Sunday, May 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Video Production: Finding the Right Production Company
You know what you want, but
where do you find it? The hunt
for a great production
company requires not only
knowledge of where to look,
but also careful consideration once you find some options.
Disregard your phonebook
and go straight to the Internet.
Through the continuing
growth of online resources,
you might be able to conduct
your entire search at a desk. All reputable production
companies have websites with
easily accessible information
and demo material on them.
Reputation is an important
track to follow. A first-hand
client testimonial can tell you a
lot about general rapport,
professionalism, the overall
process, and the final outcome. You may discover that a famed
production company really
does not provide the quality of
a smaller, lesser known one.
While personal referrals are
often the most helpful, keep in
mind how knowledgeable
your source is. Use the
opportunity to inquire about
the experience and view some of the final products. If any
element of a video sample
appeals to you, find out the
origins behind it. The
animation might be unusually
impressive, the soundtrack undeniably gripping or the
editing seamlessly suspenseful,
so ask for names.
Has the production company
been recognized and acclaimed
by fellow filmmakers?
Websites usually devote a
space to brandish any honors.
Regional and national awards showcase superior work.
Prominent competitions
include the Emmys, The
Accolades, The Videographer
awards, the New York
Festivals, the International Film and Video Festivals and the
Telly Awards. While all awards
are noteworthy, some signify
more than others. Be aware of
how each award is
determined. For example, an Emmy honors work that
excels beyond all other
competition, while a Telly is
awarded to any work that
meets set standards.
where do you find it? The hunt
for a great production
company requires not only
knowledge of where to look,
but also careful consideration once you find some options.
Disregard your phonebook
and go straight to the Internet.
Through the continuing
growth of online resources,
you might be able to conduct
your entire search at a desk. All reputable production
companies have websites with
easily accessible information
and demo material on them.
Reputation is an important
track to follow. A first-hand
client testimonial can tell you a
lot about general rapport,
professionalism, the overall
process, and the final outcome. You may discover that a famed
production company really
does not provide the quality of
a smaller, lesser known one.
While personal referrals are
often the most helpful, keep in
mind how knowledgeable
your source is. Use the
opportunity to inquire about
the experience and view some of the final products. If any
element of a video sample
appeals to you, find out the
origins behind it. The
animation might be unusually
impressive, the soundtrack undeniably gripping or the
editing seamlessly suspenseful,
so ask for names.
Has the production company
been recognized and acclaimed
by fellow filmmakers?
Websites usually devote a
space to brandish any honors.
Regional and national awards showcase superior work.
Prominent competitions
include the Emmys, The
Accolades, The Videographer
awards, the New York
Festivals, the International Film and Video Festivals and the
Telly Awards. While all awards
are noteworthy, some signify
more than others. Be aware of
how each award is
determined. For example, an Emmy honors work that
excels beyond all other
competition, while a Telly is
awarded to any work that
meets set standards.
Making Your Video Dollars Work Harder
So, you're thinking about
doing a video. Maybe you have
a trade show coming up, or
you need a new marketing
piece for an upcoming product.
A video sounds like a good idea, but you're just not sure it
will be worth the cost,
especially if you only have one
event to use it. Can you justify
the purchase? What about the
time you'll spend on it? Is there a way to make it last?
Can you stretch those dollars a
little further? Yes. Here's how...
With a little careful planning,
the work that goes into
creating one video can be
stretched to cover multiple
uses, and even several videos.
Say you need a marketing video, and also one for
training... would you have to
do two complete productions,
costing you an arm and a leg?
Not necessarily. It's simple:
shoot it once, use it over and over again. Get all the b-roll
possible in every location you
visit, keeping it in your footage
library for future use. After all,
if you already have the video
crew out and gathering footage, why not get a little
extra? You may not need it yet,
but it will come in handy when
you have that last-minute
tradeshow or CEO
presentation! The cost of video production decreases
exponentially when you
already have plenty of footage
to work with, so taking care to
cover all the visuals possible
will serve you well, both during the initial production
and beyond. Even if you just
need to do an update to an
existing video, freshening it up
with some different footage
can make a huge difference, without the huge price tag.
Another way to keep your
video production cost-efficient
is a simple marketing concept:
branding. Every company or
organization should have a
good branding strategy, with at least a solid base of a logo,
colors, and mission. Visual
consistency among your
products goes a long way,
both in video and in any other
sort of media. Maintaining a cohesive look and feel among
your productions allows for
quicker recall of the brand for
the viewer, which is always
beneficial for spreading your
message. It's also great for cost; a consistent graphic look
minimizes the time spent by a
graphic artist, and a clear
understanding of the
company's brand allows
producers and editors to spend less time trying to decipher the
company and how to convey
their message. Less time spent
equals less money spent!
