Scott Sheriff
Forum Replies Created
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IMHO it’s a bad idea to grade stock footage. Most everyone I know avoids footage that looks like it has been previously graded, since I will have to do my own grading to match my existing footage, so now we have ‘a grade on a grade’, which does nothing but reduce the quality.
There is really no reason to color correct your footage, unless it is really poorly shot, and if it is that bad, a reshoot would be in order. Most purchasers are pretty savvy. They are looking at the content, length and framing, knowing that they are going to do their own grade, and just need the footage to be in the ballpark.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
I have to agree with Michael.
Nests, while a great concept, are a mixed blessing and can cause as many problems as they solve.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
If you have FCS2, the books that come with it do a pretty good job of covering it all.
Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
Without knowing the particulars of your format, system etc, this is all a guess. But this sounds like some pretty straight forward operator errors, that can be fixed.
There are probably several things in combination that are causing your woes, and it is probably both in how your system is set up, and your workflow.
The good news is, as long as you have your original source material, and the timeline with your edits, it can most likely be fixed.
It think you could hire an experienced editor to come in for a couple of days and get this done. Or you could sit back, take a deep breath, do some research and reading, and teach yourself how to fix this, and learn where you went wrong.If what you said is true, there are several things that make me think your training , and advice on how to set up your system and workflow, is suspect, at best.
I’m not a fan of the whole apple certified thing, as it neither makes you an editor, nor gives you real world problem solving skills, although it can teach how to pass a certification test, which was probably out of date five minutes after it was written. The best way to learn is by doing, and working with others that have practical, real world experience. That being said, it is not their (your trainers) fault, it’s yours, for dumping 35K into a project and assuming you new all there was to know because you were ‘trained’. That training should be thought of as simply a license to learn.
The warning to all out there should be, get your feet wet, before you jump into a big gig.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
I watched it again, and perhaps a Lensbaby or some other type of shift lens was used.
https://lensbaby.com/lenses.php?fma2Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
It looks like they have a thread mounted ‘wide eye’ on the front of a zoom, or a series of different focal length primes.
At :29 you can see some vignetting.
And probably some post on top of all this.
Yeah, it’s just a guess, yeah.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
When you have questions like this, its always best to post a sample of what your dealing with, so without seeing what you do…
Life has shadows.
You can play with mid-range and blacks a little to reduce contrast, but once its on tape, it there. Reshoot is the answer.
Or…
Maybe its best to just edit it as is. If the client isn’t complaining, it isn’t always the best idea to criticize others work unnecessarily. Perhaps circumstances of the budget, time, or location caused what you see.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
Nick
“We’ve had this conversation…. I’m tired of hearing “$5,000 for a short video??? I can get a video for $500.”
I feel your pain.
But the reality is there isn’t a way to stop this.
It doesn’t matter if you shun SM, or hide your client list in a timelock vault. I doesn’t matter, because business isn’t done in a vacuum. Someone, somewhere is talking to your client, or thinking about it, in hopes of getting work. And when client X says “I already have someone”, they are lured in with the promise of more for less. Revenues are down, sales are down, the viewing public has been conditioned to accept lower and lower production values. The market is diluted with ‘editors’ and ‘DP’s’, that are looking for work. It’s a perfect storm.
The consumer is feeling the money crunch, and is embracing ‘store brands’ and generics, and in a way the people writing the checks are doing the same. They get a product thats ‘almost as good’ (at least in their eyes) for a lot less money. This is probably due to the fact that for most clients, video is secondary to their actual product. In other words, they are not in the video business.
I know there are those on the forum that are charging top dollar, and so busy they are turning away work. And most of their clients are in the film/video business. But I wouldn’t consider this to be the norm, and even those clients that currently have money to burn are not immune to budget cuts, financial problems, or even management changes that result in cost cutting, or vendor changes.
How many big post houses that had the ‘best of the best’, in terms of clients, gear and people, that threw huge parties, had lavish offices, had a lobby full of awards, and now they are nothing more than distant memories.
They were done in by others that came along and were willing to do more for less, and they were not.Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
Nick
“ Have I not just provided the aforementioned clients and prospects with contact information and a direct path to many people who do what I do?This is why I’ve done very little in the way of LinkedIn, Plaxo, and so on. I’m relatively secure that we provide a good value and that sound relationships are the foundation that means the most with clients. But I don’t need to provide the introduction of my clients to my competitors nor of my competitors to my clients.
Please tell me how this idea is in error.”
Honestly, it doesn’t sound like your that secure at all. If one of your biggest concerns about social media is that others might use it to poach your clients, I think your talking about a symptom, and not the disease. If your clients think you offer a good value and quality, why would they switch? Because someone else comes along that offers better quality for the same money, or same quality for less money? Well, if this happens then you have to examine your prices and services and see why your no longer competitive. Hiding your clients won’t work.
Other people dislike SM because they think it is a waste of time. And for some people, it can be, because it becomes a distraction. Back in the early ’90’s, I remember people talking about email as a geeky, time waster, and not having any potential, or asking what it was. But in 2010, can you imagine telling a client you don’t have an email account? For the average small business it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to check it, and post something, much like email. And for FB, there are a bunch of tweaks you can make to limit the background noise caused by those that feel the need to post mundane life details, without having to unfriend them. And of course you have control over those you follow, and your followers so it’s pretty easy to control your experience, and customize it to your taste. One downside to SM is if your a ‘loose cannon’ type of person, you may run off more business than you gain, unless you rein it in, and keep your posts strictly business.
So why have a Twitter/FB/Linkedin/YT? Here are some reasons.
1. It is free. Of course, you get what you pay for, but since it is a free way to promote your business, why not use it.
2. It is expected. If your in the media/technology/promotion worlds, and you don’t have at least some basic SM presence, potential customers, and current ones may think your some kind of Luddite. Pretty soon it will be like not having a cell phone, or email. So when one of those poachers comes along and has all this SM experience, and you don’t…
3. One stop shopping. Despite what others have said here, the Cows is not ‘the end all, be all’ for information on whats going on in production. A lot of info on new plugins, freebies, updates to avoid, updates to get, gigs, user group meetings, and things of that nature often get to me first on SM. And that is an easy way for me to pass on this type of info to my colleagues.
4. A great place to look for new clients. Companies that use SM make it easier to access them, which in turn makes it easier to get in the door. I have also see businesses use SM to solicit bids, post job openings, announce expansions, and even express dissatisfaction with current vendors.
5. Quick access to info about your company. Sure you have a web site, but often people don’t have time to plow through it, or your web addy isn’t very intuitive. If you meet a potential new client in a casual setting, it’s pretty easy and simple to steer them to your FB or Linkedin without seeming too pushy.
6. Customers with a SM presence may need you to interact, or provide content for it. It is good to understand how it works, and appear you are knowledgeable in this area. See #2 above.
Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com -
Tom
“I didn’t say HQ, I meant with mpeg streamclip set to maximum quality. 🙂
”My bad, thought you meant ProRes HQ.
Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com