[Bob Cole]

Thanks Frank. I will just be shooting one person at a time, not a car. The current “Get a Mac” ads are here at https://www.apple.com/getamac/ads.

I was worried about the clip point too — thanks for the input.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thank you John. This is really a new question but I wanted to thank you first for the answer to the first one.

I have a shoot coming up with a series of people against a pure white paper background. Is there a “gotcha” in my future, or will it be much like lighting against a chromakey?

On the other extreme… I have to shoot some tabletop sitting on a “pure black” background. I have done a bit of this so I know there is no such thing as pure black, but if someone has a tip I’d be grateful.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Ty Ford] “I have had calls from shooter/editors, from the edit bay days after the shoot, calling me to say, “Damn! You were right. The audio sounds GREAT. What was that mic?””

No, Ty, that was when you substituted YOUR voice for the interviewee’s voice. Very good ADR.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thanks Nick for the very nice post. I wish I’d met Steve. I take it he was another “amiable Baltimorean?”

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

This raises another issue which I’ve posted in the Audio Professionals forum.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

I know somebody who got her business off the ground (not a video business) by typing with her left hand while answering the phone with her right. She was typing gibberish, of course, but the sound effect worked — she made millions in about ten years, before retiring. And when she quit, she had scads of employees, typing real stuff for her.

So maybe in time “I” can become “we.”

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

What’s going to happen to your staff? Does your reluctance have anything to do with them?

and… what if the buyer googles you and finds this discussion on the COW?

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

[Ron Lindeboom] “I might recommend that you unsubscribe.”

Are you being a bit touchy, Ron? “Flowmotion” is clearly just trying to be helpful. Anyway, when a word is wrong three times, it’s called “misspelling,” not a “typo.”

Lighten up and enjoy the well-deserved praise for the mag.

— Bob C.

[Bob Cole]

You’ve gotten good advice on how to set your rates, but here’s a different perspective.

I think we suppliers have tended to look at this issue too moralistically, and too much from our own point of view, and so we say, “It isn’t FAIR that craigslist is helping undercut our bids.” The reality is that there are many different markets out there, each with its own level of compensation. The same amount of effort can be rewarded well or poorly, even by the same client.

Personally speaking, I work in two markets: for non-profits and corporations. The compensation scales are radically different, but it suits me.

Between you and the economy, you’ll find out what market you are in. It’s just like applying for a job: if you aren’t able to persuade a potential employer that you are qualified for a $100K job, you may have to look for a $15K job. But if you never APPLY for that great job (i.e. demand a nice respectful rate for your efforts) you’ll never know whether you could have gotten it or not.

Enjoy the ride.

— Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Michael, is it a cash upfront deal or are they telling you they’ll pay over time?

I’ve seen a close relative sell her business, only to find herself going into a new business: getting the new owners to pay her what they said they would. A big debtor has a tremendous amount of leverage to force you to renegotiate, if he claims that the deal was so bad for him that he is contemplating bankruptcy.

I’d ask my business attorney to lay out what your options are in the worst case scenario before going forward.

Congratulations on being pursued. You must be doing something right.

— Bob C