[Jim Brodie]

Michael,

I reread your post and I think you are referring to what I was talking about… the arrows (Open GL Interactors)were there, you actually see them flash up in the composite window for a fraction of a second when M100 loads Boris Red and then they’re gone! You are left with only a little box to move objects around which is a pain. The Interactor arrows are a very intuitive and useful tool.

Try trashing you’re Boris Red prefs in User/Library/Prefs/Boris Red Prefs and they’re back. Its the only work around I’ve found that brings the arrows back!

[Jim Brodie]

I’ve attached the still showing the Open GL Interactor

[Jim Brodie]

Thank you for responding. Clarification I’m referring to the
Open GL Interactor that are the red, blue and green arrows in the picture below. They control the x,y,z positioning of material in Red’s composite window. They would disappear and not return unless I blew out the preferences.

Michael, you can increase the speed of operations within the composite window if you degrade the preview resolution to 50 or 25% resolution. This greatly increases the responsiveness of your operation here.

[Jim Brodie]

Hi,

I’ve found the PC route goes quickly, however, I’m hearing a lot of positive things about the Nexto NVS2500 which allows you to download the cards onto a small portable hard drive. This would be perfect for remote field work .

Cheers,

Jim

https://www.cameradepartment.tv/nexto-nvs2500

Nexto NVS2500

[Jim Brodie]

Hi folks,

Thank you for your responses. I’ve stumbled upon an interesting one called Pulpmotion. I’ll compare it with Keynote.

One that was recommended for the PC was Photodex Proshow Gold.

Cheers,

Jim

[Jim Brodie]

The thing I don’t like is that the overall resolution seems softer than SD. I realize this doesn’t make sense. It looks like second generation VHS.

[Jim Brodie]

Thank you for your posts. As it turns out, two weeks after I posted this a prospect I’ve done some minor work for came to me with an RFP to rebrand their training website. When talking with their marketing head they said that they were seeking a web site designer to offer the full turn-key solution which included ten minutes of video clips! They preferred bringing the entire project to a web design company.

If this is what is happening more and more maybe we as video producers have to form closer alliances with other web developers. As much as we may or may not like it, the web and video have merged into one. Accessibility becomes more important than quality, just as the quality of music recording has been degraded by the ease of using mp3s and iTunes.

[Jim Brodie]

The only thing I would add is that the worst enemy of professional or nonprofessional talent is self-consciousness and one of the best ways to get them back into “the moment” and away from the demon of self-monitoring and self-criticism is to ask them to listen; ask them to really listen to another person they are in dialogue with. Now if they’re on their own maybe its as simple as turning the process into a conversation with you. Start with mundane stuff, such as a discussion of last night’s football or basketball game or a recent episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” anything that gets them focused on another person and on listening. Waste some time and start rolling early before you get to the stuff you really need.

The more you can change the process into a conversation between two people the more engaged and real they are going to be. Sometimes I’m perplexed when people get into their “admin speak” mode where they sound detached and on autopilot – I sometimes have to remind them to “dumb it” down or give them some idea that we’ll only need twenty or thirty second bites. Some academics can be tediously boring and wooden and they’ll just do it their way no matter what you suggest.

Why is it some of my best interviews are with the simple salt of the earth folks who are not weighing every phrase and always measuring every syllable to be politically correct? From experience there are some people who are just incredibly dull on camera and lapse into a rigid parody of themselves on camera. Cut your losses and move on. If someone is getting worse after the tenth take they’ll be even more worse on take 22.

Don’t be afraid to interrupt if a person is going off in the wrong direction. I think showing them a replay of what is not working is not as good an idea as showing them a clip where they are good. Although, I’m not sure that showing them anything in the process is the best.

Heap loads of praise. If they are appallingly bad tell them that the camera loves them… their eyes are beautiful. What they said about “torque settings on PCI replaced router valves” was valuable, but what we need is more “cowbell.” Make them laugh over a mistake somebody else made. Give them the impression they are doing a good job and somehow they’ll start to get better. Let them assume they have more talent then you’d expected. Don’t be blatantly disingenuous but find some aspect of their performance, their commentary or look that you can praise. Belittle yourself or blame the sound guy for flubs but make the talent feel good about themselves. (buy the sound guy a beer at the end of shoot and apologize)

The less they are aware that you are shooting sometimes the better it is. They should feel like they’re conversing at a cocktail party with a drink enjoying themselves. Sometimes asking them to picture in their mind’s eye this situation and the person they’re talking to helps them get into the zone.

Another trick, I used recently and learned from Judith Weston is opposites. If the person is performing in the wrong direction emotionally have them exaggerate it even more to the point of absurdity. It resets them emotionally. Now, when you tell them to do it the “right way” they land closer to what is authentic for them and often closer to what you as a director want.

[Jim Brodie]

I haven’t spoken to Lauren in years but she has shot some high profile works in Italy. She is a wonderful person and a terrific producer. Try this link.

https://www.thebigchimphouse.com

Lauren Drewery works as a writer, producer, director and story editor in partnership with filmmakers in Australia, Canada, the US and Italy. Recent documentary productions include: The Graduate from Sudan for SBS (director/co-producer); The Love Market for Nat Geo Australia (story editor); The War on Ideas for the PBS docu-drama series The Secret Files of the Inquisition (writer); The Lost Ship of Venice for Discovery Europe/France5 (writer/series producer); and Born to Fly for National Geographic International (writer).

[Jim Brodie]

Thank you everyone for your responses. The GSA route was productive. Unless you have a producer friend who is doing commercials its next to impossible to get the numbers for an average commercial.

Cheers,

Jim