ReelSpam [or 'What I Was Up To For The Past Few Months']

Been a while since I popped in but it's been a busy few months [and months to come]. Highly productive season working with new clients who've come our way. Doing pretty fun videos. Currently in the process of uploading the newly completed ones to our YouTube channel. Meanwhile, here are some of the latest works that I've edited.


This is a highlights reel containing footage from the 20 short vignettes I've cut for the 1-Altitude Gallery. Beautiful footage shot on the 5D. It was great fun cutting these 20 videos and giving each of them a unique theme/mood/rhythm. A little bummed I wasn't able to be on shoot since my crew had so much fun running about like tourists - but those videos weren't gonna edit themselves!


Client came back to us after we did a good job for them on our first collaboration - the first video really made the APAC office stand out among their global counterparts. So, they decided to take our concept further and commission a Part Deux using the same actor, animation style and premise. This one is on Cloud Computing and we worked with our animation partner to create something fun.




Finally uploaded the other Youth Olympic Games videos I've edited. I guess you could call these 'mini narrative-documentaries'. Worked with our regular freelance director on these and we pieced together the stories, while setting a specific mood for each piece. Because all these videos were screened at the same Olympic exhibition venue in Suntec Convention Centre, the last thing we want is all of them having the same generic treatment and style. Somewhat bucking convention, these videos were not LOUD and "MTV-ish" - as some might have readily associated with youths and sports. Instead, they're dignified and contemplative.

We're currently juggling 7 projects [and more KIV ones to come] through 2010 and into early 2011. Just wrapping up one for Sentosa... moving onto an overseas shoot next week... working with some old clients, clients who came back to us after moving to another company and new clients from new markets. A mix of branding, marketing, corporates, pro bono and TVCs; private, agency and government. Plate's getting pretty full... but we'll make it work. Somehow ;)

Also started working with PluralEyes on a recent project which we shot on the 5D, with audio coming from the Zoom H4N. Apart from some small workarounds that were needed, I was pretty impressed with the ease of syncing. We had more than 6 hours of interview footage, which was synced quite beautifully using PluralEyes. Kudos! Deep appreciation for that tool - good stuff at very reasonable price. Check it out at http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

Meanwhile, I've also taken up small freelance gigs for a Microsoft vendor producing customer testimonials. Currently, it's been subtitling work - taking local versions and adding English subtitles for the international market. But as with ALL edit jobs, it's never "just" a "simple subtitling job". I've learnt a few new things along the way when it comes to versioning things since I had to work around updating text information on graphics and videos which are already mashed together, as they come to me in .WMV or equivalent files. Every video is different and requires its own set of troubleshooting. I'm a devout MacHead... but hey, like many others, I got my start in Microsoft. I just found something better and am sticking to it ;) Besides, this is strictly business!

Talking about professionalism, I came across an article which I thought was really good for professionals who are doing videos... professionally. Looking through the list, I think we've discovered all these points for ourselves through the years but this guy really covered it in a clear and succinct manner. Recommended Read for everyone who's in the business and is involved in any level of client servicing:
http://www.productionapprentice.com/tutorials/general/this-is-your-work-not-your-art-tips-for-working-with-clients-on-creative-projects/

Preditor Alert

Not much on the editing front as I've been busy with the producing side of things. Ahh, such is the life of a Preditor. Though with each project we pitch for and get, it means a few months down the road, there will be an edit waiting to happen.

We've currently got a few interesting projects in the scripting stage. A few even more interesting ones that are pending. Even though our main business has been in the corporate video realm, looking at our reel, we don't exactly stick to the 'corporate' corporate style. Our USP has always been in communication and storytelling.

Sometimes it's a little demoralizing when fancy graphics easily overshadow what should be achieved with solid scripting and editing. I reckon it's not easy to pimp something that works most beautifully when it's somewhat invisible and subtle. In fact, it gets tiring trying to WRITE about how you could achieve so much with strong scripting and editing in proposals because it's so hard to convey something so abstract at that stage. In contrast, a jazzy comp/storyboard is just pure bling that excites people more easily.

But at the same time, I have much respect for motion graphics artists and their craft. They produce such visually stunning visuals that I frankly can't achieve. That is definitely something I should brush up on along the way [like how I need to find that window of opportunity to break open the AVID Media Composer free trial and have a crash course familiarization with it].

