- sounddude
- Level: 5 (26%)
- Rank: Tapper
- Member since: Dec 20, 2004
- Last online: 10/31/09 1:44 pm PT
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sounddude's Blog
Sound recording on "Facing The Giants".
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13Sep 09I've had a long standing policy of not taking submissions for new episodes of shows until after they air. I only have a couple of current shows anyway but networks tend to bump schedules so often that it makes a lot more work for me to go back and "fix" everything afterward, using up time I'd be spending on other guides. Or it opens up the door to gaming by the submitter, who after the fact, goes in and submits changes for the incorrect information they submitted before and gets double points for it.
For one particular show, which gets changed by it's network all the time, I don't take submissions ahead of the air date. If I did, I WOULD FILL THEM IN MYSELF! So if I, who have the same information everyone else does, won't pre-fill in the episodes until they air, I'm not going to take your submissions before they air.
So to all the submitters, the rule is, wait until it airs. If I beat you to it, well, I am the editor of the guide. Remember, the form says: "Date airED"!
I'd like to know what other senior editor's policies are concerning premature submissions.- Posted Sep 13, 2009 9:28 am PT
- Category: TV
- 3 Comments
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5Aug 09I guess there has recently been an influx of new Tv.com members. The reason I think this is because of the rash of submissions I've gotten in the last month or two from those who are Level 1 through Level 10 or so.
What this is causing is a load of rejected submissions because of violations of the Tv.com TOS and/or the guidelines. Here's a sample of the things the newbies are doing:
*) Cut and paste
I've gotten more summaries recently that are directly cut and pasted from other sites. That right away tells you that they haven't read the TOS or guidelines. Copyrighted material from another site can not be used without permission at Tv.com. But just today, I got a word for word summary from an old Tv Guide. If you aren't doing a Google search for the summaries folks are submitting, you should. As editor, you are responsible for what goes in your guides.
*) Notes and Trivia
This is the main issue I'm having. I have one fairly new submitter who is a great writer and is passionate about a show. Only he can't seem to get the definition of what a Note is and what Trivia is. I've sent him the definitions quoted right from the guidelines but he still insists on writing books on theories behind the parallels between this show and some other thing that goes on forever. That's not what a note is. That goes in an episode review. Why people are reluctant to write episode reviews but want to write ten page notes, I don't know. With the "new" focus of Tv.com on opinion and reviews, you would think that would be where most of the activity would be now.
*) Spelling
I am really concerned for the future of this country just based on the number of spelling errors in EVERY submission I get. As is the practice of most senior editors, I reject the submission if there is more than one or two because it means they aren't checking it themselves. And on top of that, the sentence structure and usage is pretty sad. I tell them nicely what they need to do and then ask them to make corrections and to resubmit. Most rarely do.
There are other issues but those are the most consuming my time right now. What is consuming yours?- Posted Aug 5, 2009 3:03 pm PT
- Category: Writing
- 2 Comments
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9Apr 09Well, I guess I should chime in here as another old timer from the TvTome days.
First, to Jaxie, I thought YOUR "tome" in the forum was well written and informative. Yes, this is a business venture where TvTome was just a fun website run by a TV enthusiast for TV enthusiasts. Obviously, that is no more. This is about money. So the site must evolve and become competitive with other sites that are doing similar things.
Does this mean that the database will eventually go away? I think, IMHO, that it eventually will. I only hope that before that part of the site goes dark, that someone will archive it, and sell it back to the fans, those of us who would like to see it go back to just a fun database, for tv fans, by tv fans. I'd love to see it become TvTome again, as MovieTome has. All of this gathered data is just too valuable to television fans to one day go away. I would hope that a site like EPguides or EpisodeWorld would start copying the information to a hard drive, instead of just linking to Tv.com's episodes. To lose this information would be a crime.
