[Bill Davis]

Jose,

While following your dreams is very important to securing the life you wish to live, it’s also important to understand that it’s INCREDIBLY easy to mistake where value resides in the real world.

Ideas – in and of themselves – have literally NO value. None. If somehow I was touched by a genius level inspiration and actually could fomulate in my brain a working cure for Cancer – that cure would be functionally worthless. Really.

Because value isn’t never in the IDEA itself – it’s in the IMPLEMENTATION of such ideas. My cancer cure would only become valuable if I could get it OUT of my brain into a form where I could convince others of it’s effectiveness. That might be in the form of presentations, papers, articles, scripts, or something tangible – and then I’d NEED the ability to get that initial IMPLEMENTATION to people in a MARKET who have the structures necessary to take those paper plans to the next level. Those people would join me in starting a process of implementation that would require many hoops to be jumped through before the IDEA could generate real monetary value. Eventually, if my idea was verifiable, and if I could hook up with others to get the drug trials done, get the vaccine manufactured, and distributed to a network of doctors, hospitals and/or clinics where people could PAY for the treatment – then and ONLY then would the “IDEA” be transformed into actual bankable monetary value.

Same with scripts. Scripts or show ideas are NOT in short supply. There are tens upon tens of thousands of them floating around right now, and hundreds more being completed every day.

What I’m saying is that if you want to make real money – concentrate not on simply trying to “sell” your idea – but rather to take that idea and DEMONSTRATE it’s ability to attract actual monetary resources and to generate the support of other people.

In other words, don’t STOP with the idea. OR overestimate it’s worth. The folks who CASH IN on ideas are the ones who learn how to IMPLEMENT them in a way that turns on a stream of income.

I suspect a billion people have died with perfectly valuable IDEAS in their heads – NEVER having had the structure, the capitol, or the tools required to turn those ideas into money.

Don’t give up. Just be realistic in your expectations. Protect your ideas – nurture them – but don’t ever think that any IDEA of and by itself is enough to start the money flowing – because it virtually NEVER happens that way.

Good luck.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

Having done literally hundreds of videos of professional speakers on stage, you don’t need the punch of a Joker to light this.

If you want a pretty even spread of illumination without a lot of hassle, set up a couple of Arri 650 FRESNELS at the back of the room in the corners so that the beams cross in the middle of the stage. Barn door them off to keep them from lighting the audience and the ceiling as this is unnecessary. That should give you enough general wide illumination to pull out eye sockets of actors and get a proper exposure with most cameras.

Fresnel lenses are the only technology that can essentially “throw” soft light from a small source to distance.

The rest of the calculation (is two enough or four too many?) relates to what’s being filmed. Dark costumes on a dark background needing more light than a light subject against a neutral background, etc.

Good luck.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

In a nutshell, light the perimeter of the club so that there’s light behind the action. Then, as you say, add front fill to bring out the specific characters you’re following.

Finally, be VERY VERY careful about the lasers.

There are multiple videos on the net that show in loving detail a laser beam hitting a camera sensor directly and the energy of the beam ROASTING sensor pixels.

Good way to RUIN a camera.

Good luck.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

This made me laugh.

Once upon a time I wanted to shoot in the local State University football stadium. (needed an EMPTY STANDS shot and it’s public property after all) They also ran me through the “named insured” dance.

So I did it. What a hassle.

Since then (15 years ago) A call to my Insurance company gets me a current “certificate of insurance” that I can copy and send to anyone. This establishes that I carry standard business and professional insurance – at significant limits (IIRC $5mil/10mil) which should be enough for anyone.

if they keep pushing back, you’ve got an ignorant gatekeeper. Adding the property owner as a “named insured” is sensible if you’re shooting a weekly series for a year at a local sports bar – but overkill if you’re going to be on the property for a couple of hours for a limited purpose.

Here’s a tip. Every year when your insurance renews, scan your policy and store it as a PDF on your phone or laptop. When someone asks about INSURANCE matters, – email them a PDF ON THE SPOT – of either the coverage limits page – or if they’re acting obnoxious give them the WHOLE POLICY and tell them they’re welcome to print it out and spend a few hours checking to see if if satisfies their requirments. Typically, that’s the LAST you’ll hear from them.

Essentially, they’re asking you to prove you’re professionally covered. A full blown “named insured
certificate” is overkill for a short visit to a facility, IMO.

My 2 cents worth – I’m NOT a real estate OR insurance professional. But that’s how I play it and it’s always worked for me.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

You and I both learn differently TODAY than we did three years ago.

We’re immersed in web searches – social media – non linear content skipping – branching – limited character messaging (tweets) and visual stimulation that informs us at every turn and move (like the flurry of moving ads surrounding this page right now.)

Does your training look ANYTHING like ANY of this? Or is it the same 45 minute long “video presentation” that some poor schmuck has to endure in order to get his or her nametag and get to the floor in order to make a living.

EVERYTHING on the planet is changing. Fast.

But employee training is mostly stuck circa 2003.

And that’s not gonna change until someone figures out a new delivery paradigm for “nuggetized” information presented at the point of need – fast, engaging, and OVER before the learner has even a CHANCE to get bored.

