kaylee

Thanks mate!
Here in the USA, under that section called "UPGRADE THIS VIDEO" - beneath it "Choose the HD format(s) for this video" is now greyed out and I cannot make any selection.
But here's the biggest problem, as I wrote originally:

"To be certain - ANYTIME I have watched any of YOUR Vimeo videos recently, my stream defaulted to their "Auto" setting EVEN THOUGH THE "HD" INDICATOR WAS STILL ON.
My system and connection plays 1080p perfectly smoothly all day long - and ALL of YOUR videos are displaying at a drastically reduced quality for me because of this "Auto" YouTube-style setting."

When I say "drastically" I mean LESS than 720p.

It won't "say" what it is because it just says "Auto" until I go in and change it to one of the other quality sizes.

Again - we PAY for the ability to control; that - YouTube already has that "default to 'Auto' thing"  and so for many of us Vimeo users it is the ONLY reason we PAY for Vimeo instead.

If viewers are going to randomly get DEGRADED playback streams ONLY UNLESS they take the extra step and go in to the playback settings and change that - then what the hell am I paying for - that's already YouTube.
But we know that MANY users won't do that EVERY SINGLE TIME. And we also know that that choice is very often not even available if the video has been embedded.
 

Ooh...dayum. 
You're good with the warrior words there Kaylee. Nicely done.

i didnt either i was nice!! lol
im a vimeo user but i dont pay for plus or pro – ive just used it for ~watching~ video. i was *planning* on getting a plus or pro account to support the new stuff im working on but as soon as they made these changes i was like Uhhh no.
anyway, i wrote them feedback, they even have an option for people who arent paying members yet

i wrote:
Hi friends, 
I've enjoyed using Vimeo very much over the last several years, and I have been looking forward to upgrading to a Pro account to support my first feature film, but it has come to my attention that Vimeo's public playback structure has changed insofar as it will now "Auto-Select" a playback quality for viewers; and the tab where one could specify what playback quality is assigned has been removed.
Since controlling playback quality is the one and only reason that I would pay for a Plus or Pro account, I am no longer planning to do so. I wanted to share this feedback in hopes that your product team will take it under advisement.
Very best wishes,
Me
 
see how nice i was Zak??

that's right, piracy is not currently an issue for my movie. Down and Dangerous was a micro-budget title released *two years ago* to the day (we opened on Feb 14, 2014). the height of its piracy/file-sharing issues were during the crucial opening quarter. basing your assessment on what is now a library title, doesn't convince me of... i don't know, anything really. and of course it comes with your characteristic and underhanded insults, which you have been weaving into your posts here for years.
but i'm not beneath fighting fire with fire so i'll happily do the same and point out that taking shots at people who risk failure is typical behavior for *sideline naysayers* not actively taking their own bumps and bruises in this arena. what you find amongst fellow doers is a sense of empathy and optimism and a more nurturing form of criticism. and here's a big surprise for you! no one knows the flaws of my movie better than me. hell, I'm the jerk who lived and breathed it for two years. more than that, as it's inspired by a brief chapter in my dad's life story. which explains why the title's anagram is D.A.D.
i know where I succeeded. I know where i stumbled. and more importantly, I know how to do it better next time.
side rant: why people expect filmmakers to emerge fully-formed is beyond me. no one is given an opportunity to grow into better storytellers anymore -- to close that gap between the vision in their heads and their ability to execute it in the real world. it didn't used to be that way. I think it was steven soderbergh who said that he wouldn't have a career if he started out today because no one is forgiven when they fail anymore.
i'm familiar with the story behind marianne. they had a tough go of it. piracy hit them harder than it hit me. I got through it relatively unscathed as my movie has grossed four times its meager budget. what worries me is as i embark on larger endeavors with more money at risk, its cast and genre appeal will be stronger, and so will its piracy-appeal. and i'm not experienced enough to know where the tipping point lies, meaning, the point where piracy makes things untenable. I currently feel safe in the micro-budget world because I think we've cracked the nut of making it profitable as well as creatively fulfilling.
thank you for pointing out the movie is up on youtube. the uploader applied an aggressive vignette to the whole thing making it pretty much unwatchable. issued a takedown. the slow wheels at youtube will likely have it down in a few days. what follows is usually an angry message from the uploader, pissed at me because youtube closed their account.
to your last point... what I believe you are missing is that piracy doesn't only affect existing titles. it greatly reduces the number of low and mid-budget movies that get made in favor of tentpole pictures because they are a riskier, execution-dependent, proposition. if the last 100 hundred years of produced movies had been influenced by piracy the way they are now, that list would look very different.
now please excuse me, I have a screenplay rewrite to get back to. it's about a guy who goes out into the streets to pick fights with strangers as a way to punish himself. which means I can chalk up my time here to: "research".

