Faked Tapes

[Latin Lens]

Just curious because of the other thread about getting a bunch of bad tapes for job openings.

Have you (chiefs) gotten a good or even great tape and then the person you think you're hiring doesn't live up to the tape they sent? How do you handle that situation?

Someone mentioned a shooting test....but I've never had to take one. Is this common?

 

[Cambot Mk. II]

I've always believed in shooting tests since I took over as my shop's CP. I have a potential 'tog shoot a vo about a satellite dish or a live van... I give them a time limit and I watch what they do as they shoot. I keep a special eye out for people who shoot "sniper style" video. They don't make it.

If they claim to be non-linear capable, I have them edit a short sequence, otherwise we just look at the raw footage together.

If someone has a decent resume tape, I want to make sure they aren't skating in on someone else's work.

 

[shade]

i had 2 photog candidates come in recently and gave them a test.....a simple interview.....one guy asked me "what filter do i use" and the other i take to the parking lot pull out my camera and tripod from my unit and tell him shoot a vo of the lot. he takes the camera and leaves the tripod behind. obviously they did'nt get a call back.

 

[Latin Lens]

How often does this happen?

 

[Cambot Mk. II]

My ND hired a 'tog this year without calling him in for a shooting test.

Over my objections, I'll add.

He had a great looking montage of stuff he supposedly did in school, but nothing he shot for us looked anywhere close. Over the course of two weeks of one-on-one training it became *VERY* clear that hiring this guy was a huge mistake. The shooter was awful and he has since been moved to other duties. We really can't do anything else with him.

Firing somebody is a lot harder than just auditioning shooters. Especially when you have no actual hire/fire capabilities.

 

[cameragod]

I have been sent a tape with one of my stories on it.
More annoying was a shooter we had who was complete disaster. He would blame everyone else. The ND said he couldn’t be the problem as he has an amazing tape. So I watched it and it was beautifully shot but I pointed to the screen and said to the ND, “that’s your problem there. If he really shot this, why is he standing in the back of almost every shot?”

 

[Land Rover]

I had to take a shooting test at a medium maket station I got a job with. I just figured it was normal and I spent part of my first day with the chief shooting a few things around town and then we took it back and to cut a few sequences. I really didn't think much of it at the time but later I figured he was just checking to see if I could really shoot or not.

 

[Chicago Dog]

The ND said he couldn’t be the problem as he has an amazing tape. So I watched it and it was beautifully shot but I pointed to the screen and said to the ND, “that’s your problem there. If he really shot this, why is he standing in the back of almost every shot?”

That's too funny. Did you guys confront him? I wanna know what happened!

I don't know if anyone's used my work (as I sure the hell haven't used anyone's work but my own). A guy at a previous station worked with us for around six months. He was awful. No problem-solving skills, no shooting ability, no creativity.

So, how did he pull down an assistant chief photographer job?

I don't have proof -- but come on.

 

[Freddie Mercury]

I have had one shooting test. It was at my first station, and it was kind of a reverse situation. My tape SUCKED, but somehow I got an interview. I was taken out to a pier and told to shoot a vo about toxins in the water. I was then given a chance to edit it. The test was better than my reel, so it actually helped me.

In the case of the guy who clearly didn't shoot his demo tape: Why not get proof from the former station and jetison the loser? That's indefensible.

 

[The Daywood]

I have been sent a tape with one of my stories on it.
More annoying was a shooter we had who was complete disaster. He would blame everyone else. The ND said he couldn’t be the problem as he has an amazing tape. So I watched it and it was beautifully shot but I pointed to the screen and said to the ND, “that’s your problem there. If he really shot this, why is he standing in the back of almost every shot?”

Surely you can fire him on "moral" grounds...or at the least presenting false pretense...

What is the difference between a Fake Tape, and a Fake SS#?

 

[javary]

I keep a special eye out for people who shoot "sniper style" video.

what is "sniper style"?

 

[cameragod]

That's too funny. Did you guys confront him? I wanna know what happened!

I didn’t have time to deal with the guy who sent me a tape with my story on it, we were in the middle of the Harold Shipman case so I left a terse message on his answer machine but looking back I whish I had gotten him in… I wonder how long I could have kept a straight face?

The ND handled the other guy with very little fuss. He gave him the opportunity to apply for a job within the company at a small local station… was glad to see him go but not sure it was fair on the people he was landed on.

 

[Canonman]

what is "sniper style"?

I'm going to take a guess, but I suspect it means someone who stays well away from the scene, using the long end of the lens as opposed to zooming with their feet and getting in closer (which is very preferable in marginal light due to the inverse square law of light intensity).

cm

 

[jajack71]

Fake Tape for fake pay

Heck the way they pay people it's not a wonder that they get anyone at all to work for these cheapcompanies.

 

[Cambot Mk. II]

I'm going to take a guess, but I suspect it means someone who stays well away from the scene, using the long end of the lens as opposed to zooming with their feet and getting in closer (which is very preferable in marginal light due to the inverse square law of light intensity).

cm

Bingo.

(Sorry for the very late response.)

 

[Canonman]

Bingo.

(Sorry for the very late response.)

So do I get the job? (hehe)

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

cm

 

[Thephxphotog]

Way back in the day, 1994 to be exact, I had an opputunity to move from a market #131 to a #17 ( Phoenix ). When I arrived to my new utopia I was confronted by one of the more senior photogs at my new shop. He cornered me in an edit bay and started in with all these questions concerning my resume tape. " Did you shoot that?, who was the reporters name on that story?", along those lines. Anyway, it seems he had hired a photog at his old shop just before he left ( Vegas ), who happened to have the exact same stories on his tape. In the same order and everything no less. Well after mne getting the grilling of my life, and several phone calls to my old shop ( Bakersfield ), it was determined that yes in fact, it was my work. Turns out one of my guys had broken into my locker and dubbed my reel off. Nice huh?

But, there is a god after all. The offending photog was subsequently fired for plagerism............. Sorry about the grammatics but I'm in a huge huurry!

 

[lostrobot]

This reminds me of when I was a fledgling photog (in Eugene, OR, mkt #120) and I told my chief that I was interested in a job opening outside the market. He was really supportive, in fact...he told the young photogs that we could use some of his pkgs on our tapes if we needed to! Even back then - when I didn't really know any better - it seemed like a bad idea.

I'm glad I didn't take him up on that and made my own (albiet, crappy at the time) resume tape.

 

[wowk13photog]

I need some suggestions for a demo reel... From Slate to stories... I have been in television for 5 yrs, but I have worked for two stations.. one i didnt need a demo reel because it is in the same market and I knew everyone there..

Can someone help?

 

[David R. Busse]

When I got hired at my current station 27-1/2 years ago, the news director told me that I was a probationary employee for 90 days, and that meant I could be fired any reason under the sun.

Then he looked at me and said he didn't think I shot my resume tape. He was making a concerted effort to hire ENG shooters from other markets and had seen a lot of tapes.

"I don't think a 23-year old could shoot a tape like that. I got shoes older than you," he said.

"You got 90 days to prove me wrong..." he said.

I later found out that my station had been "burned" by a guy some time earlier who got hired on the strength of a faked tape.

Two months into my new employment, I shot some breaking news--a brush fire--that was, by LA standards, pretty spectacular.

The next day I got to work and the news director left me a message.

"Now I believe you did shoot that tape. You can stay..." he said.