COW Articles: NAB Apple Bows Out of NAB 2008

[Steve Wargo]

[Ron Lindeboom] “One of these days when I grow up, I’ll learn to keep my big mouth shut.”

Let’s hope that day never comes. Those of us that present the “other side” are critical to public awareness and knowledge.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1.

[Ron Lindeboom]

[Steve Wargo] “The views and opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone and are the result of 25 years in this business and almost 40 years of being in business in general.”

And that’s why you’re always fun to read, Steve. (Except when you are wrong about me — but you are right about everyone else though, so keep it up.)

:o)

Ron Lindeboom

[Michael Belanger]

Thanks Steve

Writing as a 45 year old plus editor I can understand how you would get annoyed at the youthful exuberance of the 30 somethings having been “editors” for but a handful of years.
And , yes I agree that many clients today want something for nothing. I ran into a guy from Australia last year at NAB, and he told me that we should be careful what we wish for because it just may come true. He was referring to the price of equipment and video cards, hard drives, software etc basically pulling the masses into the editing business. He was, of course, correct.. But I guess the question is , what can we do about it. I , too, have to deal with people working out of their basements offering decent services for next to nothing. With a handful of HD decks and over 25 years of post experience, offline and online, I hope I can keep the wolves at bay. I guess we could hope that Sony and other heavy weights just push prices up to a point where it stays professional. Not sure that’s going to happen. Look what happened to the print industry when desktop took over. Basically killed the industry so that everyone could work out of their living room. Without getting took philisophical, I can see that as the level of standards people have for tv programming drops and the hourly programming budgets drop too, the industry in general will have a number of bad years until people decide that cheap programs need to be replaced with some higher end stuff. Let’s hope that happens.

As for NAB, even if you are not a big Apple fan, you must admit the show will be alot duller than it has been for the past several years. As Ron pointed out, the price gouging has to get under control in order to stabilize the trade show industry. That may take some time for them to realize that they must not kill the golden goose.
I for one did not attend for almost 10 years as I found the show to be meaningless and I could find stuff out from local distributors just as readily and without the expense. Apple and Adobe certainly have made the event alot more palatable. Hell if I knew Apple was not going to be there I wouldn’t have booked the trip at all this year.
Still , I think Apple should make a small presence just to handle their huge client base of FCP users.

Best
Mike Belanger
Dandelion Editing

[Todd Terry]

[Michael Belanger] “Look what happened to the print industry when desktop took over. Basically killed the industry so that everyone could work out of their living room.”

Yes, and no. Desktop publishing didn’t kill the print industry, just changed it. The business became much less hardware-driven and much more talent-driven… which, if you ask me, is how it should be.

The same is happening and has happened in the video/film production business. Just as in print, now there are a lot of people out there who CAN shoot and edit, regardless of whether they SHOULD shoot and edit. Many shouldn’t be doing it.

However, I think talent always rises to the top. There will always be a market for people who really really know what they are doing. Through the years we have had a couple of clients try to save a couple of bucks and go with the “kid working out of his basement” for a project. I secretly sort of like when they do that, because invariably they have always come back to us… vowing “never to do that again.” And these are the clients that we want to keep. The ones that are satisfied with ultra low-end productions are probably not clients that we want anyway… they’re the ones that want everything but pay nothing, and are not giving us jobs that we can make a living off of anyway.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Ken Summerall]

[walter biscardi] ” I attended NAB back in 1990 when it was right here in Atlanta. Just one show floor and all heavy iron to work in broadcast. “

Hey Walter that was the last time I went to NAB. I’m going this year after a looong time off. I kinda hate that Apple won’t be there, but for me it is not a real big deal. I’ll get to see them at the Supermeet.

What do I hope to see at NAB? Well, I hope that I will get to meet some of the great leaders on the Cow, and see just what innovative new stuff is out there in my field. This is the one place that I will get to see a whole bunch of stuff in one place. I guess I could do that on the internet but it’s just not as fun. There’s something about the energy of being around a bunch of people, seeing some really innovative stuff and racking your brains trying to figure out if it’s what you really need.

I also agree with many folks that NAB needs to make this show more affordable for both exhibitors and attendees. I hope that they will shrink a little so that they can move the event around the country again. If it’s true that LV is the only place big enough to hold them then it will never get more affordable. It’s supply and demand baby! Maybe a few years down the road it will back in Atlanta. At least I can drive there!

For what its worth,

Ken Summerall
Wellwater Productions, Inc.
“A non-profit production company specializing in media with a mission.”

