Steve Wargo
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write to Tim at our office tim@sntvideo.com
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
When ever we are sitting a movie theater, waiting for the show to begin, my wife whips her hand out and gazes at her wedding ring, saying “Look how fantastic my diamonds look in here”. “Hmmm”, he said. And then, he looks upward and sees lots of small lights coming from lots of directions. “Could this be the answer?” Of course it.
Take all your stuff down to a movie theater and shoot it there.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
I always carry the “must haves” with me and pack the rest. Take a light weight monopod with you. Some airlines (Southwest) will give you extra space and consideration if you are with the media. Make some really good looking credentials and laminate them. Check https://www.spyheadquarters.com if you need something official looking. Do not make credentials for CNN unless you look old, worn out and pissed off that you have to still travel.
We have a soft case for on the plane and hard case for check in. One battery in each. On the check in bag, make sure it’s the things that you could do without. Always use a TSA lock, if they can’t find their key, they’ll skip looking at your stuff. They are not allowed to cut the locks off. (As if they care about the rules)
We usually label the suspicious looking things in our bags. When Lithiun batteries first came out, one of the companies put then in really cool looking clear cases. Great until we had to go to the airport and the case with the soldered together battery cells was looked at by security (before TSA) and the guy threw it in a wastebasket and yelled “BOMB”. We did not make that flight.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
The “Mint 400” incident was in 1985 and the “Mint 400” video was 160 minutes long.
The subject of shooting in Times Square has come up repeatedly. I was told once that Times Square is a registered New York City landmark. New York wants images of Times Square everywhere possible but it needs to be cleared through the NY film office. The “Hollywood” sign is trademarked and you need permission.
I am not a lawyer.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
I wouldn’t bother. Regardless of everything else, is the image of the camera/logo a positive or negative portrayal of the Canon Corporation?
Are you lawsuit material?
Do you have insurance?
Are you married to or otherwise related to a great lawyer?
Are you willing to stand up against a giant corporation?Would a company that is built ENTIRELY on the art of the “image” sue you for your work?
Why not contact Canon’s legal department and ask them if they care? Would Sony or Panasonic sue if you showed their logo instead? Of course not.
I have produced dozens of documentary’s on Off-Road Racing, Drag Racing, NASCAR and CART Indy Cars and auto racing is a sport that is all about the hundred’s of logos, company signs, banners and patches. None of them would ever entertain the though of a lawsuit. Instead, they beg us to use their name as often as possible, almost to the point of bribery. Companies that sue without cause are greed filled opportunists. I got a C&D letter from the Del Web Corporation because I titled one of my pieces “The Mint 400”. “Mint 400” is a “mark” belonging to the Del Web Corporation. I immediately scheduled a meeting with their legal department and took my VHS video with me. They watched 10 minutes of it and asked me if I portrayed them in a negative light during any portion of the program or my promotional materials. I said “Nope”. They gave me a document giving me the right to use their marks in any production that showed them in a positive manner. The document was open ended as far as date and everything else. On the other hand, CART, as an organization, was heavy handed and doesn’t allow anything. No wonder CART died. they didn’t get it.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
You can get a Denecke sync box to do the job. It’s a crystal sync and the timing will be much better. For complete sync, keep them cabled. this can be a really light weight cable. If a cable is impossible.., as suggested earlier, use a cheap Azden wireless mic to do the job. This really does work.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
The 180 degree rule is a guideline. You can break it through proper creativity. Most people do not know how to do it and they do it wrong. That’s why it called a rule. Basically, you don’t want two people in a conversation to be looking the same way on camera because it will look like they are both talking to a third person, off camera. One way to introduce the other side is to go to a wide shot to bring in the second angle. As I said, it can be done but it’s got to be done right.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
Hi Tim
Most likely, just about everybody in our field has come up an idea that we thought would be a very successful venture. There are a lot of stories that go both ways.
Above all, let your tentative employer know that you have an idea that you may some day want to pursue. I have a friend that has tried numerous ventures, some to do with sports, others with cars. None have worked out because of one reason or another. During that time, he has worked for me on an occasional basis. I’m always there to provide my support and to be the devil’s advocate.
Good luck.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
When you go the their office to watch it, immediately, upon entering the room, say “We’re not going to watch my video on THAT, are we?” That should set em straight.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
[Greg Ball] “The client is not happy, and is blaming me, not the AV company”
Your client is an idiot. If it looks good on your 46″ monitor, it looks good period. You need to rip into the AV guy for providing a junk display unit.
When we first bought our F-900 HD camera, we took it into Ultimatte Electronics and plugged the component connectors into their system. The results were fascinating. We sent a 24p feed and all of the Plasmas played it fine. Non of the LCDs showed a normal picture. It was distorted or stretched on all of them. Also, price was not a dividing line. The Mitsubishi units were a total let down, JVC looked very good and the high dollar Pioneers put them all to shame. (2002)
I would suggest that you somehow play it out to both units, side by side if possible.
A few years ago, a client of ours played a video we produced, at a Washington DC dinner with quite a few Legislators in attendance. They called the next morning and ripped us because the audio was way off. The house AV crew gave them ten reasons how WE screwed it up. I asked the client if it was the same disc that we played in their conference room the day they left and I asked them if the sound was in sync when we watched it. They said that it was. They also said that it was in sync when they watched it the morning of the dinner. I explained that the AV people sent the signal through a digital DA and that slowed up the image by 7 frames. The AV crew needed to run the audio through a Rane 22 audio delay and then I asked them to send me a copy of the spec sheet from the AV people. There was no audio delay specd by AV. The AV crew screwed up and then blamed it all on me because they sure didn’t want to catch hell and they wanted paid.
When the client got back to Phoenix, one of the company VPs assured me that the problem was us because the AV guys were Washington DC professionals and they wouldn’t lie. Let me repeat that “The people in Washington DC do not lie”. What a fool.
We watched the DVD again and it was in perfect sync but they still suspected that somehow, it was my fault. The good news is that they eventually hired two in-house video guys and last June, they went to DC again. This time, they had another DVD and their video guys were with them. They played their DVD at the same venue and during rehersal, you guessed it, the sound was early. When the AV guys started with their usual “It’s not my fault” argument, the client’s guys were there to defend themselves. The AV crew ordered the Rane unit and synced the audio. Upon their return to Phoenix, the CEO of the company called me to tell me the story. You see, he was the only one who believed me the first time. After working with us for ten years, he knew what to expect.
If your image looks good, prove it. Make sure the client sees the truth.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .