Okay so I was just on the Digital Production Buzz with Larry Jordan and Michael Horton.
It’ll be archived for anyone that wants to listen to it here: http://digitalproductionbuzz.com/Archives/
Here’s what I wanted to say but couldn’t quite get out in six minutes:
How do we find bargains for our editing studio equipment?
That’s a great question!
Well Larry, I want to discuss how Seminars, expos, user group meetings and the Internet add value to your edit suite.
The first thing is Knowledge. The more you know about the items you need or want to buy the better able you are to make wise decisions when it comes time to actually make a purchase.
For example, before I ever bought a mac or final cut pro, I first researched what editing program I wanted to use. I talked to filmmakers I knew, I spent many, many hours researching both Final Cut and Avid on the Internet. Having decided what program I was going to eventually use, I still didn’t buy the program. I looked for classes on Final Cut and found that my local community college had one and I took it. It was in that class that I actually learned what other components I would need for a studio.
But still I was patient. I didn’t have the money to buy a mac, yet alone Final Cut Pro but I continued to learn more and more about each.
That’s the second point, patience. I believe that you can get pretty much anything you want at the price you want, if you’re patient enough and you are diligent in looking. I once bought a tape lecture called “Everything is Negotiable”. You know what? I never listened to the lecture. The title was enough for me. I just go about life with that idea. Everything is negotiable, you can get what you want if you are patient and put yourself in the position to find it.
Did you ever look for a four-leaf clover as a kid? You know what? You won’t find one if you don’t look. I looked and lo, I found one. Not everytime, but I’ve found a few and that is what finding a deal on a piece of equipment is like to me.
You gotta know what your looking for, be patient and actually look!
(A little more on knowledge: Overall knowledge of your subject can always be improved and for me, I spend a lot of time going to Expos [like HD Expo/Createasphere], Seminars, Meetups, User group meetings [like LAFCPUG], and I most always learn something new. In fact, I was surprised that I knew more about the Silicon Images’s SI-2K camera than a Moviola camera rental rep, last night. All because I had just seen it demoed and talked about at another event, two weeks ago. Of course he knew a LOT more about EVERY other camera out there and a TON about compression and data rates of the different cameras and so, I did learn things from him. But the point I want to make here is raffles and door prizes! For example, in the last year I’ve won over $1700 in software and training DVDs just by going to LAFCPUG meetings! I buy $10-$20 worth of raffle tickets each time I go but the education I get each night is worth that alone!!!)
NOW that’s all very nice but the next obvious question is WHERE to look.
Where do we look to find bargains?
I’m going to just talk about Internet sites to go to tonight but you can expand on these to other resources in your own local areas.
First, an easy one is EBAY. I bought a $5,000 camera with an additional $4,000 worth of accessories on ebay from a director in TX for $5670 shipped.
Directors and Independent producers buy things sometimes instead of renting and then sell off the equipment after the job is done.
Some people are affraid to buy on ebay and I understand that fear but I did an experiment once with ebay and I almost lived entirely off of it.
I found my house, store front, car, moving truck and sold stuff off of ebay as my sole income for a year. I’ve been a power seller three times over. I just could not find groceries on there!!!! hahaha
Sure it was still scary sending $5,000, plus, to someone I’ve never met, but I did some things before-hand to settle my mind: I called the seller, we had many conversations before I committed to the buy.
The next is craigslist.org. This is an amazing resource. One thing though that I’d like to mention about buying software and goods on ebay and craigslist.
Don’t buy pirated software or stolen goods. If it’s really TOO good of a deal, then it’s probably one of the above. Don’t do it.
That’s my third point, Ethics. I did eventually buy my first Mac and FCP but the only way I would was if the SW was ligit. I repeat, THE ONLY WAY I WOULD.
Call it Karma or whathaveyou but what goes around comes around and if you are out there always doing good, good things (and deals!) will come your way.
If you’re into stealing, prepare for a tough life, Man!
Hey, I want to make my living with movies so I’ll never ever download pirated movies. You know what I mean? That’s just Bad Juju!
Now on craigslist is where I bought my first Mac, it was a G4 but not only was it a Mac that had ligit Final Cut Pro studio ONE but I bought, practically a whole studio’s worth of equipment from an independent studio in Hollywood. The original bill for the setup, which he had with all recepits was like $50-60,000.00
and would you like to guess what I paid for it? $1500.
Now that isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime deal, I’ve seen whole setups go for free. You just have to be on the lookout for ‘em.
The thing that gets me is having to pass on deals. I passed on a NEW Mac-Pro with Final Cut Studio and 4Gs of Ram for $1000. That one bothered me, still does.
But I know that if there was that kind of a deal once, that it can happen again. So I bide my time, mwah-hah-ha!!!
Couple more points, social networking. I just bought an HV30 and Redrock M2 35mm adapter and handheld kit with a canon lens off a twitter “friend” for $1000 shipped. That’s like getting a free HV30 and Redrock Micro micro Shoulder Mount. Can’t complain about that!
So to review: Knowledge (know what you’re buying), patience (be willing to wait to get it), ethics (karma, Man!), networking (Really this means communication, get to know people) combined with raffles, door prizes, SWAG and eBay and craigslist.
If I’m going to buy a book online, I look at at least three places (Amazon, ebay, half.com, and maybe buy.com) I most definitely will Google it. Yeah, don’t forget Google is your friend, from computer problems to finding deals, use Google liberally!
On top of all of this, you’ll probably find work. I don’t think there is anything, editing equipment-wise, that I have bought that hasn’t also lead to a conversation about what I do and an eventual contact for future work. After all who’s selling editing equipment? Editors! or their bosses!
