[Aaron Cadieux]

My apologies. I just realized I already asked this question back in February. No need to respond if you’re annoyed 🙂

[Aaron Cadieux]

Tim,

I have the most problems downconverting HD for an SD DVD. I have yet to find an acceptable formula for exporting an HD timeline from Premiere to use on a DVD.

What do you find is the best method when using Premiere only?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

Chris,

I invite clients as a guest on my PC using GoToMyPC so that they can see my edit station’s desktop remotely. Because the playback of video on my computer’s desktop is choppy when viewed over GoToMyPC, I also stream them the edit live via HDMI out of my Blackmagic card to my HD Slingbox. I just give my clients my username and password for Slingbox and they see the edit stream in virtual real time w/o lag. This is a great tool for a client who wants to see constant progress. I no longer have to build a new .wmv or quicktime file every time they want to watch an edit. With this arrangement, I can also make tweaks during the virtual edit session which are immediately reflected in the streaming video.

-Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

I always find it amusing that if the government owes you money, they’ll take an eternity getting it to you. But god forbid you owe them money. They’ll hold your feet to the fire for it.

Funny story. One time I did some work for the town in which I live. They were behind on their bill pay. Meanwhile, I got my annual excise tax bill for my truck. So I decided that the town wouldn’t get their excise tax money until they paid my overdue invoice (even though I know that the issues were being handled by two different offices in town hall). Eventually I got a follow-up letter hounding me for my excise tax money. I called town hall and politely told them that they’d get their excise tax money, when I got the money for the work that I did. Within two days I had a check in my mailbox. I was so happy that I personally dropped of my excise tax check that same day.

-Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

Hello Philip,

I do a lot of work on the road so I bought the following laptop:
Dell XPS L702x 17″ Notebook

I bought mine from a company on EBay as a factory refurbished unit. What would have been a $3 – $4k laptop cost me $1,400. It came with the plastic wrap still on it, and I have never had a problem with it. It also came with a warranty.

Mine has 16 GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7 and a solid state primary drive. It uses an Nvidia GT 550m, which I easily hacked to take advantage of Mercury Playback. My unit also came with a Blu-Ray reader/writer.

I routinely run Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop and Encore. Many times I have multiple applications running at the same time. I do most of my editing on an external Lacie 4big Quadra set to RAID10 and connected via eSata. I bounce the drive back and forth between my laptop and my office workstation.

This laptop is absolutely amazing. I cannot believe how stable and fast it is. It is one of the best purchases I’ve made in over a decade in this business. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it.

Best,

Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

David,

“Agency A” is a small run-out-of-the-house 2 person operation, so i know that their operating costs are minimal. Bottom line, I got good advice from this post and my follow up post was more curiosity than anything else. Thanks for pointing out some possible reasons for their mark up.

-Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

Just a follow up to this whole thing.

I found out in yet another voicemail that “Agency A’s” bill to “Client B” was 3 times higher than my bill to “Agency A”. Now, remember, “Agency A” didn’t do any work throughout this entire process. I don’t have much experience subcontracting others, and when I do my markup tends to be minimal, but is a 300% markup commonplace in this business? Seems a little steep to me.

Best,

Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

Mark,

[Mark Spano] ” Most of the time they feel that if someone is watching the SD feed on an SDTV, they’ll want to see a full frame SD”

Yes, but if someone is watching, say, The Discovery Channel on an SD TV, they’re usually going to be viewing the content in a letterbox format. I have my doubts that someone who is still watching a 4×3 SD tube television is going to gripe about black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. People who are still refuse to buy an HDTV are the same people who look at an SD picture next to an HD picture and claim that they “can’t see the difference”.

[Mark Spano] ” And if they’re watching the SD feed on an HDTV, they will see just pillarbox, whereas a letterbox downconvert will be both pillar- and letterboxed when viewed on an HDTV.”

But if I deliver a spot to a station in HD only, people with HDTVs will never see the commercial in SD on their HDTVs, so they’ll never have to worry about seeing my spot in SD letterboxed and with side pillars on their HDTV.

I guess my main question is, when I send an HD spot to a station, does someone physically downconvert the spot, or is the whole process automated? If someone is physically downconverting each spot the station receives, shouldn’t that person be able to look at an HD spot and say “wow, I had better downconvert this in letterbox format instead of centercut, because otherwise centercut will cut off graphics”?

I still think that as the producer of the spot, it is MY say and not the station’s say as to how my spot gets downconverted. But if the whole process is automated and no one person is handling the downcoversion of my spot, my wish will never be granted.

I just can’t stand seeing my work in HD with all of the graphics crowded into the middle of the screen. I hate leaving all of that 16×9 real estate unused.

Thanks!

-Aaron

[Aaron Cadieux]

I was leaning toward keeping my mouth shut and not getting involved. Thanks guys!

[Aaron Cadieux]

Shane,

Maybe I should clarify. It was my documentary. I shot the footage. I own it.

So would I need permission from a reenactor if the footage I have does not show their face?

Thanks,

Aaron