Scott Sheriff
Forum Replies Created
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Dave,
“In ’02 or ’03 for an in-house video, I replicated the program open of Miami Vice. For example, I replaced that recurring low-level aerial shot over the waves with one over a corn field. Hey, I’m in Iowa: not much ocean, lots o’ corn. The majority of people — those under 30 — just stared, but those few folks 40 and older got the visual jokes, so it got some yuks.”Yep, I hear ya. The 20 and 30 somethings on the crew just don’t get it.
Me and my production clique that are a little older love all things 80’s, and that would include Vice.
Oh I can see it now. Football, instead of jia alai, a down the line dolly shot of tractors instead of Rolls Royce, silos instead of skyscrapers.
The real question is what about the two bikini girls?Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Mark,
“Next old effect to be revived will the the A54 Abekas 8-box spinning video cube of doom!:-)”At my first real online editor job, we had a 1 channel first generation ADO, when that was the state of the art. Of course we built a cube with it! It was a contest between all the editors to see who’s looked the best.
By the time you did all the passes, the first couple of gens started showing a lot of loss even on 1″. I still have my 5″ floppy disc with the positions.If you like old school multi-image FX. I replicated the first minute of Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix (from the exhaust pipe pull out) shot for shot, using racing karts for an instructional I’m working on.
I’m probably the only one that is amused by this, since the youngsters think it’s some kind of ’24’ knock-off and don’t get it.
I think the CU shot of the spinning T-handle speed wrench is the craziest. it goes from 1 shot, then 4, then 16, and then 64. It looks pretty cool on video, but I’m sure the original was a real eye-popper in the theater in Super-Panavision.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Brian,
“I’ll be using final cut pro, and i know i can re size each file and fit them,, but i’m looking for a more accurate approach to this.”Once you get the footage in a rough scale and positioned, you can enter Scale and Centering X/Y coordinates under the Motion tab to position them with pixel accuracy.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Doing this type of thing is sort of a hybrid producer/editor job.
Workshop for trailer editing? Haven’t seen that. But then again, there is always someone looking to make a buck… Sometimes Promotion and Programming conferences will have round tables on these.
You don’t have to work in Hollywood to do this type of work.
Back in the day, we learned this on the job. Cranking out movie/show promos, fill films. Seems like the proliferation of channels has killed the local ‘movie station’ independent in a lot of markets. But depending on where you live, getting a job cutting this type of thing is still possible. Either at a local station, or one of the cable/sat channels.The basic workflow is:
Screen the movie for good visuals and sound bites. Look for a hook.
Figure out what are the best clips and how those work together.
Write VO to bridge the gaps and tag.Trailers and fill films are usually easier, since you have more time, and they can often be odd lengths. Doing short form stuff like :30 will really sharpen up your skills. There are also ‘theme weeks’, blocks, ‘thons, etc that get promoted that are variations of this type of promo.
The other thought is to look for gigs cutting band promos/ music vids. This is another variation of this type of work. Not much writing, and a bigger emphasis on FX, but still a trailer of sorts.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
John,
“FCP, It’s do or die now”I don’t know, I’m just not feelin’ the vibe. I’m not one of those pining for a new FCP version, or overly worried about what is going on with The Steve. What I have now does what I need it to do. Maybe I’m just to dumb to know what I’m missing…
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Mads,
It is one thing to disagree.
However, to constantly call others ethics into question in order to win an argument is inappropriate unless you can demonstrate an expertise in business ethics such as a law degree, or an MBA.For the record, I didn’t misquote you. I pasted your quote verbatim, in context and in its entirety. I did render an opinion on your quoted statement. On that opinion you are free to disagree.
Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
Mads
“Hey Scott,I noticed that you didn’t vote..?”
Sorry, I don’t get what you mean?
Mads,
“So far we have only got Lisa’s story, so everything else is pure speculation.”I will take her story at face value. We have no reason not to. It sounds credible, and is plausible.
Mads,
“I’ve never said that anyone owns any client,…”Well, lets see what you did say:
“Allow me to disagree with the others on this one: Any one of my freelancers that takes up work directly with anyone of my clients that has been introduced through me, without getting my blessing first, seize with immediate effect to work for me (and being my friend).”“My clients”? “My freelancers”? You own your clients and freelancers? I’ll bet that is news to them.
I’m sorry Mads, but that statement wreaks of ownership and entitlement. Unless you have a contract, I say the client is free to choose whoever they wish.
The producer should have had a contract with PBS if she was that concerned.
Long story short, no contract, no ownership.This whole idea that an introduction to a potential employer means you owe this person a royalty is a straw man. Job one everyone got paid for the job they did. End of story, end of relationship, no contract, no one owes anyone anything. Equilibrium.
