Professional discourtesy

I think deep down most people want to be a producer. They want to call the shots, get behind the camera and get a movie made.

Of course, the reality of my world is that you rarely get to make an actual "film" as a freelancer. Sure, you can get hooked up on a production. If you're really good you might get called on for your services. Most of the time, though, it's a game of "first come, first serve" versus "I know a guy." It really is who you know in this industry, but it's also about being at the right place at the right time or making the right phone call to the right college buddy.

Being a freelance producer has its perks and it's downside. But I think no one really cares about the reality of the whole thing. They're caught up in the fantasy. They want to be Spielberg.

That must be why video editing software has taken off the way it has. Ten years ago you were lucky if you could even buy a useful editing program. And if you could get it, you probably didn't have a way to get your footage onto your computer. Not without spending a lot of extra money. Now, though, with firewire coming pre-installed on just about everything and with operating systems coming preloaded with some kind of basic video editing software it's become common place for every teenager with a miniDV camera to be a movie maker. Good news for dreamers and would-be film-makers, bad news for we freelance guys.

It used to be that if you wanted a quality television commercial or training video or presentation piece you got out the Yellow Pages and hired a professional. No more. Now, you ask the neighbor kid. Or you sit down and do it yourself.

Now that 3-chip video cameras are getting cheap and every computer coming off the line has iMovie or Windows Movie Maker anyone with the time can put something together. So who needs a pro?

That's the dilemma I'm facing these days. As a freelance writer and producer I have to compete with every iBook toting college kid out there. And since technology improves with leaps and bounds about every six months, I can't even count on my professional gear giving me the upper hand. I own two of the best 3-chip cameras on the market and I have access to several others, including HD equipment. I have a complete video editing suite with the latest software. But since Jr. next door can get dad to pop for a Sony HDR-FX1 high-def camera and an Apple MacBook Pro for under 10 grand I'm kind of left out in the cold. I have to explain to clients that they're paying for my professional skills, and that the equipment is a "means to an end." Try that and see how far you get when Joe College Boy can underbid you by over 3/4 of your quote.

The video industry seems to be going the way of the amateur. Even sacred cows like special effects are no longer out of reach for the budding film maker with a camcorder. Software like FXHome is just as good as AfterEffects or Maya for doing cinema-quality special effects. And frankly video editing isn't exactly rocket science. As long as you stick to tried and true transitions and have any instinct for story telling you can probably splice together something watchable. Truly good editors have the ability to weave a spell with their work, but any hack can slap a few scenes together and call it a movie. I cite the majority of Hollywood releases over the past twenty years as a perfect example.

The only thing we industry folk have left to cling to is our experience, knowledge and skill. Selling to a client has now become a game of convincing them that we're worth the money because we'll produce a better product. It's tantamount to asking a hungry man if he'd rather have a hamburger or fillet Mignon. It kind of depends on how hungry he is.

But it's not just the video and film industry that's taking a hit. Advances in technology have allowed the amateur to get into making his own music, creating his own web pages, doing graphic design, photography, animation... you get the picture. All things that once were exclusively in the domain of "professional."

So where is this leading? I shudder to think. Since the Internet provides a place for this flood of content to find a home I can only think that we're heading for a world where "professional" no longer applies.

In some respects, this may even be a good thing. The flow of ideas is getting richer. There's a freedom of expression going on. People are now free to create in any way they'd like. So maybe, just maybe, when it's all said and done the cream will float to the top. The truly talented, the truly genius creators out there will be able to get their work out and seen, and the world we be a better place for it. Of course, no one will pay to see it, but at least you're famous.

And I guess that's all that really matters in the end.


J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Editor of ViewOnline Magazine and a writer/producer for Hat Digital Media. You may contact him at kevin@viewonline.com. He is producing a documentary about amateur documentary film makers.

posted by Unknown @ 4:37 PM