It looks like $225 is the price point for the holiday season and several manufacturers are committed to that entry-level price making them very attractive. However, I really recommend spending a few dollars more to get a player that is firmware upgradeable so you will continue to get all of the cool new features being added to this technology. (Tip: Look first for a player with an Ethernet or USB port and then double check the specs). By doing this you will avoid purchasing another player next year to replace this one. Another strategy; Hey it’s Christmas! Get this one now and put it somewhere else in the house next Christmas when you upgrade to the latest and greatest one. As we have seen all along, more and more features will be available soon. (The manufacturers know that too…).
Breaking into the Business
It’s actually not that difficult to break into the business. But you first must have genuine passion for the industry and the craft, you have to have it in your blood. Then it’s just a matter of applying yourself. It all starts with desire, a desire to get into the business. With strong enough desire, and dedication to the effort, you can get into and find your place in the business. You may have heard, “Who you know gets you into the business and what you know keeps you there.” But there’s more. It’s how well you do the job that keeps you employed in the industry. So making contacts and learning craft skills are essential elements for successful entry but you must create your unique place and continue to add value in addition.
All this takes preparation. A top-rated film/video school is a good start. Working on student films and videos in any capacity is important. Seeing, analyzing and discussing films, reading books on production, observing film and video productions, visiting equipment rental houses and befriending camera assistants who are prepping camera equipment for an upcoming production, and attending professional exhibitions, seminars and workshops are all means of learning by living the craft.
There is no substitute for experience. There is no substitute for hands-on opportunities. Working on independent productions in any capacity is a way of acquiring that experience. It is well to keep track of any and all production experience by starting and regularly updating a resume which can be presented to prospective employers in order to gain more work opportunities and more experience.
Then you have to create a break for yourself. How do you get yourself in front of people who will see you as a valuable commodity to their staff or organization. This takes some ingenuity and patience. It can be about putting yourself in particular places at particular times that will increase our odds of a chance to be involved with an ongoing production or group of people. You have a choice between laying on the beach or literally walking the streets of Hollywood observing. Find out where productions are going on in public, where to people go to lunch, what do they do after work. You may even recognize someone you know. You have to be genuine though.
In addition, people like to work with their friends. This is one of the fundamental structures of any business, the relationships that you create, maintain, and nurture. This can’t be done by force, it must be organic. You want to build relationships with the initial people who are willing to share their time and knowledge with you. Be interested in them as individuals as well as members of the industry. If done well, these people will begin to care about you as a person as well and want you to succeed. People by nature want to help others.
ESPN NFL Live
Live programming is an area that Sloan Productions excels in. As a lead up to the start of the 2008-09 NFL season, ESPN toured the training camps of prominient teams for their program NFL Live. Sloan productions provided the facilities and crew at the San Diego Chargers training camp with multiple cameras, lighting, and sound.
YMCA Healthy Family Home
YMCA’s across the country are promoting their Healthy Family Home program. New client Richmarc Productions and their client Eli Lilly shoot segments and interviews for the promotion. DP Bob Sloan employed the Sony F-900 high definition camcorder fitted with a Fujinon extreme wide angle zoom lens during this day of production for director Greg Perry
Animal Planet, Dogs 101
For the Animal Planet program Dogs 101, Powderhouse Productions of Cambridge Massachusetts came to San Diego to shoot a segment about “Murphy the Surfing Dog”. Director of Photography, Bob Sloan shot the feature in high definition using Sloan’s Panasonic Varicam package and lenses. The shoot consisted of interviews and B-roll and was produced by Tom Draudt.
Corporate Interview Shoot Tips – Clothing
Colors
• Avoid the color white if possible.
• Bright pastels, especially yellow should also be avoided if possible.
• Black is not optimal, but better than white. Mid to dark tones are better.
BEST – deeper cool solids that contrast skin color: blues, greens, purples.
Coat and Tie- A medium blue shirt is vastly better than white a shirt w/ dark jacket.
Very dark skin – Stick with darker colors, ie dark blues.
When deciding on coat & shirt colors, it’s best to keep contrast minimized by choosing darks & mediums, or mediums and lights. Try to to avoid mixing darks & lights.
Patterns
• Avoid busy, uniform patterns; herringbone, tight stripes.
• Wider stripes are ok.
Other
• Wearing glasses usually OK, but best if can be removed, especially if lighting reflects back and creates glare.
• Remove trade show badges.
Corporate Interview Shoot Tips – Locations
An optimal room size is 25’ x 40’, and empty. Not that smaller quarters can’t be worked with, it’ just easier for all with a larger room.
In hotels, conference rooms work better than guest rooms without a the large conference table in the middle. Large suites are much more workable than a single room. In a conference room, the background for the interview is a consideration as there are usually no furnishings to work with. We have boxes of props that we carry for this case.
Easy access for equipment dropoff is a consideration. We work off of wheeled carts. Having to move equipment up or down stairs should be avoided.
Windows can make controlling light difficult. It is best that they have shades/blinds that can block the incoming light and darken the room. No windows is usually best but natural light from windows can also be worked with as an asset if the interview setting allows.
A quiet area, ie away from hotel front entry, convention noise, etc.
Be aware of any other constant ambient noises like flight paths, railroad, traffic, etc: try to get on the opposite side of the property or building to minimize interruptions.
Have location provide, if possible:
Four 6’ folding tables
12 folding or stackable chairs
Refreshments – waters, Diet Coke, soft drinks, coffee – all day
Snacks – fruit, muffins, nuts, granola bars, etc.
ESPN E:60 Bionics
For ESPN’s critcally acclaimed program E:60 we shoot specifically for slow motion effects using the Panasonic Varicam’s ability to shoot at 60 frames per second. In this photo, Olympic hopeful, and amputee Jeff Skiba clears the bar for our camera for a story called “Bionics”.
NFL Playoffs
As the San Diego Chargers made their run in the playoffs, ESPN-The Worldwide Leader in Sports, relied on us for their gameday production needs gathering b-roll, player sound, & feeding stand-ups of Bob Holtzman & John Clayton for ESPN‘s Countdown program. We employed two pop-up shelters for intermittent heavy rains, (yes, in San Diego…). Shari Greenberg Producer.
Microsoft Guitar Hero 3
Somebody’s got to do it! In the push to publicize Microsoft’s Guitar Hero 3 video game for the Christmas season we covered a cross country duel between Carmen Electra in Los Angeles and Tony Romo in Dallas for Kenny Mayne’s Mayne Event. Produced by Tom McCollum.
