What strikes me though is that as someone who has just completed the NCTJ, is seriously financially struggling, and having looked at the industry is really trying work out what the next steps to take are, i look at the stuff i’ve done and and while some of it has some potential it just isn’t at the standard that i want it to be at.

Yet here’s someone working at the top of the industry, with the budget to hire a helicopter, someone i should be looking at for inspiration and we’re being asked to cut them some slack?

Now don’t read that as me doing someone down because i want to be in their position. Its just that i want to see good content all round and i do think giving honest feedback is probably the best way to improve your game.

But regardless of this I don’t feel cutting people “slack” is going to help them at all with their work.

Surely you have to agree that honest opinions can be more valued even if it does mean that someones feelings may get a little hurt?

That’s what I thought this place would become? A place where people could openly discuss things and hopefully avoid all of the tech talk and “ooh nice video” pointless comments which aren’t going to further anyone’s work.

I note that you talk about the struggle between still and motion on a hard news job

I dont do hard news much but would seriously consider something like a Sony SR12 handycam (there are probably new faster now)

Get a metz bracket and bolt it onto your stills cam – im sure this is what the paps do !

120GB onboard, will run for hours – but cause you a major PP headache

my rig will have the finder mounted on the rails – rock solid – some time soon now

SMM

I’d happily give him some slack, but if we were to praise everything coming off the production line, then there wouldn’t be any standards to level from!?

I hate to grill someone on a bad performance, but I equally hate seeing that standard of work being produced by professionals. Sometimes you need to be a Simon Cowell to get the message across.

It’s a case of terrible footage, I suggest he should do take time out to do some formal video training, or step down doing video and practise on his own projects. Why has the highest level of documentary journalism come down to learning ground!?

It just proves guys like that are in the position they are, when they clearly don’t have a clue what their doing. Or have anyone suitable enough to guide them in the right direction. Its ok to suggest using a Gyro but it’s done now, it’s online and paid for and the end results are poor. It’s basic equipment anyone in that position should be loosing sleepless nights over, if they don’t have it! Instead it’s comments about Zacuto and plugging away what they can about them and how great their rig and Z-finder is!

It shouldn’t be happening, and it’s probably one of the main reasons the newspaper market is failing. However someone in that position is showing this standard. I’ve seen it across the board, right from the day of basic journalism training! Photographers gaining high grades, but at the cost of poor work.

Sure cut them some slack, but its the reason we see what we see today. But who am I to judge? I’m just that ordinary guy in his room, wishing for better. Thinking my work isn’t to what I’d like and not really showing anyone, because I see it as not being good enough.

I don’t see you producing work to “it’ll do” standards, I see something with understanding and passion. Something worth your time producing and something you’ve spent time thinking about. He knew the footage would be bad, but he went out and did it anyway..”As the helicopter was so small, smaller than previous aircraft I’ve shot stills from before, motion and turbulence was going to be a problem I was simply going to have to live with.” Well he’ll have to live with the criticism unfortunately!

Its about caring for what you do, and why you do it…for the good of all!

I think the criticism of newspaper websites is valid but lets try and help Felix improve his films with a little constructive criticism. Let me start – I think shooting with a Gyro like the Kenyon lans KS-6 or KS-8 on the rig would have helped his heli shots greatly, I’m no expert on this but if someone has first hand experience on how to do this please chime in.

Dan

Newspapers need to either invest properly in video or forget it completely. I don’t how much a small gyro would be to hire but this defo needed it if you weren’t going to shoot on a camera without a rolling shutter. And if you’re going to the trouble of hiring a helicopter then you’ve got to either use the right equipment or don’t bother.

We’ve all shot footage on dslrs that looking back has faults, certainly i’m still learning how to make the most of the equipment available. But we’ve got to stop accepting a certain level of quality now and really move things on. On this whole site the only stuff thats really impressed me is Danfung Dennis.

Editors need to get their heads round the fact if you demand both video and still then quality is going to suffer. And to be honest its not like the standards in the industry were terribly high when only one discipline was being asked for.