Posted by Bill on 05/07/07 16:14

Take the 4:3 stuff, use Cineon or some other software to render it out
to look like 16mm film, stretch it to cover the 16:9 proportions, and
charge extra for the "classic" film look on portions of the video.

Seriously... if the camera is good quality, like a VX2000 or similar, it
won't look bad in standard definition, and if it was close-up on the
bride, you have some room to maneuver. It may not even look all that
bad in HD.

Personally, I'd make full disclosure. If the quality of the 4:3 is
good, you might try this: "we feel that the impact on the quality of
your video will not be great and would like you to view the final
product to determine for yourself. If you feel in any way that the
quality is not what you expected, we are willing to negotiate a discount
with you."

Maybe you shouldn't tell them which footage was shot in DV and ask them
to identify footage they didn't like. Maybe I'm not thinking clearly...

If they have class, and the video is good, they might accept it without
discount, and come away impressed with your honesty (think about if they
decide whether to recommend you to their friends).

If they are looking to chisel you out of some money, I tend to think
you're better off to give them what they want, especially if you're
thinking long term success and reputation.


yarock@aol.com wrote:
> <Here's what happened.
> Our agreement with the customer was that we would shoot the wedding in
> High Def, archive the tapes, and deliver the final dvd in standard.
> Our 2nd camera op, screwed up and shot their ceremony (and some b
> roll) footage in sd 4:3, while the other two cameras shot in hdv
> 16:9.In addition, He also shot 10 minutes worth of interviews at the
> cocktail reception in sd 4:3.( he had just come from a morning job
> that had to be shot in sd 4:3, and forgot to switch his camera back to
> hdv). And unfortunately, his ceremony footage was the most important,
> as he was focused on the bride. In other words, we can't leave his
> ceremony footage out and use the other two cameras only.
> During a lull after the cocktail reception, we realized the mistake,
> and he switched his camera back to hdv. The rest of the party was shot
> in hdv.
> So the obvious questions are:
> 1- How can we edit this wedding? How can we mix the sd 4:3 section
> with the rest? ( If the sd stuff were at least in 16:9, it wouldn't be
> so bad...we could have cut it all in sd and at least have the same
> aspect ratio).
> 2- When and what should I say to the client?
> 3- So, to sum it up, we have:
> A-Some rehearsal b roll in hdv.
> B- 2nd and third ceremony cameras in hdv
> C- Everything after the cocktail reception in hdv.
> D- First camera ceremony, ceremony b roll, and 10 minutes worth of
> cocktail interviews in sd 4:3. ( I could go back to the church and re
> shoot his b roll in hdv, but that still leaves the ceremony and
> interviews).
> Any ideas?
> brock
>

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