Is Stringr a threat to our livelihood?

Starman

Well-known member
Found an app that's for UBER driver's to make some extra money shooting video with their iphones, but other people such as videographers are starting to use it. Is this going to threaten in your opinion, the already shrinking news market for us?

https://beta.stringr.com/
 

Run&Gun

Well-known member
No. I don't shoot "breaking news"/stringer work (car wreck/chase, shooting, house fire, etc.). Closest thing I've done to breaking news at home in a decade was going to the hospital and hanging out for two days after the quarterback here had a wreck in the middle of this past season.
 

svp

Well-known member
Its not a threat but its a nice option. I'm signed up. I always have my camera and if a request pops up on the app and I'm in the area I'll shoot it and upload it. Takes about 45 minutes of my time for $40-$50. Not bad considering a one minute stock footage clip on Pond5 sells for about $40-$60. I don't go out of my way to go shoot requests that pop up but it is a great place to sell great video if you get it. You get paid the next day if it sells and you get $40-$50 for each news outlet that buys it. Better than waiting 6-8 months to get paid by NBC. I've sold about 10 clips in the past month, none were iphone videos but they do have it set up so you can upload multiple clips from your phone if that's the only camera you have.
 

prosheditor

Well-known member
Starman, you're way behind on the spot newsgathering acquisition scene. In addition to what you mentioned, there's Periscope, Facetime & probably more in development yet to be launched. Then there's a new crowdsourcing APP called Fresco Dispatch and those are just the one's with integrated applications. What about all the existing 10+ yr old live streaming services' feeds that can easily be taken live to air or captured in any network or affiliate media intake department for later use? I've been doing internet video delivery for 12 yrs & live delivery (much fewer) for 8 yrs via laptop. The applications for mobile handheld devices are just going to scale down and exponentially simplify that process.

No. I don't shoot "breaking news"/stringer work (car wreck/chase, shooting, house fire, etc.). Closest thing I've done to breaking news at home in a decade was going to the hospital and hanging out for two days after the quarterback here had a wreck in the middle of this past season.
If you don't shoot that kind of stuff, why would you even reply? Hahaha

It may not affect you but it's going to affect a number of others depending on their location and potential competitors when the alert goes out.

Its not a threat but its a nice option. I'm signed up. . . . Takes about 45 minutes of my time for $40-$50. . . .
Thanks. I wouldn't give five minutes of my time or power up my camera for that kind of money.

Not a threat? Well, it damn sure is if enough users get involved and so are you because you are actively participating in it. Tell that to all the taxi drivers losing money because of the new worldwide freelance driving service mentioned in the first post. What about internet sites that have put longtime huge retail chains out of business because of huge volume and much lower overhead costs. In the production world, people like you get blacklisted and the phone stops ringing for overflow or additional crew work when you do what you're doing. In that world though, offenders usually don't openly brag, they just get caught.

You are an established industry worker with a fulltime position and PAY but are simultaneously undermining the backend, like double dipping. High tech, simplicity and cheaper is the undeniable future but just because it exists and you are doing it doesn't mean you should openly announce it over and over on an industry board with hundreds or thousands that are struggling. Of course, you're free to use those services AND to yammer about it here or wherever but how can you not see that those affected more than likely don't want or need to hear about it?

As I've said, I like your tenacity about trying new things and sharing detailed hands-on info about the results, standing your gound on certain issues and not being intimidated by some of the resident constipated egos on this board but what was just mentioned has always irritated me and others about you. You casually work for less and have no problem publicly bragging about it. Take that into consideration please.

It may take a while for these sites to figure out that the general public is not reliable because it's not the average person's focus, partly because it's too inconsistently incidental. Hopefully, most will get tired of the process and annoyance, give up and it will go away. As we all know, the sad part is that news-centric people want to do it but these sites and/or their subscribing news stations don't want to pay them an acceptable rate. It may not be an immediate or complete replacement but it will siphon some content revenue from dedicated news shooters. The fallout may be that the real news shooters will go away out of frustration and then these sites will collapse and there will be no content, other than from news crews, until or if it slowly recovers to real news shooters again.

Here's another one with near the same low payout. Be sure to tell us how it goes.
http://www.b-roll.net/forum/showthread.php?t=29717

. . . Better than waiting 6-8 months to get paid by NBC. . . .
I can't argue with that.
 

Starman

Well-known member
By the way, shooting stuff for Stringr really sucks, because all you have is a smartphone to shoot with, waaay too many wides and super wides, you can't get tights or super tights, because video is much too shaky if you are zooming and shooting with an iPhone. Getting up in everyones face is impractical too, esp. for spot news, and often not possible. This is where an ENG zoom lens is worth it's weight in gold. I've seen some of the content on Stringr, most of it is wides and super wides and it is mediocre quality at best. There will still be a need for professionals like us.