That may not happen right away, but what is happening right away is the site page design. While the overall appearance of the guide pages looks okay at first glance, the tab/link idea is horrible. I personally like it when everything is on one page and scrollable. The design we had before this was pretty good, even though it did not show all of the actors and crew on one page, you still had to click to see all. But this design is the worse that Tv.com has had since it's inception. Jaxie said in her forum post that they're hearing us loud and clear? I asked if this was LOUD ENOUGH? And what about some lines? Even this page I'm writing on now has soft, light lines around everything. I really can't stand a page that has NO lines on it. Content needs to be separated and just the soft light gray lines like are on this page are all we need. The episode pages have a few horizontal lines, but no vertical lines and it looks very messy just having print floating all over the page, stopping and starting for what appears like no reason.
Having the episode page split into three general sections is okay, Tv Buzz on the left, the Summary in the middle, and the Tv Listing, Also on, and the Contributors on the right. But with a typical short summary in the middle section, now all by itself, looks terribly awkward and very unattractive. When the cast, crew, trivia and notes were there, it gave each page a nice balanced and full look. The page today looks unfinished and downright unprofessional.
So if Jaxie does have the designers ears, they need to tell the owners that the previous design was much better. And to bring back some boxes or at least some vertical gray lines.
I don't mind evolution of design and even purpose, as long as the original purpose is not lost. If that is going to happen, let us have the original site back, and Tv.com can go on with it's evolution and commerce, without me, without us, who just like TV.
...by you, for you - about the TV shows YOU love!- Posted Apr 9, 2009 1:06 pm PT
- Category: Opinion
- 5 Comments
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20Mar 09I was interviewed by a really nice guy named Tim for TV.com's new "Lights, Camera, Community" feature and I was glad to take part.
For the micro-interview, go here:
Lights, Camera, Community
If that link doesn't work, try this:
Lights, Camera, Community
It was hard keeping my answers short, as I, being a writer too, tend to be able to write novels about nothing...lol! But it was fun and it may give youse a bit more information about the mysterious SOUNDDUDE!
And here's a peek at what I usually look like these days, sitting behind a cart (this one was not mine) and recording sound, here for some promos for HBO On Demand at Ft. Desoto Beach in St. Petersburg, Fl, with five pirates, a scuba diver, and a very pretty mermaid!
- Posted Mar 20, 2009 11:55 am PT
- Category: People
- 6 Comments
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19Feb 09I've been able to close out 7 more guides as much as I could. Some I couldn't complete as there is not reliable information on every episode so I'm releasing them in case that information one day becomes available through either watching the episodes online like at Hulu or on DVD.
Those seven shows are:
Biff Baker USA:
Starring Alan Hale Jr over ten years before Gilligan's Island as a secret agent in the communist block.
Big Hawaii:
The series, set on the Paradise Ranch in Ohana, Hawaii, focuses on the lives of Barrett Fears, a wealthy rancher, and his son Mitch, a rebellious, determined youth.
Black Saddle:
Peter Breck stars as a former gun slinger turned wild west lawyer.
Bold Venture:
An adventurer and his ward live aboard his boat off the shores of Trinidad.
Born Free:
With Gary Collins and Diana Muldaur, tv adaptation of the movie and book.
Captain Z-RO:
Early kids history show with a sci-fi theme.
City Of Angels:
Wayne Rogers plays a 1930s flat foot PI in Los Angeles.
Anyone old enough to remember any of the older shows? I've seen old reruns of some of them.
sd- Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:09 pm PT
- Category: TV
- 5 Comments
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11Feb 09I'm back. Well I've always been here, just haven't had anything to blog about. Also been dealing with some extreme illness too.
Finally made Level 52. That after completing two more guides.
Kaz, starring Ron Liebman
and
The Invisible Man (1975) starring David McCallum
Personally, I liked Kaz a lot, and thought this version of The Invisible Man was pretty lame. They were both canceled during their first seasons.
What did you think?
Blessings,
sd- Posted Feb 11, 2009 12:03 pm PT
- Category: TV
- 2 Comments
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30Sep 08I missed the call for Blackout Tuesday, so I will starting now. I don't think it will do any good. We won't be missed much and we'll all have to do the same work after the blackout. But it does express our feelings on certain things concerning Tv.com.
Nighty nite, all!- Posted Sep 30, 2008 7:59 am PT
- Category: Opinion
- 3 Comments
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25Sep 08
I had planned on putting this online a while back. But between work, this redesign of the site, and now extreme sickness, I'm way behind.
