CompuServe Messages

Don, I think you're going to like this one. Show's there is poetic justice in the world. <g> I spoke of the client who ordered the shoot, well as I think I mentioned I like the guy, but the AE whom the agency sent to handle this thing is a total boob. Well I told the client about my options one of which was to take the hi-8 and transfer it to D1 and do the composite… to which he agreed, that being the best possible alternative… of course it was coming out of his pocket… Well I didn't check my machine until late this morning but I had a message, the client had called pretty late around 10 pm or so… In the message he reiterated that in my contract I was told I would have a beta sp copy on which to do the animation composite… he knew I did because I had told him that… he said he didn't see how a hi-8 to beta sp copy qualified…. <G> yeah well that was my complaint… so aparently he called the agency and told them as much, he told them that he expected them to deliver what was in the contract and couldn't believe that they would have shot the stuff on hi-8… (this btw was done for a national amusement park, and the job has a fairly high budget…) They spent two days shooting and at least a day and a half on setup… on a variety of rides including one of the high speed roller coasters… I don't know what they're called but I'm sure you've seen one, like a twisty windy corkscrew… anyway, the animation sequence covers some of this roller coaster portion… which means they're going to have to re-shoot that section and the rest, which is going to cost alot for the amount of tape I need… but here's the real kicker… if they're smart they'll just re-shoot the whole thing… if they don't my portion is going to look so much better than the rest of it, that he'll complain the quality is not consistent… he said as much in the message… so this AE is finished as far as I'm concerned. I've got no worries, the client really liked the animation portion and get this… he thanked me for explaining the situation to him. Oh boy am I one happy animator… this guy is going to be a good client for whatever comes down the pike… not that I expect that much but… it sure is nice when you get to work with someone like that. And the AE.. who knows, if they're smart they have someone else handle the shoot… my portion is basically done, except for the final transfer… I'm pretty amazed because I was kind of concerned this thing was going to blow up in my face, especially with the agency, as they hired me… but no they're happy because he's happy… and I've got some decent work to show for it… the final transfer won't happen for several weeks yet but it sure is a load of my mind… I worked really hard on that project and to have it screwed up that way would have been a collosal disappoinment… Thanks again for your help, if nothing else it gave me the basis on which I felt comfortable stating my case… as I kinda knew this wasn't going to cut it… but hey big time agency says this is the way they're going to do it, who am I to argue… right? <g> The trick is knowing when to call it, and I think I got lucky… really especially considering all the money involved… this is a promo peice for some international investors, which makes it all that more interesting… big stakes and all that. John