Saturday, March 26, 2011

RE: [Avid-L2] Re: Client Approvals

John, i'm with you on wetransfer.com, what an awesome interface they
have? Super easy too. We still provide a lot of BITC DVDs for paper
edits and approval but most of our output is light entertainment,
minimum of 30 mins, normally an hour, so it's faster to bike a dvd in
most cases than encode and upload to our FTP (although that happens a
lot too). We use FORscene for client logging and if need be we can have
the editor do a mixdown which will upload their current sequence to
their FORscene account pretty much immediately and with no intervention
from us due to the watch folder capabilities of FORscene. We will be
using a Content Agent soon which will speed up our abilities to make
files and i would imagine this will do away with a lot of the DVD
screeners. Files tend to be H.264 512x288 1-2000 kbps square pixel with
BITC.


Andi

To: Avid-L2@yahoogroups.com
From: johnhollands22@gmail.com
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:00:43 +1100
Subject: [Avid-L2] Re: Client Approvals






First, we never send tape. Of any kind. Anywhere. +++

One or two clients like a DVD, usually they are the less-savvy ones. One

asked me if I knew anywhere good enough to duplicate DVDs without

generation loss. You know, going down a generation by copying the

original DVD. He was amazed when I told him...

I've discovered that clients will find their own preferences.

Here's what we use from most common to least:

send mpeg1 or wmv or small mov using www.wetransfer.com

put mp4 onto a youtube unlisted link and send link to client.

put FLV on our "backpage", link sent to client.

put FLV onto our site but "backdate" so it doesn't pop up, send

link to client.

Use FTP - ours or theirs. Hardly ever for approval clips. Editors

send edits to us though.

Why do we send MPEG-1??? Because people can play it.

I don't care if it is as uncool as, um, as... you know, as uncool as

anything.

We once had a client asking for a QT MOV. I think DV Anamorphic 48k. Our

Editor "knew better" and insisted on sending H264 mp4. Client would

complain she can't see it, it won't play on her computer. We'd always

have to send again in QT.

Our Editor sniffed haughtily and said "she must have a weak computer

with all the wrong codecs" - "she should upgrade".

He didn't see why he should degrade HIS output.

He was partially right; she DID have a crappy computer, she DIDN'T have

the codecs. BUT!!! She worked in a Big Broadcaster and HER ridiculous IT

department refused to upgrade or give her a better computer or fix or do

anything to allow her to play ANY videos at all.

Seems IT had decided video-playing was for time wasters.

(Ironically, their suggestion was we send to their FTP, the IT Dept

would download and check the file was OK and she could email them to

arrange a time for them to show her the file. Wasting far more of her

time than just letting her watch it!)

Never mind they were idiots. She figured out what she COULD play - and

that's what she was asking us to provide.

Almost cost us the job. She couldn't figure out why we didn't give her

what she asked for.

I couldn't figure it out either.

So I routinely transcoded that Editor's output and sent her what she

asked for.

Radical idea, give the client what they ask for...

BTW we are careful not to give clients anything they could easily use

until the editing and billing process is complete. Sending *some*

clients a DVD is asking for trouble IMHO. Unless you heavily watermark

and I consider that insulting to the client. So, low quality or locked

away on our Server (they can download from youtube but not from our

backpage).

Sometimes it's not all about the client's convenience.

john

+++ never sending tape may change later this year.




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