[Bob Bonniol]

That sounded extremely promising… Alas, alas, AE did not agree… Guess I’m jumping into some work arounds here…

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
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[Bob Bonniol]

Mike,

You might want to run this one by the guys in the Cinematography forum. I have done some of what you are talking about. My only observations is that interlaced anything is really terrible with high speed horizontal movement (which race cars tend to feature). Your best option might be to rent a camera that can capture overcranked progressive. Obviously RED would be awesome (and I’ve seen RED kits renting for as little as $1k per day). Alternatively I think the Sony EX3 can capture 60fps progressive HD. As I said, might want to check in with the local camera gurus over on the Cinematography forum though…

Best,

Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
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[Bob Bonniol]

There are plenty of costly ways to do this… Wings, Watchout, Hippo, Pandoras, etc… In big arena situations I generally gravitate this way (my usual weapon is Hippo HD in that case).

But I have been recently rocking a 3 screen rig very cheaply and super effectively in one off situations.

My hardware platform is a Mac Octacore. I have also run this rig off my Mac Book though.

I utilize the Matrox Triple Head Digital edition. I feed it with one of two pieces of very robust (and cheap) VJ software apps: Livid Union, or Resolume 3 Avenue. Both apps are priced between $500 and $800 dollars. Resolume can run HD footage really well with a slick new CODEC they have developed. Both apps can use the combined res of the Matrox. Resolume affords more layers (I’ve successfully mixed 12 layers of simultaneuous 1080 footage to the outputs).

You would just have to digitize your content and get it on the macs. Resolume is also available for PC if that’s your flavor. Note of interest: Resolume just won an Award from Live Design Magazine for best new live media server of the year. Interestingly the last product that won that award was Pandora’s Box which costs $40,000+. Resolume is under $1k. I love the march of progress !

Best,

Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

We’ve all ignored a giant factor here: An FCP file is inherently a part of the program Final Cut. I seriously, seriously doubt that it is permmissable under the Apple EULA. I’m going to check. The look of the FCP timeline, the processes, the software that creates it… All that is trademarked, patented, and copyrighted by Apple already.

The finished product can certainly be registered for copyright, but that still doesn’t give your client any control of the ‘idea’ of memorial videos. It only protects THAT specific piece.

I don’t think she really understands or knows how intellectual property law works honestly.

Best,
Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

Here’s the thing: I believe that quality DOES win the day. In my racket, the concert design thing, there are 1000 hungry kids who will work for a bunk on a bus and beer money for every one guy like me. Yet I still get work. I think, I HOPE it’s because my stuff is ultra hot (as is y’alls, and I mean all y’all pretty much)… And so my stuff get’s seen, enjoyed, and I get hired because I really do make other people look great.

These guys are certainly going after it… They made the reel, produced the spot, bad though they may be. They will get work from it, definitely… There are millions and millions of people with decidedly medium sensibilities, and they will be comfortable or even joyful about hiring people with equally medium sensibilities. But there are also plenty of smart, perceptive, demanding clients out there who will continue to spend the right $$ to hire pros who know how to get it done. It’s a lesson I had to learn too early on. If you think a professional is hard on the budget just try hiring an amateur. Many smart people who commission video HAVE figured that out, and thank goodness.

I hope that if the zany Bears were to show up on this board we’d continue to be the wise and compassionate givers of knowledge. Clearly they need some. But they aint your competition Walter, that’s for d****d sure…

Happy Saturday guys…

Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

Here’s my experience with local stations: You’ll get bupkis and you’ll like it. Forget the kit rental. They’ll never bite. They are going to want to sign you to something that pays a flat probably, no OT. It’s probably going to work out to betwen $25 and $40 p/hr depending on your experience. They are probably going to offer other features of a compensation package as well. That’ll be it. And it will be take it or leave it. There are 500 editors in the greater Toronto area. Local TV is paying peanuts these days because they are making NOTHING.

Good luck,

Bob

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

I am totally sold on this. I made the change, and I would never go back. My chronic back pain has totally receded. I am losing weight, and have more energy. I also absolutely buy the Murch opinion that editing is dancing. When I am cutting or compositing I am dancing bobbing, FEELING tempo, rhythm…

I don’t use anything fancy… Just have my table jacked up on piled half apples…

I totally recommend it.

Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Live Design Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

Fantastic post Franklin, and dead on. The participation and leveraging of these ‘marketing 2.0’ assets like Facebook, and the diligent linking and bridging between them are so critical. Presecient author, Corey Doctorow, called this intangible factor “whoofie”… Sort of the aggregate up-to-the-second barometer/presence/rep/buzz that resulted from your online fossil record.

Working these avenues has to be fundamental.

Great post.

Bob Bonniol

[Bob Bonniol]

Been down this road…

What’s she claiming exclusivity on ? The location ? If she doesn’t have paper with the hotel owner, then she’s got nothing. If she’s claiming exclusivity on the concept she is WAY SOL… Only thing people really have grounds on is trademarks, or prior relationship/agreement crap with distributors…

Our standard response to C&D’s is a letter from our lawyers saying “bring it”… we never hear from 9 out of 10 (and we get it ALOT… Everybody likes to try to pry revenue out of anything music related, which 90% of our thing is)…

For the one in ten that has a legit beef we have our people talk to their people and in only one case have we actually had to change course.

Having your attorney send a ltter costs almost nothing, but it will reveal tons about the will and way of this adversary.

I guess I gotta say it (as if you don’t know exactly how I am Grin ! LOL!)… But… I’M NOT A LAWYER.

Have your friendly attorney tell her to buzz off…

Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Entertainment Design Magazine
Contributing Editor, Creative COW Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader

[Bob Bonniol]

This is going to seem counterintuitive; it did to us in the beginning… But bear with me.

This year we did a massive push on our web side. New web site, AND we wanted to provide a secure comfy environment for clients to trade preview files back and forth, and maybe leave comments…

Our web development people, a GREAT company called GoMedia, designed a smoking new website for us, and turned us on to a web based solution for the client side called Project Pier.

We were shocked and delighted to discover that Project Pier was phenomenal project management software too. It exists as a web based tool. You basically create new projects and add contacts relevent to that project. It has very elegant web tools for trading files, having a project based blog and forum interface, mass messaging, etc. It also schedules and tracks milestones robustly, sends alerts, and syncs all that information with iCal and entourage. Clients LOVE it because they can see the results of the team communicating, they can communicate well, and EVERYTHING is in one place for EVERYBODY. If you have off site contractors they have access to the files, to scheduling tools, to contacts, etc. All this comes with permissions controls that are super.

I really encourage EVERYBODY to check this out. https://www.projectpier.org

It was a total surprise to our studio. It has become totally the core of all communication and organization on projects now. You can even skin the damn thing to look like a branded software tool, or like an alien GUI… whatever. I never ceased to be shocked by it’s power. I have personnel on tour, on cruise ships, in cities all over the planet, and this keeps everybody organized, in sync, and with access to everything, from any web browser.

We had wrestled with this question for a long time as well…

Best,
Bob Bonniol

MODE Studios
http://www.modestudios.com
Contributing Editor, Entertainment Design Magazine
Contributing Editor, Creative COW Magazine
Art of the Edit Forum Leader
Live & Stage Event Forum Leader
HD Forum Leader