[Dylan Hargreaves]

Thanks Mark – I did indeed find some ‘pasties’ which should work pretty well – nothing yet for ‘downtown’.

Figured a make-up artist might know, but put the shout out here to help get some ideas on project costs first.

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Wow. Got pretty lively round here!
We’re not talking about a change that’s gonna happen overnight here. But when the change does come it’s gonna be seismic. I’m finding it hard enough finding the right moment to switch editing software, so when the hell is it gonna be convenient to rip our entire edit suite out and start again?? Unless we go down Walter’s route and gradually build a jerry-rigged system of external boxes and hardware! (Walt, I’m sure your system is an elegant thing of beauty to behold!)
Who knows. Maybe by then a decent iMac will be able to do it all on the cloud… We’d just better hope our broadband connections never fail mid-project!
D

[Dylan Hargreaves]

[Jeremy Garchow] “If Dylan says that he has heard from Apple, shouldn’t I give him the benefit of the doubt?”

Sorry, posting in haste seems to have opened a can of worms. To clear this up, As Walter suggests, I was responding to a rumour reported in a magazine not affiliated in anyway to Apple, and have heard nothing from Apple themselves.

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Last time I used Windows to any extent was back on XP. I’m prepared to believe things have significantly improved since then but even so, once you go Mac it’s a wrench to go back…

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Stability and ease of use is what I go for. After years of working in PC environments, transitioning to Mac was like sliding into satin sheets on the world’s comfiest bed. As the great man said, they just work.

To be honest, I know precisely zilch about Thunderbolt, so I guess I will have to start looking into it, and for the time being at least, there’s not a huge sense of urgency.

And for the record, the Mac Pro thing was reported in Iris magazine – a products and review magazine i sometimes pick up over here in the UK – although they did qualify it as a rumour at this stage.

But they do go on to say that Apple are planning on removing optical drives from their hardware, so I’d say the writing’s most definitely on the wall.

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Thanks Craig,

I was under the impression that xdcam transfer created an mpeg2 mov file that could be viewed without the need for the xdcam codec, but then seeing as I have all the necessary soft and hardware, it’s not really something I’ve given much thought to.

So the VLC player and Sony Clip browser might work..? Thanks, will give em go!

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Hey all, thanks for your responses and apologies for dipping out of the thread: had to go a-shooting yesterday!

Well, it all seems to have come to a successful conclusion. I offered to produce the charity’s new DVD project, but they said they had no money for it, and couldn’t afford it. However, I did a slightly retweaked version of the full doc, removing a couple of local references, to run on community tv, and it occurred to me there was no reason why they couldn’t have that version so long as it was on the understanding it could only be used as is, and was not to be cut-down or re-edited in any way. They are delighted with my offer.

This is great, as it means the film will get seen by more people who could benefit from it and I get to help out a charity.

My only problem with the whole issue in the first place was that this isn’t the first time a third party has asked if they can ‘have’ footage we’ve shot for other clients, and no matter who’s asking, I find it a bit cheeky.

There’s a general lack of understanding out there about the value of video work in its completed form, and I get the impression that people think because you’ve been paid for it once that it’s fair game for them to get their claws on it gratis.

Do stills photographers get this too?

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Thanks Craig.

I just called up the health authority and had a chat with the woman who commissioned the doc. She has a very different story altogether.

Apparently, the charity asked her about making available copies of the whole DVD – essentially acting as a distributor – which neither of us would have a problem with.

However, the charity has come to me asking for access to unedited rushes – an entirely different thing. The health authority woman said she would never just ok a request like that.

This makes it very simple. An offer to produce the charity’s project, but not licensing our footage for use elsewhere.

[Dylan Hargreaves]

[Craig Seeman] “Is that license exclusive?
Is it in perpetuity or is it time limited?
Is it use limited (only in entirety and promotional or do they have rights to excerpt for other purposes?
Do they have the right to release it in other forms such as DVD, online, etc?”

Essentially, we did the doc for them at a rate that was very beneficial to them on the understanding that we would retain complete rights and control over the finished film and its constituents.

The charity approached the health authority about usage in the first instance – who told them they were ‘fine’ with the footage being handed over even though it was not their call to make.

Unfortunately, this makes it hard for me to use the reason that exclusivity was granted to the health authority if they’ve turned round and said they’re ok with it being used elsewhere.

[Craig Seeman] “Can you clarify? Is the charity asking for sections to so they can recut… elsewhere?”

That’s exactly right. They have a DVD project, which in theory they could have used us for, but for whatever reason we weren’t approached. So the issue is solely about turning down a polite request for a helping hand, when behind that helping hand is another production company being paid to use my work free of charge.

I’m sure there’s a reasonable way to do this without coming across like a spoilt brat who won’t let anyone else have the ball!

[Dylan Hargreaves]

Hi Craig,

My company has complete ownership of the doc, and indeed, we recently granted a licence for it to run on community television.

We have release forms from all the contributors, including the representative from the charity concerned. My question is really how to say no in a way that doesn’t make me look like an a-hole. But I’m not in the business of helping other production companies to look good by donating my footage for free either, and if I’d been approached by them, it would be an easy call. But it was the charity, and no one likes saying no to charities…