OT - clients just think its THIS simple...

i received the following email this morning after handing off a completed project drive to a client.
thought many of us would get a good laugh:

-------------------

Wayne, I realize you did your editing on a Mac, but was there not a way you could have saved the video and other information so that it could be accessed on a PC? The information on the hard drive you sent is useless to us, since we all have PCs, meaning we are at the mercy of someone with a Mac.

-------------------

HA!

It astounds me to see how many clients don't realize that Final Cut Pro is a friggin' Apple application. Or that Mac-formatted drives are basically inaccessible to PCs.


www.derekmok.com

"Yeah, can you just do me a favor, and save that Final Cut project in Word format? That'd be great. Thanks."

Hey, give'em a break, Jeff...maybe they do want this:

∑fí (? ◊ä 0eÏ˛ò subtype NOUNDO RUNTIME viewers children
$ in ø∂ ?Õt ??4 ËX mainDict out @ú duration @ú marked @ú position @jÄ tcbase framebase - ntscrate name - 01 Colour Bars -12dB.clip è#T ı? ÷£H ìª Ó cacheCode state ? editMode
renderQuality
final media vidm width ? height ? track clip -filters


(My "Effects Presets" project when opened in MS Word)


www.derekmok.com

I love that you took the time to do that.

Quote
Yeah, can you just do me a favor, and save that Final Cut project in Word format? That'd be great. Thanks."

i have actually been asked that before... ; (

Put an edl into word and post it back to him

Video...yes. Compressor to AVI setting they want. OTHER INFORMATION? For use by what?

NOW they decide to ask what system you are using? Fun. If you were on an Avid, this would be even funnier.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Or just email it over...

-Noah

Final Cut Studio Training, featuring the HVX200, EX1, EX3, DVX100, DVDSP and Color at [www.callboxlive.com]!
Author, RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera available now at: [www.amazon.com].
Editors Store- Gifts and Gear for Editors: [www.editorsstore.com]

They didn't even tell you what they couldn't access.

It's possible that if you have something other than media files, they don't know what they are. It's possible the media files don't have the .mov extension visible so they have no clue what those are either.

Quote
since we all have PCs, meaning we are at the mercy of someone with a Mac.

I wonder if a pharmacist gave them medication with ingredients they couldn't understand biochemically would they then claim they are at the mercy of Doctors and Pharmacists?

Quote

I wonder if a pharmacist gave them medication with ingredients they couldn't understand biochemically would they then claim they are at the mercy of Doctors and Pharmacists?

We are.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Naw, it's the insurance companies we're at the mercy of.

Hmm, maybe the answer is to tell the client you'll sell them "Mac insurance." For $X a month you'll make sure there's a Mac available if they need it. Make sure you collect more money than the Mac Mini you'll offer when the time comes.

See I knew we'd find a solution for Wayne.

There is a nice app that opens Windows "to the XXI Century World".
Perhaps they should buy it:

Macdrive

Rui Barros
Editor Colorist Trainer
Lisbon, Portugal
RTP Post-Production
Apple Certified Trainer FCP 7
Apple Certified Pro FCP 7

Hey guys I was actually just about to post something relevant to this discussion....

Is there an application that solely converts mov files to wmv files? My client is requesting it, as the mp4 files I gave him from Compressor won't open up on his pc.

Or is there a setting in compressor I can use that will allow the files to be opened in windows media player on a pc?

> Is there an application that converts mov files to wmv files? My client is requesting it

Flip4Mac.


www.derekmok.com

Quote
mp4 files I gave him from Compressor won't open up on his pc.

MP4 can generally be MPEG4 Part 2 or MPEG4 Part 10 (H.264/AVC).
In Compressor, if you're using MP4 it's the older Part 2 and is Quicktime 6 compatible.
If you're client can't play that, given Quicktime 6 is very old, your client likely doesn't have Quicktime at all on his PC. That can happen with certain IT "tyrants."

As noted elsewhere Flip4Mac will certainly work as it's specifically for WMV9 encoding.

I just have to wonder what kind of company would so cripple communication as to not have Quicktime. Yes, I worked for a company like that EIGHT years ago and they had so many problems with clients sending Quicktime files (Sorenson 3 mostly at the time) that I WON that battle.

