David Wheeler
1
COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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Until I “retired” to start my own production company, I worked for many years in a large corporation’s marketing department where internal “clients” would ask for a shoe-string production because they did not budget the project and did not understand basic production requirements or costs. It was my job as the internal producer to convince them that whatever was produced needed to present the company well. If the production looks “homemade” then managers should not be surprised if customers think their products are homemade as well. I recommend you challenge your former workmate to consider what message he (or she) really wants to send customers about they products they sell. If they care about brand equity, they should listen to your recommendations that you only do work that you are proud of and they should do the same. Shooting an entire production without sticks is almost a guarantee that you won’t want other potential clients to see your production.
Good, cheap or fast. Pick one. Hopefully they’ll pick “good” and understand it will not be cheap or fast. That is not to say that you cannot produce something good at a very reasonable rate, since you are willing to work for less to get things started, but don’t sell yourself short either. Since you said you worked there, you should have a good understanding of their products, customers and markets and be able to write a script that is on-target. That is valuable experience that is worth a lot and should give you a big advantage over others who may low-ball an estimate to get a foot in the door, and then drive everyone crazy because they can’t produce a script.
No one wants to suggest what a “going” or fare rate is for your project because most of us have good corporate clients who value professional work and are willing to pay “pro” rates which is what we need to keep us in business. At the same time, we may choose to do the same work for a smaller client at a greatly reduced rate for various reasons, if business is slow. There will always be students and others wanting to get started who will underbid projects just to get some work. Still, your time is worth something and you want the finished product to be a promotional piece for you, not something you’d later be embarrassed to show another client.
I suggest you start an estimate by setting an hourly figure that you need to earn to make this worthwhile for you. Script writing may not be as much per hour as videography, but certainly more than “meetings, coordination and research” time. You’ll also need to estimate production costs, like camera, wireless mike, lighting and grip equipment rental, a production assistant, etc. You could start by asking an experienced PA in your area what their day rate is and use that as a determining factor in what to charge for your time. You should certainly earn more per hour than the PA you hire.
Here is another caveat: I always bill expenses in ADVANCE and will not turn over a final edit to the customer until the expenses are paid. That helps you keep your income and expenses separate for tax purposes, too.
I agree with Mark that good sound is critical. You cannot get by with an on-camera person recorded through the camera internal microphones. Invest in or rent a lavalier package if your camera the unbalanced XLR audio inputs. Good lighting is the next most important factor in my opinion, and that will take some planning to make sure you have the equipment and help you need getting it set up.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
The histogram button can be assigned to another function in the OTHERS menu, such as “rec review” or “last clip delete.” You may have had it assigned to a function that could not be performed. All reset would have restored the default assignments.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
I edit native XDCAM EX 1080p30 (35Mbps VBR) but always output a ProRes 422 file for the master. Editing in XDCAM on FCP makes more demands on the computer to process and requires more rendering time, but the source file sizes are much smaller, which I prefer. It’s a tradeoff you’ll need to decide. Converting your source files to ProRes and editing a ProRes timeline takes less processing power and requires a lot less rendering time, but the source files will be much larger. I agree with Don that the best workflow is to output ProRes 422 for the master file and do all conversions from ProRes. Squeeze is a good choice for MP4 files, but beware that Squeeze 8.5 currently has bug and audio sync with MP4 and WMV files is a problem. If you do not have someone speaking on camera, you should be OK until the bug is fixed. They are testing a beta patch now which seems to fix the MP4 conversions but WMVs are still a problem. Squeeze 8 does not have the issue I’m told. Alternatively, Compressor does a good job with MP4s but the file sizes are somewhat larger. That’s my experience at least.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
Don’t confuse storyboards and “comps” with a visual treatment or creative treatment. Most corporations who deal with ad agencies or other professional marketers for print media will always ask for a creative and visual treatment to go along with a video script. It’s a statement or example of the visual design of the overall piece including color palate (or dominate colors used for the intro, bumpers, animation backgrounds), fonts to be used, etc., plus, since video is a moving medium, animation designs. Other elements can be included in the visual treatment to let your customer know the cohesive “look” of the video.
Here is an example: https://www.marcombiz.com/barricade.html
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
The 4.2.2 color space will always give you a better key. Of course, a 4.2.2 color space will not solve problems with lighting, reflections, etc., but if you set up everything else right, 4.2.2 is better than 4.2.0.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
I’ve never had a similar problem with a wireless mic. Hum from a wired mic can sometimes be an induced voltage from running mic lines parallel with power cords. I would check the receiver-to-camera connector and cord. If you have a backup cord, use it and see if you still have the problem. Make sure the camera mike input is not set on phantom power. If you still have a problem with a new cord, you may want to contact Sennheiser with the question.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
Hi Jim, I don’t know what other producers are doing, but I would guess most charge a flat rate per hour of time whether it’s editing or transcoding/compressing. I always work from a ProRes master file and use either Compressor or Squeeze to compress all the formats I think the client will need or request in one session. Even if they don’t end up needing one of the formats, it saves time later. I include the rendering/transcoding/compressing as part of the overall editing charge, so based upon the amount of time needed for one session, it’s relatively minor, maybe $50 or less of additional cost to the client. The deliverable is really a bigger issue. Most clients don’t understand the limitations of putting files on a data DVD, so if I need to send them a flash drive, I’ll add the cost of a flash drive to their invoice at cost plus 100%. A lot depends on the client and the relationship of course.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
I may have had the same dream, but I also recall sequences of that type from Minority Report and Tom Cruise, (I think). It’s generally shot in green or blue screen and carefully choreographed in post with other elements that the actor “moves around.”
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
My workflow is to always shoot full raster video (1920×1080) and downsize in Squeeze or Compressor to the dimensions the client can use. (Squeeze 8.5 has a bug syncing audio, so I don’t recommend 8.5 right now.) I always check with the client or facility to get the accurate specs on the projector to make sure what pixel dimensions it is capable of. Projectors that say they can project HD are usually NOT full raster, but 1280×720 so I don’t see the need to send the client a full raster video. If you can get the make and model of the projector and computer from the institution, hotel or other facility, you can check the pixel dimensions online and send the client a file sized for the projector and at a codec and bitrate that the computer can play easily. I always prefer ProRes to H264 if they have a Mac and will send both and request they test the ProRes and use that if there are no stutters. If they have a PC I always send a 720p WMV files with the bitrate set 3000kbps. If the client doesn’t know what computer they’ll use, I’ll send three files: ProRes, H264 and WMV and charge them accordingly. Of course, they need to understand that the files must be copied to the computer hard drive or flash drive. They cannot be played from a DVD.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; nanoFLASH; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com -
I think the Mac versus PC question is the biggest issue. If they definitely will be using a PC, I would not send them a H264 codec whether its a .mp4 or .mov. I always send my clients a WMV file if they are using a PC. A recent 10 minute presentation looked great on a client “HD” projector that displayed 720p video. I sent them two files, one was a 720p h264 .mov file at 3,000 kbps and the other was a 720p ProRes file. The ProRes file played great on their Mac even though it was nearly 5GB. The smaller h264 file looked fine too, but there was not a lot of motion or quick camera moves. Testing is always important, so whatever you do, send them a backup file in a codec that will play best on their computer.
David Wheeler
EX1R; EX3; FCP 7; 17″ MBP, MacPro Quad, Matrox MSO2,CS5
dave@marcombiz.com