Situations has changed - Advice needed

[Josef Gatti]

Hi Redusers,

In a bit of a dillema. I purchased my Scarlet on the 3rd, so one would hope my number is approaching. However something unexpected has happened - I work on a kids warner brothers show in Australia as a PA. They've thrown a new contract in my face for next year with more responsibility, including writing and segment producing - with promises of a promotion to producer if all goes well with my escalated duties. My goal isn't TV, but this is a pretty good gig, and this opportunity could be golden. Ultimately I'd like to make films professionaly.

I'm not going to have as much time as I'd like to utilize a Scarlet. I could shoot weekends on small projects etc, but will struggle with long time client projects etc. In other words, it's uses will be hobbies. In saying that, I work hard and can live on shoe strings, so it's not like I'll have to put myself on the street to survive.

What would you all do? Who's been in similar situations? How valued would the next 2 years in producing a kids show assist in cracking film? And a move to LA eventually on the cards? Most importantly, is it worth having a Scarlet that might be in a box 5 out of 7 days of the week?

Thanks all.

 

[George Butterfield]

is it worth having a Scarlet that might be in a box 5 out of 7 days of the week?

Two days a week shooting is great, if you do it. You could make a dynamite short every month. After two years you could produce a DVD with 24 of your short films on it. You could sell this over the web and pay for your Scarlet. Or not.

 

[Stefan Antonescu]

I think Jim said it best :

"Life is short. Put yourself in a position doing what you were meant to do".

 

[PatrickW]

if your before me cancel your order

 

[Jason Beckwith]

if you're before me cancel your order

Haha! Awesome answer!

(take the job, keep the Scarlet, work hard.)

 

[Vance Colvig]

Life is too short not to live your dream.

 

[David Collard]

If the money portion will stress you out too much, cancel the order. It costs a lot more to pimp out an Epic,
or any camera for that matter, despite it's amazing value.

Start saving your money. One year from now they'll be more Reds and iterations and maybe a used one
with your name on it. Stay a part of the Red family in the meantime. You're always an invited guest.

 

[Josef Gatti]

Thanks all. Definitely have more to learn shooting my own projects than working here - I've been here for 11 months now and have pretty much learnt what I need, the climbing the ranks is the only thing that is exciting.

I think Jim said it best :

"Life is short. Put yourself in a position doing what you were meant to do".

I think this sums it up well.

George, Stefan, Douglas, Jason, Vance - Your words are greatly appreciated. It is my dream to own one of these, thanks for reminding me. It's all I needed. Let's hope it comes soon

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Working longer hours means owning is all that much more important. The more hours I've worked the less inclined I am to go down to a rental house pick up a camera and return it. You might not even have time to return it. It's easy to make excuses on why you shouldn't drive all the way to the rental facility when you're busy. It's a lot harder to not shoot something when you've got a camera in your hand.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

In this economy, I'd suggest taking the job and only buying the camera if you feel you will use it. Dreams and passion are important, but so is paying the bills, enjoying life (outside of filmmaking), and saving some money when you can. If you are buying a camera to generate income, I highly suggest a solid business plan. Have someone with a lot of business experience read it and give you feedback, especially someone who knows the business well and will give you honest feedback. If you are buying a camera to realize a dream of making movies, there's nothing particularly wrong with that, but i still suggest some careful consideration on the business side. Making movies is a balance between art and business. Scarlet is a great value, but it is still a major purchase for a lot of people and should only be made after weighing out the pros and cons. The more you can remove the emotional side of the equation, the better chance the decision will be made correctly.

Best of luck with whichever way you decide to go!

 

[Andy Jarosz]

Or, don't have it sit. Rent it out for those 5 days.

 

[Josef Gatti]

Steve, your posts are always worth the read and I respect your opinion greatly. I remember around the 3rd, your long post on considerations before purchasing a Scalret - that pushed me to be proactiv in working out a business strategy. While I have nothing documented, I did utilize a big contact of mine who has given me the 100% on freelancing for his photography company, which would look like somewhere around $1000 a month repayment on the Red. So thank you for that! And yes, you're right - I do need to sever that emotional attachment. It's there, and it's strong.

And totally get what you're saying Gavin - it will push me harder to find work to pay it off - i know this about myself and I will force myself to work for it as wasting money is one of my all time hates. Spending money on the other hand....