[Todd Terry]

[Don Greening] “You’re not alone, Mark. Todd never phones me, either. No phone calls, no cards, no letters. I’m crushed.”

Dammit…. my Hickory Farms gift boxes to you both got lost again… grrrrrr!

It was a good one, too… three kinds of sausage and two kinds of ham (their “Saughterhouse Five” basket).

I’ll get on it.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

Actual crickets, huh Mark?

I can’t say I’m really surprised. Maybe I’m the one that’s in the dark or out of touch (probably), but personally I’ve never heard of or seen anyone do it that way. That probably explains the confused looks you are getting.

I can’t say it’s a bad idea, though.

I’m sure your students were thinking the same thing that I was… that they probably don’t have in advance a pre-determined list of names and addresses of potential employers, and therefore have to go back to you and request a letter each time they wish to apply somehwere. If I were a whiny 20-year old (and I’m not, I’m a whiny 45-year old), I’d probably give you the, “Awwww, maaaaaannn”

Personally, as an employer, recommendation letters mean bupkus to me. The only references that bear any weight are the ones that I can call and talk with on the phone.

Then again, a sealed letter like that might carry some cache with me. But still, I’d pick up the phone and call you.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

If you can’t call them, email them. The Photoflex guys are extremely helpful. They have been happy to give me very specific specs on things several times.

I remember specifically once when I needed some inside measurements on one of their Transpac bags, the guy was very accommodating, actually went and took a specific measurement for me. AND, he added, “If I were you and you can wait, I’d wait a couple of months before buying this bag. It’s being redesigned right now with much more heavy-duty zippers and handles that will be a big improvement.” And he was right.

Shoot them an email.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

[Rick Wise] “The very top brass is pushing online teaching.”

Oh Rick… they want to teach cinematography on line??? Oh my.

Reminds me of a comedian’s routine (I think it was Drew Carey) talking about a mail-order course in veterinary medicine. “I wouldn’t want to be a cat in that house.”

There are just some things where a real hands-on education from a gifted and qualified instructor can never be remotely equaled by any book, video, or on-line course. I definitely believe Cinematography is one of those areas.

Then again, as I said, the instruction and program itself must be good. I literally learned more about good lighting and cinematography in my first four hours on a real film set than I did in four years of film school. Literally.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

[Mark Suszko] “I’m wondering if sub-$500 handycams would be enough, in a well-lit studio.”

Could be… especially if lighting is right on the money and depending on what the delivery format is, and all that good stuff. Our GM has some kind of few-hundred-bucks handycam that he sometimes takes when location scouting, etc. It’s pretty darn amazing what those little guys can churn out.

But yes, and again, lighting lighting lighting.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I would look at the tiny little Canon HV20 or HV30. GREAT images, especially considering the dirt cheap pricetag. And they are so small (about the size of a large man’s fist) you you could put them very close together… could probably get the lenses just a few inches apart.

I’m not sure, however, if you can genlock these cameras (or any cameras in the sub-$1K range).

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

I’m always for going down-and-dirty cheap, when possible, so here is my idea….

I like the idea of hanging the fixture, if that gets you in the position that you want it. If it is mounted on a stand there is always the danger that someone might hit it or bump it and slightly change its position… which could be disasterous for stop motion work where your lighting setup must be perfectly locked down for the duration of shooting the scene.

You might consider taking a piece of plywood (like maybe 3/4″ CDX) and simply screwing it right up on the ceiling… into the joists of course, with longish wood screws. Then you would have a big flat mounting surface that would definitely support the weight of the fixture and you could hang the instrument wherever you want.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

There will be those in here that disagree with me (which is fine)… but after using Roscoe paint for more years that I care to count, I’ve come to one conclusion.

Paint is paint.

I am willing to bet the farm that if you take your backdrop to the paint department at Lowes or Home Depot (or more ideally, to a real stand-alone paint store, i.e., a Sherwin Williams store) and say “match this,” and get a good quality flat paint… that you will have results every bit as good as spending big bucks to have the “real” chroma paint shipped in.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

[Luke Pearson] “Any suggestions?”

All of the above… plus require that renter maintain insurance of their own which covers rented gear and names you as beneficiary in case of loss or accident. They should provide you with a copy of the insurance certificate. You may also keep credit applications on file for renters.

My other suggestion would be to ask yourself “Do I really want to do this?” If you are getting into the equipment rental business, sure… but if you are just thinking that rentals might be a source of income on the days that you are not shooting yourself, it might not be worth the headache. We’ve rented gear a couple of times, and won’t do it again. It’s just not worth the hassle, fear for the gear’s safety, worry that it will be returned in time for an important gig… and all that other stuff, for the relatively small amount we could charge in rental fees.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Todd Terry]

Thanks John…

I think we checked with most of the LA voice agents (DPN, CESD, SBV, TGMD, Wm Morris, Sandi Schnarr).

I haven’t tried the east coast ones yet (Buckwald, Atlas, etc.) as I was pretty sure this guy was west coast… but I’ll give them a try.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com