[Bob Cole]

[David Roth Weiss] “Mental illness doesn’t count Bob..”

Everything I know about insanity, I learned from you, David.

(Look at DRW’s sigline, folks — notice he says, “the usual insanity.”)

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[Bob Cole]

[Stephen Eckelberry] “to have thing centered neatly, put an asterix in between the two sets of names or job description:”

Very interesting post, but I’m not following it and would appreciate a more step-by-step explanation. How do you work with titles over a moving video background? How does the asterisk make the titles center? And, is there a way within FCP to adjust the scrolling title’s timing to avoid strobing/blurring, and to make the scroll ramp to a stop for a closing static title like the copyright notice?

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

My commiserations to the people who got sick and had to work through it. I started a similar thread over on the discrete editors forum awhile back, because I had noticed that I only got sick the day AFTER a big project was done — “postponing” that sickness. Turns out I’m not the only one, whether as a result of fatigue after long days and nights, &/or knowing you have to work anyway, so you can’t “afford” to feel bad.

For people operating very small or single-person businesses, sickness is a major issue. If your illness messes up the client’s schedule, the client may well think, “Hmm, a bigger production house might be more expensive, but they have backup.”

But even so, it’s not a great idea to work sick. Besides giving your bug to everyone else, the fact that you are fatigued raises issues of safety (shooting near hot lights, etc.) and quality.

My response has been to work very hard developing a list of terrific colleagues who can step in for me if/when I have a sick day.

And… this sounds nerdy, I know, but it can be just as important as knowing the latest greatest FCP filter or whatever…. wash your hands, have that flu shot, and get a good night’s sleep.

And I hope you’re feeling better.

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

Could these lights have been aimed at the subject, as a rim light to combat fringing, rather than the green screen?

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

[Mark Suszko] “Make your feelings known. Write your congressman and representatives and favorite candidates.”

A major flaw of our system is that large lobbyists have access and we don’t. So flawed legislation, affecting copyright, health care insurance, etc., keeps getting enacted.

Check out the “draft Lessig” movement if you want to have a real impact on this situation. He has “moved on” (pun intended) from focusing on copyright/Internet freedom issues, to lobby reform. Unfortunately, we’re unlikely to have the one without the other.

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

[Ron Lindeboom] “No such form exists (that I have ever seen) and there is nowhere to download one as it would hold absolutely no legal weight in the present scheme of things.”

No, Ron, we’re still on the same wavelength. I was assuming that the client had made or could make a legal arrangement for use, as in, for example, a music library which is licensed by usage. Such a letter would help to remind the client of his/her obligation to report. Another example would be the incidental and unavoidable background presence of licensed music at an event for which there is some other limited license arrangement. I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear about that, because the context of the thread was the dance recital situation, which has red flags flying all over it. You’re absolutely right to object to the idea of a cop-out letter.

By the way, some music libraries have made sound-similar cuts of famous compositions which can help mollify a client and keep things legal at the same time.

If Fair Use is an issue for you, take a look at https://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/. Another good page is the bio of Lawrence Lessig at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lessig.

Thanks for the compliment Ron!

bob

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[Bob Cole]

I feel your pain, Tyler. Not to add to your paranoia, but this thread will probably show up in a Google search.

I couldn’t agree more with the suggestion that “we the people” (of whatever nation) need to start speaking up about issues of copyright and fair use. I was threatened by the attorneys of a major company because I asked whether I could use a still photograph I owned in a documentary; the image showed a peasant wearing a tee-shirt with an American logo on it. I probably should have ignored the letter, because the point of using the image was to show the global penetration of American cultural icons, and I now believe that would be “fair use.” For me, it was just one shot and I took it out, but there are examples of documentarians having their projects killed or severely damaged in similar situations.

Yesterday I heard a great presentation by John Palfrey of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society; his research shows that the current rights system is widely ignored by the younger generation and needs radical reform for the sake of both the creator and the user. Yet the huge media companies continue to use the old intimidation tactics of screwing a few people royally as “examples,” rather than adjust to the new digital reality.

If you want to do something about this, there are a number of good avenues, including supporting the potential congressional candidacy of Lawrence Lessig of Stanford. Look up “fair use” and “bound by law” on Google where, as I have to remind you, this whole thread is probably already indexed.

That was a great suggestion to use a form letter requiring clients to certify that they own the rights to such-and-such for such-and-such use. A good client should actually appreciate your thoughtfulness, as they are a lot more likely to get sued than you (they have more MONEY). Does anyone know of a good letter on the Net that we could all rip off? Oops….

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

Anton Bauer’s own Ultralight 2 comes with the powertap cable. You can choose from among several different wattage bulbs, and get a diffuser &/or softbox for it too.

If you need to power it off a brick instead of the camera’s own powertap, you can get an adapter from AB and just carry the brick around in a fanny pack.

I was actually very surprised at what a nice look it gives, when used as a boost rather than a key.

I’m sure that a Litepanel would be cooler (in more ways than one) but shooting inside you want tungsten balance, and the Ultralight is quite a bit less expensive.

Good luck! Sorry it doesn’t coincide with NAB.

Bob C

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[Bob Cole]

[Leo Ticheli] “Option 2: Rent as needed.”

A related suggestion:

Many grips have a few good pieces of lighting equipment. So you may want to network locally and find a good grip who will bring along some of his/her own gear as a package deal.

You’ll get an extra hand (which is good for esthetics AND safety in a semi-public environment) + you’ll get the instruments that you need + you’ll see the little tricks of how those instruments are used.

Buying used is a great idea, but with your deadline you don’t have the time. Also, if you buy, you will need to buy extra bulbs “just in case” (and they can really add up).

Good luck!

Bob C

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[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

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