F -

[gofast_ER 0]

Ok so if you were doing a tandem video and totally f'd up would you charge? Im writting this because my friend did a tandem at a dz (wich will remain nameless) and paid for a video. Well, she was kind of in view at exit. The camera flyer quickly lost it. After finally catching up the camera must have been aimed 2 ft. to low. You Can somewhat see the girls chest strap every few seconds. Then they actually have the nerve to charge 70$......are they serious!?!?!? If i were that camera flyer and or dz owner i would have appologized...not charged. Maby i should have had the balls to say something???

I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.

[EXTremeWade 0]

Yeah, I have always wondered what a DZ would do in this case..I would charge for the jump only..

[gofast_ER 0]

charge for the camera flyers jump or the tandem? personally...if i were in charge....that video would have been free. Also, i would have givin her another tandem discounted and a free video with it...its not every day someone makes there first skydive and to be charged so much for so much crap.......

I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.

[Chrissay 0]

If the videographer totally blows the video and still pictures, we give the customer a refund and make the video guy pay for his own slot.

Edited to add: But if the customer gets at least one of the products, then we only refund $25.00.

[packing_jarrett 0]

dude there's been a few way worse than that.

1) tandem master had a hard time getting the drogue out and the cameraman couldn't keep up. he didn't get one shot at all. $70

2) premature reserve deployment right off the step got just about nothing but a view from cameramans angle of chute. full price of $70

3)rooking video guy had a bad exit and went to early absolutley nothing $70

Na' Cho' Cheese

[gofast_ER 0]

Quote

dude there's been a few way worse than that.

1) tandem master had a hard time getting the drogue out and the cameraman couldn't keep up. he didn't get one shot at all. $70

2) premature reserve deployment right off the step got just about nothing but a view from cameramans angle of chute. full price of $70

3)rooking video guy had a bad exit and went to early absolutley nothing $70

so what your telling me is that there is little to no integrity in camera flyers??? thats a bunch of bs! no not you...but the fact that this shit has to happen to people.....great way to get new people into the sport eh?

I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.

[larsrulz 0]

Quote

dude there's been a few way worse than that.

That doesn't make any of the above right...in fact, they are all absolutely unacceptable, and I would recommend to the original poster that his friend contact the Better Business Bureau and report this. Call the owner of the dropzone visited and be sure that he knows what happens and this is how he intends to run his business. That is unacceptable business practice in my opinion. It is no better than if a camera man had said "sorry, I forgot to turn the video on when I left the airplane, but I got your landing....$70 please."

And the jumper shouldn't have to pay for the videographers slot either. I certainly wouldn't pay for the anesthetic if I went to the dentist and he forgot to take out my wisdom teeth like he was supposed to.

I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

[nate_1979 9]

Quote

Call the owner of the dropzone visited and be sure that he knows what happens and this is how he intends to run his business.

I would think it very possible that the DZO doesnt even know this happened, I would definately contact the DZO w/ the video.

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[packing_jarrett 0]

well now that you mention the whole not turning the camera on. this one time this dude forgot to turn on his camera, or it shut off, one of the two. but luckily the guy who chased the tandem turned his on and used his footage. kind of a feak accident maybe and we use cam-eye's-now

Na' Cho' Cheese

[packing_jarrett 0]

dude actually one this one time this guy woud have gotten good footage but didn't want to set a bad impression on skydiving so he didn't sell his video see Safety and Training>Leg straps for details.
the guy did the right thing.

Na' Cho' Cheese

[steveorino 7]

At skydive Airtight, if the video is bad - you get your "video" money (not "tandem" money) back ... period. I stand behind a 100% satisfaction guarantee. In 600+ videos I gave one back when the niteshot came on (it was ineternal glitch and not the switch) The video was mostly green. I gave them the stills for free and the DZO refunded their money.
I drove to Best Buy andbought a nother camera and filmed the tandem's son that afternoon.

steveOrino

[n23x 0]

Out of curiosity, is that your video fee, video fee plus slot?

.jim

"Don't touch my fucking Easter eggs, I'll be back monday." ~JTFC

[Peej 0]

Imo, no ways you charge. To even get onto tandem cam rotation your flying should be good enough that you are there, right in front of the tandem, ALL the time.

Camera malfunctions are a different story though. These things happen.

Take my last tandem vid on Sat for example. I shot the ground interview, the in the plane stuff and when i turned my camera on again right before exit the red came eye light was on. It was only when i landed and ran over to film the post jump interview that the camera told me it had decided the heads were dirty and recorded nothing in freefall.

We didn't charge for video and i paid for my slot. Tough break. I think i was more bummed that i had to dissapoint the passenger

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[skydog 2]

My philosophy is simple - no good footage = no sale. That is for any reason at all.

If there is nothing decent then I bite the bullet, pay for my own slot and the customer gets a full and frank explanantion of what happened.

