Above is a picture of myself (West) and Thorpe Waluew (left) sitting outside the Gold Coast premiere of Pastiche. The day before id just flown in from WA after the Perth premiere and was hoping the goldy kids would be swarming, how wrong i was to think that.
Roughly 50 people showed up, the sunshine coast was about the same the next night.
The QLD venues set me back $2300 in total so if you do some quick maths you'll know i lost out big time. I definitely had heaps of fun so wrote it all off as more of a holiday then a business trip.
Making a DVD is expensive, not just on money but also on time.
3 weeks prior to the premieres i had just over $5000 sitting in my bank, the day i got back to WA on May 10th after the NSW premieres (which had more success) i had $100. Now that $5000 didnt come from sponsors (Custom X is the only company to pay up so far) that 5k came from weeks and weeks of mind numbing work at Coles. At the time Dan seemed a bit shitty at me for working so much and not filming in our final weeks but im glad i did because the entire film came out of my wallet.
The 5 premieres cost $4620
The DVD replication with booklets etc cost $2000
The flights cost $700
The car hire cost $350
Total = $7670
Thats just to have a product and bring it to you, dont forget about the thousands more we spent on trips etc.
I'm not complaining about the lack of money in this industry, im trying to give you an idea as to what goes into making a video like Pastiche. So what youve got to do is ask yourself this.
Is making a DVD really worth it?
Was the 1.5-2 years we spent working on it really worth it? Is the respect and admiration earned really worth it?
Probably not, So why do we do it?
If i were to call it quits now would i regret it? Would i miss or crave it? What would happen to all the WA guys like Luehman, Backshall, Veitchy, Woodland and the numerous talented up and comers like Alex Halsey? How much does the industry depend on guys like myself and daniel?
These are all questions currently running through my head as i contemplate our future as Claws and Teeth. Dont get me wrong, i want to make a 3rd video but i just dont know if i can do it all again....
The kind of footage that makes it worthwhile. Pierre about to flip over Dans camera.
I guess we'll let you know our future when dan gets back from a company funded overseas trip. Perhaps more of that and stuff for the internet, time will tell.
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24 comments:
Hey mate,
Yeah does look like finiancially it may not be worth it,
But the question is are you doing something you love? Probally.
There are millions of people who choose there passion over making the big bucks,
Dude im doin marine science, I wont make shit but hopefully ill be happy in life,
So weigh it up westy, you want an office job getting heaps or be out having fun whilst earning an adequate living?
VYV
P.S The movie was sick bro and thanks for the ticket too, pce
Until the industry finally realises it needs people like you and pays you money to do your job the sport is doomed. Passion is one thing but living with your parents and working at coles for the next 25 years to fund a project is probably something you are not looking forward to right. You's guys are a talent but you will soon be over working for peanuts to chase a passion. Just shoot surfing, live the same lifestyle and have enough left over to buy new cars, jetskis and dope camera equipment. So until the company's start looking after the talented people behind the cameras and giving the sport and riders publicity which they make their money from than kiss passion goodbye.
Thats exactly what i was trying to say without actually sayig it haha.
Well apart from the film surfing bit, i dont want to jump ships.
thankyou.
"How much does the industry depend on guys like myself and daniel?" got a big head now do we?
"guys like myself and daniel" means people making videos. Never once did i mention anything about being good.
i rate pastiche as the best movie since VIDEO those 3 or so years ago, thrash, fire (shittest vomit ever produced, ben player project, you name it pastiche will hold it down and shit on its head 2 girls one cup style. i would love to see another video
but at the end of the day, when your 27, looking at your life so far and how fun it has been, and then looking forward to the next 40 years of work and how much its gonna suck, doing a shit job, in shit hours for shit money, you gotta be realistic.
i could say "screw money do it for the passion", but theres 2 sides to every story.........
do what you love in life, because when you die what is money or fame?
just enjoy the life you have if bodyboarding videos isnt your passion and isnt going to satisfy you fair enough; but if it is take up the challenge and run with it!
thanks fella's.
2 girls one cup hahah wow
2 gurlz one cupz
if someone hires us to make a dvd we should do it.
bodyboarders will keep on bodyboarding regardless of what we do.
>>>>danclaws
p.s FIRE is awesome.
p.p.s 2gurlz
In a perfect world DVD's will be the core of the sport, like they are for snowboarding and skateboarding. I have spent many years trying to work out a way to make a living off it.
I don't want to even thinking about the money we have lost making the 7 dvd we made (pretty much times your lost by 7)
Like that guy said i'd have rather scrape through life making dvd's that people love, then do some shitty job that i'm unhappy in.
Dont feel bad about the QLD prems either. We haven't had a good one up there since Denis, i think most of them are too cool for bodyboarding videos up there. its sad
1. Make a TV show for fuel tv.
2. ???
3. Profit.
yeah true whwat the hell happened to the panic button tv show series? did that fall through
Sick vid guys.
Same in the photography industry. Spend 1000's to get a few $100 back.
By the look of your business, instead of prems, you could of saved 1000's by only having a local prem. You would lose out on a few sales, but how many sales do you need to brake even???
Not too many people go to prems unless they are friends or groupies, or drunks (sam).
Just a few thoughts
the whole bodyboarding scene is fucked all the groms out now days that think there too cool to go to prems and spend days in the mirror straightning and dying there hair, not to mention putting on there spray on jeans. the little cunts should stop caring about what there mates say " oh man your a groupie if you go to prems" and follow the sport not there faggy mates.
my 2 cents
amen to that
what infrastructure? boogie boarding?
maaaaan take all that money, spend it on a massive keg party. Dan will be keen, tell him. maybe you could still write it off as business?
nath
"oh man your a groupie if you go to prems"
Fuck I hate those people. They're normally fringe dwelling comp dudes that realize they're never going to make it,so they get frustrated and bag their mates for showing support. It's not being a groupie at all, it's just showing support for people you think are doing incredible things. Bodyboarders risk their lives for their job, and film-makers risk their hard-earned money. Going to prems, buying vidas and mags and shwing support to riders you appreciate is just doing the right thing.
i fucking love my frindge and im way to cool for prems so fuck all you old cunts
hellman
sickkkk cunt.
we need more of those fringe types.
haha this is the funniest shit ever! keep it coming...
check my blog west.
and money, shmoney.
Do what every other cunt does and live it up while your young, make vids have a good time then go to the mines when your 40..thats what i'm gonna do haha
I want more comments about "fringe dwellers" and "cups" haha
hahahah hows fringey blowin up
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