I told them if they can't view files that their clients (and/or vendors) are sending them they run the risk of losing those clients and if some of those vendors are offering you the best deals then you risk moving to a vendor who will not give you as good a deal. How many thousands of dollars do you want to lose how many times because you can't play a file?

There's also an app called 'Paragon' (I think) that lets you use a NTFS drive on your mac, so maybe that would help for the mac-challenged peeps. I haven't used it yet, but I did some research on it a while ago and it looked OK.

[www.paragon-software.com]

I use the Paragon driver. It's working fine.

Andreas

Quote

If you're client can't play that, given Quicktime 6 is very old, your client likely doesn't have Quicktime at all on his PC. That can happen with certain IT "tyrants."

Use these Settings:

MP4 [Not MP4 (ISMA) ]

Video Format MPEG-4 Improved

Data Rate: something higher than 500kbits/sec

Optimized for: Download

The other settings aren't critical set them as you need


Audio Format: AAC-LC (Music)

Encoding: Best

The other settings aren't critical set them as you need



I've just finished a job and this was delivered to PC, iPod Nano and Blackberry - it works fine.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

> If you're client can't play that, given Quicktime 6 is very old, your client likely doesn't have
> Quicktime at all on his PC.

QuickTime 6 definitely didn't have the H.264 codec. So an MP4 should work. I think Windows Media Player does play some QuickTime movies in certain codecs, just not all.


www.derekmok.com

...you save as an .mp4 NOT as an MP4 wrapped in Quicktime .mov - sorry I forgot to make that clear.

This should then play on most PCs using WMP or Quicktime.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I'm thinking your client's Windows Media Player is pretty outdated...all last year I was doing an actress friend a favour and editing her reels. I didn't make her WMVs, I made her H.264 MPEG-4s (which are then saved as files with .mov extensions), and as far as I know, her Windows Media Player played back the files fine.


www.derekmok.com

>Or is there a setting in compressor I can use that will allow the files to be opened in windows
>media player on a pc?

DvKitchen. Does wmv8, if i recall. That's okay with me, as i only use wmv for compatibility reasons rather than quality.



www.strypesinpost.com

They want the project files? That's crazy. i won't hand over production stuff, as they won't know what to do with it, not for any corporate clients.



www.strypesinpost.com

had a client tell me recently that "they were not allowed to download quicktime" by the IT department at their company, but complained endlessly about the poor quality of AVI which is the only video format they can access.

Quote
They want the project files? That's crazy.

yeah, but it's just a ceremonial formality that i do to let the client know i have no intention of holding them or their work hostage. most clients never even turn on the drive, they appreciate it in the spirit its offered and thats it.

i think the issue this time is that its a mac formatted drive and their HP/DELL/TOSHIBA/ETC off the shelf, biz-PCs cant see it...

Quote

They want the project files? That's crazy. i won't hand over production stuff

...then you won't work much 'round these parts my friend because the client will just move right on to the first person that agrees to fork over the project files. I have to surrender project files. Not happy about it, but it's noted at the start so there's no discrepancy later. I just charge more for that service

In this economy, I would rather give up project files than clothes for my kids.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

None of my paying clients have ever asked for project files. In some very small-time cases (actors' reels, birthdays, weddings etc.) I actually insist that they take the whole external drive, project files included, so I won't be responsible for their data. But commercials -- I and the companies I work for have never needed to deliver project files. Not that I care all that much, but that's the protocol.


www.derekmok.com

the reason i do it is that here in houston, there are a lot of fly by night / wannabe producers, designers etc, who are here today, gone tomorrow. and many of the clients i work with have at one time or another been burned by such.

so i just got into the process of adding $300 archival fee to every major project which provides them their content on a drive to take with them... many dont ask, but i offer it as a gesture of good faith.

and in most cases i have no use for their media at a project end anyway, so i dont give two shakes one way or another...

im using fcp 5.0.4 and under file>export>Using Quicktime Conversion i have the option for windows media files in my file type menu it just says "Windows Media" idk if this is what your looking for to send out windows compatible media but its a lot simpler then going through third party software