[Bob Cole]

[Nick Griffin] “Hope things are cyclical.”

Why? You’re on a roll! But if you just get too overworked, just call some of your COW buddies to take on some of those shoots. That way you will have more time for your true calling: keeping this forum jumping.

[Bob Cole]

Unsolicited, semi-cynical, but semi-serious advice:

I hear over and over about people who try to create a road map toward EVENTUALLY making an indie film. It sounds very logical, but life is short. What you really want is to make a GOOD indie film. And if you want to make a GOOD indie film, you are going to have to start by making a bad one. (That’s what they say about first novels, btw.)

So get started on that bad indie film right now. Don’t spend all of your money and effort getting ready to do that film – just do it. It could be just a “teaser” for that film, if a whole feature is too much.

Then when you’ve seen it, you’ll know how to make the good one. (“I can’t light – need a lighting cameraman.” “My dialogue is wooden – need a co-screenwriter.” “Actor A is good; Actor B is not. Hire Actor A next time.”) The lessons you learn can only be acquired on the job – and probably not by making commercials, either.

You are right that most indie films die a quiet, unseen death. And it’s a very much deserved one. So get it behind you, asap. And who knows? It might be a good film after all. But you’ll never know until you make it.

[Bob Cole]

[Eric Hansen] “I’ve had feature length ProResHQ files develop errors in playback (glitches or ‘hits’ in the video), and some even become completely corrupted and won’t open. I’m not sure exactly why this happens. I switched to DPX for masters because it is frame based”

I’m so glad I saw this thread tonight.

Today a client with ancient (3/4″) videotapes told me she had been advised to transfer them to
“DV-50” for archiving. My immediate reaction was, why archive to a videotape format which will be more and more difficult to play back? (btw, I’m fairly sure she meant DVCPro 50 when she referred to DV-50.)

I was going to advise transfer to ProRes 422, onto hard drives and LTO tape. But your comment above, about corruption in ProRes files has me concerned. What do you use to create DPX files, and what assurance is there that DPX will be around, 10, 20, 30 years from now?

What digital format is “The Best” for archiving? Is there any consensus on this?

Thanks.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Hi Jorge,

As for charging: only way to know is to bid too high, lose the job; then ratchet down until you get the job.

But imho, you should stop wasting your time producing ads for local dealerships.

Concentrate on the beauty shots which we all probably thought were stock footage, because they looked great (and far better, to be honest, than the car dealership shots).

You could probably monetize the beauty shots by selling yourself as a go-to person for Caribbean timelapse/stock shots. And you’d have more fun.

If you want to broaden your skills to learn how to make an ugly car dealership interior look beautiful and appealing, that’s your choice. But (a) that’s actually pretty challenging; and (b) I bet there are a thousand directors who know how to do that, who would love to be creating that “stock footage” that you already do so well.

If you are absolutely determined to do commercials, try to integrate your unique talents more closely into the sales proposition, e.g. put a car and a model into a beautiful setting and shoot away. Avoid those ugly dealerships; they aren’t part of your soul.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

sorry, too shy to answer question.

(Bob C)

[Bob Cole]

Well…. I was very happy with my refurbished MBP Retina, until it simply didn’t power up one day. Eventually it did, but that was enough. (It probably heard me bragging to my client about it just before I hit the power button.)

Apple was very good about the return, and now that I know how terrific the computer is, I’m going to buy a new one. In this business, failure is not a good option, and I need reliability WAY more than I need a good deal.

I’d love to know which types (iMacs vs. laptops) of computers are most reliable in the Refurb Store. For laptops, I’m going to stick to new from now on.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Memories of cheap junk… I bought a Chinese-made box cutter (matte knife) at WalMart. When I was bearing down on a piece of wallboard, the handle literally fell apart in my hand. The box cutter was “metal” but it cracked. I was lucky not to hit the blade with the palm of my hand.

Like you, I thought of the safety hazard more than the need for a tiny refund. I went to WalMart, complained to the manager, and told them it should not be sold at all. I never followed up to find out whether they listened, but what a hazard.

LIkewise, Harbor Freight is full of junky, cheap stuff. But the dimmers are fine. Just don’t tell them you’re looking for a dimmer because they won’t know what you’re talking about. I have 4 of the “router speed controls” that Todd talked about, and they all work well. (I really appreciate the workmanship of my “Magic Gadgets” 2K Flicker/Dimmer. But I’ll never spend that much money on a dimmer again.)

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Be persistent. My problem with Adobe’s billing was resolved when it got “escalated” to a supervisor. They couldn’t have been nicer. But until then, it was frustrating, and I feel your pain.

I dislike the subscription model too. It is very advantageous for people who use a variety of Adobe products, across Mac and PC. But there should be options for people who don’t benefit as much from the subscription’s depth and flexibility.

Good luck.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Thanks! Learning expressions is on my to-do list.

Bob

[Bob Cole]

You nailed it. It was an expression which took control of the opacity. I’d never even thought about that.

Thank you Dave!

Bob C