Jim Hyslop

Well, the first item - agreeing not to poach each others' employees - I can kind of see. The second item - notifying the other company - hmmm..., well, I don't think that's a good idea. You generally don't want your current employer to know you're job-hunting. The third item, though, stinks. If you like your employee, you should be able to make at least one counter-offer to keep them. -- Jim

Put the stopwatch away. Timing in this sense does not involve cutting to the exact millisecond. You reminded me of a scene from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Commander Data, the android, has been trying to learn how to tell jokes. He is discussing the issue with Guynan, the main bartender in the ship's lounge. Guynan (played by Whoopi Goldberg) suggests that maybe he has a problem with timing, and... well, here's the audio clip -- Jim

Auto-correct fail! Or do you primarily shoot adult movies? :lol: :lol: -- Jim

But is it even "speed" or "speeding" for the camera? I was taught (Ryerson University) that the sequence is generally: 1AD: Roll sound Sound: Sound speed 2AC: (reads off slate) Cam Operator, when camera is at speed: Mark it 2AC claps sticks & exits Cam Operator: Frame Dir/AD: Action -- Jim

Alas, no: Snopes documents it here. -- Jim

Well, to elaborate on my earlier comments - since the trick is repeated several times, that would involve building several different mirrored sets, which could get quite costly for a short film. I figure a green screen effect would be cheaper. Sorry, I'm not sure I follow you - do you mean it would require extra effort to match the movement of the inserted shot with the movement of the wall? If so, yeah, that could get tricky. Maybe it's time to do some experimenting :-) No arguments there! -- Jim

Yeah, I like to think of "CTB" as "convert to blue" and "CTO" as "convert to orange". Those aren't, of course, the correct meanings of the acronyms, but they help remember what the gels do :-D

Well, to be pedantic, no matter how the shot was accomplished it was "special effects" :-) I can't tell. Given that the effect is repeated several times in several different bathrooms, I'd lean towards a green screen on the mirror and lots of post-production work and attention to detail. -- Jim

I've used Vistek (www.vistek.ca), 496 Queen St. East; and The Source Shop (www.sourceshop.ca), 119 Jefferson Ave. There's also The DV Shop at 2967 Dundas St. West, but I've never actually been there so I can't say what they're like. -- Jim

Seemed pretty obvious to me, but then I took acting classes where we did "mirror exercises." -- Jim

Well, it's not recent, but there's the scene from "Contact" where young Ellie's father has a heart attack, and Ellie runs to the bathroom to get his medication. Of course it's I love that shot - I bought the DVD just so I could analyze it frame-by-frame at the end. -- Jim

It is illegal to include age in a job requirement. Just sayin'...

I don't think it's that much of a mine-field. The U.S. Copyright act seems pretty clear and straight forward to me: "A 'work made for hire' is— (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, ..., if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire." As you can see, employment is covered by definition (1). Definition (2) basically says what Bill Simone said - if there's a written contract saying it's a work made for hire, then it's a work made for hire. No contract? It's not "work made for hire." Of course, that's a lay perspective on it. Lawyers will gladly argue either side of the question - for a price, naturally! And, of course, this also assumes Alfredo is located in the U.S or Canada (Canada's copyright is very similar to the U.S.'s). If not, the entire discussion may be moot, except for the advice to see a lawyer :-) -- Jim

Thanks, Adrian. I'd been holding off upgrading my MacBook Pro to Snow Leopard because of the concern. I feel more comfortable now that I know it's been resolved.

Oh, good, I was afraid it would be difficult to find the right drivers & procedures.