January 9, 1998

I confirmed next week's video transfer sessions with Nice Shoes, and realized that I hadn't decided for sure what video medium to use for the master tape. I should have done a bit more research when I had time--anyway, needing to make a decision, I opted for D2 digital video tape, just because it seems to be what most people use, and because most duplicating houses are apparently able to deal with it.

Having chosen D2 out of inertia, I needed to buy some stock. Nice Shoes offered to supply me with 94-minute tapes at $425 a pop--startled at that price, I got on the phone, and found out that the going rate was about $120 per tape for a ten-tape box, and maybe a bit more for individual tapes. But I stumbled on to a sales manager at Studio Film and Tape who offered to sell me new Sony tapes that he owned privately for $60 each. It sounded very suspicious, but the guy gave me a company guarantee, and the tapes were sealed and looked in good condition. So I bought two on my lunch break--the second one for a submaster so the original isn't harmed by the mass reproduction process. Hope they are as unblemished as they look. The whole day felt like a series of hasty, ill-informed, expensive decisions.

Robin advised me to confirm my reservations at Nice Shoes as soon as possible, as the studio would soon be swamped with jobs because of the upcoming Super Bowl. It turns out that immense numbers of commercials, the bread and butter of these post-production facilities, are rushed to market in time for Super Bowl airings. I could have guessed for a million years and never figured out that the Super Bowl could get in the way of my movie.

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