Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

This is probably how it happened: Thousands of years ago some cattle owners were watching their cows graze in the fields when suddenly, cows from another herd wandered over and got mixed up with all the other cows. Confusion and chaos soon followed, because the cattle owners had no way of differentiating one cow from another. All the cows looked similar. No single cow stood out from the herd. In an effort to alleviate this problem, one wise individual decided that the best course of action would be to mark his cows in some distinctive way. Thus, the tradition of branding livestock was born.

Is it any wonder that we use the same word (brand) to refer to a company’s identity as well as the burn mark on the backside of a cow? If you are involved in marketing. there are some important lessons to be learned from the process of cattle branding.

1. THE BRAND MUST BE UNIQUE. Sure, the letter “T” or “X” could be used as a mark to brand cattle, but it wouldn’t be very distinctive. It would be easy for other cattle owners to copy your brand, mark their own cattle with it, and then claim your cows as their very own. Livestock owners understand that in selecting their brand, they must find something different; something no one else has; something meaningful; something that is reflective of themselves in someway. Is your company identity something distinctive? Does your brand stand out from the others? Or is it easily copied?
2. THE BRAND INDICATES OWNERSHIP. The reason why a rancher brands his livestock is so that others will know to whom that animal belongs. All anyone has to do in order to determine ownership is to look at that symbol. When you build up a brand, your company takes ownership. The executives, administrators, sales people, customer support staff, etc. are all part owners. When the public sees your company’s brand, do they know immediately who owns it? Are you building a brand with great visibility?
3. THE BRAND IS PERMANENT. Once that brand is burned onto the livestock’s skin, it’s there to stay. It’s a permanent symbol defining ownership. Remember, that once the public develops a certain attitude or position toward your company, that brand may be hard to change. Your brand is your company’s identity. It defines who you are, and often, it is defined by how people perceive you. What are you doing to help increase positive perception toward your brand?

I’ve been doing some self-evaluation recently in an effort to better define my company and our mission. If you haven’t been keeping up with the latest developments here, we will soon be Red Fox Media. I know, you have questions:

• Has Parc Entertainment been bought out?
• Will Clint be moving on to work for someone else?
• Is this the end?

The answer to all of the above is, “no.” Our business is growing and so we are expanding our services. Therefore, we have decided to change our name, to more accurately reflect the company identity. Here’s a brief synopsis of who and what Red Fox Media is (this will appear on our new website - www.redfoxmediainc.com):

Red Fox Media, formerly Parc Entertainment, is a digital production company in Birmingham, Alabama. As today’s media becomes increasingly integrated and pervasive, clients need dynamic and visually stunning content. That’s where we come in. Through HD video production and website design, we create compelling multimedia solutions that engage, inspire, and entertain. As media and technology continue to evolve, we readily adapt. That’s why we’re relentless. It’s why we hold ourselves to a higher standard. And it’s why we work everyday to provide our clients with visual excellence.

As we work toward the launch of this new brand, I’ve been thinking about our core values.  I’ve compiled them into a list. This list isn’t meant to be all-inclusive, but it will certainly give you an idea of what motivates us throughout every stage of every project:

• We believe in challenging ourselves to create the best content for our clients.
• We believe in having a passion for what we do.
• We believe in creating content that stands apart from the others
• We believe in high-production standards
• We believe in constant improvement.
• We believe in adapting to meet the needs of our clients and the marketplace.
• We believe in greatness, not mediocrity
• We believe in treating everyone with respect
• We believe in prompt, courteous communication with all clients.

In the Birmingham film & video production market you can find several independent professionals working away at their craft, creating a wide variety of content - wedding videos, promotional videos, short films, etc. Often they work alone, or at smaller production houses, because of the affordability of production equipment and editing software. This means that one individual sometimes must take on several responsibilities - writer, producer, director, DP, and editor. Some people prefer working solo, but the production industry is all about creative collaboration. Improving the quality of your work is often the result of someone else critiquing you and challenging you to try new things. So, on your next video project, let me encourage you to bring someone else on board who has a stake in the final product. You might shoot while the other person edits. You might like to edit, so let your colleague shoot. The point is to create an atmosphere where different creative voices are allowed to voice their opinions. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Find someone with whom you feel free to voice your opinion, but one who ultimately has a different approach than your own.
• Recognize the differences you have with your colleague and use that to your advantage. An editor I like to work with has a very strong sense of story and structure. He’s extremely talented at seeing the entire arc from the raw footage as it comes in. Me? I like to insert the artistic flourishes in the final edit; the little details picked up in the b-roll that really add a nice element to the finished product.
• Remember that you both want what’s best for the project. If you work with someone who has a different style and/or philosophy, you will disagree from time to time, but realize that you both share the same goal.
• It’s give-and-take. Don’t be stubborn. Be willing to concede to your colleague when he/she is right about a particular segment of the video. For example, for one recent video project, I had a vision for how I wanted a certain portion edited. I shot footage that could only be used for this one purpose . However, when I saw the first cut with my editor, that segment wasn’t in the video. We discussed my vision and I fought to have that section in the final video, but in watching the entire video in context I soon realized that he was right. My scene just didn’t work like I wanted it to.