Last year I had the honor of working on the movie Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron. That movie opens Friday, Sept. 26 (tomorrow as of this posting) and I'd like to invite everyone who is near one of the theaters it's opening in to see it this weekend.
As many of you know, Facing The Giants and now Fireproof were produced by Sherwood Pictures out of Albany, Georgia. They are faith based family films which are in great demand right now. Facing the Giants was produced with a shooting budget of $80,000.00 and grossed 10.1 million dollars. That shows you right there that there is a huge demand for these types of movie.
Fireproof had a shooting cost of around $180,000.00 providing for more professional crew and cast and a much higher production value. The story revolves around a firefighter whose job it is to save lives, but he can't seem to save his marraige. The movie is filled with exciting fire fighting scenes, lots of humor, and a serious look at a serious problem facing our country today.
The reason why we are encouraging folks to see the movie on opening weekend is that is how the success of a movie is determined. This is an independent movie without a superstar cast. The theaters will hold the movie over if it opens well. Also, the week after, seven Hollywood blockbusters are set to open, making screen space a premium. So if you are so inclinded, check it out this weekend if it's playing near you.
As far as the production went, we had a great time, in spite of losing our dear friend, Robert "Chip" Monk in a car accident. The set was relaxed and friendly, Kirk was a consumate professional, and there were no injuries during the difficult days of filming a car crash scene on railroad tracksand in a burning building.
For those who go to see Fireproof, we sincerely hope you'll enjoy it, and that you'll find something meaningful in the movie that will help you in your life.
Rob W
- Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:16 pm PT
- Category: Movies
- 5 Comments
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11Sep 08
You probably won't know the name, but if you were more than a casual viewer of "reality" police shows, then it would be hard to not have seen his work.
Last night, Mark "Boz" Bozman, long time ace cameraman for the shows COPS and LAPD: Life on the Beat, passed away, after sustaining a severe head injury in a motorcycle crash, when a car swerved into his lane.
Mark was a good friend of mine, and an extremely funny guy, who could make you laugh so hard you thought you were going to throw up! But it was his gift of capturing on tape the action that happened in front of the lens that made him one of the best there is.
Mark was one of the first guys I had the honor of working with on COPS and he taught me a lot. His coolness under pressure, his swagger, his humor, and his life outlook made a lasting impression on me.
He leaves behind a wife and three boys. A fund is being set up for their education. A gathering for friends and family is being planned in California. I'm going to try and be there. Mark was only 47. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers. For those of us who knew and loved Mark, his loss is devastating to us.
- Posted Sep 11, 2008 9:11 pm PT
- Category: TV
- 8 Comments
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29Jun 08With all the press and tributes on the death of George Carlin, the passing of a motion picture great almost was overlooked.
Cyd Charisse was one of Hollywood's classic film stars. Born in Amarillo, Texas, in 1921 as Tula Ellice Finklea, her breath taking beauty and extreme dancing skills guaranteed her a spot in the business. She would go on to star in blockbuster films including East Side, West Side, Brigadoon, and her most notable roll, that of the exotic dancer in Singin' In The Rain.
I had the extreme pleasure of working with Cyd about 20 years ago. She was in her middle 60s by then but she was still in fabulous shape. We were shooting a commercial for a product that supposedly helps seniors with joint pain and the buzz started early that Cyd would be on set soon. She was one of the first real celebrities I would work with and I was excited.
When we started blocking the scene, it became evident that I just was not going to be able to use the boom pole to get Cyd's lines as there were several other dancers in the shot and the camera had to be wide enough to see them all. So I informed the director I needed to wire Cyd with a wireless mic and she and I went to the restroom. Now many times, a seasoned actress will just whip up their blouse or dress right there for the mic to be put on. But I could tell Cyd was all class and suggested we go to the dressing room.
While there, I asked if she was still dancing. She said absolutely and that she had just finished up a long engagement on Broadway where she not only was dancing but "on toe". That impressed me greatly. But what also impressed me was the shape she was in as I put the waistband on her under her dress. Solid as a rock and no flab. I told her my two daughters were taking ballet and we talked about that for awhile. She was very gracious and interested, not like some celebs who won't say a word to you as if you don't exist.
