Not Happy

[Jess Haas SOC]

Sounds like someone knew what you were worth and the other guy was just an idiot looking to cut corners.

 

I have done multiple shoots with P2 and have never had any problems. I was initially a bit skeptical but now I really like the workflow. You do need a competent person data wrangling but it is not rocket science. I find it best to treat it like film; you have a loader who knows how to work with that particular camera. You wouldn't let a pa load the camera, and you wouldn't hire a loader who didn't know how to load the film camera you are planning on using. The other setup I like is when there is an on set editor that handles offloading cards and even puts together an assembly of "dailies." Editors tend to know how to copy files without losing them, and will let you know if anything is wrong.

 

If production insists on taking responsibility for offloading cards I just make sure they know it has become their responsibility and if something goes wrong they shouldn't come crying to me expecting me to do them a favor or take responsibility for their mess. I have done a number of shoots where a PA or producer was offloading the cards, and while I don't think it was ideal I only saw some minor problems. I do know that I have been one of the lucky ones in this respect.

 

~Jess

[mark morgan]

Stephen,

 

Tell them you are sorry you can't come to terms and inform them they no longer have the right to use your footage as ownership reverts back to you. I once did a corporate gig where the end client was a museum and the product was a virtual tour of the museum. Once the production company kept screwing around with me on payment, I notified them that I was going to contact the museum directly telling them they had to remove the virtual tour from their web site since I was not paid for it. While obviously, I would have had little recourse if the museum ignored me, the production company folded and paid right away because I think they were worried about looking bad in front of their client (who was a huge one for them).

 

Good luck.

 

hello alec

what would you suggest to do about a company from another country

such as australia

came to hawaii shot

but yet no payment

all agreements via email,but unfortunetly no paper

i hope not to have been kangarooed

 

thanks mate

[John Pappas]

Morgs,

 

Contact me off forum about this. Can see what we can do to help.

 

You've got my email..

 

Cheers,

 

John

 

Pappas Media Services

East Coast, Australia

[Rob Vuona SOC]

And I charge for every minute that I'm not at home or in my truck. What the hell is this "split day" nonsense. There is "call time" and there is "wrap." Period. Straight time for the first ten, time and a half for eleven and twelve and double time after that

Brian,

I agree, thats a big NO on the "Split Day" thing, but what's up with your straight time for the first ten hours. I'm assuming your invoicing for your time and therefore your not on payroll. Payroll works on 8 hrs and therefore should be billed as such and overtime starts after 8 and double time after 12. Furthormore, we add an extra 20% on to the hourly if the gig is non union to make up for the loss of benefits on that show. Thats how it works in my circles anyway. Sorry to sound like a lecture, it's not I just wanted to put my 2 cents in so that we may all stay on the same page.

 

Also, Sorry to get off of the original subject

 

Congrads Stephen on getting all of your invoice $

 

Is this a company we should be on the lookout for on future shoots?

Edited December 19, 2007 by Rob Vuona

[Rob Vuona SOC]

Stephen,

one more question, if this company that you had this horrible experience with calls again, will you go do the gig?

 

If so, are you asking for $ up front ?

and will there be a written agreement before the shoot?

 

May all future gigs be excellent and make you happy !

Edited December 19, 2007 by Rob Vuona

[Stephen Press]

Stephen,

one more question, if this company that you had this horrible experience with calls again, will you go do the gig?

 

A definite maybe! ;)

 

I?m not going to say never but my criteria for working with this company again is a lot higher.

 

They did pay in the end (the soundie as well) and if I had been involved with the planning and prep I?d like to think the whole shoot would have been a lot smoother.

 

If anything I think the previous DOP was overly optimistic as to what they could have achieved with the equipment and time they had? then again I don?t know what he had in mind?

 

I?m willing to believe it was a one off bad shoot? I guess I?m an optimist at heart but I will have my eye?s wide open and everything on paper before doing anymore business with them.

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

"hello alec

what would you suggest to do about a company from another country

such as australia"

 

Mark,

 

Ugh. I truly hope John can work this one out for you. Out of country is tricky which is why I insist on COD for these jobs, but alas that does not help you now. The emails may indeed count as if it were "in writing," but I'm no legal expert.

 

I'd say keep at them. If someone you know (i.e. John) lives near them have them "stop by." Maybe contact the equivalent of the better business bureau.

 

I really wish I had better advice for you. Persistence is all I can offer. Keep at em!

 

Good luck.

[mark morgan]

"hello alec

what would you suggest to do about a company from another country

such as australia"

 

Mark,

 

Ugh. I truly hope John can work this one out for you. Out of country is tricky which is why I insist on COD for these jobs, but alas that does not help you now. The emails may indeed count as if it were "in writing," but I'm no legal expert.

 

I'd say keep at them. If someone you know (i.e. John) lives near them have them "stop by." Maybe contact the equivalent of the better business bureau.

 

I really wish I had better advice for you. Persistence is all I can offer. Keep at em!

 

Good luck.

 

alec

it worked,i kinda sent an email stating not to use the footage

until our business was taken care of

first an email

then a phone call

monies being wired today

went to bank today wire is in process

yaaaah

along with the phone call,

they said they were super happy with footage

same as stephen lesson learned

 

thanks to all

[Mikko Wilson]

Glad to hear everyone in this thread has been duly paid. (Why is this even a battle? what is production thinking?)

 

Slightly O.T., but I had a similar experience with P2 a couple of months back.

 

It's a low-budget student shoot (red flag) with a HVX200 with a Mini35. Production has 1 8GB card.

The DP has his laptop along to offload to, along with an external hard drive for more space.

 

My day started badly enough as my Archer developed a minor problem in the morning, so I had to borrow a Flyer at the last minute - and wasn't sure if I could carry the camera -- but that side worked out ok.

 

 

So production is already shooting when I show up to do my "couple of shots". I'm doing it as a freebie (to let them [and me] know what they are dealing with), with a paid full day scheduled with the group for later in the week. About the time I'm all set up and waiting for the camera, their first P2 card fills up (they still have a few shots to go before Steadicam). It's then that the DP starts to hope to offload the card. He sticks it into his laptop ... nothing. I ask him which version of the P2 driver he has installed...

 

 

...

 

 

(you know it's coming)

 

 

...

 

 

 

"It needs a driver?"

 

 

As I do my best not to cry and laugh at the same time, I explain that Panasonic has a free P2 driver on their website that needs to be installed in any laptop used for the dumping. Does he have access to the Internet there? (Yeah, of course not...)

About the time that he's headed off to ask another group that shooting down the hall if they have a spare P2 card he can borrow, I remember that I may have the P2 driver on my USB memory stick in my pocket, I ask him if I can plug into his laptop to check. Sure enough, there amongst all the other files I really should have cleaned up ages ago, is the P2 driver left over from some install I did over a year ago. I let him know, install, and off we go to dump the cards. Easy as pie.

 

They do get a 2nd card from the other group to shoot with while the first one dumps, and the shoot continues. But it was a classic moment of improper planning & pre-production causing trouble on set. With someone who knew what they where doing with P2 (me) there wasn't a problem, but that sure as heck wasn't my responsibility to save the ass of production. Needless to say, by the end of the week when I showed up for the full day, production had greatly improved their work flow.

 

The production was very nice, treated me well on set, provided assistants when necessary, and payment certainly wasn't a problem either. (We had hacked it all out beforehand to the point that everyone understand exactly what was expected and would happen). But another example of the borders between responsibilities being blurred.

 

- Mikko