Posts
7
Joined
12/3/2009
Location
Lake Forest, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/27/2012 9:29am
Hi guys. I thought I did post this, but I cannot see it. So if it was already posted, I like to apologize for this second post.
Anyhooo, I wanted to hear from you what the common take of this here is:
We had to bid a 2010 MX/SX team photo shoot of one of the big 4 Manufacturers.
To do this professional, you have to prep the track the days before, get jumps and corners set up photo-friendly, own or rent a lot of the latest equipment. cameras, lights, reflectorsetc, hire 2-3 assistants, shoot all day to end up with approx. 1.500 perfect shots and spent 1-2 days in post to color correct and clean up the images. It takes the better part of a week and the expenses do end up easily more than a new 450 costs.
I Have done this since a decade and I knew someday, someone might come in cheaper or better or both.
Anyhow, the job got to a bidder who offered to do this cheaper.
Hard pill to swallow, but this is business and after I got over my hurt pride ( I thought) I figures to let it go and focus on the next thing. Until I found out that the bid was real cheap and the conditions got me going again.
The offer was to do the job for FREE!
Wondering how this could be, I asked and was told that Maeda offered to do this without charge, but all images used would need to have his/transworld credit attached.
I still do not know what to think about this?
I would have no problems if this would be offered by a competing freelance who is not proficient in math and business skills and it was an error of him, just trying to get the food into a door.
But this is supposed to be an independent magazine. Not Red Rider, Riders of Kawasaki or Team Green News. TWMXis to be an independent, editorial magazine doing stories, shoot outs and tests. What happened to the ethics in journalism? Working for one of the companies you are supposed to judge their products seems like a conflict of interest to me.
I used to jump to the shoot out test of every magazine (MX or not) to find out what is really the best, what is weak, what to watch out for etc. Taking it in as an unbiased, objective result or the grand jury of tester who do it every day.
How can an editor at a magazine that tests and rates competitive brands of product be working for one of those manufacturers? Is getting credit of the images the only thing they are getting? After all, however they do it, they will spent more than just time. I just got a totally new point of view.
Beside that, how will any of the other manufacturers feel, if this brand finishes ahead of them in the TWMX 2010 MX shootout? How will the management of TWMX answer to them, if that happens?
Do readers trust Maeda'ss ability to be fair in bike tests?
I work for 3 of 4 OEM and if I would have to do a shootout, there is no way I would be unbiased. Even if I tried. That 4th one would have a hard time with me.
I asked these questions to other magazines and they all shook their head, giving some strong answers. Understandable. They will not get neutral images from this. Good luck to the manufacturer in getting them using these pictures if they have to credit competing mags on it.
In my view, TWMX should do this work for all manufacturers at equal conditions, speak FREE to be fair, or stay totally away from it.
If Maeda wants to do the freelance work, he should commit to it to 100%, become self employed and step away from the editor position at an independent magazine, opening this job for someone who is not tied in with a manufacturer. Makes you wonder how independent they have been in the past at all?
But hey, maybe this is still just my hurt pride, over a lost job, talking?
That is why I ask it here to see what you guys think about this.
Thanks for reading
Frank Hoppen
Anyhooo, I wanted to hear from you what the common take of this here is:
We had to bid a 2010 MX/SX team photo shoot of one of the big 4 Manufacturers.
To do this professional, you have to prep the track the days before, get jumps and corners set up photo-friendly, own or rent a lot of the latest equipment. cameras, lights, reflectorsetc, hire 2-3 assistants, shoot all day to end up with approx. 1.500 perfect shots and spent 1-2 days in post to color correct and clean up the images. It takes the better part of a week and the expenses do end up easily more than a new 450 costs.
I Have done this since a decade and I knew someday, someone might come in cheaper or better or both.
Anyhow, the job got to a bidder who offered to do this cheaper.
Hard pill to swallow, but this is business and after I got over my hurt pride ( I thought) I figures to let it go and focus on the next thing. Until I found out that the bid was real cheap and the conditions got me going again.
The offer was to do the job for FREE!
Wondering how this could be, I asked and was told that Maeda offered to do this without charge, but all images used would need to have his/transworld credit attached.
I still do not know what to think about this?
I would have no problems if this would be offered by a competing freelance who is not proficient in math and business skills and it was an error of him, just trying to get the food into a door.
But this is supposed to be an independent magazine. Not Red Rider, Riders of Kawasaki or Team Green News. TWMXis to be an independent, editorial magazine doing stories, shoot outs and tests. What happened to the ethics in journalism? Working for one of the companies you are supposed to judge their products seems like a conflict of interest to me.
I used to jump to the shoot out test of every magazine (MX or not) to find out what is really the best, what is weak, what to watch out for etc. Taking it in as an unbiased, objective result or the grand jury of tester who do it every day.
How can an editor at a magazine that tests and rates competitive brands of product be working for one of those manufacturers? Is getting credit of the images the only thing they are getting? After all, however they do it, they will spent more than just time. I just got a totally new point of view.