I would occasionally have to adjust her hidden mic throughout the day and we would have conversation and some laughs. That day, I fell in love with Cyd Charisse all over again. She passed away June 17th at the age of 87 from complications following a heart attack.
* * * * *
A lot has been said this past week about the comic genius of George Carlin. He truly was that. His fun and increasingly biting humor helped change the comedy business in the 1960s and that affect is still seen today. His timing was perfect too. As the entertainment industry was exploding and evolving with The Beatles and the British Invasion, Carlin's hip wit and goofy personas fit right in with the new youth oriented media phenomena that was sweeping the world.
The first time I saw George was in 1965 on either The Mike Douglas show or the Merv Griffin show. Shortly after that, I saw him again on the Kraft Summer Music Hall. My favorite routines of those days included Wonderful WINO where he played a hip DJ, and then of course my fav of all time, Al Sleet, you're hippie dippy weather man.
George was wild from the start, and it only got wilder when he started partaking of controlled substances. He went from crazy to radical during this time and never came back. Suffering from some mental issues at times, and fighting substance abuse, George continued his swim upstream. I didn't agree with his crucible concerning the seven words, but I did understand his mentality. If you told George he couldn't do something, then he absolutely wanted to do it.
Frankly, I'm surprised George made it as far as he did. 71 today is the new 60, so I'm sorry that's as far as he did make it, but considering all that he survived, he could have gone the way of too many before him and burned out and died much earlier.
I was in New York City two months after 9-11, doing a documentary on support for the police and fire fighters in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, and we were staying in a small hotel on Broadway. The first night we got to the hotel, we had to walk from where the police dropped us off. We walked right in front of a theater next to the hotel and I saw a 40 foot production trailer with heavy cables running into a side door and stopped. This is the kind of trailer I've worked in doing live shows for over 20 years. So I wondered what was going on in the theater. I turned around and on the marquee it read, George Carlin In Concert. They were getting ready to tape one of Carlin's HBO specials and I would have given anything to go see it. Thankfully, much of his most brilliant moments have been saved for us to enjoy again and again.
- Posted Jun 29, 2008 1:32 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 5 Comments
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1Jun 08Well, I've retired from five more guides, after doing as much as I could from the information available to me. So there was no use in keeping them. Maybe someone else will come along and have them on DVD, or have other information they can fill in the blanks with.
Those show guides were:
Don't Call Me Charlie
Starring Arte Johnson (seen below in Laugh In) as a veterinarian who gets drafted and then assigned to a base in Paris. Lasted one season 1962-1963.
* * * * *
A Touch Of Grace
Shirley Booth's swan song after Hazel. Lot's of critical raves, no ratings. Part of a season in 1973.
* * * * *
A Man Called Sloane
After The Wild Wild West, Robert Conrad had a spotty career with a few tv movies and appearances. He just couldn't get into major motion pictures. In 1979, he tried the secret agent role again, only in modern times as a freelance James Bond of sorts. It only lasted a season.
* * * * *
Caribe
About ten years before Miami Vice, a black and white police partnership was fighting crime in Miami and the Caribbean. Featuring Carl Franklin and Stacy Keach, it was too soon for television, and lasted one season. A decade later, Crockett and Tubbs tore up tv and changed things forever!
* * * * *
Griff
Lorne Greene stars as Griff, a chiseled old ex-police Captain, who retires and sets up his own private investigation agency. This was Greene's series that directly followed Bonanza. Co-starred Ben Murphy. It lasted 13 episodes.
* * * * *
Anyone hear of or see any of these shows? Yeah, me either.
And now I see that at Level 51, I've broken something. I knew I'd get the blame for something else!
Peace,
sd- Posted Jun 1, 2008 5:43 pm PT
- Category: TV
- 7 Comments
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28May 08Well, by now the word has spread about the pending purchase of Cnet and all of it's pieces to the Central Bureau of Stupidity (aka CBS). I don't have much to say about this in that Cnet didn't seem to care much about Tv.com and MovieTome. I like the staff that I have met and they are just people like us, but the company just kind of tolerated us, or so it seemed.
