Rennie Klymyk
Forum Replies Created
-
[walter biscardi] ” I said “the week of October 1st looked good” in August. I didn’t say “October 1.””
At this point I’d ask them which October 1st. they want?…. There’s 2008, 2009 still available. Maybe they can take the scenic route! 🙂
[walter biscardi] ” I probably should have stayed in better communication with him over the past six weeks, but it has been a bit insane around here. “
Since he is the one who knows when his project is ready it is up to him to confirm. It’s pretty obvious between 2 people when you are actually making an appointment, exact times to the minute are usualy specified as is the nature of work to be peformed and rates confirmed. Anything else is just tentative and should not be considered confirmed. When your schedule is sliding in months, follow up confirmations or re-bookings are in order with your outside contractors.
Another neat thing doctors and dentists adhere to is “no show” or “failure to cancel prior to 24hr notice” charges. Many people just don’t seem to be aware of the value of one’s time and come waddling in 45 minutes late with coffee in hand. Just a simple courtesy phone call to warn you they are caught in traffic or what ever would allow you to continue working on other things instead of shutting down and reconfiguring your set up for them only to have to wait. I’ve had a client for about 4 years now who is in the habit of calling me ahead about 2 hrs usually to try to bend my schedule back an hour or 2 and you know I actually don’t mind. It often gives me some time to finish something off or maybe I’ll just adjust my lunch break to accomadate him. Communication is the key.
-
One of your problems is your capture device. The ADVC-110 has an on board dv codec chip so everything gets converted into dv enroute to the computer. Because of that there is no sense going to dvcpro 50 after that. You would need a higher end digitizer like an AJA IO to get away from the dv format. This would help archiving to a higher quality format. Good quality vhs footage (which it sounds like you have) encodes best going straight to dvd through a hardware encoder or one of the vcr type dvd recorders that are out there. This avoids digitizing it twice. Most vcr type dvd recorders give you :
dv picture quality @ up to 1hr per disc ;
s-video picture quality @ up to 2hr per disc;
vhs picture quality @ up to 4hr.per disc.
after you go over the 2hr limit the encode drops to 250 lines from 500 lines as well as the bit rate reduction. You will see a huge difference according to the time you squeeze on a disc/bitrate. -
One of your problems is your capture device. The ADVC-110 has an on board dv codec chip so everything gets converted into dv enroute to the computer. Because of that there is no sense going to dvcpro 50 after that. You would need a higher end digitizer like an AJA IO to get away from the dv format. This would help archiving to a higher quality format. Good quality vhs footage (which it sounds like you have) encodes best going straight to dvd through a hardware encoder or one of the vcr type dvd recorders that are out there. This avoids digitizing it twice. Most vcr type dvd recorders give you :
dv picture quality @ up to 1hr per disc ;
s-video picture quality @ up to 2hr per disc;
vhs picture quality @ up to 4hr.per disc.
after you go over the 2hr limit the encode drops to 250 lines from 500 lines as well as the bit rate reduction. You will see a huge difference according to the time you squeeze on a disc/bitrate. -
Check with your local landfill. Where I am a law was just passed. It’s free drop off for electronics but we pay a recycle tax when we buy the stuff now. The items are disected and recycled or safely disposed of.
-
[Tim Kolb] “Partnerships are a slippery slope. I’d set up in two independent offices next door to each other and call on each other as subcontractors when necessary, but that way you have a chance to each succeed on your own merits instead of inevitably failing together.
