Saturday, July 13, 2013

[Avid-L2] Giving away too much?

 

Just wanted to run something up the flag pole.  On a series I work on the decision was made to have the AEs start doing the blurring.  Not to blow my own horn but over the years I've refined my Avid blurring and can do a reasonable job in a reasonable time.  No one asked me if I minded having the AEs do the blurs and so it goes.  I liken it to telling the carpenter working on your home that he can do the main build but when it comes to the final trim and finish carpentry we're going to bring in somebody with less experience and works cheaper.  Now I do resent that my name is listed as the online/colorist and the show now has what are in my opinion sub par blurs etc...  Of course it's a money decision made by people who don't pride themselves in the actual look of the show but rather in the bottom line costs. 

A recent episode was very blur intensive and the AE spent 3 days blurring the show.  When we screened it I warned the producers there may be some blur tweaking needed.  When we watched it down the Post Super asked if the AE's blurring had gone downhill and then he asked if I would mind teaching him how to do blurs.  Well I didn't really respond to that question but I'm curious how other list members handle these types of situations.  In essence I'm being asked to train someone to do my job and take money out of my own pocket.  The reality is you get what you pay for and after having an AE spend 3 days on work that I had to completely redo, which took me a day to do, the math seems obvious to me but then I have a vested interest.  I have always tried to share knowledge with co workers but to be asked by a Post Supervisor to train someone to do the work for less money just rubs me the wrong way.  Am I being too sensitive here or perhaps too
realistic?  I see this trend extending way beyond my specific situation and it is a sorry state of the current climate in Post Production.

I'm not slamming my AE but he's put in a situation where he's never been trained and is expected to do a task that despite what management thinks is pretty difficult to do right.  Of course lowering the standards along the way to save money is the reality of today's world and I don't see that slowing down.  Too bad I gave up drinking now might be a good time.  ;-)

 

John Moore
Barking Trout Productions
Studio City, CA
bigfish@pacbell.net

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