Now, the worst network of the big four is throwing a reported 1.8 billion (can this possibly be correct?) at Cnet and if they are smart, they'll take it. But these boneheads are the ones who give the ax to the intelligent shows and keep the junk! So unless they sell us off, I don't anticipate things getting better around here. They may, you never know, but as just about everyone in the only three good Star Wars films said, "I have a bad feeling about this".
Hope everyone is well. It's BEACH TIME!
- Posted May 28, 2008 8:47 am PT
- Category: Opinion
- 5 Comments
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30Mar 08Don't have much time now as I'm heading out of town on work, but because I was jammed up with two weeks of jobs, most at night, I not only missed the announcement that CBS had canceled one of the few TV shows I actually enjoy and look forward to seeing each week, but that I've also missed the final episode.
Sheesh! With all the CRAP that is on in the name of television, they take one of the few that actually had good writing, good acting, a good scenario, and outstanding production value for TV.
So thanks CBS (Central Bureau of Stupidity), why don't you replace Jericho with another reality show? Now that's an idea!
- Posted Mar 30, 2008 12:47 pm PT
- Category: TV
- 8 Comments
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4Mar 08It's been quite a week!
I took The Paper Chase guide and the guide for Arrest and Trial as far as I could and released them. If you have the DVDs for either, you can pick them up quickly by writing full recaps.
I'm close to completing two more guides, which I will retire from when they are done.
But the last two weeks have seen some great losses too.
Jackie Street was one of the finest bass players on the planet. He backed some of the biggest musical stars in both the secular and Christian industries. His gentle manner was countered by his ferocity on the bass. He had fought diabetes for years. He and his extreme talent will be greatly missed.
* * * * *
Larry Norman is considered the man who started it all in the late 60s. Known as the father of Christian rock, he was as controversial and eccentric as he was creative and talented. Discounted by the conservative church, he was embraced by the hippies in the Jesus Movement of California in the late 60s and 1970s. His fame and notoriety spread quickly and soon Larry became the poster child for rebellion and revolution in the Christian youth movement. It was a position he was uncomfortable with, but used to every advantage. Life became even more complicated after an accident in an airliner left him with a permanent brain injury. He went through two divorces and trouble dogged him the rest of his life, which ended last week due to heart failure after a near fatal heart attack several years ago.
But Larry is well loved among his followers, and his affect on Gospel music can not be denied. He was still writing music up until his death and right in line with his life, his memorial service was complete with Circus Programs that read: Larry Norman Presents: A Going Away Party, organ music which with the scrape of a record player's needle, went right into one of his rock songs, and a photo montage of his life and career. A fitting end to one of the most colorful characters the church or anyone else has every seen.
* * * * *
Jeff Healey lost his sight at the age of one due to a rare cancer. He battled cancer for the next 40 years and beat it every time....except the last time. Jeff was one of the most talented of this generations blues rock guitarists and played the instrument in the unusual way of laying the guitar on his lap. He never achieved the stardom that others with half his talent did, but in the industry, he was revered.
* * * * *
As many of you know, I grew up in the 60s and was a massive fan of the British Invasion musical revolution. If you read back through my blog, you'll see numerous entries on the Beatles. But there was a time when The Dave Clark Five was a close second in my list of favorite groups. Front man, vocalist and keyboardist for the band, Mike Smith had the velvet voice that could sooth you in a ballad, and rock your socks off when he needed. Mike was one of the most talented of all the British musicians, including the Beatles, and a crowd favorite, who was making a great comeback several years ago with popular tours across the U.S. Just before a tour was to start, Mike fell in his garden crawling over an iron gate at his house in Spain and broke his neck. He has been paralyzed every since and was just recently released from the hospital after four years of treatment. He died Thursday from pneumonia and his fans are mourning the loss of one of the great talents of the rock generation. The DC5's music has been on my player all week and it still sounds as good today as it did back then!
