Various TOTEM posts 2001 - 2003

[Dylan Couper]

Make your own snowflakes, without the little bits of paper everywhere.
http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

[Steven Digges]

Have you found a great bargain or know of a sale that is worth mentioning? I own plenty of high end equipment and believe in buying the best whenever appropriate. I also believe it is smart to save a buck whenever possible. I enjoy all of the Home Depot type threads where people explain how they took something not specifically made for videographers and made it work well for their kit. If you have a cost cutter please post it.

Here is my 2 cents worth:

First a big thank you to ZOTZ Digital. A few of months ago I was shopping for a Sennheiser EW100 ENG kit. Brian at ZOTZ, who had a good price on it anyway, mentioned to me that he had one in stock from Sennheiser’s “B Stock”. That means it has a cosmetic flaw or something that kept it from being perfect but Sennheiser releases them because it does not effect the operation of the unit. I received an additional discount over his already low price for picking up the “B Stock”. Flaw? I can’t find it. Sennheiser’s B stock is an occasional find but if you’re going to purchase their great products it is worth asking if it is available.

A few weeks ago I found a Stanly toolbox at Wal Mart (yes, I know, I said Wal Mart). What made this one so cool is the wheels. It is two plastic boxes that stack on top of each other and rolls like air-line luggage. It has all kinds of little organizer pouches and compartments but the part I like is that the bottom box is just a tub I fill with XLR cable and AC. The top toolbox I fill with audio and monitoring stuff. Now with a Porta Brace bag over each shoulder I can roll in a gig box at the same time. It is 24” H x 19 W x 12 D, that does not sound like much but you start filling it with cable and your glad it has wheels. You can pick one up at WallyWorld for $24.99, I am going back to get another one.

Now that I have posted a Wal Mart tip I might as well take it a step lower and really embarrass myself by telling you about this accidental find at a “dollar store”. While shopping for kids stocking stuffers yesterday with my wife at a “dollar store” I picked up a few things for my junk box. Ground lift adapters were in packages of 3 for a buck, I bought 2 packages (see I am a big spender). Anyone that has ever delt with a 60 hrtz roll through their signal knows a ground lift is priceless. Nylon zip ties were in a bag of 200 (assorted sizes) for a buck, 1 inch spring clamps were in a package of 6 for a buck. No I do not buy hammers and cheap c-wrenches at the dollar store, but spring clamps?

Yes I am a professional (reference to Frank’s fun thread here), and I spend way too much money on pro gear, but, the more I can save on small stuff at WallyWorld the more often I can call DV Info Net sponsors for the good stuff.

Steve

[Dylan Couper]

OK, DVinfo has a No-Ebay link policy, but I think Chris will allow this one (plus the auction is over).

Read the description of why the guy is selling his video camera.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=20333

[Dylan Couper]

I buy small clips from the dollar store for clipping gels to barn doors. 6 for $1 sounds right. Maybe we buy the same ones. Metal with red rubber grips on either end?
I love these things, so handy. Good for many things, and I've never found the metal ones anywhere but a dollar store.

[Jeff Donald]

Sue 'em Dylan, he's using your story.

[Nick Kerpchar]

Dylan,
I think I saw the sequel to, "The Cops Will Never Take the Racoon Alive", but didn't think it was as good as the original that featured Lola "Boom Boom" Racoon. Sequels hardly ever capture the energy and emotion of the original.

[Christopher C. Murphy]

I thought I would share this...really funny. I love the bottom right ending..."you kill yourself".

http://www.disinfotainmenttoday.com/filmschool.gif

Murph

[Shawn Mielke]

Watched this one last night with my girlfriend. By the time the main character gets his second camera in the mail, having spent all of his money on it, my own girlfriend is compelled to shoot a definitive look of recognition at me. She is far more encouraging than the French stewardess girlfriend, however, Buddha bless her. :-)

ps It wasn't the strongest piece of work I've seen, but if you haven't seen it, CQ is worth a look, particularly if you're a young male would-be filmmaker introvert.

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

Not too far from reality!

[Rob Lohman]

Tickets to IBC and a filter set from my dad. Bought all the other
stuff myself.

[Michel Brewer]

there are two a lectrosonics 190 with ecm-77b's, or my second lowel kit with two AB 30/13 belts for field power....kinda miss getting gifts like that. both gifts from a kind boss when upgrades happened

m

[David Hurdon]

For many reasons my editing PC isn't net connected. I discovered today that this has one major drawback when I tried to watch the wmv hi def version of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". Without an Internet connection it appears not to be possible to acquire the license necessary to unlock the content. I own the bleeding disk but can't view it in this format, about which I'm mighty curious. I've googled for a solution but can't find a way to download what I need on my Internet PC and run it on the other one. Any hope?

David Hurdon

[Rob Lohman]

To the best of my knowldege that's what DRM is all about. You
need a certificate to be able to play it and that certificate is
bound to the computer. So you can't transfer one to another PC.

In this case you will need to get internet access if you want to
play the movie on that machine I'm afraid.

[Lorinda Norton]

Hey Kids,

If you haven't already seen the ad on tv, go to Mastercard.com to enter a contest to win a four-week internship on a music video production. I'd love to do something like this, but old girls aren't eligible--gotta be a student between the ages of 18-25.

There are sixteen openings, and all you have to do is write a good essay. It'll be shot in Los Angeles sometime in June.

Check it out: http://www.mastercard.com/mcweb/priceless/Home.do

[John Locke]

Any members in Tokyo know a good place for me to go to get VHS copies made from a miniDV master?