Unfortunately, many small and medium companies haven’t bought into the concept that corporate videos are important to overall marketing strategy and company image. There is still too little understanding of the power of movies to move customers. Because of that impression, the cost/benefit analysis seems out of balance. Here’s a link to an online video production company that spells out the true value of online videos fairly well. It’s long but full of good advice.
July 20, 2010
May 2, 2010
Work the Problem
Click here to watch We are Ottumwa
Television production offers many challenges and rewards. One of the best rewards is successfully overcoming the challenge. When things are going wrong on a shoot, I often tell clients ‘Don’t worry, there’s always plan “B”‘. That usually calms them down, and sure enough, the problem gets solved. The reason we can become skilled problem solvers is because there are simply so many ways to get to the end of the game in tact.
Case in point: I worked with a casino management company last winter to produce a video highlighting the social and economic virtues of Ottumwa, Iowa. The problem – the video had to be shot in January for an early March airing. Ottumwa had just been hit with two brutal snowstorms. The skies were grey and the streets were covered in snow. Nobody was outside. Our client was concerned that the city wouldn’t look alive – let alone vibrant.
Luckily, the guy I was working with was creative and open-minded. We decided to shoot the whole video in fast motion. We toured the city with a hood-mounted camera recording at 2 frames per second so when it played, it was 15 times faster than real-time. A little color correction and the right music was all it took to make Ottumwa, in winter,appear to be the most ‘happening’ city in America. Take a look and let me know what you think.
April 3, 2010
Green Screen Days
Shooting interviews for television has always been a challenge for me. In typical field work, backgrounds are always limited. Small rooms, ambient noise and little or no depth leaves most interview sets lacking. On corporate videos, poorly shot interviews are a dead giveaway of low-budget production. Anyone can shoot a nice interview in front of Mount Rushmore – but make one look interesting in an office and that means something.
For small companies getting into the web video market, a low-cost introductory movie can be as simple as the owner explaining on camera what’s special about the company, or a testimonial from a satisfied customer – that’s where a green screen backdrop comes in. The ability to replace a background with any image or multi-image can transform a boring interview into a rich, message-laden drama. Add the right music and an opening title page and you’ve got a compelling little movie.
My editing partner, James Grandy is really the master of multi-image backgrounds but for One Guy Short, the future of interviews is on the green screen. It solves a lot of problems and adds polish to any movie. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.
January 1, 2010
Who R U?
January 1, 2010 Red House – the Movie
There are precious few opportunities in business to sit down face-to-face with potential clients. One on one meetings usually close sales, but why? All the phone calls, emails and printed material gets you close, but until there’s a contract, not “close” enough to close.
I believe personal meetings work because they create trust. Clients want to know the person they will be working with. They trust their instincts when they can look you in the eye. They want to know your personality and your company’s personality. This is the basis for a working relationship.
With a corporate impression video, you can multiply your ability to meet people, infinitely. In certain ways, it’s better that face-to-face because you can articulate the message to perfection and pass it around with ease.
In December, we completed a corporate impression video for an ad agency in Brainerd. They premiered the movie at their company holiday party and will now use it in all their social media outlets. It’s a good example because the owners really put their hearts into it and let everyone get to know them intimately. They also proudly presented their staff which added to the trust potential.
Check it out here… Red House – the Movie
December 15, 2009
Demonstration Videos Work
December 14, 2009
They’re NOT flashy. They’re NOT pretty, but they serve an important purpose for any company with a product that needs assembly or has a learning curve. Recently we’ve produced quite a few demonstration videos. We call them ‘demonstration videos’ because they describe how a product works, should work or what to do if it doesn’t. It’s like having a full-time staff member doing live demonstrations. Most companies make them to solve a problem – namely, customer service. If you make a product that generates lots of questions, a video is the solution. Just post it on your website and drive all your customers to it. It’s also a great way to get people to your website. Here’s an example: Onyx makes inflatable personal flotation devices (lifejackets). The biggest problem customers have is re-arming them after an inflation. Now they can watch and learn how to re-arm right from the website. Click on this link to see one of the four videos we produced for them.
Today I begin an edit for Ed Brown Products. How to disassemble, clean and reassemble a 1911 handgun. I’ll post it when I’m done.
December 5, 2009
Holiday season is edit season!
November 26, 2009
The holiday season is edit season for One Guy Short Video Productions. We have a half dozen projects in post-production right now. I’m excited about every one of them.