Goodbye boys. Thanks for the tunes. Heaven must really be rocking now!- Posted Mar 4, 2008 7:57 pm PT
- Category: People
- 3 Comments
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8Feb 08
Well I finally made it. Level 50.
Whoopee.
I guess I expected to be more thrilled than I am.
Sure it's an accomplishment. But I haven't been able to really do a lot of work here this last year because of my work schedule so it doesn't seem like much, especially since there are soooooo many other's who have made it to 50 and far beyond.
Still, I guess it's something to be proud of. So now it's onward and upward.
Whoopeeeeee!!!
Airwolf Theme- Posted Feb 8, 2008 4:16 pm PT
- Category: General
- 5 Comments
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13Nov 07Hello everyone,
It's through tears and a broken heart that what was to be a blog full of the joy and progress of the filming of the movie Fireproof, is now a dedication to a lost friend.
Late Sunday afternoon, the crew was gathering back in Albany, Georgia, after a weekend off with family and friends, preparing for the early call on Monday, which was to be a difficult day of filming a scene involving a train and two crashed cars.
But around 6pm, we got the first call. One of our own, Robert Chip Monk, a respected Steadicam Operator and 1st Assistant Camera Operator for Fireproof, had been involved in a terrible single car accident. According to eye witnesses, Chip's right rear tire on his 1998 Ford Explorer blew out, sending the vehicle out of control and into multiple flips. Chip had to be cut out of the car and was flown to a nearby hospital.
It wasn't until two hours later, when his longtime friend and Director of Photography Bob Scott called to inform the crew that Chip had not survived the crash.
Needless to say, we are all devastated. I had known chip for over ten years and I can truthfully say that he was one of the nicest, kindest, and funniest people I've ever known, in the business or out. One of the things we had both taken up during our breaks on set was playing Bocce Balls. We both were terrible at it so we had each other to support the other. I am at a loss for words and don't know how we can go on without his positive attitude and always smiling face on set.
If you are one that believes in prayer, we ask you to keep Chip's wife in prayer. She doesn't work, is in school and is six months pregnant with their first child. The family has gathered and the executive producer of the film and it's director are with Chip's family. The service will be at the end of this week and a fund is being set up for the family, which now has no income.
I'm sorry that this post could not be the informative, happy blog it was supposed to be, but we are all distraught at the loss of our good friend. Thanks for understanding. The production is shut down for two weeks to mourn and regroup.
SD
Robert "Chip" Monkhttp://www.dayrateforchip.com/ - Posted Nov 13, 2007 10:12 am PT
- Category: Movies
- 14 Comments
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25Oct 07I'm on location in Albany, Georgia, finishing up our second week working on the next movie for the folks who did Facing The Giants. I am restricted by contract from revealing any particulars about the movie at this time, but will post a few behind the scenes photos when I get the chance.
Just wanted to say hi and to the staff that I'm still checking the queue.
More soon....
sd- Posted Oct 25, 2007 7:30 am PT
- Category: Movies
- 6 Comments
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22Sep 07Hey everyone!
First, thanks to those friends who have joined up at my new MySpace page. My two year old page was a combination of my music and my career in film and was long overdue to be separated. For those curious, here are the now separate pages. Feel free to join if you are on MySpace:
Sounddude
Bassmann
I still am amazed at the thankyou's that I get from folks concerning the making of Facing The Giants. I was working for a news show the other day covering the Night Of Joy at Disney in Orlando, and one of the celebrity interviews mentioned that was his favorite movie of the moment. I couldn't help but thank him for the compliment and of course inform him that I had a small part in it. He said he loved it and thanked me for my bit.
We actually shot FTG over three years ago and now I've been hired by the same company to work on their next movie, Fireproof, a story about a Fire Fighter who's life and marriage are on the rocks and maybe his life, when a fire goes terribly wrong. That's all I can tell you right now, and that may change. The fun part for me is we get to burn three houses down during the course of making the movie. What FUN! All those sound effects to record. Me and my boom operator can't wait.
