Only the image matters. So from that standpoint — video will only get better.

Story telling, ideas, creativity become more important and the “skill” less so. You don’t have to be a programmer to animate in 3D or build a web page.

But you won’t be able to do the same thing as you did yesterday, if you want the top salary.

>> But at least CEOs and people who control money will get a raise.

[Nate]

And I actually am more amazed to hear this from Walter, than what I have read in this thread.

This is like me trying to defend the value of 2/3′ Betacam Sp to the 1/4″ dv jockies. Why..

It is all hamburger and ya get em for a buck down the street. Ya want steak done right give me a call..

It just seems that if you wait long enough, the true measure of a guy is usually uttered as some profane truth…

I applaud Apple, Hurray… and I will have to buy a new machine to load FCP6 according to its’ specs. So Apple gets me for another $5,500 bucks,,, big deal….

The rest of you, go buy yourself some real bragging rights, the exspensive, fancy clothes, the glossy rollex, the painful stuff, I thing thy name is Avid… I know a lot of Avid shops that can’t edit … so you should have in, being trained in FCP… go for the golden ring…

[Walter Biscardi]

[edit] “And I actually am more amazed to hear this from Walter, than what I have read in this thread.”

Why?

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Graeme Nattress]

They’re just tools. It takes a craftsman to use a tool correctly. Look at the DTP revolution where everyone thought they were a graphic designer. Now most companies have the common sense to hire a professional, rather than struggle in house. It’s just the same, if not more so, with video.

If your business model is to offer “unique” expensive software, then perhaps the model needs to change to offering unique expensive talent to differentiate from the beginners and enthusiasts.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Bob,
I wanted to write you when you posted few days ago. Just to say that I’m with you. I live in one of the poorest countries in the world (Laos) where a video editor get 200 US$ a month (if is good). Applications are just tools to earn our living, not luxury objets to make different to the one who possesit. Lets play with the same cards.
Apple have disapointed me many times but I think they are doing a great job bringing these tools to everybody. And for sure in the end they will make more money like that.
Cheers,
Rafael

[Andy Mees]

hi Rafael

interesting loacle … what kind of work are you doing up there?

cheers
Andy

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Andy,
I’m trying to survive making videos in this incredible country. Is quite interesting because that give me the chance to see things and to go to places that otherwise I couldn’t. but also is quite tiring because I have to do almost everything. From writing the script to handle a DVD (or VCD that is the national standar). The most of my customers are NGOs and developement agencies, here are very little market and industry. But in the other hand there are not many skilled people to make a really finished product, so I have work enough. My main problem is to find local people that can help me. There are dozens of laotians editing karaoke, unfortunally they have not a basic backgroung to understand the concepts of the digital video ant they can not go further than cutting the film.
I’ve got a G5 and I film with a small SONY DVCamDSR170 because here nobody will pay for nothing better. But the last two years I’ve been pushing the colorr correction and I boutht me a good monitor, so now I ‘m happy with my pictures.
Untill not long ago my dream (?) was some day to work in DVCPro50, but now with the HD revolution I don’t see the things so clear. I don’t know if those new 25Mbps HD formats are worth or not. What do you think Andy? I don’t know if that MPG2 compression it suits my filming. Normally I film on the fly. i portrait the normal life I I can not set the scens as I want, And normally there is a lot of movement. Now with the new PANASONIC HPX200 to shoot real HD is not a dream, but for archiving? May be soon with the Blue-ray? I’ve got near 200 hours film and for me is important to try to keep almost everything because this country is changing very fast, and many interesting things are just desapearing.
I read in some of your posts that you are working with XD-Cam. Is it good?
Andy, sorry if talk, talk and talk. As you can realize I miss people to talk or to ask advice about technical or creative matters. Thanks God now I’ve got the Cow, although some times I think they will send me away because I post too much.
I hope to have a web site ready in the next future where I’ll put some images, I’ll send you the link.
And if you ever think of comming around just let me know. Is an amazing country with a very good beer, so we don;t need to talk about work. But don’t forget to bring a camara.
Cheers,
Rafael

[Andy Mees]

Wow Raf

A difficult place to make a living to be sure, but it must be enormously rewarding.
We often have crews up in Cambodia, Vietnam, even Myanmar, but I don’t think we’ve done anything up in gorgeous Laos yet. I wonder if you’ve got any stories on your shelf wasting away? Please feel free to send me an email if you’d like, the address is in my profile.

Yes. We’re working with XDCAM HD for our field aquisition, and using FCP5 for field production. For longer form work we’re shooting HDCAM and editing on Canopus Edius turnkey systems using the Canopus HQ codec which is quite spectacular.

Commisioned work runs the gamut of possible formats. Bottom line tho’, if a stories worth telling then you tell it with whatever youve got!

Cheers
Andy