Mike Cohen
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COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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We tend to GET gifts from contractors (writers, designers, printers, narrators, etc). Today we got a huge platter of gourmet cookies. There is usually a tin can of caramel corn floating around the office this time of year, and today I got a cute little tin of hot cocoa from someone else. A Whitman’s sampler can’t be far behind unless the mailman gets to it first. Good thing I just had a filling last week, now I’ve got a clean slate!
Mike
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just recently I had a client from 5 years ago call asking if they can have the raw footage. It seems they are looking for the original unmixed audio from some interviews, but were not very clear. I of course offered up our services for any future editing work they may need. Never hesitate to find an opportunity when someone calls you out of the blue, you never know.
They asked if they have access to the raw footage, and can they see the original contract. I explained that, A, the contract is in storage off site, since this was from 2003, and B, they paid for the work, they own the material, our company provided a service. I had the tapes in a box right where I left them, and was never going to touch them ever again, as the footage is useless by anyone but the original client.Am I worried they will re-cut the project without me? Not really. The original project was about 100 hours of editing and another 100 hours of Director work. If they have the budget and inclination to start from scratch, good for them.
Come to think of it, yesterday I had yet another client ask for raw footage. This was a bit different – we paid for the shoot, but he is still the client. The video we created is done and in our library. He wants the raw footage for other teaching purposes, which is fine, as long as he gives us credit if he uses it.
It never hurts to be nice.
Mike Cohen
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As the others have inferred – no offense intended, but the trailer does not make me want to see this movie. It actually looks pretty boring.
Since there have been so many docs made with footage shot by soldiers, and some with pretty big budgets and known filmmakers, I think you need an angle that has not been seen before. At this point in the war, when a lot of the general non-military public believe the war to have been a big mistake and not very successful (not my opinion) I don’t know how many people care about the Iraqi people.
Good luck.
Mike
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consult a lawyer
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there are many threads further down the board about CS4 “issues”. Adobe must test the new software on the WOPR.
Growing pains.
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Tim, I agree completely. I try to never use a local shooter for something specialized, like surgery. For interviews, there has better be a client on location. If it is just the video crew, I need to be very clear ahead of time with what I am looking for. There is nothing like conducting an interview myself, of course, because as you said, I know the subject matter and tend to ask followup questions not on the original list.
Mike
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This thread’s development is all too familiar. Someone posts a question. Then when the responses do not fit the expected answer of the original questioner, the conversation diverges. It is similar to asking, “What is better, Premiere or FCP?” Such a vague question will get a storm of answers but it is a question that cannot be answered. As Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, it depends upon a “certain point of view.”
In other words, Sebastian, the consensus of this thread seems to be that the answer to your original question is “No.” Perhaps you were looking for someone to say “yeah, have them sign a waiver, then you are covered” but that is not too common in my experience. Equipment malfunctions, even if properly maintained, which is why I said in my earlier post – if shooting something that cannot be redone, like a wedding, heart transplant or whatever, have a backup camera. If you are charging typical wedding rates, you should be able to rent a 2nd camera for $200 from your local rental house for the weekend without losing your house.
Good luck, and thanks for seeking the advice of the very seasoned people on this board. We all have the best of intentions.
Mike Cohen
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I saw my first HDV dropout today. I will go back to that spot on the tape and see if the video is there or not – it appears as a red flash in Premiere.
Stuff happens, but you can’t lose sleep over the possibility of something maybe happening. This is why Aflac sells cancer insurance – the risk is there but usually it is small – but some people are risk averse. We have had a few projects over the years in which there was a camera malfunction – not much you can do except be honest and hope it was not a once in a lifetime event. For once in a lifetime events (weddings, building demolition etc – use two cameras – even if the safety shot is a lesser format – the bride wants to see the ring exchange and the vows, and would rather see it in Hi8 than not at all.). The one wedding I have shot for money this is what I did – DVCAM on a tripod moving around a lot to avoid the always moving stills shooter – Hi8 on a locked down tripod with a reverse shot – this covered my moves and provided a backup of both audio and video.
Any live event should be shot with two cameras.
Mike Cohen
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I just completed a project using lots of stock footage. I found pond5.com has a decent selection and reasonable prices.
That’s interesting about istockphoto being bought by Getty – did not know that – we use them a lot for both stills and video.
Speaking of models, did anyone else catch the HD broadcast of the Viscoria’s Secret show last week – it was stunning picture quality (to say nothing of the subject matter).
Mike Cohen
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On the flip side, you have situations where a client criticizes the work of a colleague. For example, we once had a senior level person from a client’s organization conduct some interviews. I then cut the two-camera interviews for review. The senior person’s colleague, another senior level person, then sat down with me for the final edit session. She immediately starts saying how the guy asked all the wrong questions, don’t tell him I said this, but he was the wrong person to work on this, etc. In this case, you’re the monkey in the middle, and just have to nod and say “uh-huh” a lot.