[boxedart]

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

Yes, but it has to start somewhere. Somebody -- one person -- takes initiative to make and share the videos with fellow fans. Some things are extremely rare, and the odds of multiple people taking that initiative is also (sadly) quite rare.

I would also dispute the "all the time" part -- I wish it did happen that way!

And I also think "just a hobby" is often used as a cop-out, an excuse for bad work. If this is a hobby, spend a few bucks on it. A couple hundred bucks on a hobby is very typical. If you're too cheap or too lazy, then you get the flack you deserve. It's really that easy.

I have heard you are in the industry - if so than you should be well aware of the amount of "unreleased" or "unseen" material out there. And there are many people whos sole job it is to seek out that material for projects. Now if you are soley speaking about "fan" videos than that number, in 2010, is massive. If you are in the industry you know that the internet has all but destroyed the indy film markets and it has put a dent into the larger studio markets as well. This is not because one person is doing it, there are people doing it worldwide - it is not at all "quite rare" in this day and age. Look at the reunion tour of Van Halen - that was pretty well documented on both video and audio by many more fans than just one.

"just a hobby" is not at all a cop out. Some people spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on their hobbies, some spend very little money but a lot of time. If want the "best" than be prepared to spend lots of money - but for most people they do not need the "best" for their hobby. Spending a few hundred bucks these days is not unusual but the quality of what you can get for a few hundred bucks is a massive change from what you could get for a few hundred bucks 20 - 30 years ago.