[Richard Herd]

Here is a contract I found useful. https://aicp.com/doingbusiness/scpa.html

Section D. is the terms of payment:
% Due upon signing of contract
% Due upon approval of photography
% Due upon completion of delivery

[Richard Herd]

Regarding 3 & 5…

on 3…be sensitive to politics you’re not aware of. In big corporations–like the one I work in–long email threads and who said what are vital part of the hierarchy, and since communication is context dependent, including who said what to whom and when is vital. It is also often a type of “power play.” In other words, be very careful what gets removed because if people start comparing emails with what they said and when, and you’re the one who made the “edit,” you’re the one who looks a bit silly.

on 5…again, return receipts are important so that someone cannot say I didn’t receive the email. It’s also a way to communicate the urgency of something and it is also a CYA situation. I would encourage you to start sending return receipts when they are requested. It let’s the sender know “the receiver has it all under control, and I have nothing to worry about, because the email didn’t get sent by mistake to some other person or filtered accidentally by a bot.” I agree in principle that RR need to be reserved for very important topics, and should therefore be followed up with a phone call. RR’s for every email are “crying wolf.”

[Richard Herd]

Don’t forget a way to measure/meter the light! Whether a monitor or a light meter. (I like a light meter.)

[Richard Herd]

check out aicp.com because there are some cool contracts and such.

Another niche you might want to consider is digital signage.

Mark stated it the way I’ve observed it also: the relationship between a producer > advertiser > client > media buyer is complex.

If you want to be a one stop shop, then you NEED these folks as direct, reliable contacts.

In small markets it’s really difficult to beat the pricing of production offered by network affiliates, because they sell the media-buy package (and there’s several packages) and throw in the production at no cost.

It’s also the case that the local affiliate–like Charter Communications–has also purchased outdoor bill boards, as part of the overall advertising strategy: not too mention local zines, cabs, buses. They are everywhere!!

If you envision a scenario where the client writes one check and you take care of it all, then you are the “agency of record.” Wow! If you can get such a contract on retainer, you’ll be so busy, you’ll want to quit!

[Richard Herd]

Best film school in the country: https://www.afi.com/education/conservatory/admissions.aspx

Really tough to get in and very expensive.

As an undergrad, consider studying drama.

But that’s way ahead of the game: your junior year and senior year in high school, consider getting involved with the drama department. Cinematography and video ain’t about the codecs, wiring, lenses, and all the other amazing, complex tools; it’s about the audience, the ones receiving/experiencing the work. You’ll want to know words like denouement, catharsis, proscenium, mise en scene.

So many movies I see from the school of “just buy a camera, get an internship, and go for it” are riddled with cliches–cliches in the story, dialogue, and character–cliches in the camera, editing, and acting.

There’s a couple thousand years worth of drama to read and watch and 150 years of cinema to screen.

Capturing clean pic and audio: easy.
Making a movie that 1,000,000 people want to pay $10 to see: really really really really hard.

[Richard Herd]

“Editing isn’t the most important part of a movie. It IS the movie.”

[Richard Herd]

There’s so many variables it’s hard to know where to begin answering. From a narrative filmmaking point of view…
— pip works well for multiple lines of action
— dissolves work well for a passage of time
— wipes work well for moving to a whole new tone, like moving from hero’s arc to villain’s arc
— cutting on action works well for tricking the eye and getting to the close up
— static & jump cuts work well to collapse time

[Richard Herd]

I pick option 2.

[Richard Herd]

The local fabric store will have “blackout” cloth, $15/foot. (This is the stuff they use in Alaska when it’s light 24hrs straight.)

[Richard Herd]

I’m old school and cheap. I’d use a single photoflood (I like the lamp naked but a China Lantern is nice too) using Rembrandt lighting style.

Photoflood costs $9.00.
Foam core costs $1.50.

But that sweet arri…dude.

simple diagram here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt_lighting

When the focal length (ie “zoom”) is at 50mm equivalent or closer, you create intimacy, implying “Hello I’m friendly and we’re in the same room.” When you get to 85mm, the feeling becomes more “this is a portrait so watch me do stuff.”

The image looks soft to me. I surmise because you’re at f/1.9. Try stopping down to f/5.6. Lens manufacturing would start a whole new thread, but unless you’re using some really expensive glass, staying that open is a sure way to get softyfocus where you don’t want it–like on the darkside of his face.