First of all Tim I have never questioned your past experience, knowledge or know how. On the contrary, numerous times in the past, on this board I have expressed how good it's to have new members on this board, new members filled with your knowledge and experience.
Let me refresh your memory:
December 17, 2003
http://b-roll.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000362
Hey Tim,
I've been following your posts at the general forum (chopper jobs thread, relamping thread, etc.). I must say, you are a worthy resource at these forums.
Ivan
(BTW - this is the thread with the cinematographers article)
June 03, 2004
http://b-roll.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000157;p=1#000002
Tim,
good to see you back here contributing.
It's great to see knowledgeable guys like you hanging around here sharing with us.
Ivan
Not that long ago you posted this:
April 23, 2004
All production needs to be produced at a high-end level. I would go HD and down convert/pan & scan for SD if I could afford it but that’s a dream at this point. ... I am a few weeks from making the calls. ... Damn…why can’t it just stay SP for ever!
http://b-roll.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000458
Same thread, four days later:
April 27, 2004
At this point I'm considering either 2 - used 600's or one new Sony MSW-900 MPEG IMX to get started.
Then in the same thread:
July 30, 2004
"""One who becomes biased looses sight of opportunities"""
You continue on in this post praising a big three network for cutting down on quality and budget by hiring toy camera crews.
I am sincerely sorry that it didn't work out for you Tim. I was rooting for this thing to work out as I believe it's the well experienced knowledable guys that deserve the better things. However I see way too many people getting sucked into greed. AKA Mr. Rosenblum. I see way too many people getting sucked into his way of producing television. I don't even have anything against using handicams but let's keep things realistic. As cameragod, Bluescam R&G, and many other state - Handicams have their place. These are tools, know the limits and (proper)uses for your tools.
FILM
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No I have no film experience Tim, but I do know what a focus puller is. (good luck having one pull the focus on your toy camera)
I have no time to read the film links but I did look at the main page.
Chocolate-dipped Panavision
The remake of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" experienced a delay on Wednesday when a worker dropped a $540,000 camera lens in a vat of chocolate.
I guess that dude will no longer work on real film productions, dropping a $540,000 camera lens and all. I guess he can get on a mini dv hack crew and pull focus on a hundred dollar toy handylens
REALITY TV
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Tim, once again, no one, I repeat, no one at this board ever disputed using the handicams as supplement cameras for either tight places or more commonly as "UN-MANNED POV CAMERAS"! Is this the great talent you're talking about??? To position an unmanned pov camera at the contestants while they sleep??? To use four seconds per hour in the final product???
Granted, I know nothing about the 2001 UPN show "Man Hunt" The article does however state that they used full size manual DSR-300 DVcams, I take it these were the primary cameras.
Or maybe this is the talented cameraman using handicams you talk of???
and I quote from your reality tee vee article:
Ladies & Gents meet the future talented cameramen.
Producers, for instance, needed to place recording decks on contestants to capture POV shots as the players scrambled across the terrain. To lighten the load, Hoffman's team designed special lightweight backpacks for each contestant. The production team attached XC-999 cigar cams to the players' clothing and cabled those cameras to tiny Sony PC-5 consumer mini-DV cameras in the backpacks,...
So the above is the new definition of talented cameramen????
Later on in your article it mentions the first season of the reality show "SURVIVOR" Well guess what Tim? The show's camera engineer, Brett Wilmot chose ten D600 beta cameras for the cameramen with D30s as back up.. Sure they used little dinky handicams BUT only for POV shots, mostly unmanned with very few shots actually used in the final product.
Here is the proof
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HEN/is_2000_Oct/ai_67831319
Further down the article mentions another show using toy cameras
Again I quote:
On the recurring Fox Family special The Scariest Places on Earth, the premise calls for adult family members to spend a night “alone†in an old, scary building. Therefore, producers insist on limiting crew interaction with contestants as much as possible. To that end, contestants wear specially designed vest cams (Toshiba IK-TU40A ice-cube cameras sewn into motorcycle vests and attached to tiny microflow lights, a battery belt, and a clamshell recorder) for close POV shots.
Once again Ladies & Gents, above someone's definition of talented cameramen using toy cameras for reality tee vee.
Or maybe Tim is talking about all the "cameraman talent" in NBC's Fear Factor.
Another direct quote from the article:
Helmet Cams
NBC's Fear Factor concentrates on putting contestants through dangerous stunts while recording their reactions. For certain stunts, the show's producers rely heavily on helmet cams, which are becoming increasingly popular in the reality genre.
Above is another great use for the toy cameras in reality tv. But what the fack does this have to do with talented cameramen????? For your info the talented cameramen shooting for NBCs FEAR FACTOR employ MSW-900 IMX betacams and now they added PDW-530s (IMX) to the package.
Thank you Tim, you just proven to everyone what I meant about being a button pusher with a pov handicam as opposed to being a cameramen with a fully manual camera.
When people talk about reality tv being a cheap alternative to network programming, they are right. Compared to hiring a Panavision crew (like they still do for net drama) It's a whole lot cheaper hiring a D600 crew. But let's be real here, most professionals want to draw the line to hiring experienced people using good broadcast gear.
As to the ESPN article I haven't had the time to read but here is some more of my famous misinformation from looking at the pictures
.
Handheld cameras—Philips LDK10Ps, LDK20Ps, and Sony 950s—are used to capture action on the mountain. Photo by Tony Donaldson.
Most of ESPN’s platforms were built from the ground up with scaffolding, but the network also used four Spider Cam platforms. This is the first time ESPN used the mobile system at Winter X. Photo by Tony Donaldson
So let me reiterate my previous stance
You go ahead and keep telling folks to buy toy cameras with a toy viewfinders and show the world how their talent shines, make them think reality tv is shot with handicams . Join the other bastards trying to persuade the world how the tools of the trade no longer matter. Me, I think you'll be wasting your talent... tools have limits, people don't.
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As for my experience and abilities, you trying to burn into me won't change a thing. People already tried that with statements like I don't own my own gear or because I'm Canadian, etc. I assure you, in my 23 yrs around video I have been involved from small corporate shoots all the way to being a cameraman shooting international musicians. As for my stringer service, I quit doing that because both the cops and ems scrambled their frequencies, I would still from time to time string (I loved the work not the money) if I still had access to the frequencies.
I guess you did miss the top two headlines on that page. The multi-cam and efp services listed. Since you're so interested in my business ventures I can tell you that about 90 percent of my video work comes from outside my video company. It comes as freelance, not stringer work through other more established companies, companies that have gear departments, promo departments etc. Do note FREELANCE is work for hire STRINGER is footage for sale. Big diference. On my personal page I can not conflict the work I do for others. Although I do have listed both major Canadian nets as clients on "my" page but I guess Canadian nets don't count for a big-shot L.A. boy, eh!
As to the websites, yes I do that, but I only specialize in small business and persona sites. I have a few small biz site clients right here whom happen to be well established b-roll members. Let me know when u need a site and I will give you a $5 usd discount if you let me mention on site the beta format in good light.
As for the computer consulting yes I do that too. This work is for larger more established sites that may need security measures put in place.
So Tim,
You may find my counter-posts counter productive, I on the other hand find opposing views very productive and I shall keep doing it - whenever I please... When someone (for whatever reason) starts posting things I don't agree with, I have every right to post my opposing views on this wonderful open forum. A forum not long ago intended for professional broadcast photographers now infested with cheap bean counters and their amateur supporters...
Thanks for taking my criticism like a man...