Hey gang,

You may have noticed that VIMEO recently changed their public playback structure to be exactly like YouTube's - meaning it will now "Auto-Select" a playback quality for viewers. The tab where you could specify what playback quality got assigned has been removed. 

So far their P.R. people have been saying "Too bad, we're being competitive." but controlling the playback quality is pretty much the ONLY reason any of us use Vimeo over YouTube. It is ABSOLUTELY the ONLY reason I pay for their "Plus" or "Pro" service.

This little campaign here got started by Oron over on DVXUser and he has already had some email exchanges with them that he posted for all to see.
When he told them that controlling playback quality was his ONLY reason for buying their paid service, and that he would be terminating it if this control is not restored - well, they quickly stated changing their tune.

To be certain - ANYTIME I have watched any of YOUR Vimeo videos recently, my stream defaulted to their "Auto" setting EVEN THOUGH THE "HD" INDICATOR WAS STILL ON.
My system and connection plays 1080p perfectly smoothly all day long - and ALL of YOUR videos are displaying at a drastically reduced quality for me because of this "Auto" YouTube-style setting.


Here is some of the email exchange Oron posted:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is part of an emails they sent me from customer support: 
part of email 1: "Unfortunately, adaptive streaming is the future of Vimeo’s streaming capabilities and we completely understand your hesitation if you content is not displaying as you’d like it to."

Part of email 2 (after I replied I don't like this idea): "I’m sorry to hear that my rely has disappointed you. We strongly encourage you being able to find and use a video hosting platform that is best for your needs and we’re sorry to hear that we cannot be that for you at this time."

After I decided to stop my Vimeo plus membership that will end next month, they send me this email: 
"I want to be clear that I do understand your concerns about HD video, and having control over what qualities your viewer sees. Our product team is evaluating this kind of feedback, and I will certainly pass yours along for consideration."

So, again, if more people will say something it will change, I'm sure people that have Vimeo Plus or Pro don't want other people to view their videos on 720p or 360p just because vimeo thinks they don't have the bandwidth, I want to decide those things, that's the all point of vimeo.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PLEASE join in and send VIMEO's customer service an email if you are a paying customer of their "Plus" and "Pro" subscriptions.

Thanks all !

done. and i didn't even swear.

They are so desperate to start selling LS300s at CVP that they are giving you a free Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 PRO and £500 off any accessory of your choice.
All for £2977 inc VAT (£2481 + VAT)
http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/jvc_gy-ls300e
At B&H it is $1000 off at $3k
One thing is for sure, doesn't look like sales have been too hot and people aren't hot for the JVC brand. In fact I'd tape it up to avoid being laughed at.
I agree on paper the spec is great and the image in that YouTube review looks very very clean in 2K 4:2:2. Nice to have LOG but the prime zoom I'd rather do in post after shooting in 4K. How's the codec in 4K on this thing? What's the bitrate?
The main concern I'd have over this camera are the ergonomics, speed of use, snappiness and logic of the menus and quality of the sensor. Will be surprised if it looks nicer than an A7R II in Super 35mm mode at high ISOs or a NX1 at low ISOs.
But yeah, definitely a curious beast to try out.
Just get it from somewhere with a good return policy. Why? Because it's a JVC

True, 
I think I might call JVC this week and pretty much beg them to lend me one

Its in the menus, don't remember where. Google back button AF setup with the 5d3 and you'll find articles about disabling the shutter from the main shutter button.

kaylee is officially my favorite person.