For those techno-folks who like all that stuff, we will be shooting again with the Panasonic Vari-cam, this time recording in the camera and also going to a D5 HD deck. I'll be providing a feed to both camera and the deck as well as going double-system to a Sound Devices 744T hard drive recorder, with sound burned daily to blue DVD-R discs. Mics will include my trusty Sennheiser 416 short shotguns, the 816 long shotgun, trams on Lectrosonic 411a's, a box load of stick mics for hiding, and a ton of other goodies.
The shoot is scheduled for 7 weeks and starts soon. If I can, I'll post some info in the blog as we go along.
Peace to all,
sd
ps I've been able to complete three guides in a little over a week and am working on a forth, retiring from the guides after I've gone as far as I can, which was always my plan from day one!
- Posted Sep 22, 2007 12:52 pm PT
- Category: Movies
- 9 Comments
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14Sep 07Hey everyone,
Well, I guess it had to eventually happen. I've pissed someone off with my editing and they have retaliated by writing a blog about it. I guess I should feel kind of honored by it. A lot of editors here have had other editors write things about them. But I thought you should hear my side of the story and make up your own mind. It will be lengthy, so go get something good to drink, and maybe a snack, and Ill tell you my tale.
Most of you reading this blog know me. I've been an editor since the TvTome days and wasn't real happy with the takeover by Tv.com. But I gave in to the new owners and found that I really do like editing here. I've been some kind of editor professionally for nearly 40 years. Finally, there was a place to work on a database about television, and that place was Tv.com.
AND, to my surprise and delight, they had quite a few guides already built here about the tv I love, classic television. There are still a few shows not listed here yet, but we're working on that. What came as a surprise was that most of these old tv shows never had an editor. They've been sitting there for years, and no one wanted them. I call them, the unwanted. So I went after the unwanted shows and have gotten quite a few. Then there were shows that other editors had at one time, but were done with. I call these the abandoned and the orphaned. So I went after some of these and got them. None of these shows were of any interest to anyone else apparently because they ALL were just sitting there. So I've given them a loving home.
Now, I've never tried to challenge another editor for a show. I'm just not that way. And I would never EVER try to take one away from someone. Yes, I have a lot of show guides. So do many other editors. Some have 50, some have 100, some have 200+ (ie The Old Bill). Why do I have them? What do I plan to do with them? The following explanation is what I've sent to the editor who has attacked me in his blog.
First, no one else showed any interest in any of these guides. I'm a completist and hope to see Tv.com "complete" and up to date one day. My part in it all is to help complete the old shows. BUT, those shows are limited and when they are all filled out, I'll have nothing else to work on. So I have looked around the site and only applied for orphaned, lonely, unwanted or abandoned guides that no one else wanted. Is that bad? No one else was working on them so why would someone be mad at me for adopting them? I don't get it.
Why are some of my guides not complete? Well, I'm working on that, but very slowly. I've communicated this to members of the staff, letting them know that I have had an extremely busy work schedule this summer. I've worked almost every day for the past four months. That has left very little time to edit here. I have been checking my queue every couple of days to keep up on submissions. Also, we've experience some family tragedies which I've not chosen to share here, but some very close friends and family have died, wanted to die, or had strokes, cancer, etc. So this has made an already busy summer even busier.
Also, there were the bugs and crashes we all had to suffer through. I decided to not waste time dealing with that mess and wait until things stabilized here. But I have been doing some work here and there when I can. Again, nothing wrong with that. This is a volunteer site and some work very fast while others can only do so much. That's the fun of it. What happened a couple of days ago was that an editor was submitting to one of my guides. His material was mostly corrections to cast, adding more cast, some notes, trivia, that kind of thing. All good stuff and I quickly and gladly approved it. Then, he tried to take the guide by submitting summaries when summaries already existed. His looked like simple rewrites of what was already there, with a new word here and there and maybe an extra word or thing thrown in. Well, as is policy here, at least as it's been in the past, a simple rewrite of a summary does not have to be accepted. Unless it was radically different, I, as have most of you, always reject them because it's a submitter's way of trying to rack up points the easy way and to try and take a guide by submitting the information that is already there. I have no problem with someone helping out with a guide. If that submitter will simply write to me, and tell me they love the show, have the DVDs, and want to help fill out the guide, great! I need the help. But this was a blatant attempt to underhandedly steal the guide. Many of you have been there. No PM, no note, just resubmittion of the same information that was there with little change. Oh, and he's accused me of taking his information and adding it to my own summary. Actually, that was his summary that I went ahead and approved for him to be published, before I realized what he was trying to do, and I simply went back to his summary, and readded some of what was in the original that was there. If he had sent me a note saying that he had some additional info to add to the summaries there, I could have combined them and we both could have benefited from it.