Branding is good all around for
your company, and can save you some serious cash.
doing a video. Maybe you have
a trade show coming up, or
you need a new marketing
piece for an upcoming product.
A video sounds like a good idea, but you're just not sure it
will be worth the cost,
especially if you only have one
event to use it. Can you justify
the purchase? What about the
time you'll spend on it? Is there a way to make it last?
Can you stretch those dollars a
little further? Yes. Here's how...
With a little careful planning,
the work that goes into
creating one video can be
stretched to cover multiple
uses, and even several videos.
Say you need a marketing video, and also one for
training... would you have to
do two complete productions,
costing you an arm and a leg?
Not necessarily. It's simple:
shoot it once, use it over and over again. Get all the b-roll
possible in every location you
visit, keeping it in your footage
library for future use. After all,
if you already have the video
crew out and gathering footage, why not get a little
extra? You may not need it yet,
but it will come in handy when
you have that last-minute
tradeshow or CEO
presentation! The cost of video production decreases
exponentially when you
already have plenty of footage
to work with, so taking care to
cover all the visuals possible
will serve you well, both during the initial production
and beyond. Even if you just
need to do an update to an
existing video, freshening it up
with some different footage
can make a huge difference, without the huge price tag.
Another way to keep your
video production cost-efficient
is a simple marketing concept:
branding. Every company or
organization should have a
good branding strategy, with at least a solid base of a logo,
colors, and mission. Visual
consistency among your
products goes a long way,
both in video and in any other
sort of media. Maintaining a cohesive look and feel among
your productions allows for
quicker recall of the brand for
the viewer, which is always
beneficial for spreading your
message. It's also great for cost; a consistent graphic look
minimizes the time spent by a
graphic artist, and a clear
understanding of the
company's brand allows
producers and editors to spend less time trying to decipher the
company and how to convey
their message. Less time spent
equals less money spent!
Branding is good all around for
your company, and can save you some serious cash.
Stereoscopic 3D: Back and Here to Stay?
The 3D boom is here, and it
looks like it's here to stay. Are
you one of the many people
who have watched a 3D
program and thought about
how you could put it to work for your business? It may
seem too expensive and
complex for anyone but a
Hollywood film studio, but in
reality, 3D can be a cost-
effective solution for capturing a great number of eyes for
your product or your
company. In addition, recent
industry testing has shown
that using 3D video for training
can increase retention by close to 30%. Those who work in the
training field know that is not
a small increase.
When talking about 3D for
business purposes, the key
point to remember is that you
must control the viewing
experience. When we say
"control the viewing experience" we mean that you
must provide your viewer
with a 3D monitor and the 3D
glasses. You can't simply make
a 3D video and send it out,
hoping that your audience will have a 3D television. This
requirement will, of course,
limit the usage for 3D in
business applications for the
short term, but those that can
take advantage will see a huge benefit to using 3D video.
Recent advances in 3D
technology indicate that
"glasses-free" or auto-
stereoscopic viewing is right
around the corner. However, even without the glasses, you
will still need to provide your
viewer with a 3D monitor.
Keeping in mind that we need
to control the viewing
experience, what sort of
businesses can take advantage
of 3D video? One big place with
potential is at tradeshows. If you are running and
promoting a 3D video in your
booth, you are guaranteed to
see a huge increase in traffic.
After all, 3D is interesting and
people want to watch it. Timeshare sales or resorts
could also benefit by using 3D
tours of the properties they are
representing. Like all
technology, 3D is moving
pretty fast, and delivery/ viewing options, and therefore
applications, are increasing
almost every day.
looks like it's here to stay. Are
you one of the many people
who have watched a 3D
program and thought about
how you could put it to work for your business? It may
seem too expensive and
complex for anyone but a
Hollywood film studio, but in
reality, 3D can be a cost-
effective solution for capturing a great number of eyes for
your product or your
company. In addition, recent
industry testing has shown
that using 3D video for training
can increase retention by close to 30%. Those who work in the
training field know that is not
a small increase.
When talking about 3D for
business purposes, the key
point to remember is that you
must control the viewing
experience. When we say
"control the viewing experience" we mean that you
must provide your viewer
with a 3D monitor and the 3D
glasses. You can't simply make
a 3D video and send it out,
hoping that your audience will have a 3D television. This
requirement will, of course,
limit the usage for 3D in
business applications for the
short term, but those that can
take advantage will see a huge benefit to using 3D video.
Recent advances in 3D
technology indicate that
"glasses-free" or auto-
stereoscopic viewing is right
around the corner. However, even without the glasses, you
will still need to provide your
viewer with a 3D monitor.
Keeping in mind that we need
to control the viewing
experience, what sort of
businesses can take advantage
of 3D video? One big place with
potential is at tradeshows. If you are running and
promoting a 3D video in your
booth, you are guaranteed to
see a huge increase in traffic.
