Bill Davis
Forum Replies Created
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I agree with Scott.
For most people, directing is something you either discover you can do or not.
I remember the day I became a director. Early in my career I’d been hired to shoot a commercial for the local Minor League Baseball team. We were in the stands during a game with about 10,000 fans in the seats (Arizona is a HUGE spring training and baseball market.)
I was getting nice crowd shots but they weren’t “active” enough. I mention that I was going to wait for something big like a base hit or home run to get a more “active’ crowd shot – when the team rep disappears for a few minutes and comes back with a freaking bullhorn, and hands it to me.To this day I remember the shiver that went up my spine.
I was totally and completely intimidated with the idea of using a bullhorn to bellow at crowd of total strangers. For about 10 astonishingly long seconds. Then a little voice in my head kinda said, “Suck it up, idiot – this is your job.” So I keyed the bullhorn and started directing the crowd.
Directing is like singing. If you can, you can. And if you can’t you can’t. You can practice, you can lose (or just learn to manage) the jitters that come with everyone looking directly at YOU when the money’s on the line and the decisions have to be made. What makes those decisions comfortable and successful is the preparation you do in advance of “the moment” but in the end, either you’re a person who learns to step up and do whatever is necessary to get the results you need right now – or you aren’t.
It really no more complicated than that.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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The most interesting thing I read this morning while scanning the business press about Jobs stepping down was a thoughful piece by venture capitalist and tech writer James Altucher.
He notes: “… a great story is the Zen master and his student walking by a river. A prostitute was there and needed to be carried over the river. The Zen master picked her up and carried her across the river and then put her down. Then the master and student kept walking. A few hours later the student was so agitated he finally had to ask, “Master, how could you touch and help that prostitute! That’s against what we believe in!” And the Master said, “I left her by the river. Why are you still carrying her?”
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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I think this is a pretty good reflection of the “gestalt” of Steve Jobs.
He seems to have always started by attempting to simplify things to their core. Then needed layers of complexity are attempted within that that core of simplicity.
In simple processes – like playing music from a device that must be immune to g-forces – huge simplicity can be maintained.
In the extremely complex arena, like OS design and even video editing software, the challenge is to maintain stunningly complex and variable requirements (features) while making it as accessible as possible to the most people.
One of the reasons that the iPad has been such a HUGE success is that the OS design requires little training to operate. Touch – slide – respond. That’s about it.
It will certainly be interesting to see how that design philosophy continues to play out without Mr. Jobs.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Every contract is about one thing and one thing only. Power.
Each side tries to wield that power to either benefit themselves or protect themselves from risks posed by the potential actions of the other party.
When you contract with a big, powerful company, you usually have one single decision. Are you willing to work under THEIR terms and conditions or not?
Unless you’re providing something unique and critical to them, there’s usually no viable reason for them to amend their usual practices to accommodate you. And you can be SURE that their “usual practices” have been written totally to benefit them. After all, what’s the point of building a powerful institution if you’re not then going to wield that power to in the institutions maximum benefit?
So i’m sorry to report that it’s typically sign or forgo the work.
In my experience, even trying to negotiate minor changes is a losing proposition. At best you’ll be changing things that won’t ever be issues. At worst, you’ll be seen as “too much hassle to work with” and they’ll move to the next vendor.
I wish this wasn’t the reality. But it typically is.
Good luck.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Just to add another note to Ty’s always excellent advice…
If you’re a guy micing a female, you need to be even more aware of “personal space” issues.
I happen to be a bit over 6 feet tall.
Most women I’ve rigged with lavs over the years have been significantly shorter.
If the performer is wearing a blouse or any type of dress open at the neckline, as I approach the start of rigging I nearly always either kneel or bend down so that my eyeline is UP at her face, rather than down her blouse. It’s just an instinctive thing now.
After the connection is made and you can assess her comfort zone (civilians vary, pros are so used to being wired that they’ll only notice if you fumble around.
These are what experience is all about.
And I heartily agree, practice, practice practice.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Dude,
Carbon arc follow spots ROCK for this kind of thing.
Positioned correctly, a pair of these will do a great job of key and fill depending on the geometry of where the skater(s) are positioned in the rink moment by moment.
Follow spots are what you’re used to seeing from every “Ice Capade” type show ever produced. And they allow you to dim the house lights and keep everything focused on the performers rather than the background of the arena.
You’ll need a couple of qualified operators, but I’d go for that if I could.
YMMV, good luck.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Just so there’s NO mistake.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Excuse me?
I’ve been writing for various public audiences in magazines and on-line for more than 20 years and what you have posted above is the single most insulting thing I’ve ever had anyone say about me.
If you can post an example of my being a “hypocrite of the highest order” I will immediately apologise.
If you can’t, I expect YOU to do precisely the same.
You should start by reading here:
From wikipedia…
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, ideals, thoughts, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have.[1] Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie[1].
Every single thing I’ve written here is to my knowledge, archived and represents PRECISELY my opinion.
I have never knowingly deceived a single person with a single word I’ve written. I written ONLY under my real name in every forum and submission I’ve ever sent out.
So take your time. Back up your contention or man up and apologize.
Simple as that.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Scott,
I never have and never wlll quibble with anything that’s based on a “satisfy the client NOW” mentality.
Everyone here with any experience at all, knows that this is one of the unbreakable the golden rules of business.
What I’m trying to signal is a reality I’ve seen over and over again in my career. I had boxes of 5,10,15,30, and 60 minute VHS loads plus all the attendant boxes and labels and mailers necessary to produce client dubs back in the day. And one day I realized nobody wanted ANY of them anymore. They ended up in a dumpster. Same with my audio cassettes. Same with my DC-2000 computer tapes and Jaz Drives and Zip Drives and Syquist carts.
They were all totally useful right up to the moment they all became TOTALLY worthless.
DVD “will” be the same – trust me. Thats because it does a thing (distributes video) that something else (the net) increasingly does WAY more efficiently and easily.
I don’t advocate dumping it tomorrow if your clients are still asking for it. I advocate understanding that it WILL be dumped and getting both yourself AND your clients ready for that to happen.
Simple as that.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
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Rafael,
You missed FCP 1.0 to 1.5! Back at version 1, the software didn’t even support the AVID standardized JKL “transport” conventions of the day!
2.5 was a LONG way from 1.0 which is precisely why some of us are willing to wait to see what FCP-X will become at something similar to 2.5.
It it comes half the distance that the original FCP came over that early development period – it will likely change the entire game. Or not. Who know?
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor