Timothy J. allen
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We started shooting in 1080i HD at NASA in Texas about six and a half years ago with a Sony HDW-F900 that we borrowed from another NASA Center. We got our own Varicam later. We had to wait about a year before we got a decent HD lens for the Varicam, but good glass on the front made a HUGE difference. Even though we have to convert it from 720p, the Varicam is still my first choice when the budget and schedule can accommodate HD.
On trips where we don’t have a large crew, I tend to use Sony HVR-Z1U HDV cameras most of the time. We have three, and it’s been great to be able to take such a compact lightweight kit when traveling for shoots. The batteries and tapes seem to last forever. Even when we travel with the Varicam, I take a Z1U as a backup if at all possible.
We are unusual in that we pretty much skipped over DV completely. Most other corporate video departments I’ve seen are DV or DVCam heavy – and have been for pretty much the past decade. We only have a DV decks to dub to in case someone needs our footage in that format, but that’s pretty much it.
If the rest of our Beta Sp cameras had gone out a couple of years sooner than they did, we would probably have gone the DV route. Since we held off replacing the old beta cameras as long as we could, HD was finally a feasible choice.
We still have one old dockable Betacam that we use if we need to ship raw footage straight to NASA Headquarters. They ask for beta SP format so they don’t have to convert before they use it. I think that old camera is a Sony 537. Our videographers still use it along with the HD cameras to document Mission Control events – in case the tapes need to go out in a hurry to a place that needs standard def.
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Sorry to hear that your experience with the Primera Bravo II wasn’t what you expected or hoped for on a Mac, Walter.
We just got a Bravo II in last week – running it on Windows XP. It was easy to set up and so far, it’s been working very well.
I’m so glad they don’t have that long arm that sucks up the discs anymore. The new mechanisms for actually moving the discs seem to be less likely to malfunction than the old style robotic arms. -
I like Macs as much as PCs, but my advice is to get comfortable with both. You will get your money’s worth with either Final Cut, Avid or Premiere as long as you take the time to get comfortable with the software.
You mentioned that you don’t like Adobe software. I don’t know how much time you’ve spent with After Effects and PhotoShop, but in my experience, it’s best to be comfortable with those programs if you want to flourish in this industry.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying that you HAVE to use them to get your projects done. (I still use Boris RED as much as I use After Effects), but if I had to go back 10 years, I’d spend more time with each of those Adobe programs. Considering that it’s not much of a price difference to get the Adobe CS Master Collection than it would be to get just a few of those individual programs, you might as well get the whole thing.
Even though we used Incite, and later both Avid Media Composers, and Final Cut Pro for editing, it’s still SO nice to have Premiere, PhotoShop, After Effects, Flash and Encore at our disposal. Having familiarity with and the capabilities of all those programs will help you become a more rounded media production professional – and we all know that it’s not just about broadcast TV anymore.
So… while I can’t tell you whether to go with Final Cut or Avid, I would recommend that if you use a PC to go ahead and get the Adobe bundle – whether you use Premiere or not. We got the Studio Toolkit bundled with our Avids and I like it… but it doesn’t mean that I still don’t use both PhotoShop and After Effects almost everyday.
Whenever you have the chance to get comfortable with both platforms, take advantage of the opportunity. That will matter more in the long run than which software you choose to get by for the next 3 to 5 years.
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When Apple started attending NAB they absolutely needed to have a presence there – to establish credibility. In 1999 the argument wasn’t how Apple was going to compete against Avid, it was “Does this Apple video editing program have the capability and stability that I need to stake my business on it?”
Having a booth at NAB during this past decade showed the broadcast industry that Apple was serious about development of Final Cut, and that they were aiming the product towards more than just hobbiest. From the beginning, they saw that going the software route would enable huge developmental strides from year to year – but they knew that as soon as they got the “Final Cut” technology from Macromedia, they needed to establish credibility with their target market.
They needed to get the product into professional Editor’s minds as a viable option to the Avid’s, Media 100’s, and other “professional” systems that were leading at the time. At that time NAB was the mechanism to lend that credibility to the software product line. (While their hardware had decent credibility since most Avid’s and Media 100s were running on Apple systems, Apple knew they were about to have a lag behind PC system speed for at least a few seasons, and having innovative software was a “flank” to the speed war with PCs.)
Flash forward a decade – Apple and Final Pro don’t have that issue of credibility. NAB simply doesn’t give them as much of what they need anymore. At this point, they had the same catch 22 that Avid did – if they didn’t have a huge booth that rivaled their competitor at NAB, customer might worry that they didn’t “care” about future development as much. With Avid pulling out, it didn’t make any since for Apple to pour their money into fighting Adobe at the show. (I’d argue that Final Cut already has as much credibility as Adobe Premier.)
