Nick Griffin
Forum Replies Created
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Let me state the obvious. In terms of telling a story they’re not that much different. The buttons and commands are just in different places. Which is why I switched to Avid, because I like the way the “buttons” can be re-arranged easily and you can layout the keyboard to help you do your best work quickly. But as Bob Zelin (one sweetheart of a guy if there ever was one) said, you don’t START as an editor in ANY production environment.
Try Avid Free and see if you like it.
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I know nothing about UK laws, but here’s a thought: It depends on how widely your video will be circulated as to whether you get spotted and as such given “cease order” from someone’s lawyer. The buildings and other structures (at least here in the US) are the intellectual property of their owners. In other words, if Harrods is in the shot you would need to obtain a legal release from them. But if your video is for limited use and distribution you may get away with it. Just make sure your client is aware that this is a dicey area and at any point the property owners could demand that the video be taken down. (IMHO!)
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Never having done anything like this, take my advice for what it’s worth.
On most of the food beauty shots (think doing a 180 around a Big Mac) there is a “snorkel lens” which can work in tight spaces because the camera is comfortably overhead of the subject. So given that approach I think you need to custom build a set and approach it from above without revealing that you are trading right and left imaging for up and down. As to the drain you might want to think in terms of shooting it then enhancing it in AfterEffects to bring out the ring and strainer parts.
Can I assume that this is a spot for an exterminator?
All things considered this is not an easy concept to turn into a spot. Nor would it be inexpensive to do well. (IMHO.)
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Well, I’ve checked the uncompressed master and it’s in perfect synch, making me think this is purely a Squeeze issue. I ran one though Handbrake and it came out perfectly. Problem is Handbrake doesn’t have that many options. Anybody know what the H-264 compression program that’s favored by broadcasters is called?
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Ummm… have you noticed the many, many, many tutorials here on the COW? I’m not sure if there are any restrictions on using them in a class setting, but I doubt it. And when in doubt ask the source.
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Use an extremely agile audio boom operator for moving around the crowd as needed and directly mic the host / primary speaker. Not a great solution and quite possibly not even possible given your budget but nothing sounds less professional than audio from a camera mic UNLESS you have a DAMN good, properly insulated and bass trapped room.
The problem with getting by with less than good production is that can hold you back from being selected for projects with decent budgets.
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I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps the individual is not an adult? -
I’m reminded of a story I heard in my radio days (daze). A not too honest General Manager was able to get ahold of not just one, but two Arbitron diaries. By using them to show heavy listening to his own station he was able to generate much higher ratings than reality would have dictated. This then turned into tens of thousands of dollars from ad agencies who purchased time just based on ratings. And, I believe, he got away with it. But that was many, many years ago.
What I truly do not understand, even though I’ve had it explained to me multiple times, is that in surveys a smaller number of respondents is more accurate than a larger number. Makes little to no sense to me, but I guess 1,000 Nielsen books in a single market added together with several thousand others spread across the country can provide some form of reliabile predictability. And I agree with Shane on this. With so many set-top boxes communicating back to the mothership, wouldn’t that be a FAR better way to determine ratings?
From a purely marketing prospective, these old fashioned ways of measuring and predicting audiences has been a major factor in making on-line advertising so attractive to number crunchers (i.e.- the media buyers) at big ad agencies. However, another thing I don’t understand is why the B&H Photo algorithm keeps promoting things to me after I’ve already recently purchased them… from B&H.
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I’m reminded of an art director I used to know who once said, “Sure. I know Adobe Illustrator. The box is sitting right here on my shelf.”
So Joe, at the risk of being overly blunt: there’s a LOT more to using a product to effectively achieve a goal than simply buying it. (IMHO.)
What you probably want is someone with years of experience creating the kind of video and effects you’re looking for. Otherwise it will be YOU spending the years trying to gain the knowledge in order to accomplish what you want. And, if you really want to speed the learning process have someone create it for you who is willing to tell you the steps they’re going through.
Don’t have much of a budget? Go onto a COW forum like Adobe AfterEffects and tell the herd what you’re looking for, ask to see samples and hopefully find someone inexpensive.
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[Todd Terry] “start it with already having business to support it.”
Truer words have rarely been said. I also fully agree with Mark (as usual). We are so far down the road from the days of the traditional “production house” that it’s lost in the horizon behind us. As I have written before here, in the old days a bare bones on-line editing suite costs $ 300,000 to $400,000. That was until the competitor down the street added the latest $100,000 ADO. That business model became a race to the bottom for production houses as evidenced by how few of them are left today. (They’re sharing office space with the typesetting company and the film processing lab.)
On the flip side, there’s never been more demand for content so doing production has a lot of potential. But not necessarily as a traditional company with fixed overhead. Hire individuals for individual projects with particular skills as needed. Rent equipment as needed until such point that there’s enough weekly/monthly demand that owning it makes sense.
As to leaving an existing job… the best rule of thumb for starting a business is, as Todd put it, having the clients already in hand. Oh, and then there’s the part about having at least enough savings in the bank to support yourself and your family for six months so you can survive the ups and downs of operating a business. Then there’s still no guarantee that you won’t fail and end up with little to show for your efforts.
Sorry to be such a downer, but maybe the safest course is as Mark suggested to develop more creative outlets AND keep the steady paychecks rolling in.