With that, here are some more interesting writing to share. Have a read!

Production Jobs and Responsibilities of Crew
Just realized this is a 2-year old article but it's still relevant. Depending on the scale of the project and budget, you could add or minus the number of people and roles involved. This is something we have to explain to clients often: because production costs can indeed vary quite a bit. Yes, there will always be the one-man-shows who charge a package rate from pre to post for the cost of 2-3 days of filming that others might charge.

A very common question over at the Creative Cow forums: How much should I charge? Here are some answers. Not exact-figure answers but guiding questions to help one along:
Typical Hourly Rate For Production & Editing?

Someone else also wrote about the same issue on their blog:
How much should I charge to edit this video?

Last but definitely not least, I've uploaded some of our recent works on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/intuitivefilms. New works include a docu-drama for the Singapore Sports Council [quite extensive grading on the footage], a short TVC for Skin Inc [working with a 3D graphics and animation company] and a two-TVC campaign for the Tote Board [which I've not been able to catch on TV even though it's supposed to screen alongside quite a few sponsored programs].

Producer / Editor / Debt-Collector

Still reading through the earlier posts of Shane Ross' blog and came across this post with brilliantly useful [well...] comments:
http://lfhd.blogspot.com/2008/03/half-up-front.html#links

Lesson 1 from comment by Christian Glawe

Working as an assistant editor at a large facility - a dub order comes in for a bunch of 1" broadcast dubs of a group of commercials we did for an Ad Agency.

Ad Agency had only paid about half their production bill with us (and other half was about 90 days), but was ordering more broadcast dubs.

My boss, owner of the company (lets call him "Jim"), grabs the dub order off the fax machine, grabs me, and says "c'mon... I'm gonna show you how to make dubs".

So "Jim" has me rout the master through the switcher in Edit 1, and **black out the top half of the commercial**.

Jim says, "They paid half their bill... they get half their spot"

And then the kicker....

"Really, though... they should thank me... I left them the half with the phone number on it..."

Bill was paid the next day.

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Lesson 2 from comment by Scott Simmons

Years ago a fellow freelancer had been trying repeatedly to get paid for a job. Many calls to the producer gave him only the run-around. Knowing the producer had a great big facility he either had money or was in real debt. So my friend went to the facility with a big bag of unshelled peanuts in hand.

He calmly asked for the producer. When they inquired what he was there for my friend produced the now 120+ days invoice and stated that he wanted to be paid for the work he had done. The secretary buzzed someone on the phone then stated the producer wasn't in and could he come back or, preferably, call later. My friend stated "nope, he would wait."

He then sat down in the reception area and began to shell and eat peanuts and throw the discarded shells onto the floor. After a few minutes the secretary asked what he was doing and he casually explained that he had worked hard to complete the job that he hadn't been paid for, took time calling and waiting patiently for payment that never came and was now there for his payment as well as enjoying some peanuts. He was either going to leave with his check and his peanuts or be escorted out by the police and it "wouldn't be the first time."

The secretary then retreated to the back of the building and returned with his check, in full. He left the building with his check and his peanuts, never to work for that producer again. I can only assume he still likes peanuts.

*THIS* is something I gotta try doing one of these days...

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Lesson 3 from comment by Allan

What I do now is create my quote at a full rate say $200/hour then offer a discount of 25% - 75% depending on the job and the client and past relationships and all that jazz. Discount is based on payments made in time which is clearly stated in the contract signed by the producer and I also require a credit card preferably an Amex card (No limit). Obviously this is a drastic step but after 45 days they loose the discount, assuming no discussions have happened, and on day sixty I run the bill through the Amex account and let them deal with Amex. So far with this policy no one has paid later than 60 days, and I haven't actually had to enforce the lost discount but I'm sure it will happen sometime. I think its mostly about respect and you have to make sure your clients respect you as a business, I'm not a bank and can't give my clients loans, which is essentially what not paying for more than 30 days is.

Very sensible. Though probably unheard of in this cowboy town industry here.

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Lesson 4 from comment by Louie Stevens

Working on a video production once, I had a client who would not pay several me and all the other freelancers. We tried calling, leaving messages, emails, and one freelancer even went to this guys office - and left empty handed. Then I came up with an ingenious idea - I went to his website, copied and pasted his client list into an email to the producer stating that if I was not paid in full by the end of that week, I would contact every one of his clients on the list and tell them that he does not pay his freelancers. I got a check for the full outstanding amount in two days.