It can be difficult to hear someone else critique our work. That’s why it’s so tempting to go it alone and do everything yourself. But that approach will ultimately hinder you from taking your craft to the next level.

Clients come in all shapes and sizes. For some of our video projects, we simply shoot and then turn over all raw footage to the client so they can edit it themselves. Some businesses we work with have their own in-house marketing team. They create the concept, write the script, and hire us to produce the final piece. Other clients will lean on our expertise to conceptualize, write, shoot, and edit their marketing videos. Every client is different. They have different needs, different expectations, different ideas, and different ways of doing things. Your job as a video producer/director is to listen to their needs, respect their opinions, and advise them when they need guidance throughout the production process.

A friend of mine recently sent me an email asking for my advice on a particular situation. She is currently working on a video and her client has some great ideas, but there is one problem: the client is trying to put too much into the video.

I’ve been in creative meetings when the client throws a lot of information at me. But that’s not a bad thing. When you first get started on conceptualizing and writing a video, you want as much information as possible. The biggest challenge comes when you have to narrow your focus and sculpt that information into usable material for the final script. If you’re having trouble convincing your client to reduce the amount of info that he/she wants in the video, here’s some advice:

1. Listen and Take Notes - during those creative meetings, pay attention to everything they say and take notes as you go. The act of physically writing down your client’s ideas tells them that you value their input. By engaging them in this way, you will earn their respect and trust and they will be more receptive to your creative suggestions.
2. After getting all the information, it’s time to trim the fat. Ask your client a few follow-up questions. These questions will encourage your client to narrow his or her focus and concentrate on those elements of their business that are most important: a) How do you want the public to perceive you?
   b) Using one sentence, how would you describe your company’s identity/mission?
   c) What is your mission statement?
   d) What are three key selling points for your business?
   e) What objections do people have when it comes to making a purchase? i.e. what prevents them from buying from you?
3. Explain the process - As politely as you can, explain the process of creating a video. Emphasize the importance of creating a video with a strong, central theme and a simple message. Bombarding the viewer with too much information will only confuse the audience and will result in more questions being asked than being answered.
4. Make Comparisons - Show the client samples from your reel and walk them through the case study of each project. Show them through these videos how a simple approach is usually the best approach. You might also ask your client to think of their favorite commercials or favorite long-format videos. Walk through those videos and ask your client, “What makes these videos so memorable? Why do you like them? Why are they successful?” Usually, it’s because the director boiled everything down to a simple concept that an audience could easily digest.

And remind your client of that adage, “The simplest solution is the best solution.”

For video production, it’s always helpful to have a collection of sound effects at your disposal, but sometimes you need to create something from scratch. Perhaps you can’t find the right sound effect in your library, or the effect itself sounds too electronic or campy. There are a number of resources across the web that can provide you with great DIY tutorials on creating authentic sound effects. Years ago, I came across a tip on how to create an authentic punching sound effect for fight scenes. All you need is a stalk of celery, a pillow, and a stick or baseball bat. Place the celery on the pillow and then hit the celery with the stick. The pillow provides you with a nice, muffled “thud,” mimicking the sound of a fist making contact with someone’s stomach. And the celery provides a nice bone-crunching sound effect. There are some variations to this effect, like using raw meat instead of a pillow, and cabbage instead of celery, but with a few household items and some experimentation you can create some nice authentic sounds.

It’s been said that the simplest solution is usually the best solution. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working on some large-budget projects requiring extensive creative, several crew members, dollies, camera cranes, professional talent, a five-day shoot and several weeks of post. However, not every company needs such scale in their video marketing efforts. This is especially true in the world of online video. Clients sometimes need a  simple solution.

Over the past 18 months, we have worked with law firms on projects specifically for the web. The purpose of these online videos is to provide viewers with an informal, personal glimpse of an attorney’s practice. These videos educate, inform, and help the viewer to feel more at ease before they step into the office. After all, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable and confident in hiring an attorney if you had the chance to see and hear him/her first?

This format can be duplicated for any business that needs to inform the viewer about the company, introduce key personnel, and educate the viewer on relevant issues, laws, procedures, etc. These videos, although simple in their approach, never compromise on production quality. And they are always effective in increasing traffic to a website and generating new business.

There are many corporate videos that feel staged, rehearsed… unnatural. Every action seems forced and the blocking predictable. Budgets often prohibit the hiring of professional actors, so sales and marketing videos usually rely on actual employees to communicate a company’s message. Using real-life employees, however, does have its advantages. It gives the company some transparency, allowing viewers to see the people behind the brand. And it can be a necessity. After all, if you’re producing an employee orientation video, wouldn’t you want to feature other employees within the company?