Looks like Epic to me,as it is grabbing a decent chunk from the imaging circle of that s35 lomo (edge vignette due to optimised aspect crop) and has a familiar rendering of detail... but Amira/ Alexa/ Ursa would all look the same with a distinctive anamorphic up front like that.
It was nice not think about what camera or lens was present when watching first time, the content was captivating enough...it could have been shot on VHS and still been a strong piece.

nicely done
any guesses on the camera? i definitely have one but i am not going first on this lol
RIP Eric Garner indeed. ny cops have been *completely* out of control for a looong time

wow kewlll!!!!
its coming this year i swear. ill send u a link 
great link, ive been there before but havent spent enough time. this is going in my queue 
lolol ???????
so true
and the ppl who lift stuff from fine art usually look like geniuses to their peers because no one knows the source material
hellz yeah 
for people who have never seen stuff like this before, you should definitely check it out, as filmmakers it might broaden your horizons, in a good way~! the cremaster cycle is kinda like taking dmt in relation to filmmaking (only it lasts way, waaay longer lol)
the thing that amazes me the most about contemporary artists is how unique each respective practice is  
i like bill a lot.
on a personal level, ive been disappointed in the relative reluctance of collectors to embrace video, as they do other media.
i hate to say it, but rich old [white] people want a jeff koons sculpture in their backyard. when it comes to satisfying that need.... ::sigh:: even i have to give jeff credit
i am seriously a terrible resource for this its kind of embarrassing. the truth is, i havent been paying too much attention to the fine art world for the last 5 years or so, ive been learning everything i can about dealing with hollywood and commercial filmmaking
in general, fine artists are terrible at being a community. we tend to not get along well with each other, and we spend a lot of time alone. tbh its very competitive
when i first got into filmmaking i breathed a sigh of relief... its a much more welcoming environment believe it or not. in filmmaking theres this idea of a team, and we all need each other, no one does this stuff alone~!
graduate film students all help each other, while graduate fine art students all hate each other lol

omg ?

 
> seriously tho, Zak is one of the most GENEROUS filmmakers on all of the internets, and his insight is exceptionally valuable because of how goddam talented he is
i WISH i had a team like Zak does. invaluable. i would feel like "this movie [im making] is gonna be amazing we're gonna make a lot of money" instead of "?????!!!!"
lastly, purely in terms of business models, Down and Dangerous is a fantastically educational case study, thanks to the fact that Zak has graciously shared so much information about his process. the trailer itself is so professional it transcends any perception of low budget filmmaking. if i saw the trailer for D&D on television during a commercial break on fox in 2016 it would never occur to me that it didnt belong there. clearly paramount pictures feels the same way
so, fyi: Zak Forsman isnt some jabroni, hes an awesome dude*. thanks for the inspiration, Zak
*and ruggedly handsome i might add

omg ?

 
> seriously tho, Zak is one of the most GENEROUS filmmakers on all of the internets, and his insight is exceptionally valuable because of how goddam talented he is
i WISH i had a team like Zak does. invaluable. i would feel like "this movie [im making] is gonna be amazing we're gonna make a lot of money" instead of "?????!!!!"
lastly, purely in terms of business models, Down and Dangerous is a fantastically educational case study, thanks to the fact that Zak has graciously shared so much information about his process. the trailer itself is so professional it transcends any perception of low budget filmmaking. if i saw the trailer for D&D on television during a commercial break on fox in 2016 it would never occur to me that it didnt belong there. clearly paramount pictures feels the same way
so, fyi: Zak Forsman isnt some jabroni, hes an awesome dude*. thanks for the inspiration, Zak
*and ruggedly handsome i might add

