payout for peeps at the 2023 PTJ

tl;dr Take some video at the PTJ and we use it, you get monies


I have an idea for the upcoming PTJ to get lots of video and use it for a movie. But I need lots of video!  So this is my official offer for the 2023 PTJ:

For each minute of video you provide, that we use in a kickstarter movie, we will provide for you:

- $50 (or $100, or $200 - see below)
- 2 gift codes for the final product
- $50 worth of digital market moichendize (PW)
- $50 off a ticket(s) to future jamborees

So if you set us up with 30 minutes of video that make it into a final kickstarter movie:

- $1500 (or $3000, or $6000 - see below)
- 60 gift codes for the final product
- $1500 worth of digital market moichendize (PW)
- $1500 off a ticket(s) to future jamborees

Fine print:

- for a kickstarter movie that brings in more than $50,000

   o $50 per minute if the kickstarter brings in $50k to $99K
   o $100 per minute if the kickstarter brings in $100k to $199K
   o $200 per minute if the kickstarter brings in more than $200K

- prorated, so if we use 22 seconds you get 22/60 of a minute of this dealio

- we might try to use your video for other stuff, but there is no compensation for that

   o "full event", "bonus video" or "stuff that didn't get into the movie"
   o stuff on youtube
   o etc.

- send 100 minutes, we use 3 in the final movie, this dealio is for the 3 minutes used

Questions?

I love this idea.  It's very generous and incentivizes not just quantity, but quality video content creation.

I just updated the offer above.  It is the same as before, but it pays more if the kickstarter hits some big payouts.

I think it's a good idea so I'm not trying to poke holes, just a few things I think could use clarification or consideration.

paul wheaton wrote:For each minute of video you appear in, that we use in a kickstarter movie,

Don't you mean "For each minute of video you provide"? I know what you're saying but that reads like they are the ones appearing on camera to me. Also you might want to just say Kickstarter, maybe you get enough footage and get to make the docu-series you were wanting, or some other kind of product that isn't specifically a movie.

What about overlap? If I record an interview or class, and in the final product the clip with audio is playing with someone else's B-roll over top, are you going to pay for both their and my recording for the same time? If so do I also get double time if my A-roll and B-roll are playing at the same time?

I'd almost say it would be better to promise everyone payment on the minute, instead of trying to prorate every videographer. Including people with less than a minute. I suspect many people are only going to get a few seconds of b-roll in. It could be a huge pain in the butt, as well as disappointing, to give them all a few dollars. It's a special calculation for each person, when it could be a lumped group and a flat payout easy peasy PLUS it's more encouraging for people who only want to casually record a few things here and there to submit.

Be aware of the potential memory demands of this. A couple dozen people recording video for two weeks can easily create several terabytes of files. That's not only expensive to store and duplicate but a nightmare for any editors that tackle the project. It may be wise to only collect video files longer than 20 seconds from people with a dedicated camera and mic. OR deputize certain attendees for recording long form classes, interviews and other types of A-roll. Or simply request not more than one person record an instructor teaching at the same time, whoever is there with the best equipment gets priority.

Maybe give a primer on opening day explaining the difference between A-roll and B-roll and giving tips for managing file size. Not to mention basics of audio, camera angles, lighting, suggestions for desired footage etc. A few minutes at the start could result in a much higher average quality of submissions.

Michael Ot wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:For each minute of video you appear in, that we use in a kickstarter movie,

Don't you mean "For each minute of video you provide"?

I searched the page for "appear" and the only place this word shows up is in your quote.

??

Michael Ot wrote:What about overlap? If I record an interview or class, and in the final product the clip with audio is playing with someone else's B-roll over top, are you going to pay for both their and my recording for the same time? If so do I also get double time if my A-roll and B-roll are playing at the same time?

Excellent question!

I think that would be split 50/50.

I'd almost say it would be better to promise everyone payment on the minute, instead of trying to prorate every videographer. Including people with less than a minute. I suspect many people are only going to get a few seconds of b-roll in. It could be a huge pain in the butt, as well as disappointing, to give them all a few dollars. It's a special calculation for each person, when it could be a lumped group and a flat payout easy peasy PLUS it's more encouraging for people who only want to casually record a few things here and there to submit.

I think you make an excellent point!  I think for the first pass, let's see what happens.  If this whole project is a huge success, we might refine this a bit for next year.

Be aware of the potential memory demands of this. A couple dozen people recording video for two weeks can easily create several terabytes of files. That's not only expensive to store and duplicate but a nightmare for any editors that tackle the project. It may be wise to only collect video files longer than 20 seconds from people with a dedicated camera and mic. OR deputize certain attendees for recording long form classes, interviews and other types of A-roll. Or simply request not more than one person record an instructor teaching at the same time, whoever is there with the best equipment gets priority.

Andres and I talked about this when we first came up with the idea.  he is agreeing to take it on anyway.

Maybe give a primer on opening day explaining the difference between A-roll and B-roll and giving tips for managing file size. Not to mention basics of audio, camera angles, lighting, suggestions for desired footage etc. A few minutes at the start could result in a much higher average quality of submissions.

Maybe we can make a list of top four points to share withe people on the first day, and then we can talk more about details at lunch?