Beside that, how will any of the other manufacturers feel, if this brand finishes ahead of them in the TWMX 2010 MX shootout? How will the management of TWMX answer to them, if that happens?
Do readers trust Maeda'ss ability to be fair in bike tests?
I work for 3 of 4 OEM and if I would have to do a shootout, there is no way I would be unbiased. Even if I tried. That 4th one would have a hard time with me.
I asked these questions to other magazines and they all shook their head, giving some strong answers. Understandable. They will not get neutral images from this. Good luck to the manufacturer in getting them using these pictures if they have to credit competing mags on it.
In my view, TWMX should do this work for all manufacturers at equal conditions, speak FREE to be fair, or stay totally away from it.
If Maeda wants to do the freelance work, he should commit to it to 100%, become self employed and step away from the editor position at an independent magazine, opening this job for someone who is not tied in with a manufacturer. Makes you wonder how independent they have been in the past at all?
But hey, maybe this is still just my hurt pride, over a lost job, talking?
That is why I ask it here to see what you guys think about this.
Thanks for reading
Frank Hoppen
I would like to hear Swap's point of view to be fair.
My new MXA subscription arrived in the mail the other day with a full blown test of the YZ450. Loaded with the good, the bad and the ugly. Loads of useful info, made you feel like someone there actually spent a good deal of seat time on the bike. Hmmmmmm...
You sir are a true professional. We've all admired your work for many years. The economy is in the shitter and maybe someone jumped on a freebie. But that warm fuzzy feeling they got with the good price won't last past the reality of the lack of quality you offered. If they are smart, I'm sure they'll be back. I've had a situation at work today with a long time customer. Insurance company got in the middle of things dragging their feet and now I'm the bad guy. Shit just doesn't go your way sometimes and it truly sucks. I came home, tossed some nice bacon wrapped filets on the grill, cracked open a $42.00 bottle of Highway 12 McGrath Showtime Syrah wine, laced and trued a wheel for my CR250 project and put the powervalves back in my freshly rechromed KX250 cylinder. I might need to recheck those projects in the morning when the effects of the wine recede, but for now I feel better about my fucked up day. So go have a beer ,get over it and then go put some extra effort into a new client.
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If I were a freelance guy it would piss me off that someone running a mag is trying to take what little work there is by low-balling in a way that obviously I can't.
p.s. His magazine sucks too
with bikes being released later in year i think it is best 2 help make a decision with a more in depth bike test or shootout. basic reason being is that in past the bikes were released about the same month 2 the public. by the time any testing was done, a large percentage of guys made their knee jerk purchase.
and 4 what it is worth; the mxa test of ktm150 this month almost gave me a little chubby!!
i wish yamaha would 143 kit their 125yz lineup. athena here i come.
just a thought guys; dont b hating!?? peace 2 all
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Pit Row
However, it is a real shitty deal, but I dont think he posted that for everyone to bash swap. Not too many people here know him personally, and he does frequent this board.
That being said, that sucks. Another good example of the cut throat economy we are in right now, hope that didnt take away any Xmas presents for the fam.
I think it is incredibly hard for all magazines to be completely unbiased based on advertisement sales. I do remember Maeda losing advertisement dollars after he gave that horrible helmet that broke in his hands a bad review.
Calling MXA's tests thorough and informative is a joke too. They continually post misinformation about stock specs, copy and paste things from past bike tests, Nevermind the fact that they recommend a specific clicker setting or jetting for EVERYBODY which anyone with half a brian knows is stupid. Also, regardless of what changes are made they keep the same opinion.
Why would he take advertising dollars for a product that sucks?
The debate of these test been going on forever. But the reality is you as the consumer need to read it for for it's worth. Who buys a car based on roadtracks report. I wish mx companies had more new oem test ride. Because of everyones needs and different size and riding styles, it should come down to a test ride period, not the test in a magazine.
I read the test purely for additional information even if it's prusuaded true. What I do like about TWMX is they specify the test riders ability (amateur/pro/vet pro) and height, and specify the track conditions when testing.
As far as free swag and bikes to ride, they are right in the middle of it, why not ride the test bikes if they are given to them to evaluate for the year. This really helps them compare the new bikes to last year.
I don't pay to much attention to the people that work for OEM, but TWMX test do usually have 2 or more different test riders.
And finally as a subscriber from the beginning, I think their was one year that they where wrong about the best bike and I'm basing that on asking multple people about their bikes at the races. So that says alot to me about their credibility.
Talking what brand you ride is like discussing religion sometimes. You can discuss it for hours and everyone will still be standing by their favored brand.
So for these people, a test is almost pointless. If it's number 4 in the list and they mention the frame cracked and bike is slow. These people will still buy it.
MXA may have their biases. Anything Maxima comes to mind. They also have their fair share of typos and misprints, but when it comes to actual reading material, especially the technical and historical stuff, it's the only mx magazine worth a damn.
Post a reply to: Bike test real, if editor works for OEM?