- Ice Fishing season is close at hand and the new Clam commercials we produced are hitting the air on all the outdoor networks. Newest Clam commercial
- Putting finishing touches on web video for Ed Brown Products – a high-end, polished corporate video that focuses on the quality of Ed Brown 1911 handguns. In order to succeed, this video has to be of equal quality as the guns and from our first draft, it is.
- 7 new commercials for Cuyuna Regional Medical Center – working with the professionals at Red House Media and the medical center itself is working on the “A” team. Everyone involved in these commercials commits to excellence. My job is easy on this one…just follow their lead. Watch for the new Cuyuna Regional Medical Center spots airing soon.
- Red House Media anniversary celebration – making a video that details the history of this fast-growing advertising agency is like working for Mr. DeMille himself. Lot’s of pressure to get it right.
- Seven Clans Casino – just like the name of these mini-movies “Jackpot Moments”, these :20 – :40 second web videos are a great new style of web marketing. We spent a couple days shooting reality camera at Seven Clans Casinos, just looking for great moments. Now, we’re turning 15 of them into cute little vignettes for the web. Some are joyful, some silly, some serious, but all are witty and entertaining. Check them out here… Jackpot Moments – First Kiss
- Bemidji State University “Who Are You” commercial – working with the Johnson Group Marketing team out of St. Cloud, MN, building a new commercial campaign centering on student personality at BSU. And did we find some personalities. What a great school. The students bought into the concept completely and performed brilliantly. An honor to work with such fine people.
- And I’m editing the Plano movie – almost done and looking great. I’ll post it soon.
November 4, 2009
Plano
November 4, 2009
This week we filmed a video for Plano Molding Company introducing their new line of tackle boxes. The movie will air online on their website and several social networks. Because of scheduling conflicts and product release delays, we weren’t able to tape the outdoor sections until the first week of November. I worked with pro angler, Tom Neustrom. Plano wanted the scene to look warm and “summerlike”, which is tough to do in northern Minnesota this time of year. Luckily, we chose the first decent day in a month to shoot. The temperature was around 40 but it was clear and calm. The key to success however, was….THE JOKER. I rented a Joker 400 HMI light and tweaked the color temp in the camera. Combined with a reflector, and we had a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. Neustrom froze in his shirt sleeves but the viewers won’t know that. It was a great shoot and the final product will look great. I gotta get me one of them Jokers.
September 17, 2009
Make a Movie
September 17, 2009
As a company, are you proud of the service or product you offer? Then you need to make a movie. Do you say to yourself… “if they only knew how much we could help them, they’d jump at the chance to work with us”, then you need to make a movie and say it out loud. If you have a hard time getting your message through to people, make a movie. Large companies have been making movies for years. Today, small ones can too. We can take care of all the details. All you have to do is have a product you believe in.
August 4, 2009
Social Media – Wow
August 4, 2009
What a revolution in corporate communications. There are endless methods of connecting with customers on the web now – more being added every day. At One Guy Short, we are learning more about new delivery methods all the time. Now, more than ever, every company needs a quality web video ready to post on every outlet. Statistics prove that video pages get more hits than any other kind. If you want to get your message out there on Youtube, Facebook, Linked-in or Blip.tv, make a video describing your business or product line.
July 14, 2009
How Much?
July 14, 2009
Two recent projects. Please check them out and comment. I’m always interested in constructive feedback.
Doctor Recruitment Video Gunslick Product Video
How much does a video cost?
That’s like asking how many jellybeans in a jar. Until you spill out the details of the project, it’s hard to determine.
To help get an idea, you can break it into 3 parts:
1. Number of locations: Each location costs considerable time in setup and teardown. Figure about 2 hours per setting. Add drive time to that. So the number of locations determines the number of days and that is directly related to cost.
2. Script: One way or another, someone has to say something in a video. The better they say it, the better the movie will be. Scripting is a key (and overlooked) component of a quality video. If you have a staff writer, they can help by pre-scripting, which saves money. If you need us to write it, expect an extra day for every 3 minutes of video.
3. Edit Complexity: A finished movie with multilayered images, complex graphics and custom music is twice the work of a simple straight-cut film. It’s your call. For one-time projects, figure about 2 minutes of editing per day for a straight-cut editing project.
To estimate the cost of making a video for your company, call us and we will determine the time it will take and the level of service you need, then it’s a quick fomula to come up with an estimate.
There are several examples of different levels involving mutiple locations, scripting and edit complexity on this website. Click on the two hot links at the top of this post for a couple examples.
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