“This is an excellent post. I once had a collegue who like myself ran a business in a commercial office. We were both young, single guys and began to hang out a various coffee bars after late nite stints at the office. We would discuss buisiness, problems and share ideas. He was always suggesting we amelgamate our buisinesses but I always resisted. After about 2 years I was able to pin point that a large number of complications I had had in life and business all stemed from him. I now believe he was practising the age old adage “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and he was merely attempting to “eliminate the competion” a slogan I’ve heard him utter many times. He also used to brag about what he called “Hong Kong Gorilla Business Practices”. One I recall is when a compeditor disguised as a new client would appear and start giving you a lot of work until you really liked them. They would then tell you they were looking for someone with said equipment who could handle 50 times this work flow. After the $$$$$ signs cleared from your eyes and you took the bait they waited till you geared up with large expenditures on equipment so you could handle the type of work and then they would stop all the business they had been giving you. They would show up at your bankruptcy sale and buy everything at 10
-
Thanks for the post Kerry. Ever since I attended an Art Kade seminar about 10 years ago where he told of us of a $100.00 license available to Australian Videographers that provided legal use of any popular music in small non broadcast productions I’ve wondered if it would ever be available here. I think this is great and logical. I didn’t want to sign up with Zoom now just to view their catalog, is there a good selection? I supose the more people who use it the more money will come available to entice other lables to become a part of it. It will keep people legal and generate profit for the artists.
-
I remember one time when my landlord decided to renovate the entire building I was in. The attic would be removed and 20′ ceilings would ensue with a mezzimain in the back. As I had a small studio there I spoke to the contractor about putting the mezzimain in the front where my reception and office was and where the clients entered off the street. This would leave me with a high ceiling in the studio space. The contractor thought for a moment and said ” yes it is feasible and wouldn’t be a biggie for him to do”. He thought at most it may run into an extra couple hundred bucks but in reality it was just a reverse process given the layout of the building. After taking my request to the owner I found out the architect had a $1000.00 minimum fee for any changes to the blueprints. Architects have it figuered out.
That said, I will bend over backwards for regular cliens or clients who are reasonable regarding costs, who pay their way and who don’t try to squeeze me for a cheap deal. Like Walter pointed out above, our work is not cookie cutter products that we merely stamp out and sell. Each one is one of a kind, like a Picasso. I think even Picasso would never really know when the piece was actually complete. As long as it was still on the easle (timeline) he could always add a touch of color here or there.WHAT HAPPENED?
As I was expected to move into a completed unit around the corner (that had no lease hold improvements like carpet and paint) for 3 months and then move back into the completed unit next to mine afterwards because they already leased my original space. (I was to take the next unit beside my old one, so new address, stationery etc. etc.) I ended up moving a few blocks over with a new landlord where I stayed for 12 years. -
Panasonic would never manufacture “a cheaper knock off” it would only hurt their sales and reputation. Anyone buying their “cheaper knock off” would expect the same quality as the original one and would badmouth both models. There are “grey market” cameras which are all the same. The US distributer provides certain serial number cameras to all registered resellers in the USA and they all get the Panasonic warranty and there is adaquate profit for the resellers so they can stay in business. Grey market cameras come from other countries where price structure and currency is different. Sometimes people find a country and a way to import these models into their country and sell them cheaper than the bonifide US models. Because the serial numbers are different from the distributer’s batch they will not qualify for warranty service in the US but they are the same cameras. Private companies like Mac will sell a waranty for these cameras.
The camera you are looking at is a hoax like is stated above. That’s priced to the point of ridiclousness.
-
[Soupy Tom] “have to save up for 2 8GB cards”
It’s cheaper to buy 1 16gb card and the 32gb cards are suposed to be out in November. This kind of stuff typically gets cheaper and bigger as time marches on. My advice is to purchase the biggest that are available at the time. In the future you will be glad you did as you will have them a long time.
My 1st CF card for my still camera was $450.00 for a 96mb card. Today a 4Gb card is about $100.00. That’s about 40X the capacity for 25% of the cost. If P2 gets that cheap we won’t need blue ray dvd’s to watch HD movies on.
-
[walter biscardi] “I’ve finally learned moderation.”
Wow! good work! I’m going to have to try that. Although with me it’s mostly not getting any exercise.
I now have Shane’s head shot, it’s a change alright.