Clients freaked when they saw the A1U at DVinfo.net

Jeff Zimmerman · January 16th, 2006, 12:09 AM

Anyone ever have there client question your equipment because of size. The A1U is the smallest camera I have ever owned. I'm use to using a DVX100a or Betacam switched to HDV and bought the A1U. My clients needed reassuring about there product and quality I was going to give them. I had to break down a simple comparison between SD and HDV. Feeling alittle on edge now about the size of the camera. After a while they seemed more reassured after I started shooting and showing them some shots. Has any others come across this... what was your response?

I was told before its not what equipment you have that matters so much as what you do with it.

Background: Since I mostly edit now and shot once in a great while I sold off alot of my older pro Beta/DV gear and shoot with the A1U now because of the cost and quality it affords.

Thanks!

Chris Hurd · January 16th, 2006, 12:18 AM

As you already know, it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean. But client perceptions can definitely play a factor here. "You're shooting our project with... that?"

Greg Boston · January 16th, 2006, 12:19 AM

One way to answer that client is to cite other technological advances that they can relate to. Say for example, their cell phones. Just as they can make quality phone calls with something much smaller than 10 years ago, so too can you make quality video with a camera much smaller than what you would have used 10 years ago.

Like you said, once they see the quality, it usually calms them down.

-gb-

Evan C. King · January 16th, 2006, 01:49 AM

Show them some stuff first and then what made it. The camera's small size will become astounding instead of laughable.

Darko Flajpan · January 16th, 2006, 04:38 AM

After that kind of experience ("You're shooting with...that!?") i've just felt that kind of people would be very happy seeing my old 3tube JVC KY310 camera hooked on 20kilos U-Matic recorder....:-)

Brian Rhodes · January 16th, 2006, 07:52 AM

I videogragh weddings. I was recently contacted by a company to shot an event as a second cameraman. When I pulled out the A1U and my Dv Crane......... (Oh is that a 3ccd camera? We are going to be shooting the reception in Low light. The other cameraman used a PD-150. I edited the footage to DVD with Sony Vegas the client was very impressed. My opinion the A1U video was sharper than the PD-150. The low light shots also were great. I used a 50w and 100w Bescor on camera light. No color correction was needed. I will post some the low light clips next week.
Also heres a comparison HDV to DV and links on the light and Crane that I used.

http://www.filmguideseattle.com/hdr-fx1.htm

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

http://cgi.ebay.com/HVR-A1-HVR-A1U-H...QQcmdZViewItem

Chaz Kempter · January 16th, 2006, 09:01 AM

Hey Brian or you other videographers.
When you shoot a wedding, what's you final product? dvd in sd?, hdv?, or do you hand then a minidv and say good luck ...(just kidding)
I'm wondering what you actually hand the customer.

No doubt, a dumb question, but i'm trying to make sure I'm not missing anything here.

Brian Rhodes · January 16th, 2006, 10:10 AM

Usually I render the HDV footage to 720p and burn SD DVD for my clients. On some shoots I do just hand over the Dv tapes. (What ever is required)

For my personnel use I leave the footage in HD and play it back on my HD DVD player. wma or mt2 format.

Giroud Francois · January 16th, 2006, 01:04 PM

tell them that if size matter, they will feel more comfortable with the bill.

Don Donatello · January 16th, 2006, 01:06 PM

i was consulting on a commercial.
they were bidding 35mm .. they wanted to come in at little under 200k bid...we did some non film test so the bid had a +XX,XXXK option to shoot film & do the effects a different way ( every other frame would have been photo printed to paper .. the actors/objects would have been cut out and later animated ) ..
we shot the test on a tiny camera in 30P mode .. every frame was then hand painted/fx/textured 10-25 layers depending on shot in AE/photoshop/combustion... the client was fedex the results = they gave the OK .. over the next 3 weeks they were planning to shoot with the tiny camera. well comes down ad agency was afraid the client would be upset if they saw the tiny camera sooooooooooo a BIG HD camera was selected . in the end the client didn't come to the shoot .. the ad agency decided the camera used could not be disclosed by a NDA ..

