RIP VHS and Audio Cassette Tapes

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For years a pile of VHS videocassettes sat on top of my office bookshelf in a stack that nearly  reached to the ceiling.  They were dubs of my old Ampex shows, episodes of Nova that I actually bought, things I taped off the air, and other odds and ends given to me. The thinking was that I’d hang on to these relics forever as cherished links to my past.

It was a bit of a shock when I discovered that none of these tapes would actually play in my home VCR.  Either the tapes had degraded over the past 20 years or the VCR had developed some sort of technical malady that caused it to spit out tapes after a few seconds of agonizing sounds.  What I realized, finally, was that none of these tapes mattered much to me anymore.  With YouTube and all the other on-line sources,  I still had access to much of their content, so I wasn’t really losing anything. I also discovered that I had a set of Beta-SP dubs of my Ampex shows that were much better for digitizing than VHS, so that material could be archived and eventually posted to my YouTube channel.

So, the time had come to ditch the tapes, but conscientious me discovered this was no simple matter.  Goodwill and similar charities won’t take VHS cassettes, as is the case with the semi-annual e-waste roundups sponsored by Recology, our local trash and recycling company. Simply throwing the tapes away in the trash was not a solution I could live with. The cassette shells would take over 1000 years to decay in a landfill while the toxic metal ingredients in the tape itself would quickly leech into the soil and pollute. There’s no way I could do that with a clear conscience.

Therefore, what to do with about 100 VHS tapes and an equal number of audio cassettes that I also decided I could live without?  A little online investigation work led me to greencitizen.com where I learned of their clean, environmentally sound disposal methods for VHS cassettes, audio cassettes, and other forms of obsolete magnetic media. (They burn them up in a very high temperature incinerator that generates usable electricity.) The only catch is that one must pay for the service at a rate of $1 per pound of waste.

I thought it over for a few moments and decided that that was the only solution I could live with.  So, I loaded up the car and drove over to the nearest Green Citizen recycling and disposal center, which was luckily close to my San Mateo home.  It turns out I had 70 pounds of tapes that translated to $70 in disposal fees.  Not exactly cheap for throwing things away but I felt much better that I went ahead and spent the money to do the environmentally right thing.

I’m no “green warrior” but I am deeply concerned with climate change and proper disposal of products after their useful life is over.  When it comes to video and audio media, it’s now all about online and streaming, and having a closet full of tapes (or discs for that matter) doesn’t feel so necessary anymore.  It’s time we retired our unwatched/unlistened to libraries of VHS and audio cassettes in ways that won’t harm the environment.  They served us well for many years. RIP.                 RB

Searching for the Leonardo in Each of Us

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I’m currently in the midst of Walter Isaacson’s fascinating new biography of Leonardo da Vinci and I’m truly enjoying learning about this genius of the ages, a man of innumerable talents and interests. Isaacson points out several of Leonardo’s characteristics that I think may be applicable, in varying degrees, to us mere mortals.

 

  • An unquenchable curiosity about the world. Leonardo was fascinated by everything, from human anatomy to the waves on the sea, and this curiosity led him to investigate every aspect of his world, both natural phenomena and things of human origin. He was an artist but also a scientist, and he felt it incredibly natural that these two disciplines should comprise and complement each other. We too should foster and expand our levels of curiosity, because that’s what ultimately drives learning, and creativity too. Just take a look at where Leonardo’s curiosity led him.

 

  • A supreme observer. Leonardo would observe seemingly simple activities with incredible attention to detail, and make extensive notes for further thought and analysis. Isaacson cites the example of Leonardo’s notes about a bird in flight, and how Leonardo recorded in his notebooks detailed accounts of a bird’s flight, from the flapping of the wings to gain forward thrust to the delicate maneuvers made at landing. Such observations skills would suit us well today when we tend to take so much for granted.

 

  • An infusion of creativity and fantasy with reality. Isaacson points out how fantasy is evident in many of Leonardo’s painting, especially in his paintings with outdoors backgrounds that depict gardens and scenery of almost unworldly beauty. I find it interesting how this same sort of reality/imagination blending is happening today in virtual and augmented reality applications. Leonardo was obviously ahead of his time; almost 500 years ahead it would seem.

