Hollywood Camera Work Dvd

Hi Guys,

This is Per Holmes from Hollywood Camera Work. Thanks for all your kind words! I just wanted to drop a note that many of the eBay auctions are in fact fraud. I think it's anti-trust if I discourage aftermarket sales ;-) but we've had several people call because they bought on eBay, sent a check or money-order, and the seller disappeared. It just breaks your heart. We've also reported those sellers to eBay (who don't seem to be in any kind of hurry BTW), and I really hope that if you must buy on eBay, you at least do yourself the favor of not buying from someone anonymous or who doesn't accept PayPal. Of course I'd rather that you got it from Hollywood Camera Work, and with the discount it would probably be cheaper than second-hand anyway. Then you can also join the new Hollywood Camera Work user-group at http://forum.hollywoodcamerawork.us which is dedicated to camera-work, and where I'm doing lots of blocking-exercises and training-sessions etc.

I really want to thank you guys for everything you say -- this training took years to make, and I personally took a huge gamble in putting it together -- and it means a lot.

Best,

Per Holmes
Hollywood Camera Work
 
Gordon JL said:
Owen, on that auction you posted, there was a bidder, Nalyom, who bidded over himself 10 times; perhaps to raise the price. Am I missing something here? And who would bid on this for over $400, when a person would easilly find it for much less?

Frontlineproductionsny does seem very suspicious; but even if he was trying to raise the price, does that necessarilly mean I shouldn't buy from him, since the price is still much lower than other places?
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I'm just pointing out that frontlineproductionsny is the exact same person as toledorocket21. Notice that toledorocket21 sold a few sets of hollywood camera work and then got suspended. The exact same auction is now being posted under the new user name. Same image, same writeup. No feedback on either person is from someone who actually got a set of these DVDs.

The nalyom bids are probably just a case of somebody who kept deciding to up their bid. Since it's all on proxy some people just do stuff like that to nudge the price up until they are the highest bidder (instead of bidding their highest price point first and letting ebay do the rest).

I just took another look around -- frontlineproductionsny has now been suspended as well. I don't doubt that a good ebay deal pops up now and then on this set, you just gotta be careful with those "too good to be true" offerings.
 
If you are serious about directing you should get these DVD's. And the forum that Per set up is excellent - he's already posted a few templates and a blocking exercise - and he's great about giving feedback. You can access the forum for free if you purchase the DVD's.

Bill
 
If you are serious about filmmaking, these DVD's are a must. Buy them now, You won't regret it. There is so much information jammed pack that it requires multiple viewings like a previous poster has said already. I love this DVD set and I'm not even being paid to say this!
 
I bought a set of these from Per Holmes about a month ago. I have to say that they are top notch and very informative. I'd recommend them to all.
earon
 
thnx for the article Jarred

Are any of you who have bought or considering buying this dvd set into documentary filmmaking? I kinda got the itch to buy it, but think it might be over the top and too sophisticated for documentary work. Would you say this really for fiction film production?

any feedback would be great.
 
Yeah, this is for camera blocking and character blocking for fiction. The first DVD has some general stuff that could applicable to any filmmaking, but overall, no, this is not for documentary filmmaking.
 
I agree not for Doc work; but it has opened my eyes onto using the camera with some creative movement. I think I could translate this to doc run and gun work.
 
Wow...... This DVD looks excellent.
I bought a crane recently and looking for instructional tips. Now, I'm thinking about buying a dolly... but I might have to make the choice between buying the DVD first to learn more about how to use a dolly... So many decisions!
 
I saw this product lurking around on this forum a long time ago...it looks scrumtious!

Good review Jarred.
 
I had these dvds for 4 months and they are excellent. They are also working on other dvds soon to be released. One more source of good information is Steven Katz's Cinematic Motion. This book is a great followup to "Shot by Shot". It basically covers most of what is in Hollywood DVDs.
 
Hey, I just wanted to warn everyone about a situation I've discovered on E-bay. A few weeks ago, I tried to buy Hollywood Camera Work there, and got ripped off by a guy named Rob Balis (from Bloomfield, NJ) for over $200. I paid by money order, and then the guy disappears from e-bay (no longer a registered user).

At the time of sale, his user name was ToledoRocket21, but I have traced him to at least two other user names. He seems to switch usernames every couple of weeks. He'll run a bunch of short auctions, and then as soon as those auctions are up, he disappears and starts a new identity. The first thing he always does is buys a bunch of cheap $.99 items that give him immediate positive feedback. Then he sets up shop and starts his scam all over again.

The reason I'm mentioning all this is that he continues to sell Hollywood Camera Work under different identities, and he continues to rip people off. So, if you're looking to buy it cheap on e-bay, I'd be sure to research the seller, make sure that it IS NOT Rob Balis...and whatever you do...DON'T SEND A MONEY ORDER!

For more info on this guy, you can check out this list of complaints against him:
http://www.traderlist.com/RobBalis.html

Thanks everyone!
 
Report this to Ebay. If you sent him a postal money order. It is mail fraud which is a federal offense, punishable 10 to 20 years in jail. If it was a postal money order contact the IG for the post office and report it. If you use PayPal, I think you are covered up to $500. I may be wrong about this amount. There is also another person selling bootleg copies of these dvds. A friend of mine paid $300 and got copies. Days later the user was no longer a registered user. For the quality and hard work put into these dvds, its ashame we have dishonest people whose motive is to get over on you. Definitely contact Ebay and follow up on this. Good luck!
 
I've had this series for about 2 months and it is the best for gaining knowledge about the actual mechanics of camera placement, and most importantly, why. It's dense, but what a resource to review over and over, and in 3-D!
Jarred's excellent review says it all.
Well worth the money.
 
Angrius said:
Is this the guy?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hollywood-Camera-Work-Film-TV-Editing-Camerawork-DVD_W0QQitemZ6433014609QQcategoryZ617QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Well this particular guy has been an Ebay member since 2002 with 100% feedback, and has at least a couple of recent positive feedbacks for high value items from other longtime Ebay members with 100% feedback themselves, so it would appear that he's legit.

Of course you should satisfy yourself that you are confident in him before buying.

Another way I check Ebayers is to say you will be visiting their area and ask if seller is willing to let me inspect item or will take cash on personal collection. If they are evasive, I might be a little suspicious (not everybody wants strangers visiting them at home of course!), and ask more questions or investigate their feedback and Ebay history further. But conversely if they're cool with that, then I think I could trust them a lot more.
 
I purchased this set about half a year ago, when I first saw a post here in the forums.
I must say this is a great set, no book or online material can explain this material as well.

I found that the easiest way for me to watch the lessons was 1 hour a day, no more, it's just too much information at the same time.
It is really helpful, and in any shoots since then I always use something I learned from this set.
Per did a great job, I hope the visual effects set will be as good
 
I'm definitely interested in buying these used. If you have these and can part with them please let me know. I'd love to have the info before shooting my next short, but after dropping 600 on a mic, i'm SOL for making any big purchases for a while :(
 
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