Jeff Zimmerman · January 16th, 2006, 10:21 PM

Thanks everyone. I don't feel so out in the dark now and little more confident about what to say in the future. I'm editing the footage now and it looks great. The client should be very pleased. This forum has been a great resource to me and my growing business.

Thanks for some humor Giroud. Donatello that project you speak of sounds very invloved...

Sometime in the coming weeks some friends and I are going to compare the Z1U the A1U and I believe a Sony F900. I'll post the results and hopefully a picture or two.

Thanks again - Jeff

Jeff DeMaagd · January 17th, 2006, 01:26 PM

I don't think there is any question that all other things being equal, a larger camera is likely to produce better results. Still, the HC1 / A1 products help create very impressive results, especially when compared to older gear, and allows more affordable, yet high quality work.

There is also another angle, the larger camera can be intimidating to interviewees. I knew the FX1 / Z1 models were larger compared to the smaller sibling, I was surprised when I saw a Z1 in person. It certainly gives the air of professional, and is a more flexibly controllable and otherwise camera, but it also costs twice as much.

Stephen Finton · January 17th, 2006, 02:15 PM

Get an underwater housing for it. :)

Steven Davis · January 17th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giroud Francois

tell them that if size matter, they will feel more comfortable with the bill.

One of the best quotes I've read here.

James Emory · January 17th, 2006, 03:24 PM

If current clients like your work, they should trust your judgement for the gear that you work with. I have had comments made about my camera's size but I just act as though it is the norm. In other words, how you carry yourself or the confidence that you show makes a difference as well. That story about the ad agency is part of the problem. Not all, but most ad agencies are a problem period. They have got to be the most overrated, over paid links in the chain. I think companies that pay these folks and let them go unchecked, deserve to get gouged! There are plenty of folks out there with great ideas but these ad agencies think that THEY are IT! If you have never worked with or for one, you just can't understand.

January 16th, 2006, 12:09 AM	#1
Jeff Zimmerman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton, Colorado Posts: 386	Clients freaked when they saw the A1U Anyone ever have there client question your equipment because of size. The A1U is the smallest camera I have ever owned. I'm use to using a DVX100a or Betacam switched to HDV and bought the A1U. My clients needed reassuring about there product and quality I was going to give them. I had to break down a simple comparison between SD and HDV. Feeling alittle on edge now about the size of the camera. After a while they seemed more reassured after I started shooting and showing them some shots. Has any others come across this... what was your response? I was told before its not what equipment you have that matters so much as what you do with it. Background: Since I mostly edit now and shot once in a great while I sold off alot of my older pro Beta/DV gear and shoot with the A1U now because of the cost and quality it affords. Thanks! __________________ Jeff Zimmerman • Love what I do • Colorado + North America www.m3films.com

January 16th, 2006, 12:18 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	As you already know, it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean. But client perceptions can definitely play a factor here. "You're shooting our project with... that?" __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

January 16th, 2006, 04:38 AM	#5
Darko Flajpan Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Bjelovar, Croatia Posts: 153	After that kind of experience ("You're shooting with...that!?") i've just felt that kind of people would be very happy seeing my old 3tube JVC KY310 camera hooked on 20kilos U-Matic recorder....:-) __________________ XM2 Sony DXC637P BetaSP

January 16th, 2006, 07:52 AM	#6
Brian Rhodes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 753	Clients freaked when they saw the A1U I videogragh weddings. I was recently contacted by a company to shot an event as a second cameraman. When I pulled out the A1U and my Dv Crane......... (Oh is that a 3ccd camera? We are going to be shooting the reception in Low light. The other cameraman used a PD-150. I edited the footage to DVD with Sony Vegas the client was very impressed. My opinion the A1U video was sharper than the PD-150. The low light shots also were great. I used a 50w and 100w Bescor on camera light. No color correction was needed. I will post some the low light clips next week. Also heres a comparison HDV to DV and links on the light and Crane that I used. http://www.filmguideseattle.com/hdr-fx1.htm http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search http://cgi.ebay.com/HVR-A1-HVR-A1U-H...QQcmdZViewItem

January 16th, 2006, 10:10 AM	#8
Brian Rhodes Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 753	Clients freaked when they saw the A1U Usually I render the HDV footage to 720p and burn SD DVD for my clients. On some shoots I do just hand over the Dv tapes. (What ever is required) For my personnel use I leave the footage in HD and play it back on my HD DVD player. wma or mt2 format.