It is usually true that if a customer leaves the DZ with shit footage they will not say anything. When they get home they will tell everyone they know.

I also think that having to be "professional" sharpens the mind and skills. If you produce a sub standard product you are not only doing yourself a disservice but the DZ and the industry as a whole.

The integrity is there from plenty of camera people, but unfortunately not everywhere.

Bryn

Journey not destination.....

[Peej 0]

I agree completely. Nicely put.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[steveorino 7]

Quote

Out of curiosity, is that your video fee, video fee plus slot?

.jim

They get it ALL back. The DZO is a former camera man and knows first had "stuff happens", so he wouldn't charge me for the slot.

steveOrino

[tcnelson 1]

did your friend pay with a credit card? she can dispute the charges citing that she did not get the product that she paid for; breach of contract.

"Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch
NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329

[AndyMan 7]

I once shot a video like that, the DZ completely refunded the video charge - all of it. The DZ offered the student a complete refund, or completely free video on a different jump. The student chose the refund.

The DZ ate the cost of my slot, and I felt like a jack-ass for a few hours.

If the video is as bad as you describe, the DZ has no business taking any money for it.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[jimoke 0]

I agree totally, no video= no money for the video.....I don't agree to refund the jump $$ because they still made the jump.
It is the cameraflyers only purpose on the skydive, to get the shot. if the said cameraflyer knew it, he should have manned up and took the hit for his own slot. followed by the whole "I am sorry, I didn't good footage" talk with the student. It has happened to every tandem cameraman at one time or another, for a multitude of reasons. it is embarassing to admit you didn't do a good job, but hopefully the customer can understand that photography at 120+ mph is not the same as a snapshot on the ground.

if it is because the flyer doesn't have the skills to get the shot thats a whole different ballgame that should be taken up with the tandem Instructors as well as the DZO, that just sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
My goal in shooting tandem video is to make the next video better than the last video.
Stay Safe,
Jimoke

The ground always, remembers where you are!

[Superfletch 1]

Here at Freefall Express in Mt. Vernon, MO we do things a bit differently than you experienced. As one of the videographers on staff I like to think I have integrety and my DZO does as well. I have a satisfaction guarantee myself. Only difference is, if I'm satisfied I charge. If I'm disatisfied I do not. I'm usually my worst critic so this is a more than fair guarantee and protects me from some perfectionist that is expecting a holywood production. If I totally blow one... which to date, I have TWICE, then I do what I did and GIVE the customer what I got for free and offer to pay for their next tandem so that I can get a little redemption. Now, I'm not the only videographer on staff here and the other guys may not be as gung ho as I am. I have seen my DZO half price some footage that was less than spectacular at times and if the student still didn't want it then he just refunded the money.

It sounds to me like your friend is getting the short end of the stick here. You NEED to approach the DZO. Show him the footage and get his thoughts on the matter. If he doesn't do the right thing then I would blast him and the cameraman on an open forum so the rest of the planet knows what type of people they are dealing with. BAD VIDEOS will happen. It's the nature of the beast. Timing has to be perfect and flying has to be good for a quality product and that simply isn't always the case. However, when the unthinkable happens, then I am of the opinion, that the camera flyer needs to step up and do the right thing. If nothing else... it seems to me that a refund is in order. On the other side of the coin though... the customer needs to be made aware that there are a lot of variables to getting a good video and sometimes unforseen things happen and that person shouldn't expect anything more than a refund (if he's do one) unless the camera flyer wants to go ABOVE and BEYOND.

Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher
D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I
Videographer/Photographer

[YISkyDive 0]

at my DZ is something like that happens- where its cameraman error- its simple- the cameraflyer pays for all expenses of the jump- including the refund.

stuff like that is not only encouraged not to be sold, it is not allowed to be sold. If they charged your friend I would request a refund, or what ever is appropriate- because that is unnacceptable and everyone in the business does know what acceptable is.

[adamd 0]

On my Mum's first tandem the video guy wasn't on the plane due to some major reshuffling a few minutes prior to take off. The DZO met my Mum just after she landed and apologised no end and offered her a refund on the video or a free tandem with video. No need to say my Mum took the 2nd jump with video without even thinking about it.

It was this sort of service that made me choose this dz to start my aff at, no cash, crappy weather and none skydiving related injuries have postponed my training but my Mum is all excited about doing another tandem whenever I head back to the dz

[gofast_ER 0]

thanks for all your replys. I think when the dvd gets here (oh yeah, they coudln't even get this thing on dvd....they couldn't figure out their own equiptment) im gonna look at it one more time just to make sure it was as bad as it was then take it back to them. I want the dzo to see this and tell me what he thinks should be done. As to blasting them on an open fourm...well they are a pretty small dz (which may be the reason they charged for it anyway....needed the $$$?) and the times I have been there have not seen many people. I mean really like 5-6 people for this place is a lot!

I may not agree with what you have to say but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.