Production Diary

I make a little film—no, I mean video—for Mary. She comes here, sees it once and loves it.

“Put it on our YouTube channel and make me a couple of DVDs.”

Six Kodak Carousel projectors controlled by either Electrosonic or AVL boxes

“Want to see it again?”

“No, it’s perfect. Send me the invoice.”

A week later, via e-mail: “Stefan, we all love it but the general feeling is we should add a title at the start. Ken has written some words....”

How come last week it was perfect and now it needs a title?

Remember last month’s Production Diary? I wrote that I put my two Sony HVR-V1U camcorders on eBay. What a fiasco!

AaarrrggghhhBAY

Spring Cleaning
It’s March and I’m throwing everything out. Portable DVD player. Who needs it? Not me. Out damned DVD player!

This isn’t the Production Diary that I’d planned. To be honest, I’d written 650 words saying that in 19-something, I screwed up and then cleverly saved the day. You know, the usual boring stuff.

Yes friends, that’s me. I’m asleep and getting paid for it. I’m outside on our deck doing a Rolf.

That’s me, doing a Rolf

My client knows Final Cut Pro and I’ve left him to it. He works, I sleep. Clients love it when they are allowed to operate the camera or do some simple in-out editing.

From time to time he phones. “Hi Rolf, sorry to wake you but I need ...”

I Turn Down A Job
“Sorry, John, no can do—I’m too scared.”

Sydney, Australia, December 1963
TCN Channel 9 has given me a rent-free garage. It’s basic and incredibly hot, but I don’t care as I’m off to London next month.

July 2012, Laguna Beach, Calif. I’m locked away in a motel room trying to write a feature film screenplay. Fortunately it’s cold and wet outside—summer in Southern California isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. I have a book with me, How to Write A Movie in 21 Days by Viki King.

London, April 1982. I’m CEO of Molinare. After months of planning, we launch Britain’s first satellite TV service, Satellite Television plc. A year later, 80 percent is sold to Rupert Murdoch for $1. Today, my fledgling is called BSkyB and has a market value of $18 billion.

How I missed out on both the $1 and the subsequent 18 big ones is another story—this story is about how, 30 years later, I cut the cable and ditched the dish.

Our Home Theater

Last month, Rodney King died. I thought of Elkan. He’s dead, too. Why do people keep dying?

Ready Steady Go

What a joy it is to read this page. While the rest of Digital Video magazine is filled with experienced and learned writers spouting knowledgeable words, here I am, poor schmuck, writing about 3D, a subject about which I know little to nothing.

It’s the week before NAB. I’m transferring tapes and files from my shoot in Bakersfield, Calif. The phone rings. “Hi, I’m Rebecca, Zaxox PR. I believe you’re going to NAB. My client Hubris Microsystems will be exhibiting there. I’d like to I arrange a meeting...” “Whoooaa—hold it. You need to speak to Jay Holben, he’s the Digital Video technical editor. I just write about disposable cameras.”

Harvey is an American professor living and working in Switzerland. I’ve shot his weeklong training sessions in Lausanne and here in Big Sur, Calif.

Diane, His New PA

If I could afford it, I’d make only pro bono videos. The clients are just so grateful. “I can’t thank you enough for this!” You get free lunches, free tickets to their fund-raising gala. “Stand up, Stefan, John and Tricia. These are our wonderful filmmakers!” Applause, cheers, the gala audience goes wild. We’re superstars.

The Harvest
We start shooting the vineyard at dawn. Jamie, our star winemaker, is helping the pickers and loading the truck with six tons of pinot noir grapes. He drives down the mountain ridge to the coast and then inland to the winery. I have a camera stuck to the windscreen shooting Jamie and the amazing views.