Gray Jones
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grayjones.bsky.social
Gray Jones
@grayjones.bsky.social
Director Film & Video Operations, IWMG streaming network. Advisor to Share platform. DP, owner drivingfootage.com driving plates library, Archive2Digital.com media transfers, avgearguy.com production/post rentals. Podcast host, public speaker, musician.
Pinned
All my businesses give generous referral rates!

Audio / videotape archives & production/post gear rental over $1,000: 10%! archive2digital.com

Driving plates and other 360-degree footage: 10% of everything they buy for a FULL YEAR! drivingfootage.com

In 2021 we paid a single referrer $17,000.
We read to our daughter so much that by the time she was 2, she would correct us on our reading!

By age 17 she wrote her first TV pilot & went to nationals for speech and debate!

2025 graduated USC Summa Cum Laude, is repped at Gotham & has a script getting heat.

Proud dad!
November 24, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Black Friday warning! Many retailers advertise big discounts, which actually correspond to what normal prices were 3 weeks ago.

Ads say "90% off, only $39!" Except it's always $39, and never goes up.

If we think it's a time-limited discount we're more inclined to buy.
November 22, 2025 at 9:49 PM
How movie theaters across the US are fighting to innovate and survive, and the dedicated community that won’t let them die: www.instagram.com/reel/DRXckGC...
The Ankler on Instagram: "On a 4,050-mile drive through 20 states, Matthew Frank met the people holding up America’s movie theaters, like the managers running trivia nights between blockbusters, the f...
2,132 likes, 38 comments - theankler on November 22, 2025: "On a 4,050-mile drive through 20 states, Matthew Frank met the people holding up America’s movie theaters, like the managers running trivia ...
www.instagram.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:49 PM
I find it fascinating when the algorithm decides to start advertising something new to me.

Now my social media is suddenly filled with arm twisting exercisers.

I guess I just entered that demographic?
November 22, 2025 at 5:15 PM
For a very long time I felt limited by the expression “jack of all trades, master of none.”

But a few years ago I learned to embrace being a man of many talents.

And it has led to many successes I would never have had otherwise!
November 22, 2025 at 7:19 AM
All my businesses give generous referral rates!

Audio / videotape archives & production/post gear rental over $1,000: 10%! archive2digital.com

Driving plates and other 360-degree footage: 10% of everything they buy for a FULL YEAR! drivingfootage.com

In 2021 we paid a single referrer $17,000.
November 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Our new compact 360 rig is for more than just flying around the world shooting driving plates!

It can be easily put on a Mitchell mount and used on a dolly for other types of 360 shots like stadium plates.

drivingfootage.com #vfx
November 20, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Officially the last of the 2,000 U-Matic tapes — the one mold cleaned — and transferred beautifully start to finish!

Now to QC & do file names for 2,000 files, and deliver 4 tons of boxes back to the client, plus dismantle 6 industrial shelves and clear out the air conditioned storage locker.
November 20, 2025 at 5:31 AM
A typical person in their 50’s might have 40 family videotapes.

This costs about $1,000-1,200 to transfer if there’s no mold.

If mold? $5,000-5,200.

I highly recommend transferring BEFORE your tapes degrade!

archive2digital.com
Archive2Digital.com — High volume, high speed videotape ingest
archive2digital.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Mold can do irreparable damage to a videotape if left unchecked! And spores can spread to your entire tape collection.

It’s always a great relief when a mold-cleaned tape transfers perfectly.
November 20, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Delivering the 2,000 U-Matic transfers one week early!

This is the last batch to go back to air conditioned storage before we deliver 125 boxes back to the client on Friday (roughly 4 tons of tapes - great exercise).
November 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
My old rock band, taken summer 1990 (me upper left).

We toured Canada, had an album in stores, and were on radio & TV!

We played 6 years together and then I played in a few other bands in my 20’s, but it seems a lifetime ago.
November 19, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Five 41-year old U-Matic tapes capturing successfully… and one 24-year old Hi8 that has failed on a Sony C200 deck, TEAC V-800F-G, and Digital8 deck.

Remember what I said about Hi8? I would trust a 40-year old U-Matic tape over a 20-year old Hi8 tape.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Capturing last of the 2,000 tapes today! Next:
- AJA recorders only allow 20-character file names so we rename using the log we built from copying handwritten labels
- Quality Control done for each file
- Don't pass QC? Check & maybe recapture
- return 4 tons of tapes to client.
November 18, 2025 at 10:41 PM
In college in the early 90’s, we wrote paper letters because paying for long distance phone calls was regarded as a ridiculous waste of money.

If memory serves, we only had 1 payphone for our entire 240-person dorm!
November 18, 2025 at 10:22 PM
No matter where you’re at in your guitar playing I HIGHLY recommend the AeroBand Smart Guitar.

So much fun! And opens up possibilities, like fingerpicking a piano. It’s always in tune, & easy to transpose or do alternate tunings.

Great holiday gift too! amzn.to/3LEFyp7
Amazon.com: AeroBand Guitar Smart Guitar With Silicone Strings, Travel Silent Guitar With Detachable Fretboard, Headphone Jack, Built-in Speaker and Drum system, Aeroband APP Play, MIDI : Musical Inst...
Buy AeroBand Guitar Smart Guitar With Silicone Strings, Travel Silent Guitar With Detachable Fretboard, Headphone Jack, Built-in Speaker and Drum system, Aeroband APP Play, MIDI: Acoustic-Electric Gui...
amzn.to
November 18, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Hi8 has the worst longevity of any format. When my dad died in 2000, we tried to import 10-yr old tapes for his funeral, and 10% were unplayable.

How do you think they do at 25 years old? 35?

If you know anyone with Hi8 or Video8 tapes, tell them to transfer soon!
archive2digital.com
Archive2Digital.com — High volume, high speed videotape ingest
archive2digital.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Driving plates make a 360º background for car scenes.

Our 50,000-clip library has been used on many series/films, but also lots of student & microbudget productions.

We never turn a customer away based on what they can afford.

Our new rig can fly anywhere in the world!

drivingfootage.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Only 113 tapes to go on my 2,000+ U-Matic capture project!

Will finish it way before the Thanksgiving deadline, despite also getting another 40 Hi8 and 40 VHS added.

Can’t wait to take a full week off for Thanksgiving and my 54th birthday!

Getting a full week off is rare for me.
November 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
From when I solo climbed a snowy mountain 3 years ago.

Got minor frostbite and lost the tip of one of my toes, but it was well worth it for the experience!
November 16, 2025 at 12:21 AM
A few years ago I recorded a series of Memory Tips videos (pardon the abysmal production values as I recorded them on my commute).

If you want to greatly improve your memory in about 45 minutes, check them out!
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Memory Tips - YouTube
youtube.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:22 PM
ALL hard drives fail.

A brand new SD card can fail.

A brand new SSD can fail.

A brand new HDD can fail.

I’ve lost entire shoot days and a 7-day edit because of the failure of a new storage device.

You MUST have redundancy & a good backup strategy!
November 15, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Remembering my dad, who would have turned 82 today, if he hadn’t left the world 25 years ago.

Miss you, Dad.
November 15, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Gray Jones
DrivingFootage.com is going global!

With our new compact #drivingplates rig, we can fly anywhere in the world. We already have a request for Singapore!

And if you refer us to anyone, we pay you 10% of everything they buy for a FULL YEAR.

Please spread the word!
November 14, 2025 at 7:54 PM