Tips for a New Video Businessman
I am a film student majoring in video editing. I really enjoyed reading your article about finding clients and building a business in real estate videos. Real Estate Videos are Hot!. Just wondering if you can give me any pointers in starting a freelance business. I’ve done a few baptism videos and Sweet Sixteen parties. I’m still new to editing but it is something I really enjoy doing and would love some feed back.
Julian Baltazar
Networking is crucial, Julian – it’s all about who you know! Video work can sometimes be a lone wolf production, which is good and bad. Good when you prefer total control, bad when you need to collaborate, and have no clue who’s in town. Below is a link to our Learner Business page, and some links to a few stories we’ve done on how to get started with networking, both face-to-face in your area and using online social networking sites for a video production business. The Learner site, is a good starting point for anyone looking for specific techniques in editing, lighting, shooting, etc.
Learner Business
5 Steps to More Profit from Video
Marketing & Distributing Your Video
– The Editors
Tech Support – Videomaker Plus+
Editor’s note: The following is one of many Tech Support questions we receive and answer through our Videomaker Plus membership. The Plus membership costs $24.99 a year and as a Plus member, you receive exclusive tips, special offers and discounts, along with real tech support from one of the Videomaker editors, exclusive only to Videomaker Plus members. Sign up at www.videomaker.com/membership.
Dear Videomaker – I was pleased to read in the November 2010 issue the review by Derek Sine about the JVC SR-1500US Tapeless HD DVR Combo Deck with a list price of $2,550. At long last I may be able to convert my HD tapes to Blu-ray!!!
I have owned a Sony HDR-FX7 camera for more than 3 years. My editing equipment is a Casablanca unit with Blu-ray burning capability. It burns the Blu-ray disc and plays on a Sony Playstation2 but it won’t play on a Sony Blu-ray player because there is no authoring system available from Casablanca. Therefore, I have been backing up my completed projects onto tape in the camera. The only way I can show them is to use my camera’s camcorder and connect them onto the large screen in my living room.
If I understand Mr. Sine correctly, it is now possible to feed these completed tapes into the JVC SR-HD1500US, burn them onto a Blu-ray disc, and have them play on a Blu-ray player?
If so, I have a second question. B&H has the JVC SR-1250US Combo Deck at a price of $995 (compared to $2295 for the JVC SR-1500US). This has a smaller capacity hard drive (250GB vs. 500GB). Will this less expensive unit do the same job with my edited HD tapes so that they will play on a Blu-ray player?
I have been a reader of Videomaker for a long time and enjoy reading it every month. As a non-professional who mostly does video filming at weddings, family functions, and travel, I would like to see the weight of cameras and other accessories included in your summaries of new products as this can be a significant factor in air travel. Another item I would like to see is some mention of the quality of the owners manual. Some of these seem to be thrown together as an afterthought!! Videomaker might have some influence in improving their comprehension for those of us who are not super-techies. I hate receiving instructions from a disc that has to be put into a computer to be read instead of a compact booklet that travels with the camera.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to your response to my two questions concerning the JVC products before I spend a significant sum on one of them.
Derek Cornforth
Hi Derek, Thank you for writing in! That is correct the JVC SR-1500US and JVC SR-1250US will both author Blu-ray discs right from your camcorder, which should ultimately play in all Blu-ray players. The only differences between both models is RS-232C connectivity of .Mov support, and of course the size of the internal hard drives. This deck seems like the missing piece to complete your workflow!
Regarding your user’s guide concern, we agree and have been commenting on them in our reviews as space allows. Videomaker has had some influence in product design and we continue to push for better userability. Also, weight and dimensions are listed on the tech specs of reviews, but aren’t in the Buyer’s Guides grids due to the lack of consistent info from the manufacturers.
– The Editors
Correction
In our March 2011 issue, we inadvertently stated an incorrect URL for STARDOM Storage Solutions by RAIDON in our Storage Buyer’s Guide feature. The correct website is www.stardom-usa.com We regret any inconvenience this may have caused to readers or STARDOM.
– The Editors