The challenge for the director then is to instruct non-professional talent so that the video seems personable, open, and natural. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Be clear with the talent regarding the content of the video, what you expect of them, and what you are trying to achieve.
2. If they are to be interviewed, go over the questions with them beforehand. Again, tell them what you’re looking for, but be careful not to lead them. The answers need to come from them, in their own words.
3. Before you start shooting, take some time to get to know your talent. Get them talking about things they are interested in. Being in front of a camera can be intimidating for some people. So you need to help them relax before you start rolling.
4. In some situations, you may find yourself working with children. If so, take some time to joke around with them. Get them laughing. go outside and play with them for a little bit. If they consider you a friend, then they will perform better on camera.
5. Children are very curious, so let them look at your gear. Show them the camera. Let them look through the viewfinder. Get them excited about being in the video.

Each of these suggestions is designed to help your talent feel comfortable. If they feel at ease with you, your crew, and the situation, then their on-camera presence will be incredibly strong.

The biggest challenge in writing the script for a sales or promotional video is not knowing what to include, but knowing what to leave out. I’m wrapping up work this week on a script for a 90-second sales video and so this particular topic has been on my mind.

The initial creative session with the client involves a lot of fact-finding. This may include tours of their facility and interviews with key personnel. It also includes sorting through a ton of  information. Usually the client will have brochures, articles, statistics, research results, etc. all pertaining to their particular product. They will also have ideas regarding what they want to say in the video and how they want to say it.

The problem is that there’s no time to include every statistic and little-known-fact into your final video - even if the running time is upwards of 10 minutes. It’s the job of the writer and the director to sit down with the client and trim everything down into simple concepts. This is why it’s so vitally important that you find out who will ultimately see the finished video. Writers and directors have to speak to the audience. Different demographics respond differently to certain keywords and images.

Basically the script must do the following:

• Identify the viewer’s problem
• Empathize with that problem
• Show why the product is the best solution to that problem
• Alleviate the fear that prevents the customer from buying the product

The client for this 90-second script I’ve been working on has a great product, and they have an abundance of supporting information. But understanding who would eventually see this video helped me tremendously when I had to decide what material to include and what to omit. Do the research. Absorb the information. Then simplify everything into key points that will motivate the viewer to act.

Video is an artistic medium, meaning that the final product is always influenced by a certain interpretation and aesthetic approach. Give four directors the same subject and tell them to create a promotional video on that subject, and invariably you will receive four very different videos.

This means that a budget for any one video can run from one extreme to the other. The final cost always depends on several factors. That’s why it’s very difficult to nail down an accurate bid, simply based on the question, “How much do you charge for a commercial?” Video production is something different from an item you find on the grocery store shelf. Every commercial or promotional video can’t always be packaged and priced with a nice, neat little label. Businesses are different. People are different. Therefore, directors that strive to give clients unique content that speaks directly to their audience will want to sit down with you for a creative consultation.

I always try to meet with a potential client face to face to gather information for a particular video project. In that initial consultation, I like to find out the following:

• Basic information on the company; history, products, services
• Main selling points that make this company different from their competitors
• Values the company holds
• Perceptions about the company (both internally and externally)
• Marketing goals that the company has for themselves (more specifically, what do they want this video to achieve?)
• Information on current customers (why do they buy from this company?)
• Their target market
• Problems that this marketing effort will help solve
• The reasons why they contacted me
• The role they want me to play in this project
• Ideas they have for a video (both in terms of content and aesthetics)

These items are incredibly important to me as I move into any video production, because it helps in developing a concept and a script that will be most effective to the client. I want the client to know that what interests me most is helping them gain greater public exposure and increased profitability.

Okay, I’ll admit it. This post will be a hard sell for the benefits of video. But you have to admit that video can grab an audience’s attention. It can raise awareness. It can move people to action. In short, video can get things done.

Look no further than musician Dave Carroll. In 2008, he and his band were on a flight from Halifax to Omaha by way of Chicago. While waiting on the tarmac, the band noticed the United Airlines ground crew throwing their instruments around. Carroll later discovered that United’s blatant disregard for other people’s property had resulted in $1200 worth of damage to his guitar.

After about a year of jumping through corporate hoops, Carroll could not get United to pay for the damages. So, being the creative person that he is, Carroll wrote a song about the experience, created a music video, and on July 6 posted it on YouTube. As of this writing the video has over 4 million views and Carroll is now officially on the map. His story has been picked up by a number of news outlets, including Fox News and BusinessWeek magazine. As a result of the video, United gave $3,000 to charity at Carroll’s request.

This is but one example of how video can be utilized to help you get noticed. Below is Carroll’s video United Breaks Guitars.