Nice and effective. Some bridges are meant to be burnt, especially if it's one that's leading to a giant trap of a hellhole.

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At this rate, I think I need to be more hard-assed if I wanna be able to survive full-time freelancing.

Editing Quotes + Freelance Thumb Twiddlers

I think there are people like me with similar abilities and disabilities, because editors are disabled on the social level. It's not normal to be alone in a room with people who look alive but are not. It's a kind of dysfunctional element that editors have, that they can relate to people who are not really people.

Michael Leszczylowski, Page 201

Milos Forman writes in his memoirs that you would give your soul to the devil in return for the eyes of an editor.

Lidia Zonn, Page 213

xxxxxx

'Hi, my name is Kai. I edit stuff... ...' *awkward pause / twiddle thumbs* 'And you?'

Haha, nah, I don't think I'm THAT socially dysfunctional. I attribute my other portfolio of being a producer as the counterbalance. Though I do smile at people in those little boxes when they smile back at me... when I'm editing. Or not.

The second quote is certainly more epic. Ah, to believe in the day when I may posses such a pair of magical eyeballs.

Meanwhile, back in the realm of reality called 'Singapore', life as an editor continues to be fraught with potholes... when freelancing. After nudging [again] a client for months regarding payment [project was completed late last year], I was told that nope, they still can't pay me until... they sort out their finances. Le sigh.

Of the 4 times I have been on contract/freelancing, this is the 2nd time I've been made to twiddle thumb while waiting for the company to sort out payment... indefinitely, with neither proactive contact or follow-up.

Of the many chats I've had with other freelancers in production and post, the overall situation here is equally frustrating and disappointing. Some were owed payments, ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, for months... half a year... more than a year. Often, the same companies perpetrate the cycle of exploitation, over and over again, since there are always clueless and eager new kids on the blocks [Like I once were!] when the experienced ones avoid them like the plague.

I still remember my maiden journey of being exploited... editing a kids' program for a production house. I was quite the eager beaver since I hadn't edited any TV programs at that point. Actually, I was quite surprised that they even picked me, of all people, to edit a TV program. The process turned out to be... an eye-opener, in the 'wise up, young Jedi' kinda way. No script, no log, no direction, no director sitting in... had to capture everything from 5+ hours of tape... told to cut 3 segments. Ta-dah.

Eventually, when the ep aired, I saw that most of my cuts were left intact. That was... nice to see. Though looking at the way things were being run, I kinda wondered whether it's because no one really bothered...

Like the current project which has left me twiddling my thumb, this one was yet another thumb-twiddler [4 months of waiting, nudging and waiting in vacuum for paycheck]... and like the current project, this one was under quoted [for the length and scope of work] due to my inexperience.

On hindsight and with very valuable lessons learnt from CreativeCow.net and FreelanceSwitch.com:
1) Your skills and profession are worth a certain rate. Don't be arm-twisted into dropping your rates unless you see a tangible value in doing so.
2) Learn to say 'No' - there comes to a point in your career when you know certain things are worth doing and certain things are just too painful to do.

Globally, it seems that there is a positive correlation between substandard rates and substandard payment schedule.

I've paid my fair share of dues under the 'Exploit Me!' category - time to wise up! [there are always new batches of students and interns to undergo the baptism of fire :P]

Fortunately, my faith in what I do is still intact since I have been meeting good, decent people who understand that freelancers can't be made to twiddle thumbs while you sort out your business. Freelancers depend on their paycheck to eat, pay their bills and survive. Imagine waiting 3 months for your pay - sometimes 4 months, or hey, maybe half a year... who knows?!

Someone I used to work for on a freelance contract [who also demonstrated the positive correlation between good rate and good payment schedule] mentioned to me over a homely lunch that when freelancers work for you, they offer their trust because they invest their time, effort and expertise FIRST and trust you to do the right thing later. Of course, this same boss pays her freelancers very VERY speedily. Blink of an eye speedily.

Which is also why I'm proud of working with Intuitive Films because we also believe in being responsible to not only our clients, our work but also, to our freelancers. Good work does not come from squeezing the last drop from your profit-driven budget, when it means going down the chain and squeezing/exploiting the people you work with. We continue to respect our work and our freelancers - because, hey, they're both equally important!