[John Davidson]

I can’t really see anything wrong with it – am I missing something? If you shoot everything yourself, pay talent non-union $500, use Soundtrack loops to provide music or buy cheap music for it, vo with a non-union guy ($300-$500).

Mostly you’ll be shooting convention centers B-Roll, Family entertainment (beach scenes), adult night life (clubs, not strippers), etc – won’t that cover what they’re looking for? The business and convention folks want you to do this so I don’t think you’ll run into clearance issues for buildings, etc.

They’d need to pony up some flow, but if that’s what they want then hopefully they can afford it…

Good luck!
JD

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Make a website all about your show – find a different program in the same genre of your show and use it as inspiration. Don’t copy, that’s not creative – but let it give you ideas like, feature bio’s of hosts, etc. IF you can make a DVD, you can make a website.

Talk with local car dealers, restorers, mechanics, auto parts stores, etc. Perhaps you can work out some sort of deal where they advertise during your show. Buy an entire 30 minute block of a local station, then turn around and use your advertising to pay for it.

Create a podcast of your show, and refer to the video version of the show often.

Send copies of your show to programming executives at networks that specifically target your show’s primary audience.

And if none of that works….”Accidentally” run over someone famous while filming your car show.

JD

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

I typed that previous post way too fast. Please don’t slam me for my typos.

Wait, that gives me an idea for another show.

“Attenttion to detale when communicating with clients. What your speling says about you.”

Give me a break, guys. I was educated in south GA :-).
j

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Based on recent populairty of the forum (and personal experience) here are some possibly useful show ideas.

How and when to fire a client gracefully,

How to recognize a great client from a not-so-great client (i.e. Grinders),

Contracts and negotiation (would go well with the ‘working with ad agencies’ podcast).,

Advertising, what works and what is a waste of money,

NETWORKING Cold calling and other fun things to do when there is no work.

Corporate representation of your business (business cards, websites, etc.). Tips and trick on how to put your best e-foot forward,

Admitting your own mistakes and correcting them in ways that keep the client happy (would be a great forum for example citing. If you need help, let me know, I’ve made LOTS of mistakes and survived…),

And since it’s a biz podcast, perhaps some mundane stuff like:

Quickbooks, Quicken, or Quickly get an accountant. Which one is right for you?

Invoicing/Estimating/Billing/Budgeting, and idiots guide to getting paid,

Insurance, what and when you need it,

Hopefully this helps.
Cheers,
John

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Sorry if I came off a little abrupt. The ability to edit is about 25% of what it takes to be an editor and once you turn off a potential client, it’s hard to turn them back on again.

In regards to the cards, if you have the time, perhaps a global representation of yourself would be in order. As an editor designer, you’ve got to have a reel online these days, especially if you’re new. You can buy a website pretty cheap (or even free), design it in photoshop or even Word (or flash if you know it) and make a card that is consistant graphically with the site. Some folks say to leave the back of the card white to leave room for writing down information (like quick quotes). I personally did not go that route, but each person is different. The card cannot get you work on it’s own, but it can cost you work if it’s ugly, designed poorly, or uses weird fonts/typography.

When you’re ready with your card make sure you leave a little bleed room and the nice folks a Kinko’s can make a big batch on glossy card stock (or whatever style you choose) for a relatively low price.

With a consistant theme, your own website (not myspace), and an online reel demonstrating your work, you’ll be the cat’s meow in the student film circle.

Best of luck!
John

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

There are two types of people in the industry: ones who SAY they do the job, and ones who DO the job. The world is filled with the former, and skimpy with the latter. I would think very carefully about selling myself as an editor if you’re in film school and have just skimmed the surface of the biz. Your post implies that you don’t have the experience needed to claim the title of editor.

Be honest about who you are and your status and you’ll go 10,000 times farther than talking your way into a chair you’re not ready for. I personally would be much more likely to hire a wet-behind-the-ears kid straight out of school who has a grasp of editing concepts and a passion to learn long before I hired a wet-behind-the-ears kid who thinks he’s an editor. I’ve worked with young editors before who weren’t ready and I’ll never get those wasted days of my life back.

Honestly, if you put on your card:

Joe Blow
Hard Working Film Student with a passion to learn (or something similarly creative)
310-555-1212
joe.blow@hungryfilms.com

That would be a card that would stick out in my mind, and when I am in the market for an assist, pa, or ap type person, that’s the card I pull out first.

All that said, if you’re 45 years old and have been doing the job for 25 years and only went back to film school 4 years ago to get a degree, please accept my apology. Your profile is blank so I’m sure you can understand my ignorance to your wealth of experience. If you’re a young guy just starting out as you imply, it’s your choice to take my advice. Either way, good luck.
jd

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Debe, I was typing the same thing when I saw your post. I have the Galant, too (and love it). It’s good because depending on your room, you can make it quite a bit bigger or smaller with additional extentions.

Here’s a link to it:
https://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15600&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11544&langId=-1&categoryId=16129&chosenPartNumber=S99807032

I didn’t know they had a motorized tabletop though!

Cheers,
John

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Hey guys,

I think everybody should check this out. It’s a Photographer’s Rights PDF that everyone with a camera should carry multiple copies of in your case, bag, or wallet. Very very informative. I was actually surprised about the things you could get away with….

https://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

You know you’re in trouble when you can’t get past the Menu of Operating Systems versions at the store.

Seriously. My nephew ran out and bought a vista pc the first day it came out. He then tried to install a $40 webcam to show it off. It took an HOUR to get his webcam up and running. Even then it was sluggish. I guess cuz it only came with one gig of Ram.

His observations on the OS? “Why is everything running so slow?”

It took them FIVE YEARS to develop a software that is just as difficult and un-user friendly as it’s previous versions. Also, what’s the need to change things that people know (like the start menu), only to be replaced with a semantic change that is neither more simple or efficient? I really, REALLY wanted to get a copy of Vista because I had hoped that when copying Tiger, M$ would possibly make some significant improvements – you know, the whole “Standing on the shoulders of Giants” thing… Wow, was I wrong.

I wish that Apple could design everything so that all would be nice and simple. Imagine how much we as a human race could accomplish if we weren’t spending so much time trying to convince XP’s WGA check that our pre-installed copy of Windows is legitimate.

I think Butthead said it best. “You’ve gotta have stuff that sucks, to have stuff that’s cool”. Apple is defintely cool.

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[John Davidson]

Re: the multiple versions. Apple seems to like to leave that stuff to Windows and Avid.

Which version of Vista is right for you? Take our helpful quiz.

Would you say you are an email sender, or receiver?
Do you like to burn discs, or listen to them?
When you view web pages, are you more interested in pictures, or text?
Do you think navigating through 17 layers of menus to use a calculator is fun?

Congratulations, you’re just $350 and 3 gigs of Ram away from VISTA ULTIMATE! And as a special bonus, we’ll render all previous installations of our OS “XP”useless and illegal! Don’t forget to check out our newest widgets…errrr… Gadgets, especially our new PROductivity Gadget, a real time compiler showing you just how much time (in years) you’ll spend trying to use things like, printers, web cameras, wireless cards, and more! Act now and we’ll even throw in, NO DRIVERS!

Window Vista Ultimate. The Ultimate High Maintinance Operating System.

God bless my one version of Tiger…

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com