Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

M

Mino

Northern Dreamer
Well the underpaid job from hell that I bitched and moaned about a month ago is in the bag. Final hour count was 258.5 which includes a full on director presentation with some of the slickest lingo programming I've ever done, and 32 minutes of still photgraphy video montage done in 3d studio max r3, premiere 6.5, adobe audition and Ulead DVD workshop for final dvd render. I got about 5 bucks an hour which kept me in rent, food and two and a half billion cigarettes! I have to look on the positive side here though. True I didn't get a kings ransom for production, but, in my effort to steamline the production process I learned a lot of really good techniques and tricks that will make me more competitive in the land where they actually pay you what your worth. Just gotta add, for those that don't already know, Adobe audition is one totally KICKASS piece of software for editing sound for video.
And thanks to all for being so prompt in answering my tech questions. You all rock ;D ;D ;D

Mino

This was my original post re- THE GIG
http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX2/YaBB.pl?board=Offtopic;action=display;num=1104459525 ;D
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Congrats mino! At least someone is finished.. I'm still editing away and not even close to finishing. You know, side tracked by women. ;)
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Thanks Spidey...It feels good to be done. just got the show to present on Saturday and then poof. maybe now I can go shoot something. Oh and Wouldn't you know it, three quarters of the way through this gig I got an ear malfunction that the Doctor took a week to fix. Do you have any idea how hard it is to EQ audio with only one ear going...Mutha....er!
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

[quote author=mino link=board=Offtopic;num=1106723906;start=0#2 date=01/26/05 at 01:37:37]Do you have any idea how hard it is to EQ audio with only one ear going...Mutha....er![/quote]

That's what you call EQing in mono. ;D Well, the positives are that you're done and your ear is fixed. Your "half billion cigarettes concern me mino. You should start chewing Trident sugarless gum. If you can't smoke, chew on trident. ;D
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Thanks Pooh...I did say the project is in the bag, not the cheque...When I get paid I'm gonna celebrate :D
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Congrats, Mino! Now you can put a cigar in your mouth and say, "I love it when a plan comes together." :)

It's so true that working on huge pain in the butt project is an education in itself. Or as I like to call it, "Paying my dues."
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Oh yes, I remember these projects. Most everyone has to pay their dues at one point or another. However, at one time or the other you have to stop paying your dues and start paying the bills.

Something producers, editors, sound engineers, etc etc need to be cautious of is undercutting the industry. Just because you REALLY want or need the business does mean you should come down to what they are willing to pay. By doing so you essentialy devalue your service and devalue the entire industry. Your customer may leave with your work product thinking "What a fantastic deal!" and next time around they will ask you or some other vendor to do the same thing for the same price. "Hey, I got it last year for this price, why not this year?".

I have a lot of respect for a vendor when they turn down business saying that the budget for the project simply is too low for them to make money on.
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

[quote author=natob2 link=board=Offtopic;num=1106723906;start=0#7 date=01/26/05 at 07:39:01]
Something producers, editors, sound engineers, etc etc need to be cautious of is undercutting the industry.  Just because you REALLY want or need the business does mean you should come down to what they are willing to pay.  By doing so you essentialy devalue your service and devalue the entire industry.  Your customer may leave with your work product thinking "What a fantastic deal!" and next time around they will ask you or some other vendor to do the same thing for the same price.  "Hey, I got it last year for this price, why not this year?".
[/quote]

That's so true. Once you've established yourself as the low-cost production source in a market, it's difficult to get any other kind of work. Your referrals will keep you busy toiling away at slave wages - too busy to sell yourself properly to clients who can afford to pay what you're worth.

Nonetheless... congratulations, Mino. :)
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Not to take anything away from Mino's accomplishment by stealing the thread, but I'm sure a lot of us, including Mino, could use the advice. What are the going rates? How do we avoid pigeon-holing ourselves into slave wages, even though many of us are just starting out?
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

It would be nice to have a minimum of some type, maybe even contact people in your area doing work and discuss not going below a certain level. There will always be someone to undercut the competition, but if all the people doing professional work have a decent minimum then it could keep the whole from doing slave wages.
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Some times you've just got to sow the seeds and see what grows eh?
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Good for you, Mino! Congratulations! :D It has to feel GREAT to be finished with such a project.
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Does that mean the 3am RENDER RENDER RENDER casts are to come to an end? How will I keep my family entertained?

Good on ya Mino.
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Thanks Prarieboy...Ah, the allnight broadcast thread of Dec 31 that was a hoot. You never know when I'll bust a gasket and start that madness again eh? ;D
 
Re: Maniac project from hell in da bag :)

Who do you think I am? PK Gillock!!! I can't get an entry done in a month let alone five days ;D
 
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