Job #2 starts from that point. Why does Lisa owe the producer for this work? And how is it unethical to accept this work? (double face palm)Is she the victim of a grinder? It’s up to her to decide that. Sometimes fast nickles beats slow dollars.
As far as her rate etc, that is a completely separate issue, and not the one at hand. The issue is the non-compete contract.Mads,
“What we do know is that Lisa is not a loyal freelancer, and to support her claim she is quite happy to go through other peoples private notes, including publishing them –”These are no longer private when they are carelessly left in her home. This is an admitted gray area. It is clear that the producer was careless, and sloppy.
So there is always someone that comes along that will work for less.
So what??? Why do so many people think they can hide their lack of competitiveness behind a non-compete? IMHO, it is about a sense of entitlement.
Either you change your rate, offer more for the money, or let them go. If a competitor can do the same work for less money, it is up to you to figure out how they are able to do that. Sometimes the client finds out the lower priced person cuts too many corners, and comes back. And sometimes they don’t. And sometimes it means there are a million FCP licenses out there and the market is saturated, and the good old days are over.Similar situation:
I replaced a Director on a show that didn’t TD his own show. I do. The TD that used to get that gig isn’t needed. I didn’t charge more even though I did what amount to two jobs. I just like to cut my own show when possible. The TD went around whining to everyone about how I screwed him. I didn’t screw him at all. What screwed him was his sense of entitlement. If he knew how to Direct, he could have gotten the gig. But he thought he owned the TD slot on this gig, and thought he was untouchable, and never bothered to learn another job. In the freelance world, unless you have a contract you don’t own sh*t.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
“My producer left her contract at my house accidentally in a notebook.”
Smooth move Ex-Lax.
Why would she have not had this filed away in her office where it belonged?
Is this just not another example of why this person isn’t being hired back. If she is this careless with her business…Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
“Serious joke aside; There has been quite a few comments about freelancers making a living etc. But none what-so-ever covering the fact that you did not get off your own butt to win that new client. In fact, it seems like some people are conveniently, to suit their own needs, forgetting the cost of marketing, networking, winning and keeping a client.”
Thinks must work different over in the UK.
The “get off your butt” part was that Lisa had a learned, marketable skill (editing), and the producer did not. Welcome to the world of using sub-contractors. Want to avoid it? Then learn to do what they do, as well as they do it.So did you not see the part where she did the editing (on job #1), and the client realized who was doing the work and wised up and stopped using the useless go-between who did nothing for the next job (#2)?
The only way the producer would be entitled to anything is if she had a contract with Lisa as her agent, which she wasn’t. And then agents usually get 10%, not 50%.What if PBS decided to stay in house with the next job? Is that stealing too? Shouldn’t that job belong to the producer? Where is that line drawn?
What if they like Lisa so much they offered her a job? is the producer magical entitled to a cut of her salary because she introduced them?So when you rent gear, and a new place opens up with better rates and customer service, how long are you obligated to keep using the former rental house? A month? A year? Forever?
Or how about the local market? Are you saying once you shop somewhere there is some type of ‘implied’ contract, and you can only shop there?
Or do these rules only apply in the world of media?Stealing implies ownership, and you don’t ‘own’ the client. It is a relationship, not a possession.
If your rates and service are good, your assistant, another editor, or some bloke in Sussex can’t ‘steal’ your clients. When I hear someone use that term, what I really hear is “I’m over-priced, and under-delivering, and got found out”.
The answer is to start delivering a better value, not whinge about someone stealing your customers. That is what the producer should do. She could neither edit, or produce effectively. Why should she get paid at all? Who is actually doing the stealing here?Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed… -
The line between Editor and Graphic Artist has been severely blurred by the tools we have at our disposal, and general expectations.
There are always going to be awesome graphic artists and/or illustrators out there that have a unique style or skill that may be needed for a specific job.
But, for day to day stuff most editors need, DIY is the way to go, and has been for quite a while. Even back in the linear days when it was all done with camera cards, Chyron, ADO, and a 3 M/E switcher, DIY was the thing 99% of the time.
I like Grinners example of the guy that couldn’t draw something as simple as an arrow. I don’t want to be that guy. Something like that would take me less than 5 minutes. To stop down and wait for a graphic artist is a deal breaker for something like that.
The other day in the FCP forum a guy was looking for a 64 point garbage matte plugin for FCP. That would be a piece of cake in Motion, which he already owned. He had no idea. I don’t want to be that guy either.
I use Motion, because that is what I have. Occasionally I also use Blender if I need 3D text moves or extruded text. Between those two programs I can do everything I need without waiting (or paying) someone else.
If you get into doing MoGraphs get a good tablet for your system if you don’t have one yet.Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.comI have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed…