Who Are the Readers? « Videomaker Community Forums

compusolver
Member

Who Are the Readers? - it appears that even VM doesn't know...

In their "Best Products of the Year" (Feb 2007 issue), the very first product is a $399 consumer camcorder, but in the mix is also a $6000 camcorder, a $800 light "kit" (that is just a single light!), an $849 Steadicam (that can only handle the weight of consumer cams!), $1800 harddrive recorder, a DVD authoring program for fifty bucks and a $99 editing program!

Doesn't it sound like those items came from two different magazines??? Do they really think there's someone out there, thinking - "Hmmm, should I buy this $399 camcorder or the $6,000 one? Hmmm.." X-D

Is it time for VM to have two sections - consumer and prosumer? Shucks, some of these items are beyond THIS prosumer's budget! Or maybe two separate magazines? Or maybe just decide who the readership is? There are already magazines out there that cater tho purchasers of $800 lights and six to fifty thousand dollar cameras.

And if you're really going to do the best products of the year, why was Premiere Pro 2.0 not included? It's multicamera editing feature is a real time-saver and a joy to use, a bigger upgrade than anything added to Encore or Audition - both of which, interestingly, WERE included.

Blu-ray burners are on the market now - but not included in "Best Products"??? For the first time, small time producers and consumers can burn their own Hi-Def DVD movies, but it doesn't make the top products list?

And the Merlin thing? It costs more but is smaller, aggravating the problem that only the larger (and less advertised) model can properly handle most prosumer cams, especially with their larger batteries and radio gear.

Is it just me, or are there others out there scratching their heads over this list? I would think, based on our forums, that our readers are comprised of consumers and prosumers but not "pros" in the sense that there probably aren't many subscribers who buy six thousand dollar cameras, two thousand dollar harddrive recorders and eight hundred dollars for a single light.

Posted 5 years ago #
elderban
Member

I'm willing to bet most, if not all, that were selected are also ones that advertise in their magazine or on the site.

I don't know who reads the magazine anymore. I was a subscriber, but never renewed because most of the information that comes out in the mag has already been on the internet for some time.

Posted 5 years ago #
Ken
Member

I think that reviews of both comsumer and prosumer products is a nice feature. When I finally made the jump from film to video a few years ago, it was because I saw what great results could be obtained from very inexpensive consumer minDV camcorders. I spent some time studying what was availble in consumer products, but also looked at prosumer models, to see what features were valued for more serious movie making. Based on my research, I got a consumer model, a Canon Optura 300. Great little camera, but eventually my movie making became more ambitious. So now I have a prosumer camcorder, a Panasonic DVC30. Both purchases were based on reviews I read in Videomaker (and other places ;-) ).
In a couple years, I might make the jump to high-def. And, yup, I'm now keeping an eye on reviews both comsumer and prosumer models of high-def camcorders.
My 3 cents worth. :)
Ken Hull

Posted 5 years ago #
cfulton
Member

Please allow me to stomp out your veiled accusation of bias, elderban. Our sales and editorial teams operate completely SEPARATELY from each other. The editorial content is NOT influenced by advertisers' demands.

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

Consumer and prosumer gear, sure. I was just scratching my head, thinking that some of this stuff is beyond the average prosumer guy and beyond what my impressions were of the range of readers. I think VM is a great magazine and I'll never think I'm "too pro" to read it.

Posted 5 years ago #
ThomasTyndan
Member

Yeah, I think the videomaker magazine is often targeted to consumers. But they do have content that is pro level. I think the important thing to remember is that the overwheling majority of the readership will probably be people who really have no clue about what they are doing, at least initially. I consider videomaker a great reource for thngs I already know and it also does teach me new things. I also have it because of the ads, I no longer have to search for most things. Plus it gets me on this forum, where deeper questions can be discussed.

I would like to see some more really in depth things though, like a graph of how the depth of field changes based on aperture and iris. But I often think articles like that would instantly cut out most readership who have no manual controls of such things. And at 99c an issue, I think it is underpriced for the information it gives you. Look at the 80 cameras compared article that is highly useful to making decisions. And in the past they have dealt with deeper, more professional subjects. And besides those who are Pros have already reseached just about everything about camera, so it isn't as if you are going to tell the anything new. I lik ethe product reviews, as good reviews, from people who know what they are talking about, are hard to find, even on the internet. Besides, for a video nut like me I can flip through the magazines and read about things I already know and be completely content.

I have been a subscriber for 6 months now and I enjoy every issue I get even f it presents something new. But if videomaker magazine came out with videomakerPro magazine I would subscribe to it too. (Hint hint) :D

Posted 5 years ago #
jburkhart

An interesting question, and one that we're constantly pondering ourselves...

From our perspective Videomaker is a lot like High-School. It's our mission to bring people into the fold who have no experience at all in videography, educate them to fairly high degree, and then wish them well as they leave us behind for more professional endeavors and publications. It's something we've been doing for 20 years now, and I think we do it well. There's not an inconsiderable amount of industry pros out there who started out with Videomaker as their basic training.

We've also gone over many times the needs of our more advanced readers, and you may be happy to learn that this year's calendar for the first time ever includes some professional level articles. So if you consider normal features as High-School, you can consider these to be AP (advanced placement) courses, that can get you college credit :)

As far as the wide disparity of cost of equipment reviewed, as a magazine for video enthusiasts, we feel it's important to cover the entire spectrum of video gear. Probably a $100,000 Sony F900 CineAlta is not going to make it into our pages, but a $13,000 camcorder? Well you'd be surprised at how much Videomaker readers spend on equipment. Our April issue is going to feature the Sony V1U ($4,000), May issue is going to feature JVC's GY-HD200 ($13,000), While one of Hitachi's consumer models ($500) is looking like it will make an appearance on the June cover. There are a large group of our readers in the market for all of these camcorders.

As far as our Best Products of the Year decisions, well it's really really simple, we just pick out what we think were the best things to come through our doors. As Charlie rather forcefully put it, we get no pressure from sales at all. Actually it's kind of the opposite. As that "Best of" time rolls around, sales gets nervous, marketing gets nervous, and even our publisher (the guy who signs my checks) pops in more often. You see, they get to deal with any political repercussions that our decisions might make. We just make the decision.

Once the planets are properly aligned, Mark Montgomery, Charles Fulton, Jennifer O'Rourke and Myself head into the conference room armed with all the issues of the previous year's magazine. We wrangle and argue and come out of the room with the winners, which we present to the rest of the company as a fait-accompli. Manufacturers are notified, trophies are ordered and our Best Products issue is produced. That's all there is to it.
John Burkhart
Editor-in-Chief
Videomaker

Posted 5 years ago #
jetson
Member

Thanks John - nice to know how it's done! I'm also a musician, and in musician circles we have something we call GAS (gear addiction syndrome) We get caught up in thinking if we just had that one more piece of gear, then we could write that masterpiece! But alas - it's not the cost, or amount of gear you have that makes your work really great - rather, it's the end result. How did it affect the listener/viewer.

I was amazed when I saw for myself how much better the quality of my video was when I stepped up to a 3 CCD camera. But I am humbled quickly by the fact that it did not improve my shots!!! I am still working on it!

Posted 5 years ago #
elderban
Member

cfulton Wrote:
Please allow me to stomp out your veiled accusation of bias, elderban. Our sales and editorial teams operate completely SEPARATELY from each other. The editorial content is NOT influenced by advertisers' demands.

Well, I have worked with many magazines in other industries in the past and have heard many advertisers say that they would pull their ad over, or have heard of many editors that seemed "concerned" about, reviews that reflected bad evaluations of products.

I'm not saying that Videomaker does that, I'm just going on experience I've had with other magazines.

And what I said was in jest. I have no qualms with Videomaker magazine, nor do I work for another video magazine or video magazine site.

Posted 5 years ago #