Steve Crow
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I don’t have a direct link handy for you but if you go to my blog and search for rig you should find pictures and a full explanation
Steve
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I did briefly try out the Magic Lantern software but didn’t stick with it. I didn’t like how it cluttered up my screen and found that I much prefer to work with firmware produced directly by the camera company. Unfortunately, I have to admit that Canon has drastically underachieved when it comes to making timely and quality upgrades to their camera software – for instance, how hard could it have been to add a simple on/off option for the automatic gain control function in their on-board mic?
I am indeed looking at articulating arms – most often I’ve seen them used for external monitors but I’ve also seen them used to hang on to a Zoom H4N – so that’s a possibility. The cheeseplate idea is interesting – not so sure about hanging it off the back but something to consider.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Thanks for the links Joe! You’re right, you do pay an outrageous price for the name brand rigs so I am open to alternatives assuming the quality is still good.
But my basic issue comes down to this – I haven’t found many pictures of rigs that can support all the gear I’ve mentioned and go from tripod to shoulder mount very easily.
I started looking into using DSLRs for ENG work and found lots of microphone related issues – as you know, in ENG work you can’t assume you are going to be able to mic everyone with lavs and so on in advance, your on-camera mic has to be sufficient on its own if need be.
Bottom line – what I found is that unless you plug your external mic into some kind of pre-amp before connecting it to your camera body you are going to get a lot of noise – but where does a pre-amp like that fit on the rig? I tried it myself under the camera but found it too unstable, the camera was slipping and sliding no matter how tight I thought I had screwed it to the pre-amp. I later found a speciality plate that is supposed to address this and make everything tight but I haven’t had a chance to try it.
So right now I am just on the lookout for rig configurations that can handle all the gear and go from tripod to shoulder – once I have a basic plan then I think there would be many manufacturers that could supply the parts – but I need that configuration first and right now I don’t see it in my minds eye.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Here’s a link to the monopod I was thinking of:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=wishlisting&A=wishlistDetail&Q=&li=457681188B
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
To be honest you WANT a heavy tripod…yes, they are a pain to lug around and set up but you won’t be doing yourself any favors by downgrading to a lighter base for your pans and tilts. With that said, you might want to check out the Manfrotto Monopod (don’t have the model number handy but it’s the newer one with the 701HDV head on it and the nice fold-up legs at the bottom)
Many Pro shooters like the crew over at StillMotion rely on Monopods to move fast at anything-can-happen events like Weddings and Pro Football games yet still have a steady platform from which to grab shots. Of course you can’t really walk away from your Monopod/camera setup like you can a tripod but other than that they seem to be an excellent solution…check it out.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Those are great points…once I tried offering a professional group really really cheap productions for their individual members. I had 3 package levels and they involved the business owner being filmed in front of a backdrop in a “studio” setting ( a rented conference room)
Bottom line, I disliked doing them, I didn’t get much business from it and it could have easily put downward pressure on what I was able to charge in the future. Be generous with your time and expertise – help people even if they can’t afford to hire you and my strong belief is that it will come back to you, but don’t let yourself be taken advantage of either.
Some of the best things I have done in business is to turn DOWN work…the business community really respects you more if you say : “you know this job isn’t really for me, it’s not what we do the most effectively and I think there are other producers I can refer you to that would be much better for you on this particular job. I’d love to work with you in the future should you ever need “X” and then give a very strong and exciting picture of what you do best.
Now, like I said, I am not very assertive when it comes to in-person sales – if you are like me, find someone honest and hardworking that you can partner with that will handle sales for you in exchange for a piece of the pie.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Hi Jeff,
It’s been my experience that most clients prefer to have quoted a fix price with everything included and not to be charged for individual expenses or by an hourly rate. The only times I haven’t done that was when I traveled from California to New York for a client – for that I quoted production fees and travel expenses separately. Quoting fixed price is good practice for really understanding your true costs of a project as it forces you to think about every aspect of the production and the post production process and what it will cost you in time and materials. Most importantly – you want to make the buying decision as EASY for them to understand and say yes to as possible – charging hourly plus expenses leaves the client on the hook for any bad or overly expensive decisions you make – of course on a fixed priced bid you have to be very clear on what is and what is not included, that’s to protect you – otherwise they can say “oh I thought we were going to film that on the beach in France with swimsuit models, I didn’t realize we’d be filming at our local river front.I don’t have any strong advice for you on how to approach companies as sales is my weakest skill set…after a while some work will come to you “for free” just by people knowing what you do and seeing your work….past clients will often come up with the new ideas for projects. I’m a big believer in sharing what you know so try offering free workshops to the business community on video marketing – I’ve done this through the Chamber of Commerce and I made some great contacts that way.
You will find endless ways to spend all the money you made on new and better gear….it’s fine if you are not relying on the jobs for income to live on – in that case it’s always better to rent gear or get by with what you have until you can really really afford it.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Hi Jeff,
Yes, I have done several videos for a variety of healthcare related businesses and $1,500 isn’t too much to ask for at all. Before going to the hospital work with a few individual healthcare practitioners to get a feel for what that’s like. Be sure you are able to talk about the BENEFITS of what the video can do for them, how it works with the marketing they are already doing and realize that for all their education they don’t necessarily understand the Web, online video, etc. to any great detail…so part of your job is to make them feel comfortable about the process and being on camera.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
I did this…first I started off by offering a free production to a small local business that I thought would make for a good demo video, then I used that one to show to other business owners. Be aware that for most small business owners right now money is extremely tight and even though they might spend thousands on useless yellow pages ads, video marketing is way down for their list of priorities. I have more or less stopped marketing to them myself.
Doing 4 videos in 3-4 months is quite possible
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Flip out/rotatable lcd screens are nice but they don’t add much value for me since I need to use a LCD “loupe” to see the screen when filming outdoors and, of course, the extra magnification provided by the loupe is nice too.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com