I think this is simply a business decision. I think that Apple weighed most of the concerns that have been expressed in this thread and decided that at this point in time, the risk was worth the reward.
Do you think NAB would give Avid and Apple discounted rates next year? They will if they want them back. Sometimes you just have to call a bluff. By not having booths at NAB this year, those two companies will absolutely have the data they need next year to see if it’s worth going back. And I expect that if they do consider going back, it will be much closer to the terms that they want.
All told this decision doesn’t reflect on the health of Avid or Apple as it does for the health of the NAB convention.
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It’s incumbent on the producer to get the best price for the budget on each production. I value loyalty, but after all, it is business, not a marriage.
I’ve worn hats as a client, an editor and a producer, and I think that it’s not a bad thing to spread the work around… even when I’m happy with the services of a particular production company.
As a business owner, no matter what industry you are in, it’s unwise to get in a situation where all of your income comes from one or two clients. On the flip side, as a client, I want to be sure that I have a good and competitive selection of vendors. This is not only to keep the costs competitive (which is just as much a part of my job as writing scripts), but to make sure my company isn’t too dependent on any particular vendor – whether that be for video production services, or office supplies.
Sometimes the “best” crew for the job is simply the crew that matches the demands and needs of the project better than the other choices. Budget, schedule, personality, technical expertise – all those things come into play, and it’s prudent for a “client” to have a fall back in case their first choice is booked or otherwise not the “best match” for a particular job.
It works both ways, folks. Do the best job you can at a fair price and in a professional manner and people will come back to hire you. That doesn’t mean they will – or should – hire you every time.
If you use the competition as motivation to develop your team’s skills, your company will grow.
Don’t just be competitive on the video production side of things, though. This may be a signal to develop your company’s marketing and sales skills and get them as sharp as your creative and technical skills.
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So true, Todd.
The magic numbers might be different in different places. It helps to ask.
In one department I worked in, there is a total different path and process for invoices under $2500 then there is for invoices over that amount. It’s not just payment either, it affects whether the government requires bids from at least three vendors, whether a purchase decision can be left to the discretion of one person – without that person having to write a “sole source justification”, etc., etc.
There are several “break points” that lead to additional layers of paperwork and complexity on the purchasing side of government offices. While that extra paperwork is inconvenient for vendors and government employees, the main purpose is to ensure good stewardship of taxpayer dollars by the government. An unfortunate side effect of that protection is the cost (and time) of processing that “extra” paperwork.
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Whoa there! Government video productions don’t HAVE to be boring.
The problem is that there are some who think that a video isn’t credible unless it’s filled with specific jargon, pie charts, and bullet points. 😉
We see the same problem in other corporate videos too…
(Show of hands… Who here thinks that “maximizing shareholder value” means that much to the average assembly-line worker?)
Sorry to get off on that tangent, but it’s an issue I deal with daily. (Don’t get me started on clients who want one video to “be targeted towards congress, children and THE GENERAL PUBLIC”. In my opinion, the phrases “targeted” and “general public” don’t belong in the same sentence.)
But I digress…
More to the point of this thread: I would echo the suggestion of accepting credit cards. If for no other reason, that usually means your invoice doesn’t have to cross as many people’s desks to get processed.Also, make sure you send your invoice to the correct person and there is a very clear reference on the invoice as to what it’s for. When dealing with the large government organizations, the client that is actually using your service may not even know anyone in the actual department that processes and pays the bills.
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Ha! I hope no one got too scraped up during that last clip.
So… Where’s the link to Granma Hester’s fan club’s myspace page?
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This is a helpful link. Thanks for passing it along to us!
Too many new entrepreneurs in this industry set rates based on the (perceived) local competition’s rates.
While local competition is a factor, I believe that it’s not the most important factor. How much you need to make to cover your expenses is even more important.
I agree that there are many other questions that need to be answered before setting baseline “ratecard” charges, but this does get people started down the right path.
This web calculator can also illustrate very quickly how important it is to manage expenses as well as charge an appropriate rate. I understand “equipment fever” as well as the next guy, but I’ve seen some very good post houses have to shut their doors because they over-purchased equipment during a good season of work.
Never underestimate the value of a good accountant’s advice.
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I have a friend who ran a very successful ad agency for more than 20 years. He told me a couple of years ago that “the Head On spots are brilliant!”, “They aren’t art, but they work”.
(I’m summarizing.)
He also noted that they NEVER actually claimed to do anything. “Head On. Apply directly to the forehead.”
No claims=No lawsuits for it not working.
… and to apply directly to the forehead you most likely have to BUY IT.
subtle yet terribly… um…not subtle.