What's the going rate for viditing talent?
by
, 09-08-2009 at 05:41 PM (7460 Views)
How much is your hobby worth? Or more importantly, how much can you justify spending? It's all to easy to spend a small fortune on video editing, but is that expense really justified and what does it really add?
As a self confessed gadget freak, I'm guilty of a gadget for gadget's sake. Do I really need a PS3 and a Wii? Does my 5.1 surround sound and 40" TV enchance my viewing pleasure? Does my heart rate monitor increase my training capacity? I hardly need these items, and some border on frivalous. So where do you draw the line between what you need as a video editing amateur and what you'd like.
For some, that line is clear. It's the bottom line. If they can't afford Adobe Premiere CS4, they buy Premiere Elements (we'll put to one side the piracy option). For others, it's an obsession with the latest and greatest. Some may be techies after the best possible quality. And finally we have the arty types that just want to create. So our four groups are:As with all theories, it doesn't really work in practice, but I bet you can sit yourself in one or two of those categories. Which one(s) are you?
- The money saver
- The gadget freak
- The techie
- The artisan
But our original question was: how much is your hobby worth and can you justify the expense? For the money saver, this is easy. He can quite legimately say he's got good value for money. He spends the minimum and gets a great return. He may even have some talent and produce stunning results on a budget. The art house of the video editing amateur.
At the other end of the scale is the techie. These probably know their software inside out. The kind of person that could strip a gun bare, blindfolded, but couldn't possibly shoot a rabbit. They're probably not very artistic, but want the best so spend the most. Their returns are small in terms of the end result. The Matrix 3 of the video editing world.
The bottom line is that the latest and greatest video camera is no substitute for talent. You can easily create a fantastic video on a tiny budget. So the next time you think about upgrading your software or investing in a new camera, think about why you're buying it. Will it really make a difference, or do you just want a new toy?
Me? I'm the greatest victim of them all. I bought a new camera last year and already want a new one. No, in fact I need a new one. After all, the recent ones are getting such rave reviews. But how different are they really? Can I justify the expense, or should I concentrate on improving technique. We all know the answer...