Some questions to ask

1. Does the producer have demo reel to show you his work?

Most reputable production houses will be able to show you examples of previous videos they have done along with any awards they have received. Ask to view the finished product and not just video sample clips. You want to know how it all came out and that it has professional quality.

2. Has the producer done videos for companies similar to yours?

Some producers may have expertise on one area but be unfamiliar with other areas. As an example you could wind up with a producer who can show you great snowboarding video samples but has never worked with actors and you want dramatized scenes in your video demonstrating your companies product. A solid producer will often have a variety of different projects to show you.

3. Does the production company have up-to-date equipment?

Video production equipment is changing all the time. This does not mean that some older equipment cannot deliver what you want. You have to know in advance if your video is only going to be used at trade fairs as well as presentations in a clients office. The kind of quality needed for these presentations is different than that needed for broadcast television. I recommend that the production camera should deliver at least 700 lines of horizontal resolution(this simply means clear, sharp images) and that micophones are industry standard.

4. Does the writer have corporate video writing skills.

Whether it’s theatrical feature films, made for TV movies or promotional videos, the script is everything. Make sure it works on paper before going ahead with any production work. Remember you are selling your product in your video and you want to motivate your clients to buy. A client telling you that he likes your video means nothing unless he is reaching for a pen to write you an order.

The script should emotionally move your audience because it is only through emotion that we buy anything. Often a good promotional video script will restate the important points a second time near the end of the video. Remember to have yourself and the producer initial the finished script. This will prevent any misundertandings later about what was being covered during shooting.

5. Does the producer and or writer ask questions about your business?

A good producer will not simply ask what do you want in the video. They will want to get to know your operation. They will spend time at their expense getting a feel for things. They will make suggestions that will show off and enhance your product in the video.

They should want you to be a long term client earning your confidence and delivering what they promise. This is a partnership arrangement where both you and the producer need to have a good working relationship. I have a stack of testimonial letters from previous clients that can instill confidence in any new clients working with me for the first time.

6. Thinking ahead for updates to your video!

It’s a good idea to plan ahead for possible changes to your video. For example your original script could have a modular approach featuring various aspects of your business. Later, as you add new equipment you could simply subtract the section with the old equipment in your video and add the newer machinery in its place. This means you don’t have to create a whole new video.

Make sure that your producer has mixed the music and effects in your
video onto a separate track, separate from any narration track. This way you only need to bring in the narrator to change the wording for the new section and then re-mix the new commentary into the music and effects of this section. This is a lot cheaper than having to re-mix a whole new video.

7. Will the production disrupt your business?

As a business owner you cannot simply shut down your operation while the video is being done. You need to know that the producer can work around your business day to day needs. Your staff may like the idea of being in a video until they are interupted at their jobs and can’t complete there daily tasks the same way as usual.

You producer needs to employ a lot of empathy for the staff. He needs to get his shots while demonstrating a caring attitude to your employees during the shoot. I can tell you from experience this is very important to the successful outcome.

8. How much should the video cost me?

This all depends on what is involved. For example a production with a lot of locations to shoot, that is of dramatic content involving actors will cost more than one with fewer locations and no actors involved. I have produced shows from $800 per finished minute to $2,500 per finished minute. Many locations can drive up the costs due to down time while moving equipment and crew. You simply loose a lot of production hours through this and therefore it takes more days to shoot and a larger budget needed for the crew.

9. Do I pay at the end, the beginning, or both?

Most producers will ask for a deposit up front. This could be anywhere from 10% to 30% certainly not more than 30%. The producer has preparation, meetings and writer costs to deal with before any shooting begins. I like to get a payment up front, a second payment upon completion of shooting (principal photography) and a third payment upon delivery.

10. How long does production usually take from start to finish?

It varies but I can tell you I have produced from start to finish in two weeks and also in two months. The two month show was a better production.

I hope this is helpful to you.

Cheers, Barry

CHOICES IN EDITING

We could spend days on this subject but I will try to keep to the basics. When you get your video to the editing stage you have to have choices to make things work.

I don’t care what your subject is. Make sure you a have master or wide shot of things. Then go in for a more detailed look at things (medium shots) and follow this with close-up shots of more fine detail.

Always include reactions to the subject matter (people observing things etc.) When you get to editing you have to have your coverage (all the shots needed to make editing work)

Make sure there is at least a three times change in image size from the master to the Medium and to the close-ups.

If you’re going to zoom into the subject, zoom in first without the camera running, focus on the subject then pull back. Start the camera; hold on the wide shot for at least 5 seconds, zoom in slowly to the close-up and hold for another 5 seconds. Now if you don’t like the zoom or you screw it up for any reason, you can use the wide shot and then go directly to the close-up. Without using this technique you are stuck having to use the zoom. Like I said it’s all about having choices.

Cutting on action is an old established editing technique. If you have a wide shot of someone sitting, have them do the same action again in a medium or close shot. Now when you get to editing you can cut the shot on the action of sitting, which will carry the edit nicely and make the cut seem smooth.

You don’t want to bore your audience so make sure you have a variety of shots both, wide, medium and close.

Never assume that just because you can read whatever it is on the sign in the background that your audience can too. No no, always get an insert shot of what is on the sign. (An insert, is a close-up of some object so that the audience gets the point)

Contact me about coming to do a workshop in your area.

Cheers, Barry

I often get asked about getting permission to use someone In your video and is permission necessary. The answer is yes and no. Let me explain further.

Years ago there was a Hollywood movie shooting in a big city and in the background of one scene was an elderly lady selling apples from her cart.

The lady was quite recognizable in the background of the shot and her son was a lawyer. As you probably guessed, the son sues the production company because they didn’t get a release form from the woman and gets his mom a nice chunk of change.