January 16th, 2006, 12:19 AM	#3
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	One way to answer that client is to cite other technological advances that they can relate to. Say for example, their cell phones. Just as they can make quality phone calls with something much smaller than 10 years ago, so too can you make quality video with a camera much smaller than what you would have used 10 years ago. Like you said, once they see the quality, it usually calms them down. -gb-

January 16th, 2006, 01:49 AM	#4
Evan C. King Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 532	Show them some stuff first and then what made it. The camera's small size will become astounding instead of laughable.

January 16th, 2006, 09:01 AM	#7
Chaz Kempter Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 48	Hey Brian or you other videographers. When you shoot a wedding, what's you final product? dvd in sd?, hdv?, or do you hand then a minidv and say good luck ...(just kidding) I'm wondering what you actually hand the customer. No doubt, a dumb question, but i'm trying to make sure I'm not missing anything here.

January 16th, 2006, 01:04 PM	#9
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	tell them that if size matter, they will feel more comfortable with the bill.

January 16th, 2006, 01:06 PM	#10
Don Donatello Hawaiian Shirt Mogul Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: northern cailfornia Posts: 1,261	i was consulting on a commercial. they were bidding 35mm .. they wanted to come in at little under 200k bid...we did some non film test so the bid had a +XX,XXXK option to shoot film & do the effects a different way ( every other frame would have been photo printed to paper .. the actors/objects would have been cut out and later animated ) .. we shot the test on a tiny camera in 30P mode .. every frame was then hand painted/fx/textured 10-25 layers depending on shot in AE/photoshop/combustion... the client was fedex the results = they gave the OK .. over the next 3 weeks they were planning to shoot with the tiny camera. well comes down ad agency was afraid the client would be upset if they saw the tiny camera sooooooooooo a BIG HD camera was selected . in the end the client didn't come to the shoot .. the ad agency decided the camera used could not be disclosed by a NDA ..

January 16th, 2006, 10:21 PM	#11
Jeff Zimmerman Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Brighton, Colorado Posts: 386	Thanks! Thanks everyone. I don't feel so out in the dark now and little more confident about what to say in the future. I'm editing the footage now and it looks great. The client should be very pleased. This forum has been a great resource to me and my growing business. Thanks for some humor Giroud. Donatello that project you speak of sounds very invloved... Sometime in the coming weeks some friends and I are going to compare the Z1U the A1U and I believe a Sony F900. I'll post the results and hopefully a picture or two. Thanks again - Jeff __________________ Jeff Zimmerman • Love what I do • Colorado + North America www.m3films.com

January 17th, 2006, 01:26 PM	#12
Jeff DeMaagd Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI, USA Posts: 202	I don't think there is any question that all other things being equal, a larger camera is likely to produce better results. Still, the HC1 / A1 products help create very impressive results, especially when compared to older gear, and allows more affordable, yet high quality work. There is also another angle, the larger camera can be intimidating to interviewees. I knew the FX1 / Z1 models were larger compared to the smaller sibling, I was surprised when I saw a Z1 in person. It certainly gives the air of professional, and is a more flexibly controllable and otherwise camera, but it also costs twice as much.

January 17th, 2006, 02:15 PM	#13
Stephen Finton Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 344	Get an underwater housing for it. :)

January 17th, 2006, 03:24 PM	#15
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	If current clients like your work, they should trust your judgement for the gear that you work with. I have had comments made about my camera's size but I just act as though it is the norm. In other words, how you carry yourself or the confidence that you show makes a difference as well. That story about the ad agency is part of the problem. Not all, but most ad agencies are a problem period. They have got to be the most overrated, over paid links in the chain. I think companies that pay these folks and let them go unchecked, deserve to get gouged! There are plenty of folks out there with great ideas but these ad agencies think that THEY are IT! If you have never worked with or for one, you just can't understand.