 

The other thing I’m gaining from the book is a sense of Leonardo’s humanness and accompanying shortcomings.   He was perfectionist to the point of counter-productivity,  (Did you ever meet someone like that? I have.) constantly reworking his paintings and ideas for years at a time, never satisfied that they were done. He spent years working out the design and casting of a monumental equestrian bronze for one of his clients and the project never proceeded past the clay model stage (that model was unfortunately used for target practice by some rowdy soldiers and was destroyed). Several of his other paintings were left unfinished, and the number of paintings definitely attributed to him is a meager 20 or so, (which nonetheless earned him his place as one of the greatest painters of all time).   Leonardo also tended to procrastinate (at least I have one attribute in common with him) and he had a tendency not to finish what he started. I reckon that when someone has so many interests it’s impossible to maintain focus on any one thing for long before moving on to something else.

 

We all can’t be a Leonardo da Vinci, in fact none of us can. But we can certainly take some of Leonardo’s admirable qualities of unbounded curiosity, keen observation, and a creative approach to reality to make our world a better and more satisfying place. I’d be interested in your thoughts along these lines, especially if you’re reading Isaacson’s book right now like I am.

 

RB

Please Don’t Lance the Freelancer!

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Someone once told me that freelancers are so-called because they usually wind up working for free and they’re often “lanced” by clients for reasons beyond their control. From my experience as a freelancer that might be an exaggeration, but there are some elements of truth in there.   Perhaps if people hiring freelancers better understood what it’s like to be a part of the “gig economy” they might treat us freelancers with a bit more respect, empathy, and consideration. Here are a few of my suggestions in that vein.

  1. Yes, we do tend to charge more than your staff person for similar work. But remember you don’t have to pay our benefits or salary when we’re not needed. When you hire a freelancer you’re not only paying for their expertise and experience, but also for the cost-saving flexibility that comes with hiring someone on an as-needed basis. When the job’s done, the clock stops. So please don’t criticize or resent our higher rates. It’s necessary if we’re to make a living.
  1. RSVP. I’m often presented with tight deadlines on writing projects that I work hard to meet. Then, after sending off the draft, weeks can go by without any client feedback. I know that everyone is overloaded these days, but please respond to work in a timely manner so the freelancer knows how he or she is doing and when to expect the project to wrap.
  1. Timely payment is always appreciated, and necessary. When you’re freelancing you don’t have a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck. Cash flow is always a challenge so please pay in a reasonable and timely manner (say net 15 days for established clients).
  1. Communication is key. Tell us what you like, what you expect, what you need, and we’ll work to satisfy those objectives. The more you can tell a freelancer and the better you communicate with that person, the better the outcome. Honesty is always appreciated too. Phrases like “I think this is a good start,” or “I can see you put a lot of work into this” usually mean that things aren’t going well. Just tell it like it is.
  1. Consider the value of cultivating and training your freelancer team. The more we know about your company, products, and culture, the more effective we’ll be on current or future projects. Consider investing in your freelance pool and you’ll reap significant returns in the long run.
  1. Help us market our services via referrals, bon mots on Linkedin, Yelp, and similar sites, and website testimonials. Referrals and networking are essential to growing a freelance business, and if you’re happy with a freelancer’s work, please help that person with a complimentary review or testimonial statement. As a freelancer I deeply appreciate all positive referrals, and it’s good business for you too because I’m inclined to say positive things about you and recommend your firm.
  1. Don’t micro-manage. If your underlying feeling is that it can’t possibly be any good unless you do it yourself, then it makes little sense to hire a freelancer, or even assign a task to a staff person. Just do the work yourself and everyone will be happier.

Over 40 million workers in this country are part of the “gig economy,” and that number will only grow as the economy hims and haws through boom and recession. I’m happy to be a freelancer and the only thing that makes me happier is plunging headfirst, full-steam-ahead, into your next project.

RB

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those were the days . . . not!

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Recently I read an article about the “wild days of video production in the 1980s” that brought back a lot of memories for me on what it was like to produce and distribute video programs in that era. The article was an interesting mix of nostalgia with a bit of longing for those simpler times, but overall it was a lament of just how challenging it was to create videos with the technology of the times.