What this all comes down too is whether or not there is money to be gained that is over and above the costs to gain it.

In all the work I have done, whether it’s a TV spot, a corporate video, a TV drama, educational film or a PSA, I always get the people who are recognizable in the video to sign a release form. It’s just good business practisen to do so.

The release form I use I got from Hollywood Enterprise stationers In L.A. It’s a pretty detailed one sheet that uses the phrase “for valuable consideration” which is whatever you and the other party agree on for you to use their likeness. It also covers voice and other attributes.

It’s not likely that someone will sue you over your little educational backyard video that you show to you family and friends, but if you have something that makes your video very saleable and you make money from it you never know. So always get releases.

Sometimes you might get the release on an audio tape or saved on a wave file.
The important thing is to always get permission whenever possible.

Even putting up a poster saying something like “We are shooting an educational film here and would appreciate you staying out of the camera’s field of view” is better than nothing at all.

You all know that I’m pretty big on marketing your business with video.
Having produced, directed and shot over 40 promotional videos, I’ve
learned a thing or two.

One client I had followed up on a suggestion I made about how to use
video to his company’s advantage. The names have been changed to
protect client confidentiality.

Bill Fisher is a sales person for a stationery story. One day he called up to make an appoint with Sam Ogden, who runs a very successful manufacturing company. The appointment is set for 10 a.m. next Wednesday.

Wednesday arrives along with Joe Simmons ready for his meeting with Sam Ogden. Joe walks up to the secretary and announces himself and his appointment with Sam Ogden. The secretary picks up the phone and says, “Mr. Ogden, Mr. Simmons is here for his appointment”. She puts down the phone and says “Mr. Ogden will be with you in about 8 minutes”. She offers Simmons a cup of coffee and escorts him to a small room off to one side.

The room is about 8 by 10 feet. There is a nice tall plant in one corner and another plant hanging from the ceiling on the opposite side. In the room there is a small table and two chairs. There are no newspapers on the table. There are no magazine racks or any brochures anywhere. There are also no pictures on the wall. The only thing in the room is a large television monitor attached to the wall.

The secretary returns to her desk and pushes a button next to her phone. Up the screen in the room where Joe is enjoying his coffee comes the images and sounds of a well produced corporate video. The only place Joe can focus his attention is toward the screen. The video tells all about Sam Ogen’s company, from its origins, the projects in development, the company successes etc.

After 8 minutes the secretary returns and says Mr. Ogden will see you now.

Now lets you and I take a look at what just happened. Joe Simmons came to sell Sam Ogden. 8 minutes have gone by and Sam Ogden hasn’t opened his mouth or even left his desk, but in 8 minutes he has been able to provide a ton of information about this company to Joe Simmons.

This effort results in two major outcomes.

•Same Ogden’s time is not wasted by a sales person asking a lot of questions about his business.

•Bill Fisher is in a much better position to know what Sam Ogden’s company is all about and therefore able to zero in on What might be important to Ogden’s company?

THE PROCESS: FIVE STEPS THAT MAKE A FILM

As with major motion pictures, the process of producing a commercial video follows certain steps. These are development, pre-production, production, post-production

and distribution. Let’s go through them briefly here so you understand the difference between the terms.

Development

The development stage involves bringing together all the concepts and ideas and combining them into a finished screenplay. From this great script, and I say great script because someone has to believe in it enough to shout “This is a great script”,

we move forward what is known as “Shopping the script”. This involves pitching the production idea to funding bodies, both provincial, federal and private along with mefforts to attract a broadcaster. Assuming we have the funding in place now move
to the next step.

Pre-production

Pre-production is the working out of all the details that must fit within the established budget. When and where will the film be shot? What’s the best order and way to shoot? How much film or tape is needed? What will be the established ratio of footage

shot to footage used in the production? These questions must be answered. This is also the time to arrange for casting sessions to find the right (talent), actors for the different roles, hire the crew, rent the camera and lighting equipment, arrange for transportation and meals, as well as build and dress the set. These and additional
details, are all part of breaking down the script for shooting and need to be finalized before any film or tape is shot.

Production

The production phase is the actual shooting of the show within the allotted time frame.

With good pre-production, this phase should come off smoothly, especially if contingency plans have been made to accommodate some script changes due to unforeseen circumstances. It is in production where all the best plans that have been laid often go
astray. For example, your lead actor gets sick, the camera starts malfunctioning, The weather changes, You have two more days of shooting but the location is only available for one more day, etc. etc. On a feature film this production stage lasts around 3 months.
A made for TV Movie would be around 5 weeks.

Post-production

This is where the show is put together in a chronological order through the editing process that generally follows the written script. In some cases editing can improve on the written script. Audio levels of on-camera dialogue recorded on location are evened out. Sound
effects are added, this is known as (foley) All of the shots have to be colour corrected to fit

next to each other in the final print. Background music is added. Video graphics are inserted along with titles plus cast and crew list. All these elements are mixed together into the end product, the video or as they say in Hollywood, “The Picture”

Distribution

If the show is aimed at television, you may already have the broadcaster in hand who is waiting for delivery. If the production is made for a theatrical release in theatres, after its run on the big screen, it goes into video sales. Did you ever see a catchy looking video jacket with some name stars in your local video store and wonder why you hadn’t seen any publicity

or watched this film in the theater?? Well, If the film was turkey, it will often go quickly to video before the bad word of mouth gets out from its theatrical showing. This is the only way the producer can have a shot at making his or her production costs back.

There is another side to producing films and videos that you will not see in your local theatre. This area refers to “non-theatrical” films. Here we would include: educational films for schools. television commercials, documentaries, and corporate and promotional videos. A
number of producers make a good living producing this kind of product. At my last count I had produced, photographed and directed over 40 corporate videos. The business is certainly
there if you want to go after it.