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.

Outlines and Scripts for Promotional Videos.

I can’t remember the last time I presented a script outline to a client and had them say they didn’t like the concept. This is not because I hire the best writers in the world, although the ones I work with are truly gifted. It has more to do with the client not really knowing a good script outline from a bad one.

An outline is simply a short narrative of the script without any dialogue or scenes written in; it is more like a story.

If you are having a twenty-minute video produced, you can expect an outline to be in the range of three to five pages. This outline is the first step in getting both producer and client comfortable with the scenario.

The next phase is what we call a rough draft. This is mostly complete but still requires some changes. At this stage, we have narration or dialogue or both depending on whether we are having some dramatization portions).

The final stage is just that, a “final draft.” This is the completed script.
This is the show on paper, and if it works on paper, you’re off to the right start. It is very important that you approve and initial this final copy; this prevents any problems later concerning what is in the script.

The creative treatment involved in a script can cover a wide area. There really are no rules regarding creativity. However, looking back over the shows I’ve been involved in, there is one aspect that most of the scripts have in common. It is the wrap-up.

Having put out the message in the body of the video, we return to the important points and re-establish them at the end. The old sales adage “tell em,” “tell em,” and “tell em again” is worth remembering.

Writers and I often get into discussions surrounding the differences between the words on paper and the images a producer, director or director of photography has to translate these into. There is a phrase used in the film industry, which is… “And then they took the Alamo.” That’s only six words and pretty easy for a writer.

But let’s take a look at this phrase from the producer’s point of view.
Well, let’s see now. I’ve got 4,000 actors all in period costumes. I have cannons, guns, bullets, and my director has to bring them together in this battle.

The director must think clearly about breaking down the script and taking an honest and serious look at the prospects of pulling a scene off realistically. With that in mind, a major consideration at the script stage is how long the video will be.

The length of your video is an important consideration for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is financial. I’ve had a number of clients approach me wanting to know the cost of an hour-long production for their company.

I usually give them the price along with an oxygen mask to revive them.

However, I find it truly amazing that in our fast-paced society, some people still think someone is going to sit for an hour to watch anything less than a superb documentary, Gone with the Wind Two, or a very funny video starring a known actor doing the on-camera presentation.

It isn’t easy today to get anyone to sit and watch a video for an hour, or even half an hour. Provided you aren’t trying to capture something as complex as the taking of the Alamo, you can pack a lot of information into a video that is less than ten minutes and reap great benefits.

Any salesperson calling on a client has no difficulty with the statement:
“Have you got six minutes? I’d like to show you something.” Try this with a forty-five-minute video.
Much more info in my book “The Video Bible”
Get it at www.speakfilm.com