My own memories go back to my first production shoots for Pacific Telephone in the early 1980s.   The most popular cameras in use then were the Ikegami HL-79 and the RCA TK-76. Both of these so-called “mini-cams” weighed in at around 25 lbs. (not counting the heavy batteries that lasted about an hour maximum) and utilized expensive and fragile Plumbicon pickup tubes (3 of them to be precise).   Recording (in standard definition of course) was done on a “portable” Sony ¾ inch u-Matic VCR that weighed an additional 25 lbs and consumed even more battery power than the camera. Shooters often wore heavy battery belts to power all of this energy hungry gear. Our field monitoring was a bulky CRT monitor that was fragile and hard to view in the bright sunshine. Tape wrinkling and drop-outs were a constant worry.

Post-production was a world of exotic, expensive equipment that dictated work flows and limited (for most of us anyway) creative expression. Low quality time code “window dubs” on VHS tapes were made of the original footage, enabling the producer or editor to log the footage on an inexpensive VHS deck. From this paper list the producer either went into a cuts-only “offline” edit room to rough cut the show (or edit for real if that’s all the budget would support) or into the “online” editing suite for fine cut editing with transitions, titling, and digital special effects.   Often filled with millions of dollars worth of 1” type C VTRs, switchers, digital special effects devices, along with signal generation and support equipment (not to mention engineers to keep it all working), these online edit suites would typically cost $300/hr. and up.   At those prices the producer better have it together and organized or the budget is in deep jeopardy.

And then when the show was finished, how did it get out to viewers? Most often the answer was “VHS dubs” sent out to people in mailers.   How many people actually viewed the tape was unknown, and reaching a very large audience was a logistical and cost challenge that was often unsolvable. Nobody seemed to be all that concerned about audio/video quality either. VHS is, by today’s standards, very poor quality, but it was viewable, and that was what mattered most in the 1980s.

Today, of course, the world of production is radically different. 4K resolution footage can be shot on tiny inexpensive handheld cameras. The most complex post-production can be performed on desktop (or laptop) computing platforms running advanced editing and effects software. Creative options can be easily and fully explored. Worldwide distribution is as easy as posting to YouTube or Vimeo.

It’s fun to look back and wonder: “how did we ever get anything done back then?” because, after all, we did. I’m sure in 10 to 20 years from now the technologies will be radically different yet again, but that question will still be asked with the same sense of wonderment.

RB

Hold the Sizzle, Add the Steak

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Not long ago I viewed a tutorial video intended to show newbies how to use a certain piece of technical equipment. As I watched the video what struck me more than anything was the degree of visual complexity and effects that seemed to overwhelm the content message. Titles just didn’t fade on, they animated in with twists and swirls. The on camera talent’s sections was punctuated by (the now obligatory it seems) jump cuts, reverse angles, shaky cam, extreme close-ups, and black and white sections that seems to exist for no reason other than to startle the viewer. Other parts of the program were embellished with glitzy effects, energetic motion graphics, and a lot of cutting that didn’t, quite frankly, didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me. The production values and editing finesse were certainly there, but something more important was lost in the process.

Maybe I’m just old school, but I still believe that it’s the message that matters and that a tutorial or informational video needs to teach and communicate above all else, and not necessarily dazzle the eyes and ears. This isn’t to say that high production values, regardless of budget, aren’t important, they are, and if an aurally and visually exciting show can still do the job, well fine and dandy. But more often than not it seems that the sizzle has become more important than the steak.

I’m reminded of some the tenets of editing that were impressed upon me in school and later on the job.

1) Edits should generally feel invisible to the audience and guide along the story or message, unless there’s a compelling reason to make an edit stand out and be noticed.

2) Simpler is generally better than complex, the viewer can only take in so much at any one moment.

3) 98% of transitions should be cuts and dissolve. Use wipes and other fancy transitions with the greatest reverence and respect.

4) Think of special effects in the same way as exotic spices are to cooking. A little bit added at the right moment can greatly enhance the dish, but too much all the time can ruin the flavor.

5) Good edits don’t need justification. Bad edits scream for it.

Well that’s it for now. As always I appreciate your feedback.

RB