And now?

Among the repercussions of my recent video workshop is that there is going to be a serious cash hemorrhage in my life. The first symptom (besides the workshop and 12 days of travel expenses, for which there is no client picking up the tab--my final video cost me about $16 a second), is the need for Final Cut Pro. Apple made sure that projects made in FCP cannot be opened in the FC Express version. Loading the program reminds me of the old days when installing Word meant feeding in floppy after floppy into the machine. In this case, FCP Studio comes with eight CDs, and takes over an hour to install.

Now I've got to think about camcorders. My Canon HG-10 is plainly a toy, and will go on Ebay soon. We're in a technology transition period at the moment, with the Canon pro units behind the curve and still stuck in tape. Sony seems to be the other option, recording onto flash cards, but at a price. There is a lot of jargon to master, and a lot to sort through. Advice out there from someone ahead of me?

Comments

[stephen connor]

Um, how about, "Run! Run away while you still can!"?

[Mike C.]

Run, indeed. The word "Why?" has been forming in a little bubble over my head as I've followed this bipolar saga. The Mac thing I could sort of see (maybe), but I'm really curious how and why you became convinced that your professional future lies in video. Is that what your clients are asking for?

[Lindy]

Doug--

In former lifetimes I did film production and a tiny bit of video production--enough to know that for a first-time project you done good, real good.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the two comments about "Run!" and "Why?" And I am very open to the answer, "Because it's fun!" But I do suggest that before you put your credit card down on expensive software and hardware, do a market survey. Let's say that this Bruce Daigrepont piece was your 50th production, not your first, and you'd like to get some more-than-token money for your effort. Who is going to buy it, and how much will that entity pay?

One of the first lessons I learned when I was a radio freelancer in the early 80s was that I got paid $100 for doing a story on the SuperSonics that took 3-4 hours to produce, and $100 for a political piece that took 7-8 hours to produce. Sometimes I could negotiate more for a story that a network really wanted, but those stories tended to take lots of prep and production time. What saved me is that I could double-sell a story to 1 network and 1-3 print outlets.

If you can make this video thing work financially--and by that I include the idea of it being a very expensive hobby, supported by your still photography and workshops--then that's totally cool, it's a fun medium to work in. But I encourage you to crunch some numbers first.

It was fun to have you as my guest, I hope you'll come back with more time so I can show you around the swamps and Acadiana and feed you some gator on a stick.

Lindy

[Doug Plummer]

Actually, I already have one client itching for me to do this work for them. I think it's going to become a primary vehicle for getting messages out there, be that for marketing, editorial storytelling, or personal expression. And the talent pool for people who can do it well is a lot smaller than the number of good still photographers.

The news media tends to be a leading indicator for these technological changes. They were converting wholesale to digital capture years before it was on the radar screen for most pros even. The Dallas Morning News will soon have only one still photographer on its staff, and he will do food. Everything else in the paper is going to come from video frame grabs. In a few years there won't be a job description for still photojournalist.

[Robin Shapiro]

Lindy,
Can I come too? I'm not letting that guy go to New Orleans without me.
R

[Alex Griffin]

Doug,
Just say "NO" to Sony!!! I know that tape cassettes as a medium seems old-fashioned and it is true that they are on the way out... but aside from the inconvenience of not having random access to the data for playback and erase, are there any significant disadvantages to tape?
Virtually every Sony product I've had has broken, usually just outside the warranty, and sometimes (if lucky) within it... and for the latter Sony customer service is the WORST in the industry. Even the Sony digital camcorder for my underwater work just died last month. No more Sony for me!
Get the Canon A1 or whatever you used at the conference. Tape is cheap. Canon is a great brand.
Wishing you many new adventures in your new (video) life!