[Nick Griffin]

[Scott Sheriff] “$2,500 bucks is a chunk of change to lose if Murphy shows up on set”

My greatest fear of Mr. Murphy and his immutable laws is when something happens to the camera. Had that happen a few years ago, fortunately after 4pm when most of what was going to get done was done, and had to call an immediate wrap. A buddy suggests having and EX-1 or EX-3 along as a back-up/2nd cam, but there are lots of things I’d buy before going that route.

[Scott Sheriff] “We are now living in a world where the on set monitor costs more than the camera.”

I’m pretty sure the matte box & follow-focus stuff was more than the cost of the monitor. But then I’m a fairly weak shooter so I need all the help I can bring along.

[Nick Griffin]

Scott-
One of the few times we disagree. After a few years of shooting with the 17″ FSI, for me it’s the only way to go. First of all it’s not a 24″ or larger monitor so it’s not that heavy or difficult to pack up and take with us. Second, features including the IRE scope; the side-by-side picture comparison which, using playback from the camera, enables us to see the live shot beside any previous shot; the 4×3 protection overlay and the 1:1 pixel mode for doing critical focus without being on top of the camera are too useful to be without.

As to risk, it’s a $2,500 monitor. If it were more, I might feel differently. We also mount it on a rolling C-stand so it can roll along with dolly shots when needed. In an ideal world (also known as “when I grow up”) I probably will have a large monitor which stays in the edit suite and a 9″ for the field — provided it has the full FSI feature set. But for now I like having a real monitor on shoots.

And to re-address the original post, how realistic is it to get the gamma and other things set to turn a Dell computer monitor into a realistic — and informative — field monitor? If anything there’s the case where travel vibration, etc. will reek havoc. (IMHO.)

[Nick Griffin]

Wow. I had no idea it was so simple. I was under the mistaken impression that something like a Black Magic adapter would be needed.

Bram- do you know if the Canon outputs timecode that the monitor can display? Also does audio travel through the HDMI connection as it does through SDI? That’s something I’ve found VERY useful.

[Nick Griffin]

We went with the 17″ Flanders (FSI) monitor a few years ago when they first came out and couldn’t be happier with it both as an editing and field monitor. Like other pro monitors the Flanders have a set of screw threads on the back which attach to an adapter which then attaches to a C-stand. It’s simple and its secure. Not sure if the Dell has anything like this as that’s not likely the monitor’s intended use.

John, I understand the economics of your decision but would make two arguments. 1) There’s really no good substitute for a real monitor with the myriad of functions the Flanders monitors have, ie. – blue gun only for set-up against color bars, a freezable sub-window for comparing an existing one shot to the live one, safe areas and 4×3 protection markers, easily battery powered in the field, on screen time code and a myriad of real scopes which you an toggle on and off instantly. 2) The Flanders is made for pro use and built to last for years so it will hold its value. Not likely with the Dell.

Now for one fly in the ointment, I don’t know what outputs you have on the Canon, but I don’t believe that the Flanders monitors have an HDMI input, meaning if you need HDMI you might have to spend a few hundred bucks for an adapter. If it were my decision, I’d still go with the pro choice even if it required floating a loan.

My two cents.

[Nick Griffin]

Thanks, Scott. But the problem I have would need a REALLY good kludge as I’m using big Sachtler sticks with a 150mm bowl to support a Jib arm with a 100mm base. The weight of the jib pulls itself out of level too easily. When I use the bottom nut from the 150mm head it holds for a few hours so for now maybe that’s the best I can do.

I also hate renting because of the hassle of picking up and dropping off or the expense of having stuff shipped to many of the smaller markets where most of my work is. And frankly I’d rather spring for a 100mm heavy duty tripod than spend $235 on a ring of metal. At least that way I’d feel like less of a sucker.

[Nick Griffin]

Tell them to watch the intro credits to Person of Interest and you won’t have to explain it in words. (Just hope they don’t expect 50 or a hundred of them at once, each with a data stream below it.)

[Nick Griffin]

Well since no one else has responded yet, I’ll chime in. My sister lives in northern Thailand, I have a niece who is Thai yet I don’t have any specific insight. That said, and assuming you are traveling from the US…

You should call the Thai embassy closest to you (or the one in Washington DC) and ask for their commercial department and pose your question to them directly. I think that you’re also missing half of the picture however. The carnet will be of immense help in Customs when you return to the US with your gear. Odds are your camera, along with many other items were made in Asia so you had better be able to establish that you bought the gear in the US and are not attempting to circumvent import duties.

Generic advice, but hope it helps.

[Nick Griffin]

[Ty Ford] “I told them the wheels would come off if they didn’t pay me by the following friday”

Tyree-
This is kind of the opposite of what I was saying. Making “the wheels come off” sounds like a lot of negative effort to me. By threshold I mean $20k is worth a fight, $2k is not. It’s up to each of us to decide where in the middle lies your individual transition point.

[Nick Griffin]

Ty-
We’ve been friends for more years than either of us is likely to admit, but I have to disagree or at least offer a threshold for when action becomes necessary.

On those occasions when I’ve been stiffed for a couple to a few grand I’ve gone through a few months of chasing the money, but much more than that it just becomes counter productive. It’s time not being spent on new projects and new ways to make money which is easier to collect. Said another way, I’d rather dwell on the positive than wallow in the negative.

The last time I let several thousand go was because a PR firm’s client had managed to make so many things so confusing with changes upon changes upon changes upon changes that there simply was no good way to determine who was at fault for the portion they refused to pay for. Ultimately it was my fault for not insisting on a written change order every time but by the time it had gotten that confused it was simpler to walk away than fight it. I learned to never work with either that PR firm or that client ever again AND I got to get back to more productive activities.

[Nick Griffin]

Steve-
That sounds like a bargain rate. Wonder WHERE their people are located? To be accurate with US English I would hope they would be US-based, but in this day and age who knows?

Todd –
Yes of course you are right, but I didn’t say that Bob himself had to be the one using this technique. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. Isn’t that what “Hey, kid. Wanna earn a couple of hundred bucks?” is for?

Mark-
Of the MANY good ideas we’ve all gleaned from you over the years I sincerely don’t remember you offering this gem. Not saying you didn’t, but I first heard about it a decade or more ago, back in the day when the voice recog software was no where NEAR as good as it is today.

The biggest problem I have with the whole idea of a transcript, necessary as it may be for some clients, is that (in my humble experience) too often words which are written don’t work nearly as well, especially edit as well, when spoken. It’s kind of like the older clients who want a window burn so they can do a paper edit. The last time someone asked me for that I offered him free use of an under-utilized workstation and taught him how to mark ins and outs and then hit log. Ohhh so much better a use of everyone’s time. (IMHO.)