Re: I QUIT.... Working for nothing.

[Tim Wilson] "People like Bob and me were no different than these punks today. We worked for zero, and worked our way up to peanuts, and worked that way for YEARS. In a way, its kind of cool that kids are using 5D cameras to fight for their scraps. I used a $10,000 camera to compete with $100,000 cameras, and my competitors came after me with DV cameras that cost $1000."

I disagree that the 3/4, UVW and used 1" based low budget post houses of the late 80's were the same as what is happening today.

In terms of the dollar at the time, that gear cost a lot more. In todays dollars, that 10K camera would be about double. There were no new 600 dollar fluid head tripods. A used set of sticks and a crap fluid head would still set you back about 4K in todays dollars. So even the cheapest gear at the time was much more expensive in comparison to the wage it earned you. So in looking at the gear of the day, wages and rates, you would have much more skin in the game then todays noobs. Probably on the order of four to ten times as much.
I worked at a big market O & O station that did commercial production. When were over booked, we farmed out the low end commercials to a couple of guys that left to do this very thing. One big difference is there would be no way we would accept from them, the kind of crap the noobs turn out today. Example, even if you were shooting with a 10K camera, I'll bet you still lit your set. I'm sure you took proper audio, used the sticks, shot cut-aways, etc. In other words, even at that level, you still had to conform to the standards of the time. Now, we have a class of workers that shun standards and try to make those that have some out to be the boogy-man. So even in the era of when the 3/4 mom and pop post houses started chipping away at the big guys, there was an expectation of what most refer to as "production values".
The last thing I would say is there wasn't a million of you, like there is now.

Scott Sheriff
Director
http://www.sstdigitalmedia.com


"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." ---Red Adair