Neil Hurwitz
Forum Replies Created
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OH Come on and stop whinning like somebody took your bottle away
1.There is no resale value for FCP software, when you bought it
it was an expense not an investment
2. You have the option of staying just as you are
3.Switching to Avid is going to cost you more
So Suck it up, don’t worry about your INVESTMENT (not)
You blew the money the second you bought it
Buying software is not like buying a FDIC insured CD
YOU ARE IN BUSINESS, SUCK IT UP
JEEZNeil Hurwitz
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Now a really cool thing would be if Apple
shows a souped-up Ipod capable of storing a one hour show
at SR quality, and being able to be both be a recorder/player with
a built in viewer. It could be just as cheap as the ebay price
on a SR 64 minute tape. Just speculating like the rest
but why can’t it be done? Lets get some real outside the box
thinking going. Thunderbolt on Macpro would be nice alsoNeil Hurwitz
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Not a cheap website
But they are based overseas, so collecting could be an issue
Get paid before you hand over anythingNeil Hurwitz
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Sad to say it
BUT IT IS TRUE
This industry is being segmented into the
Low end and the High end.
The great middle of the industry has been gutted like a Flounder.
Let’s do an informal poll
How many here work in companies with more than 15 but less than
100 employees?
The great middle was where most of the entrepreneur types cross bred
with the creative types and supported each other.
In today’s present environment this no longer exists.
You either have to be real small, use freelancers on a job by job
Basis or rather large to offer just about every conceivable service
And have sufficient capital to get the latest and greatest.
By low end I do not mean low end product I mean a low end physical
Plant with minimal full time staff, where the owners usually are
editors themselves and they and maybe one or two others are the
company. If an industry is comprised of companies where one or two
heart attacks can shut them down, is it really an industry?
Large companies greater than let’s say 100 employees have the advantage of staffers that are not hands on But can be hands on
with the clients. They have traffic departments that track all client materials, they have schedulers to keep the place running smoothly, they have staff engineers so a problem can be addressed
on the spot and not on the phone or by email, they have spares,
they don’t have any single point of failure.
So yes the industry of the independent post house is shrinking
But that is not to say that there are less jobs in the jobs
associated with post, they are just spread out quite differently than
they were just a few short years ago. I would not want to be running
around town with 10 years experience, a good reel and asking for a
100,000 dollar salary now, that’s for sure.
It’s going to be interesting to see what the shake out is from
the shortage of SR stock. I know lots of houses in the NYC area
where SR work was their last big Locomotive and now they are worried.Neil Hurwitz
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Late to this thread But here goes,
I have been asked by many clients to furnish them with leads
on how to get services cheaper than their existing vendors
(who I may or may not know)
My rule of thumb is ALWAYS:
1.Provide at least three (so they, not you make a choice)
2.Know that they are more expensive ( make them feel good)
3.Know that they are qualified ( cover your butt)
4. Explain that you are passing on just a name and NOT making
a reccomendation or endorsement of any kind(cover your butt again)
If I can’t do the above I suggest the MPE or 411 guide.
I have found that referring clients to cheaper vendors allways
leads to being asked to drop my rates and I never want a client
blaming me if I reccomend a provider that then craps out.
By all means be helpfull but don’t set yourself up to be a bad guyNeil Hurwitz
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So a 18 hour job gets requested late on a Friday, Monday
morning delivery is no good and you ask if this is a billable service??
You just gotta love this business !!!
What you should have done was say the only way to get this on Saturday
morning would be for me to load this on a drive and buy a ticket
on the next flight and delivery it in person or I can bring the drive
over to you and you can figure out how to get it to the 3rd party.
This is a rediculous request if the client isn’t willing to pay for it.
End of Story.Neil Hurwitz
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Sounds to me like you should go old school here
Just buy a used switcher and tbc with a
still store and do a simple key of your bug
One real time pass and you are done.
GVG made a unit the DSK 101 just for this purpose
and Leitch made a Log inserter that let you animate the bug.
You can get this stuff on ebay for cheap.Neil Hurwitz
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I assume that this is somewhat of a hobby for you,
so 80 bucks for a simple point and shoot is not so bad
If it takes you a total of 3-4 hours per project your making yourself
20.00 to 30.00 an hour. More than double that of flipping hamburgers.
I assume your handing over just one DVD, you should charge at least
10 bucks a copy thereafter. All the soccer moms jumping up and down
yelling “good job” after Buffy or Biff scores a goal should be an easy sell. Forget about what others say, they have no interest in doing this type of stuff and they FORGET that everyone now has a “Flip”
camera. You are not going to earn an Oscar or Emmy or be able to earn a living doing this but you might meet some really cool moms.Neil Hurwitz
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Two things jump out at me here.
1st: No one here, myself included is an Attorney licensed to practice
in your state, so all their advice is worthless.
Before you walk out on your salary and benefits
the proper thing to do is to consult with one.
You say “Potentially sign away rights” so it is clear to me that
you yourself are not sure what this agreement means.
Get a good attorney to clarify this for you.
You also used the word “WE” so I assume you have a family
and risk losing yours and their benefits, I assume you mean
Medical Insurance, better get a reality check on what that costs
to buy on your own. If you have a wife and two kids get ready to spend between 12,000.00 and 16,000.002nd: In todays job market never ever believe that you are worth
more to them then they are to you. They can replace you in a heartbeat, I doubt you can find another position with benefits
as quicklyI gotta say I think it is reprehensible for some here to say walk
without getting real legal advice (some have, Kudos to them)
They are not in your shoes and will not suffer any consequences
so it’s real easy for them to pontificate and take the high ground
but you would be surprised at how fast their thinking would change
if it was their livelihood on the blockNeil Hurwitz
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Late to this thread
But I Crack them open, pull out the platters
and turn them into “Coasters” for the coffee table.
I allways get comments on how unusual they are.
By the way I know a used equipment dealer who found himself stuck
with lots of old gear, so he pulls out the boards and has them
smelted down for the gold.
Bob, My last dumpster chuck was for 3 complete
GVG VPE 351 edit systems , Couldn’t even give them away for free.
Thats 120,000 in the can.Neil Hurwitz