Walter Biscardi
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So many questions need to be answered. Logs? Transcriptions? Producer working with you or not? And that’s just three of about 50 questions I would have to ask the client.
I’ll tell you this. We cut two feature documentaries here. Each had over 300 hours of raw materials for a 90 minute feature. Each had zero transcriptions, notes or scripts.
Each was cut over a 4 year period. Took 6 months just to create the first cut of each.
Over that 4 year period, we probably actually worked just over 2 years to create the features. I was actually working on “Good Eats” at the time so I would have to leave the documentary for 6 – 8 weeks at a time when that show was in production. I also had an Assistant Editor working with me, and for finish enlisted a Colorist and sound designer.
Depending on how many notes and materials the client is providing me. If I’m working by myself I would expect about 2 years of work to deliver that IF the client is providing with me a lot of notes and help. I’d want at least 2 AE’s working with me on a project like that.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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If your monitors are only 8bit, they will display banding no matter the resolution of the timeline. The monitors themselves will be the limit here.
You mention the Decklink 3D but do you have an actual 10bit monitor attached to your output? Without that, you’re going to see banding no matter what you do in the situations described. Send a 12 bit ramp to an 8 bit monitor and you’re going to see…. banding.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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If you have production insurance for your production company, your insurance agent should be able to arrange E&O.
It can be pricey. Whenever I need it, I simply go through my insurance agent and he arranges it.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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Company money or personal money, everyone is spending a lot less and looking at video production as simply a commodity.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[Ned Miller] “Mark S. doesn’t think video has become a commodity but I see otherwise, every day.”
100% a commodity today. Projects are driven by cost first and foremost. As long as it’s “good enough” the client is happy. I’ve been working on an educational campaign with potential clients on why you pay me vs. paying other folks. And quite honestly we’re figuring out how to make things work at lower budgets. Just cutting into other areas where we used to hire out, now we bring it all internal.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[Ned Miller] “Please elaborate. How can you shoot and edit, something that lasts 30 minutes, and includes graphics for $300? Especially you, Walt B., who has massive overhead. Dying to know. Also, why would you want to?”
In my case, we don’t have massive overhead, we run a very lean operation, always have. That’s always a big misconception folks have about my operation. Our overhead is quite minimal.
In this case, I reached out to her before I knew what her budget was. We came to an agreement that was still below our rate but higher than what she originally said. By shooting enough videos at once, made it cost effective for us and we can edit all of her videos in just two days.
The upshot of all of this is we may have opened the door to larger work through her connections.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[Ned Miller] “Walt, you’re joking right? I can’t even get a good grip for $300. I just have to make it two more years!!!”
100% serious. Said the previous project was shot by someone with three GoPros.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[Ned Miller] “The gigs that come in through the crowd sourcing sites like CL, Thumbtack, Gig Salad, Gig Masters, E Lance, Staff Me Up, etc. are paying peanuts. I’ve gotten their alerts and bid on them so I know. Why? Because it’s a competitive bidding situation and the video buying public now sees production as a commodity so they won’t pay much. “
Just recently bid on a project on Thumbtack. Two 30 minute videos, shot and fully edited with graphics for $300 each.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[David Roth Weiss] “DVD video can’t deliver HD period, forget about “true HD” whatever that means. DVDs are all SD, either widescreen or 4×3. If you truly need HD, BluRays are your ticket.”
David, he’s asking about stock footage elements that are shipped on DVDs for use in editing. Not a playable DVD. You can follow the link.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals
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[Ken S.] “What are the facts. the .mov files are 1080p on the DVD. “
If they are quicktime movies, those are data. A DVD that’s designed to play video uses MPEG2 files.
Data files have no constraint on being delivered via DVD other than the maximum storage availability of a DVD. You said those are stock footage files, they delivered via a DVD. That DVD is not designed to play in a home player. It is simply a storage device.
[Ken S.] ” So the question, since they are data files they are not limited by the max bit rate in comparison when they are produced for dvd players?”
You’re confusing a playable DVD with Digital files being shipped on a DVD. Two completely different things.
A playable DVD is limited to SD video. Digital Files are limited to the amount of storage space on a DVD, around 4.2GB.[Ken S.] ” And as such you can record true hd in any bit rate as long as they fit on the dvd?”
Bit rate for the HD file has nothing to do with the DVD. There are many MANY bit rates for HD files depending on delivery specs. You can put any file on a DVD, including a 4k UHD file or an 8k file, so long as the maximum file size fits on the DVD. Again around 4.2GB of maximum file size.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative MediaCraft and Career Advice & Training from real Working Creative Professionals