[Bob Cole]

[Michael Belanger] “I think most of us were aghast when Apple pulled out.”

Not me. At the Apple booth area of NAB 2006, I tried repeatedly to get some answers to questions about how FCP handles rendering, and got only the company line (“no rendering required”). Good riddance to that.

But I agree with the people who cite the need for some hands-on experience with new gear.

And, the Fun Factor is important too — if you only go once every 4-5 years, it is kind of wild to enter this wacky, over-stimulating hall, where your own mental world is shared by so many other people. Just the fact that several thousand people are also nerdy enough to get excited about some new video gear or software is, somehow, reassuring.

And when I get there, maybe in three years, it will be great to meet many of the people whom I only know from this forum.

If we are all really lucky, some day they won’t hold it in Las Vegas. In fact, I’ll make this pledge, which I will definitely, certainly, absolutely honor, if I feel like it: if they move NAB from LV, I’ll go.

Bob C

MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 10 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
HD-Connect MI
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650

[Steve Wargo]

[Michael Belanger] “Still , I think Apple should make a small presence just to handle their huge client base of FCP users.”

Agreed. But how would you like to be the team of ten who get buried by the onslaught of Applebys?

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1.

[Mike Cohen]

I will chime in on the Fun Factor.
I have been to NAB twice.

1994 – As a college senior I went with some of my mentors at the time. Walking around the mammoth halls was a thrilling intro to the production world I was at the time trying to gain entry into. Plus the cool restaurants and topless showgirls were quite an eyeful for my 21 year old self!

2007 – While visiting Vegas for a medical convention at the Paris, I had a free day and my free exhibits pass. This time I went as a working pro with purchasing power (with approval of course!). I only wish I had a 2nd day, but the 6 hours I spent at NAB 2007 were the most fun I have had in ages. I learned about new products I would never have stumbled upon just browsing the web or reading my favorite production magazines. I evaluated firsthand DVD printers and HDV cameras, two purchases in 2007 which were a result of my NAB visit.

I also got many questions answered about HDV and HD editing and monitoring from Blackmagic, Media 100, AJA and others. And I found the sales folks more than willing to answer my questions. In fact while sitting at the Media 100 booth for about 30 minutes I even asked the product manager to import some SD footage into an HD project, just to see what it looked like, something he at first seemed unprepared to do, but he did it because I asked. No stock factory answer there.

Perhaps my experience is a bit skewed, since the purpose for the expense of my Vegas trip was not to attend NAB.

Anyway, i agree that if you go once every decade or so(kinbd of like Disneyworld), or you happen to be in the neighborhood, it is a hoot!

If you are in the market for some big ticket item, your best bet is to get an on-site demo by your local video reseller such as HB in Connecticut.

Well that is my two cents worth on this long thread.

Mike

[Earle Nichol]

Hey gang, just my two cents after reading the initial Apple announcement on Thursday. As a general overview of what’s been discussed, 3 things come to mind. 1st – Without the COW there would be even more uninformed creators. For sure there is some misformation, but the last time I checked this forum was created for discussion(no different than sitting down at a table and hammering a problem out with respected friends)
2nd – I agree with all of you it’s about the people..Walter Tim, and the rest of you are honest hardworking guys that have chosen to share their education(which cannot have a price put to….unless you hire them directly as consultants)But that said, getting to meet people like this at NAB and touch equipment, for myself has been a great experience. I know for alot of people taking those 4 days off for NAB is a cost factor, but I also look at the same people and think “man you work so hard…take some back, go laugh with a few friends, a nurture a few friendships, it’s well worth the time.
3rd On the other side of the coin, I totally agree that NAB is taking advantage of the industry…15 million!!! Come on, work with us, not against us! Maybe the companies are a victim of their own greed to be “Bigger than the Competition” thats another posting altogether.

In the end NAB to me is the COW packed into 4 days with the chance to touch some toys…call me wacked, but hopefully neither one goes away. Thanks Ron & Kathlyn for giving us the chance to speak our minds, other wise I’m sure there would be a lot more brain splatter in this industry.

take care

[Michael Horton]

[Steve Wargo] “[Michael Belanger] “Still , I think Apple should make a small presence just to handle their huge client base of FCP users.”
“

They will. At the SuperMeet, April 16. Will be a bunch of them there. Possibly wearing armored suits.

https://www.lafcpug.org/nab_2008

Michael Horton
lafcpug
https://www.lafcpug.org