This is officially off topic for all but Kaylee, but-
I would love to see some of your work, do you have anything online?
One of the biggest disappointments for me is not having watched enough video art work at my time at SAIC. Their video data bank probably could be the worlds largest source of inspiration for creative video producers, period. http://www.vdb.org/
Advertising agencies know this, but not many others follow video artists as much as they should. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160205-when-ads-go-too-far
I remember spending hours in the video data bank screening room (circa 1998) watching Mathew Barney, Sadie Benning, Vito Acconci, and a host of other video artists and being blown away. Although I never really fully explored the creative side of video, and went into corporate and events (weddings), it really was a exciting time in my life making video art and analysing pieces with my peers.
The last artist I remember going mainstream was Bill Viola. I went to his exhibit and it was a whole world devoted to his weird and wonderful snippets, all projected onto walls, canvases, cloth and floors. I would love to experience something like that again. Are their other artists I should look into that are currently doing interesting work besides yourself?
Are there any forums or communities where video artists commune online? if so could you send me some links?
 

good night, brave troll.
and it's spelled "genius", genius.
The movie was distributed by paramount internationally. that included both those countries and whatever rock you just crawled back under.

around the time of the release of the movie, the total seeds for all the torrents i could find was just over 10,000. i don't know how high it got. The Turkish YouTube upload had just crossed 100,000 views when i discovered it (it had been up for more than a month). A torrent was also likely used to make bootleg Blu-rays that one of my actors found in Hong Kong.
ps - fuck you, you belittling asshole.
 

thank you for your thoughts, thats very insightful commentary, since that is essentially exactly what im doing
my work is kind of like the cremaster cycle, but watchable and entertaining
theres a huge emphasis on important live events that drive my story... and that content will be available online for free
and theres all kinds of stuff in my art practice – from big drawings to sculptures and installations. so in theory one of my shows is gonna have all that stuff. and youre gonna be entertained by some kind of "show"
thats kind of the big idea in the abstract 
if theres one thing that never ceases to amaze me its how endless the audience seems for people willing to PAY for porn
kink.com is an example, and theyre considered p mainstream now, i mean theyre a huge company. my friend just did a scene for them not too long ago and she told me some of their numbers its insane
like, have you ever heard of myfreecams? its a site where you can watch for free or tip the performers
its an option. its the same thing if you watch it for free
however tipping allows you to be interactive and... idk people love it. i know a girl who made like $130k in 3-4 months on that site and selling her own homemade webcam videos through manyvids or a site like that. now mind you she did this by first spending several years amassing a huge audience of 100k+ tumblr followers, giving them FREE content all the time. ...but would people pay for it? especially when it was free the week before? clearly in her case the answer was YES. she paid for 4 years of college in a few months, but it was after years of audience building, and frankly spending a ton of time being interactive with her fans.  it worked like a charm, but shes p smart, thats my point: she planned all this out. thats what we can all learn from. the planning lol
but i digress

I saw this too and immediately wondered what it was shot on.  Beautiful imagery and message.  RIP Eric Garner.

I'll play! I say something in the toddler zone. Am I warm or way off?
My kid is 2 and I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of some of you youtubers when it comes to kids videos. A video of a person opening surprise eggs to reveal toys has 223,181,749 views in less than one year. 
Anyways, thank you for your response. I think it sheds light on some other areas of video that people sometimes feel intimidated to explore. For some its easier to imagine making a creative short as creatives are naturally introverted and prefer to work without criticism until final delivery. that kind of continual dialogue with your audience, with comments, instant view counts to measure success and such would shut most people down. But it actuality may be even harder to crack the mainstream path than 'selling out' by following the whims of the audience.

you will need to get permission from the publisher of the book or you will face legal action for copyright violations - contact them asn ask - get it all in writting

I'd like to have the VariCam LT in a smaller body for $999 please. Doesn't have to have XLR.

scary is right. depressing too
why cant technology SAVE us from this to SOME degree? at least make it way harder for pirates?
a motivated person is going to rip your video no matter what it takes, but what if my film was available for download not as a video file but an application which needs a time sensitive key? or something?? idk i have no idea but im gonna figure some shit like that out. if that means that you cant watch the film w/o an internet connection, so be it
if youre louis ck and you have a loyal audience youve built over a lifetime of touring and making shows than you can get away with a lot of shit that poor people like me can not
thank GOD im shooting for the fine art business first and foremost. nothing much has changed there in the last 30 years ?
great article by zak btw
http://filmschoolrejects.com/opinions/movie-worth-stealing-filmmaker-piracy-experience.php
thanks lafilm