So I started rejecting the summary submissions. I was nice about it and included a note with each one saying why I was rejecting them, telling the editor that there was already a summary for that episode, but if he wanted to write an in depth recap, I would be glad to publish those, since this editor had said he had the DVDs. I figured, wow, he could really write some good recaps. And, if he had just asked, I would have gladly made him a TU. In fact, I was going to anyway before he wrote his blog about me. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not what he wrote, and most consider me a really nice, kind hearted, happy go lucky dude. Just read my blog and you'll see. So when you discover that I am the guy he's written about, you'll know that it's all just trash. He's pissed because he failed in stealing the guide. I caught him and as is our prerogative, started the rewrite process myself, rewriting the summaries that had been left there by a former editor, some of which were cut and pastes from another site. We have been asked by staff to rewrite C & P's when we find them. That's what I see as part of my job here at Tv.com. And the staff have personally thanked me for this because those cut and pasted summaries are a violation of copyright from the other sites. I just hadn't gotten to doing it in that particular guide yet. So I did my own rewrites and jumped ahead of him in points and now he's mad. If he had done it the right way and the honorable way, he would be a TU for the guide. Heck, he'd probably be the editor. But honor is very important to me. I hate sneaky! And he can still write recaps for the 30 episodes. That would get him another 120 point or so.
Anyway, that' my side. Make up your own mind. I've written the other editor and told him basically what I've told you here. I've also asked him what he would like me to do. Does he want to be a TU for the guide in question? He's got it. Does he even want me to give him the guide? Sure, I'll do that too. All he had to do was ask for that and he would have gotten it. He didn't have to try and take the guide away like that. When someone tries to do that, then it's natural to say, "no no" and then protect what is yours and the work you've put into it, which all of the guides I have, I did do the work to at least adopt them into the fold with the plan to complete them and then resign as editor. Would you call an orphanage a hoarder of children? No. You would call them someone who takes care of young people no one else wants. That's what I am here. I take care of, and will take care of, show guides that no one else wants!
Let me know how you feel about this.
Peace to you all,
SD
p.s. Just for some who would want to know, I've not received any new guides in about four months now and am currently filling in the ones I have. You are free to submit any quality, unique information to any of the guides you want to. Just do it properly, use good sentence structure, make sure you list your source or reference, check spelling before submission and don't repackage what is already there. If you want to be a TU for a show, exhibit good editorial abilities and communicate with me ahead of time. Failure to do any one of the above will lead to the rejection of your submission.
UPDATE!!!
The other editor and I have talked. We both agree that we both could have and should have handled things better. I've admitted fault partially on my side and I hope we'll go on from here. Just a word of advice to all editors: Communicate, communicate communicate! By doing so, you may be able to avoid situations like this.
UPDATE 2
After this editor and I have talked through PMs twice now, we've agreed to work together, rather than against each other. I granted him first TU status, and then just now gone ahead and retired from the guide, since I can take it no further. He has the dvds and I hope will really fill it out to completion.
Again, the lesson here for all new and existing editors is to communicate with each other.
UPDATE 3
The other editor asked to have the guide and I've retired from it so he can. And he's taken it and done wonderful work. So congrats to him.
I have also been able to complete as well as I can two other guides this weekend and am working on a third. The process continues. Thanks to everyone who has read the explanation here and understood. And thanks for all the PMs with your views and support.- Posted Sep 14, 2007 6:23 pm PT
- Category: Rant
- 13 Comments
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1Aug 07Just a short note to staff that I am out of town for a week. I have internet here but may not the next couple of days.
Hope everyone is well. See ya back at the ranch soon.
The rocking cowboy!- Posted Aug 1, 2007 1:55 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 4 Comments