After all, 3D is interesting and
people want to watch it. Timeshare sales or resorts
could also benefit by using 3D
tours of the properties they are
representing. Like all
technology, 3D is moving
pretty fast, and delivery/ viewing options, and therefore
applications, are increasing
almost every day.
Film School: The Production Designer
One of the most important
roles in any film school
education is that of the
production designer. You may
think it's an easy task, but it's
more than just what it says. In some ways it's more of a
supervisory position where
you have several people
working under you. However,
all of them contribute to the
overall look of whatever film is being made.
The production designer's
responsibility is that of
maintaining the look of a film.
By working closely with the
director and the director of
photography, they are able to keep the visual style of the film
in check over the course of the
production.
The production designer
works with other key
members of a production such
as the costume designer, to
ensure that the fashion sense
meshes with the feel of the film. Say you're making a film
set in the 1950s and for some
reason someone is wearing
clothing for the 1970s; this can
clearly be a problem as you
want to keep track of these types of issues. The same also
goes for props and furniture,
especially if it's a period piece
that's being made; you always
want everything to be from
the same time frame. You wouldn't want a film set in the
1940s to have characters using
cell phones, would you?
These types of things revolve
around the photography, the
costumes and many times, in
science fiction for example, the
special effects. Look at the film
Blade Runner for example and its resemblance to the classic
film noir style fused with a
post-apocalyptic ambiance.
Imagine how the overall look
of the film would be drastically
altered if sunny exteriors were suddenly incorporated into the
film? It would sort of throw
the whole vibe of the film off
kilter, which is why the
production designer is such a
crucial element to any film production.
roles in any film school
education is that of the
production designer. You may
think it's an easy task, but it's
more than just what it says. In some ways it's more of a
supervisory position where
you have several people
working under you. However,
all of them contribute to the
overall look of whatever film is being made.
The production designer's
responsibility is that of
maintaining the look of a film.
By working closely with the
director and the director of
photography, they are able to keep the visual style of the film
in check over the course of the
production.
The production designer
works with other key
members of a production such
as the costume designer, to
ensure that the fashion sense
meshes with the feel of the film. Say you're making a film
set in the 1950s and for some
reason someone is wearing
clothing for the 1970s; this can
clearly be a problem as you
want to keep track of these types of issues. The same also
goes for props and furniture,
especially if it's a period piece
that's being made; you always
want everything to be from
the same time frame. You wouldn't want a film set in the
1940s to have characters using
cell phones, would you?
These types of things revolve
around the photography, the
costumes and many times, in
science fiction for example, the
special effects. Look at the film
Blade Runner for example and its resemblance to the classic
film noir style fused with a
post-apocalyptic ambiance.
Imagine how the overall look
of the film would be drastically
altered if sunny exteriors were suddenly incorporated into the
film? It would sort of throw
the whole vibe of the film off
kilter, which is why the
production designer is such a
crucial element to any film production.
The Naked Truth About Errors and Omissions Insurance in the World of Indie Film Distribution
Errors and Omissions
Insurance (E & O Insurance) is
something every movie
producer needs if they want to
sign a movie distribution deal.
I'm not an entertainment
attorney or insurance
salesperson, but Errors and
Omissions Insurance protects
you and the movie distributor
you sign a deal with from different lawsuits common in
the entertainment business.
These include allegations of
breach of contract, copyright
infringement, defamation or
degrading of products
(showing trademarks on
camera), invasion of privacy, infringement on title, slogan
and lots of other nasty legal
salvos.
These include allegations of
breach of contract, copyright
infringement, defamation or
degrading of products
(showing trademarks on
camera), invasion of privacy, infringement on title, slogan
and lots of other nasty legal
salvos.
It's an insurance policy that
protects a movie producer and
movie distributor's ass in the
course of doing business in the
entertainment industry.
But if you want to sell your
show to a movie distributor
you'll have to learn what it's all
about at some point.
Insurance (E & O Insurance) is
something every movie
producer needs if they want to
sign a movie distribution deal.
I'm not an entertainment
attorney or insurance
salesperson, but Errors and
Omissions Insurance protects
you and the movie distributor
you sign a deal with from different lawsuits common in
the entertainment business.
These include allegations of
breach of contract, copyright
infringement, defamation or
degrading of products
(showing trademarks on
camera), invasion of privacy, infringement on title, slogan
and lots of other nasty legal
salvos.
These include allegations of
breach of contract, copyright
infringement, defamation or
degrading of products
(showing trademarks on
camera), invasion of privacy, infringement on title, slogan
and lots of other nasty legal
salvos.
It's an insurance policy that
protects a movie producer and
movie distributor's ass in the
course of doing business in the
entertainment industry.
But if you want to sell your
show to a movie distributor
you'll have to learn what it's all
about at some point.
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