Trey Gregory
Forum Replies Created
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Based on the stats page I checked out the JVC can definitely do whatever your GL2 can do and more. GL2’s are awesome cameras, but are quite out dated, once you get your new camera, you won’t even remember your GL2.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
You need a firewire cable.
6-pin to 4-pin
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
There are a slew of threads about how to get your #’s for pricing, there is even a calculator that will help you figure out what your rate should be to cover your expenses;
Figure out what your time is worth, and charge for it by the hour or by the day, your choice.
The key is not arbitrarily picking a number, you should have consistent pricing for your services, the only thing that should change is the amount of time it takes you to complete the project.
Your market has a lot to do with where you prices should start, but your skill, creativity, and experience is what the client is paying for, so you can charge much more for those.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I handle our company’s books and payroll and I use Quickbooks Pro. It was very clunky-feeling to a non-accountant like myself, but after a few months at it, and many frustrated e-mails to our company CPA, I’ve really come around to love it!
In our industry it is critical to be able to track profitability of projects, and if used correctly Quickbooks can give you a useful breakdown of every project you’ve ever done, what it cost you, what your profit was, how long it took you to get paid, etc, etc.
I believe they make a version of Quickbooks specifically for the service industry, which removes a lot of the inventory tracking features that are designed for retailers. Will save you a few bucks if you buy that instead of Pro.
Walter is right about Tax time being a breeze too. Takes the stress right out of it.
Best-
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I completely agree with Mark, if it ties up a critical machine, you should charge for render time.
In terms of Media Compression, we charge for it as well. If it’s a small compression job, we’ll usually roll it into the edit charge, otherwise it’s an hourly charge. We’ve had our fair share of projects that are ONLY media compression.
RE: Listing a line item with a discounted rate for renders.
I wouldn’t recommend that. I used to do that when I was freelancing, and it leads to a lot of questions from the client. They don’t need to know how long it takes to render, all they need to know is how long it takes you to make it. They are paying for the final product, the process is your business.**Unless you are charging the client on a running basis and have not worked out a price before starting the project….but that is a topic for a different thread.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I don’t have specs for the best system to handle this footage.
Only problem I’ve had with 24f footage is capturing it. You have to capture it using the camera or another canon 24f capable hdv camera.(like the H1) no other camera will do it.
The specs you sent should be fine.
Hope that helps some.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I feel like the barriers to entry are dropping with the cost of equipment.
Danny Boyle shot most of 28 Days later on a Canon XL-1, and in my opinion that movie LOOKS great! So gritty and grungy.
The barriers to entry for into film are getting lower and lower. It’s not how high-end your gear is, it’s how strong your story is, how good your performances are.
Personally, I would take a film with a strong story shot on a handy-cam over a film like Gigli shot on film any day of the week.
Good topic tho, very polarizing.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
For what it’s worth, you can do what you are attempting using Adobe OnLocation.
We recently used it for a project, and it worked great.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I have never ordered OEM software before, and don’t know anything about it, so I can’t speak to that.
However, if it seems too good to be true, it is. This is especially true on the internet.
Another option:
Adobe offers very generous discounts if you buy a software upgrade, all you need is a valid serial from your previous version.I upgraded our AE CS4 for 1/3 of the cost to get it new. If you already have CS2, you should be all set.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com -
I agree with Todd.
Everything needs to be established up front, before you start the project.
Just hammer out a contract with the company that allows you some rights to it. Most places are pretty flexible about this, as long as you aren’t asking for the right to reproduce and sell the video, they shouldn’t care if you distribute the footage to promote yourself or your company on the web, or wherever.
Just be very specific up front, try not to leave any grey areas in the contract that could come back to haunt you later.
Trey Gregory
ECG Productions – Atlanta
HD Production and Post
https://www.ecgprod.com