NOT an easy task today. But maybe in the near future as more screens are built into more devices that can be personalized to whoever is using them.

The information has to FIND the audience. NO more gathering people into boring preseentations. Just make learning a part of the flow of every day activity.

The waiter or waitress gets ready to go on shift. Logs into her iPad-like “order book” and for 30 seconds gets an engaging update on the days specials and how their presentation should look (Great Mahi today your customers will LOVE it.) – a 5 second reminder about what “good customer service” looks like and how trying a new technique (when making big bill change – break a big bill down into smaller bills so the customer has more tip options!) – and BOOM – it’s OVER.

THAT would be effective modern training.

Gonna be a while, tho.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

While traditions like “net 30” are still very prevalent – I think things are getting less clear cut in billing.

You’ll notice that currently American Experess’s OPEN small business service is doing a big ad campaign aimed at small business about how their new billing help program can get someone “paid sooner.”

I think it’s a message ALL of us should embrace. Cash flow for small business, being KING anything one can do to make it easier to accept payment – particularly FAST payment is a good thing.

Personally, I’ve set up not just credit card acceptance, but PayPal billing and any other electronic payment gateway options possible as well. Yes, there are fees associated with some of this stuff. BUT – time IS money.

My invoices have been ROI for decades. Which means the balance is due on RECEIPT of INVOICE. Yes, many of my clients are setup to pay net 30 – and some take longer. But fewer and fewer as I try my best to train all my new accounts to use one of the electronic forms of payment.

The hardest thing to train yourself to do is when anyone ASKS about terms – to find a comfortable way to chuckle and say “NET NOW!. Then go on to offer all the IMMEDIATE pay alternatives, before you drop down to net-30 billing.

This also give you a chance to establish that if they pay NOW, you’ll cut a few percent off the invoice in return.

Then make sure your rates support enough margin to allow the discounted rate to cover your expenses.

FWIW.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

This seems to me like a VERY good example of that saying:
“When the tool you have is a hammer – every problem starts to look like a nail.”

Just author a SIMPLE DVD with the clips on it linked to a click here to play grid of titles or pictures and BINGO – you have a cue-able system that runs on virtually EVERY computer AND every DVD player on the planet – including the $49.00 ones you can get at the local drugstore in any town or city in the country.

Unless the program content goes beyond what the OP said, this kind of simple project should not need a fancy computer playout environment.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

“but the nonlinear style of his storytelling lives and breathes by the editor’s talents.”

Amen to that.

I’m not as big a fan of QT, probably because I feel he over uses the standard language of on-screen violence too much for my tastes – as in story getting slow? Time to threaten, beat, shoot, or slice up someone to keep things moving. But I agree that the editing was always seamless and I NEVER had to struggle to follow the story thread or keep the characters straight.

I glided through “Inception” never having a bit of trouble in the same fashion.

I’ve been trying to watch NBC’s “The Event” this week and it seems like every 45 seconds, there’s another ham-fisted random time leap (with the obligatory big “8 hours ago” title invoked) such that after the first 15 minutes I was working WAY too hard simply to keep track of the story and nearly gave up about 4 times on the whole thing.

Perhaps it’s a sop to the gamers who’ve been conditioned to experience “story” as a bunch of disconnected blocks that depend on one’s gathering charms and weapons in order to keep some semblance of a progression happening?

But good editing ALWAYS helps the viewer suspend disbelief and simply merge into the events unfolding on the screen. And that’s why it will always be as much ART as science.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

Not sure exactly how you can unlink the core meaning of the word “negative” from the prosess tho.

Nowhere I can see in the digital processing realm when black goes white and white goes black.

Just sayin – Digital Positive is at least “accurate” as would be re-purposing forms of “MASTER” as in camera masters, working masters, pre and post colorized master, etc.

When language evolves, at least to my way of thinking, it evolves best when it doesn’t force the use of a term that suggest one thing to suddenly suggest the opposite.

My 2 cents, anyway.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com

[Bill Davis]

In my experience, it goes one of two ways. If you use an accounting service or professional bookkeeper, then all the details are already coded and ready to “pour” into an automated tax prep system – which every accountant uses. They look it over for special stuff in your industry and review things and pop out your forms. Your actual “tax prep” charges should be relatively minor but the on-going “bookkeeping” costs will take a monthly bite.

OTOH, if you keep all your business financial records in shoeboxes or list 90% of income in one big SALES category and 90% of your expenses in one big MISCELANEOUS EXPENSES category. Then you can expect a pretty darn high bill for someone with CPA knowledge to sit down and try to organize everything after the fact.

That’s why it’s so hard to guess.

Over the years I think most people in sustainable business don’t take long to jettison the shoe boxes – it’s just not efficient. They still self-select into otwo categories. Those of us who HATE accounting go the first route and hire pros. Those who enjoy watching their money flow on a daily basis eventually set up systems so that they have both the self discipline and take the time to code ALL their income and outgo into the proper categories and have a relationship with a CPA or Tax Prep service so that they keep form prep costs to the bare bones.

Choice is up to you.

YMMV.

FCP since NAB 1999
creator: muti-track movies
http://www.starteditingnow.com