[Timothy J. allen]

Very nice visuals! That’s both a beautiful and a disturbing piece. As TJ mentioned, I think the sound design could a bit of attention. You did such a great job with the visuals, I’d hate to see (or in this case hear) the audio detract from them.

Music tells us how we should feel about what we are seeing and you selected a nice background of sound that does that, but another 15 minutes concentrating on sound would really help.

For instance, at 1:32, the audio cut is very abrupt and still in the middle of a musical phrase, which is probably intended to give the viewer a sense of displacement or a sudden jarring effect. But, since it has no “exclamation point”, such as a cymbal crash or big sound at the end, it sounds like a mistake in the edit. If you are going to switch gears suddenly and don’t want to end with a big sound, you should still pay attention to the musical crescendo so that when you take the sound away suddenly your intent is clear.

I know that natural sound may be impossible to get while shooting some of this footage, but it would add some power if we could hear the sickening sound of fish flapping in the buckets or (most especially) the sound of the explosion at 3:45. If I didn’t have that sound at 3:45, I’d foley something in to give it that effect.

I’d also agree that you could trim this down to about half the length and be just as effective. I don’t know if you had to hit a target time, but as much as I liked seeing the beautiful footage, it did go a little long for the small screen. I imagine that if I saw this projected on a 12 foot high screen, I wouldn’t have that opinion.

Just wondering… Is the text “ghost’s” onscreen at 2:00 referencing a possessive from of the word “ghost” or should it read “ghosts”?

Nice composite work, by the way. Very good overall!

[Timothy J. allen]

Like Charlie said, just because there’s a storyboard doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvisation or improvement. What makes a good editor is being able to suggest and demonstrate suggestions for improvement quickly and with a helpful (even altruistic) attitude.

Being well-organized goes a long way towards this. Being on top of latest trends and techniques is another. Build a lexicon for watching other spots and – when you don’t have clients – spend some time emulating the ones you like, or the ones you think are unique. If you can emulate the spots that you like, you will be ready to put your own touch on it when the right situation presents itself.

Above all, it’s about attitude and trust. The longer I work with an Editor, and the more that trust is built, the more input I give them on the final edits. As a Producer, it’s our job to visualize the final spot – working within the confines set by the client. That said, the best Producers really value an Editor that can diplomatically bring creativity to the project. Just make sure it still hits the deadline. 😉

[Timothy J. allen]

The best way to fix the relationship is to come to an agreement that benefits you both. It sounds like what you need is to get paid within a reasonable amount of time. (If a client is slow to pay – a “reasonable” amount of time would be upon delivery of the master.)

If they have problems with the amount of time that it’s taking to get the job done, you have a few choices, but the main thing is to make it clear to them how long you expect it to take and how much you are charging for that amount of work. Then, keep them informed on where they are on their “time budget”. This keeps them from requesting changes that might not be as important if they know that it takes them over the original estimate, but it also protects you from getting into endless revisions for no extra pay.

Don’t wait to talk with him about the new job, but make it clear that you can not start on it until he is up to speed on payment for the previous jobs.

By the way, it doesn’t matter how long it would have taken someone else to do the job. If the agreement is by the hour, they owe you for the time that it took you to get the job done.

[Timothy J. allen]

I second the Digital Juice recommendation. I think I actually saw one that looks like the curtains in one of those photographs. DJ has been around for a long time now, but they still come out with fresh material often.

(I really like Artbeats too, but I usually use them for one-time specific projects, while I end up using Digital Juice’s Jumpbacks multiple times with just a few tweaks.)

[Timothy J. allen]

It’s my opinion that a good administrative assistant is a revenue generating hire.

This person can generate and follow through on your invoices to make sure that they are paid in a timely manner. They can arrange for bookings while you are busy with other clients, they can do all that “front office” stuff that takes time away from you doing what you are most effective at doing.

There’s no point in having a salesperson if you can’t track and follow through on the process part of booking and “accounts receivable”. (…and they can keep you out of trouble with “accounts payable at the same time”.)

You just have to make sure that you get an assistant that takes the job very seriously and make sure that you both are clear on how he or she will be vital to the company’s success. A good AA (or Office Manager) is worth the weight in gold. A poor one is an anchor that will drag you down quickly.

Start out with a part-time 2 or 3 day a week position. I’d suggest going through a well-respected temp agency that vets employee’s well and has a reasonable “buy-out” option for the new hire’s contract in case you find someone who really shines.

[Timothy J. allen]

This just reinforces the need to remember to bring the gaffer’s tape everytime you shoot. By the way, the tape is not just good for building the horses out of cats. The cats performance also depends on where you place the tape. (For instance, if you put some tape on the bottom of their paws, they emulate miniature Tennessee Walking Horses.)

All of this is included in my upcoming 7-volume book set, “Beyond ‘Herding’: Effective Powerpoint Presentation Techniques and Business Communication Strategies for Cats“

[Timothy J. allen]

I don’t think the relationship with the client is over. This could simply be a misunderstanding where they pass along something that their legal department or attorney told them they should give to all contractors.

It may still be a case where once you educate them to the differences between a non-compete and a non-disclosure agreement – or otherwise negotiate the agreement so that doesn’t apply to your regular line of work, you could come to a sane agreement. Of course your approach needs to be calm and “helpful” rather than defensive.

If they don’t work with you to come to something that makes sense, then there is a serious problem. They simply don’t have a right to keep you from pursuing your chosen career.

[Timothy J. allen]

Please let Bob know that I know where he can get some “Maximum Absorption Garments” (MAGs) if any are needed. 😉

[Timothy J. allen]

It’s not important… unless you are marketing towards humans. 😉

But seriously, the broadness of your question makes it tough to give an answer that’s not debatable. If you are talking about human relations in the terms of market research and customer motivational theory, it can be extremely important.

If you are talking about developing the “soft skills” of your sales team, it can also be important – but I think the level and importance varies as much as customers vary. Some companies aren’t selling a product as much as they are selling a “customer experience”. (Companies like Sportclips or Nordstrom come to mind.)

Can you target your question to a specific area of human relations (or of marketing) so we have some context?

[Timothy J. allen]

Ron and Kathlyn,
As I put my youngest daughter on the bus for her first day of kindergarten this morning, I was reflecting on how short that part of our lives that we get to spend with our children really is.

You two were on my mind a lot this weekend. I was in Cupertino a couple of weeks ago and even though the COW HQ is a few hours south of there, I was regretting not calling while I was at least in the same state. Please know that Amanda’s and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Tim