[Timothy J. allen]

Yep. Seems so. Normally, I think he’d be asking for more (I know he made more at a different job when I worked with him several years ago.) I guess he’s just glad to be working these days.

-Tim

[Timothy J. allen]

I talked to a friend of mine who said they are making a little more than 65k a year in a similar situation to what you are describing. To me, that sounds a little low to be making living in LA, but if you are doing what you love…

[Timothy J. allen]

Christian,
Just preface your questions with “My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who really wants to know the answer to this editing question…”

😉

-Tim

[Timothy J. allen]

I’ve used both and without knowing more about your system, I’d go with Final Cut. I used Avid Adrenaline HD systems for a few years and never had the kind of problems Grinner had, but the main reason we went with Avid at that time was to keep track of and share media. It can work very well, but Avid cost a lot more to ensure a robust system, especially when you add in the system support contract.

Our main cost with Avid was making sure people had the training to get the most out of the systems. For us, that training was mainly in the media management area, then later color correction and graphics.

The prices you’ve been given for both systems most likely doesn’t include everything you really should have. Don’t get me wrong, you can surely produce quality content with those systems, but the equipment priced in those quotes probably make it more difficult to ensure *consistent* audio and video quality – unless your editors take the time to be very vigilant about it. Are you editing HD content? What kind of scopes are you planning to use?

So, again, I’d go with the Final Cut system, but ask your management for that extra money you save for certified training and perhaps some extra hardware or software that will make your day to day jobs easier.

Whichever system you go with, you’ll only get your money’s worth if you really learn it inside and out.

[Timothy J. allen]

Right on, Tim. We use yousendit after having good experiences on the reviewing side. I echo your recommendation.

[Timothy J. allen]

Kai is so right when he says “half of the work is to actually guide the clients along”. It might be even more than half.

The main thing is to keep the communications going throughout the process. A contract is a must – just to keep the suprises to a minimum. But there may still be suprises.

The preliminary contract, the treatment and the shooting script are all “linchpins”. They help keep the wheels from falling off your production. They are all devices for communication – a way to clarify what is about to happen before committing specific resources into the project.

That’s why it’s difficult for me to understand why so many people do business with only a handshake. It’s not that I don’t think people should trust each other. I certainly do. It just makes it easier for everyone involved to be “on the same page” if you are literally on the same page. 😉

[Timothy J. allen]

They can start the blanket licensing process with ASCAP by calling 1(800)992-7227.

[Timothy J. allen]

We ran into a similar situation a few years ago. Actually, the guys who worked for the “up and coming” NLE were brilliant, and patient, and to their credit, they tried for a few months to help us configure the systems. We had proficient and experienced (even talented) engineers on staff who were dedicated to troubleshooting the things.

After weeks stretched into months – and then longer – as we waited for software and hardware upgrades that would “fix everything”, we finally had to admit that as much as we all wanted the NLEs to work.

Long story short, we finally bit the bullet and bought an edit system that had been proven by thousands of users, one that had a widespread and deep user base, and one that offered an expensive, yet expansive tech support contract. The next year, we bought several more systems and the “up and coming” NLEs finally started their new task of keeping the dust in the storage rooms from falling all the way to the floor. (They do a great job of that.)

I’m not saying we still didn’t have problems with the so called “big brand”. But at least we knew there was a network of support around the world… and I got back a level of confidence in projecting project completion dates.

There’s no shame in going with a proven system.

[Timothy J. allen]

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. You never spoke to him about rates, (due to him interrupting) yet you did agreed to train someone, and now you want to charge them more than your regular rate?

I have to take the client’s side on this one. He only put you in a rough spot because you let it be a rough spot. When he asked you to stay and train the guy, you should have said “not today” if you weren’t prepared and it inconvenienced you. If you did have the time to stay and train him that day (which I understand you did), it would have take all of ten seconds to step back and say “I do have some time that’s available this afternoon to train him, but since we never discussed my training rate, let’s talk about it to make sure we are all on the same page before we start”.

Of course you should charge. Set your rate and conditions, communicate them, and stick to them. If you go “above and beyond” to help your client, with extra time or reduced fees, that’s your decision.

If you had stepped back for a moment, it would have also given the client more value by giving them a chance to make sure they had the correct software installed before you trained. If the software wasn’t installed and you weren’t prepared, the training could not have been as effective as it could have been.

I really don’t intend to be harsh, but sometimes the client isn’t so much out to screw you, but just ignorant of how their request might affect your day. That’s when it’ incumbent on you to be bold and speak up – before anyone owes anyone else money.

[Timothy J. allen]

Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter… there’s one major mistake that I think most people have when they plan to use these sites for “marketing”.

The sites are intrinsically designed to make it easy for you to tell people about yourself… what you are doing, your interests, your rants and raves. Some people think that’s what marketing is… telling people about yourself.

But marketing isn’t about YOU. It’s about the customer. It’s about their story. Your part is just a supporting role. If Marketing were “Star Wars”, you want the roles of “Obi Wan Kenobi” or even “R2-D2” – not Luke Skywalker. It’s the customer that should be playing the starring role, not you.

I use all the sites mentioned above (well, I don’t tweet so much, but I have a placeholder account anyway). But I don’t expect Facebook to be my main tool for marketing, just as I don’t have any family members as LinkedIn connections. I don’t expect any of my clients to care that “Tim is taking the kids to McDonalds” and I don’t expect my family to care that “Timothy has 14 years of experience in high end corporate media production”.

You can get gigs as a result of your online presence, particularly when it’s in a virtual space that is focused on a specific subject matter. I have deposited checks that prove that point.

But like any marketing effort, smart entrepreneurs don’t rely on just one avenue or “channel” to get their business message out. And if you really want to use social media to draw business, it’s all about finding the right mechanism to get to the right message to the right audience.

Find out where your target audience is and what they want, then go there and give them that.