After further analysis, I do NOT see it as a threat, but just as an additional source of content, especially if it is spot news and there was no crew there to capture the event. Also, UBER drivers who use this app do not have all the training and knowledge that professional camera crews have. Sometimes we forget how much time and effort it has taken us to be good photogs and tell great stories through visual sequences. You can't teach that to someone in an hour or two.
 

svp

Well-known member
Starman,

You can shoot with your ENG camera, edit the video, and upload it. I've shot and sold a few things on Stringr but never shot anything with my phone. I have quit shooting for them. They want to pay $65 for tornado video that I can get $400 for by selling it myself. They are stupid if they think I'm selling it through them. Only thing I shoot for them anymore is generic events like festivals and ribbon cuttings and that's only if I'm in the immediate area when the request alert comes across my phone. I don't go out of my way to shoot for them. Its not worth it.
 

Starman

Well-known member
Ditto on that SVP, I did exactly what you said and it was waay too much work. Not really worth the effort.
 

svp

Well-known member
Also, just because you get a request doesn't mean you will automatically get paid. The request is because a media outlet has requested video from Stringr. However, once it shot and uploaded, if the outlet doesn't want it then they don't buy it and you the shooter does NOT get paid. It's a total BS setup.
 

svp

Well-known member
The other thing I don't like it Stringr won't tell me what the split it. They will only say what I'll get paid for a particular piece of video but won't say how much they are selling it for.

I know stock sites like Pond5 are not freelance news but at least I can see all of my clips (and everyone else's), how much it's listed for, how many views it's had, how many times it's sold, and I know it's a 50/50 split with Pond5. Too much secrecy at Stringr.
 

prosheditor

Well-known member
By the way, shooting stuff for Stringr really sucks, because all you have is a smartphone to shoot with, waaay too many wides and super wides, you can't get tights or super tights, because video is much too shaky if you are zooming and shooting with an iPhone. . . .

. . . Also, UBER drivers who use this app do not have all the training and knowledge that professional camera crews have. Sometimes we forget how much time and effort it has taken us to be good photogs and tell great stories through visual sequences. You can't teach that to someone in an hour or two.
This is a good sign. If the pros get frustrated with the process then surely the average busy person won't take the time to fool with it and it will go away.

Not to defend it but if the phone has a zoom capability, you can stabilize the phone on any firm horizontal or vertical surface like a car top, top of a short wall, push it up next to a vertical wall or anything solid to get the shot. But like you said, the reach of the zoom is where ENG will prevail. But most of what they will get will likely be quick and wide for establishing shots. We've all seen what you get when you rely on the public.

Bahahaha. As for the freelance drivers, they don't need the training, the crap video from amateurs that you just described already airs daily on most news networks.

The next thing on these sites will be an online tutorial like CNN's iReport & FNC's uReport giving tips on how to shoot usable (AKA: pro) video. The tutorial ends up describing all the attributes of a pro shooter that they just don't want to pay.

. . . I have quit shooting for them. They want to pay $65 for tornado video that I can get $400 for by selling it myself. They are stupid if they think I'm selling it through them. Only thing I shoot for them anymore is generic events like festivals and ribbon cuttings and that's only if I'm in the immediate area when the request alert comes across my phone. I don't go out of my way to shoot for them. Its not worth it.
In one sentence you say you're not shooting for them and then you say the only thing you shoot for them anymore is . . . which is it?

Also, just because you get a request doesn't mean you will automatically get paid. The request is because a media outlet has requested video from Stringr. However, once it shot and uploaded, if the outlet doesn't want it then they don't buy it and you the shooter does NOT get paid. It's a total BS setup.
You don't say! At least we all know not to fool with it now. Thanks for the intel. Bahahaha
 

Starman

Well-known member
Whatever, but for the love of God, people, PLEASE turn your iphone to landscape mode when you are filming something for a news clip! That bothers me way more than some UBER driver making a buck. I also think that the more content that is out there the better in the long run. A lot of times, a photog or a reporter were never there in the first place, because what happened was totally un-expected, so the content has it's place, and I don't really care if some UBER driver makes $40 for being in the right place at the right time. I don't think it is a threat to our livelihood, but it's been an interesting conversation. I respect everyone's opinion here and everyone has a different view point, and that's fine. I'm glad we can keep these forums going, even though we are all busy working, often on the weekends as well. Thanks everyone for your feedback and keeping these forums alive.
 
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