Advice for new business

1. Nick M
   Member

   

    

   I'm about to start a small video business. I know times are hard but if I can make it happen now... I have been offered some corporate work shooting sporting days at a kart race track. As I am new to this as a business could I ask for suggestions regarding the following? I realise quality is an issue, but I am concerned over the massive size of HD files compared to SD. I will be giving my work out on DVD therefore is HD neccessary? I am a big fan of HD, but will the added investment of HD cameras (I'm thinking three Canon HV30's) and probably a serious upgrade to my current PC be worth it? I know HV30's can shoot standard def so they could still be an option with room to go HD later. Another question is regarding mixing SD and HD. If I shoot trackside with HD and say use a helmet cam on one of the drivers in SD, will the difference be acceptable on the final edit? Likewise if due to cost I used an SD/HD mix trackside, how would that look? Finally, I'm trying to cost out the business for my business plan and although I will be at the track for say 2-3 hours, I don't know how long the whole job will take with editing, rendering etc so I'm struggling to come up with an hourly rate! The actual race that I will be shooting will only last about 13 minutes and I will probably have four cameras covering this. Sorry if these are dumb questions!

    

   Posted 2 years ago #

2. composite1
   Moderator

   

   Nick,

   The ultimate question is; who are your clients? Believe it or not, many, many people still haven't jumped on the Blu-Ray wagon and are still quite happy with DVD. To shoot video intended for DVD you don't need to use HD to do so. Many cameras offer the options of shooting 16 x 9 video by which you can letterbox in post that will play well in either 4x3 or widescreen tv settings.

   Now, the reality is everything is heading towards HD. What most pros are currently doing is shooting in HD and downcoverting to SD. That way you cover your client's current needs and you have an archival version in HD. Many NLE software now allow you to drop SD video into an HD video timeline. There are tweaks that have to be made, but the SD footage will not be converted to HD!

   You sound like you need to do a lot more research before starting your biz. My suggestion would be to start out freelancing these gigs to get a feel for how this stuff gets done before your fork over the money needed to start a biz. You will find lots of good advice and tips in the 'Making Money' forums here on VM that will go into greater depth on starting your business than I plan on now.

   H.Wolfgang Porter, Composite Media Producer
   Dreaded Enterprises Unlimited, Inc.
   http://www.dreadedenterprises.com

   Posted 2 years ago #

3. XTR-91
   Member

   

   Have you considered the Canon HF S10 as a new HD camcorder? After some more experience/research, I'd consider getting the HF-S10 (a better HD camcorder) that is greatly worth its price for a couple of hundred more than the HV30.

   Posted 2 years ago #

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