Nick Griffin
Forum Replies Created
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GREAT advice, guys! Sharing insights like these are exactly why the Biz COW was created in the first place.
Let me add one more thought for a start-up (and for on-going operations, as well): Don’t buy stuff until the exact point in time you need it. Computers, monitors, RAIDs only get cheaper as time marches forward. Cameras and lenses only get better. Keep debt as low as possible and hold onto money like it’s… LIKE IT’S MONEY.
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Greg-
I agree fully with what Mark said. Take the high road and let the person you were working for (not the new Mkt. Dir.) see how honorable you are. Just be sure to let it be known that you’d like the opportunity to compete for future jobs and state that you hope past accomplishments and successes for this company will be taken into account. DO NOT go negative on the new Mkt. Dir. in any way.The long and short of it is, stuff happens. Sometimes you are the one brought in by the new Mkt. Dir. and sometimes you’re not. And sometimes new hot shots burn out quickly and/or move on to their next great opportunity.
Above all else, stay in touch with these people, including the Mkt. Dir. even if you’re not getting work as you once had. This also points up the importance of having an ongoing new business sales effort as part of your overall business. There’s always going to be attrition and it’s usually for things outside of your control, so control what you can by always being in contact with new people.
If it was always fun it wouldn’t be a business.
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Oh, yea. It doesn’t hurt to have a talent who’s done ADR before or, at the very least, has enough professional control over his/her vocal performance that they can repeat some things the same way and tweak others as needed. Pros are easier to work with than non-pros. What a concept!
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I agree with ADR as the solution.
A few years ago I had incurably bad audio (on tapes shot by a still photographer) and a re-shoot was logistically and financially out of the question. When all was said and done the ADR session, done in a studio that was doing a lot of ADR for TV shows, ended up costing less than US$400 and saved the footage. If anything it sounded too good (Lou Mills short Schoeps mike I believe, Ty) and I had to roll off the top and add room sound to make it more real.
Can you do ADR yourself? Probably. I just found it much easier and faster to use a studio set up for ADR.
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Two things come to mind.
1) You will sleep better and respect yourself if you stand up for what’s right and what’s fair.
2) You can easily prevent the draining away of thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars from you and your business by not spending enormous amounts of time in a negative activity. When you’re doing negative stuff it’s just robbing you of the time you could be spending doing real work.
Pick one, ’cause you can’t have both. Think about this before you launch your missles. If it were me (as I’m sad to report it has been on more than one ocassion in the past) I’d make all the moves that I was going to the edge but be ready to walk away before spending a lot of time researching corporate officers, etc.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, as said a few times earlier in this thread by others, write a detailed, factual (and UN-emotional) demand letter outlining everything that has gone down, what your position is and what the contract states. This will not only help you should you have to move forward, it could be invaluable if he sues you. And by the way, if he sues you it probably won’t be in small claims court so best have all your ducks in a row.
Best of luck. My sympathies (and stomach acid) are with you.
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Three words:
JUST GET PAID.
Just get paid BEFORE you turn over ANYTHING. And this should include estimated time for getting everything gathered.
I say if the guy’s not being a complete d*ck, give him the digitized footage — PROVIDED he pays for the media or sends over a hard disk to load it onto. Personally I would NOT give-up a program file. Play it cute and export an EDL. You can then state that you’ve given him literally every bit of info needed to re-construct the piece. Give him copies of your plug-ins??? Ask him what he’s smoking.
BTW, in case it’s not painfully obvious, you won’t be working for him again. This should be especially evident if he claims he’ll call for something else in the future. And remember: JUST GET PAID.
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Welcome to this end of the pasture, john!
-Nick Griffin
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Greg: First of all I’m not sure how things work in your country but it doesn’t take much to become incorporated here in the US.
It is so simple to start a business in the US that most of us are clueless that it would be any different elsewhere. I don
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Word of mouth is invariably the best form of marketing because it has the highest credability. But since that can be a very slow thing to get started — and up to a level capable of producing a sustainable income — you have to look to other sources.
Yellow Pages? Maybe. But only of you’re selling to the general public, ie. – weddings/events and other things that people (vs. companies) might use.
Mailers can work but are most efficient if targeted by both the list used and the message conveyed. For example, if you want to produce TV spots go for lists of ad agency creatives and marketing titles within companies you’d like to work for. Depending on how big your mailing will be this can easily be a list you compile yourself from research and phone calls, rather than purchasing from a list broker.
Targeting the message is the most important thing. Using the example above, let’s say you’re going after ad agency creatives and your mailer includes a CD, DVD or web link to your work. Guess what? You’re not very unique because, depending on their size and client base, they may get a dozen unsolicited reels a week. How do you stand out from this crowd? Don’t try to sell them with a message like “watch my reel.” Seek to educate / inform them with a lead in along the lines of “10 new techniques for making spots which get noticed” or, “World class annimation and motion graphics at local market prices” , etc.
Oh, and one more thought. Your work has to be worthy of any hype you surround it with. Otherwise promotion is a waste of time. But considering the fact that you’re someone who posts on the COW, your work is probably dynamite, right?
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Frank Nolan: “My advice would be to call a lawyer and be prepared.”
This is one of the only things said here with which I take issue. Sure you can be prepared, but don’t start a lawyer’s taxi meter until there’s an actual reason. It’s far more likely that this woman will just go away. The best preparation would be to assemble all the pertinent documents, notes, recollections in one place. If you really have time to burn, build a timeline of what was said and when. Then put it away and move on.
Having been through serious litigation with someone who stole our work product (after months of deposition and preparation they settled the evening before the trial was to start), I can speak first hand for how mentally exhausting the process is. It can be like taking your business, your life and everything that matters to you and setting it aside so your mind can be taken over by legal BS. Massive amounts of time are consumed. It’s great to have been right and won. But looking back on what I paid in wasted time and the draining of positive energy, both sides lost. (The lawyers of course were the true winners — they ALWAYS are!)
Oh, and I especially like Mark’s wish that this drive her to your worst competitor. If only things worked out as well in life as they do in fiction!