Red Fox Media - Video Production - Website Design - Birmingham, AL

If you happen to be graphic designer, a fan of fonts, or just a fan of movies, you will appreciate the following video. It’s amazing how pervasive one font can actually be and how overused it can become. There’s a lesson for the kids out there. Be willing to do something different to help you or your client stand out.

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• Font Squabble: Why So Hot Over Comic Sans (cehwiedel.com)

Editors don’t always have the luxury of working with raw files that are entirely the same. Sometimes, footage of varying formats will come in to the studio and editors are required to convert those files into a format suitable for post-production or for sharing via FTP or for upload to a website.

MPEG Streamclip from Squared5 is a video file conversion program available for a free download. In this tutorial we introduce MPEG Streamclip and provide a brief overview on how you can pull footage from a DVD, an existing video file, or even a website, and convert it into a format suitable for your particular project.

I talk with many prospective clients who express interest in producing a video for their business. When all the discussions are over it’s time to sit down, fill out my budget, and submit the proposal to my contact. The cost of a video production is affected by several factors and so the budgeting process must be thought out very carefully. Otherwise, it can be easy to overlook certain items.

I have created a spreadsheet that itemizes just about everything that one could possibly have on a shoot. Those items are divided into categories for easy reference (Creative Fees, Crew, Per Diems, Travel, Editing Fees, etc.) One column lists my estimated costs and another column lists my actual costs. That way, at the end of the shoot I can compare both columns to see how accurate my original estimate was.

The main thing to do when budgeting a video shoot is to prioritize. In part one of this two-part series, I want to cover what I believe are your top priorities when creating a budget. In part two, I will go over those items in the bid that can easily be overlooked. Here are my suggestions:

Estimate Your Time

Start with yourself. Think about the amount of time that you will spend on this video project. Obviously you want to include the amount of time in production , but you never want to neglect the time you invest in the pre-production and post-production stages. Pre-Production includes conceptualization and scripting, scheduling the shoot, meeting with the client, scouting, meeting with the talent, and meeting with your crew. You’ll spend more time in pre-production than you might think, so budget accordingly. Post-production not only includes the time to edit, but it also includes your time to record the voice-over, meet with the client to go over the edit and make necessary changes. I always like to pad my post-production budget to account for revisions the client might ask for.

Estimate For Your Crew

After you ensure that your time is reflected in the budget, you want to allocate monies for your crew. Surround yourself with quality people and the entire project will turn out much better. Think about how many people you will need and how many days you will need them.

• If you aren’t as confident in your skills behind the camera, consider hiring a DP to handle the technical aspects of lighting, framing, etc.
• If you aren’t as confident in your abilities to manage the project and handle all the logistics of a production, consider hiring a producer.
• If you have on-camera talent, you might consider hiring a hair/make-up artist.

Aside from actual shooting days, will you need the crew to come in early for a tech scout? If so, make sure they are paid for their time. And don’t forget your post-production crew.

• Will you need an assistant editor to help you with the final cut?
• How about an audio engineer/mixer to record the voice-over?
• Will you need to hire a graphic designer to create a custom disc label and DVD warp-around?
• Will you need to hire a composer to write a custom music track?

Estimate Your Equipment

This is where you need to factor in the costs of any equipment rentals your shoot may require. Budgeting for a dolly or a camera jib will really increase the overall production quality of your video. In this category you also want to factor in the cost of your media:

• tape stock or solid state media cards
• hard drives
• blank DVDs (for when you need to send your client copies of the video for review)

Check back in on Monday, August 10 for part two on how to create a video production budget.

For the record, Rescue Dawnis not a war movie. If you go in expecting heavy action, lots of gunplay, and large-scale battle sequences, you will be horribly disappointed. Rather, the film is about friendship, hope, and survival. It’s a character study. The pacing and method of storytelling is more like The Shawshank Redemption- short episodic sections that, when assembled together, form the overall narrative arc.

Christian Bale plays Dieter Dengler, a Navy pilot stationed on an aircraft carrier just off the coast of Laos in 1965. The story follows Dieter’s first mission, subsequent capture by the Vietnamese, and his life in a makeshift POW camp deep in the jungle. Director Werner Herzog made this film as a follow up to his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Flyin order to expound on more of the story and complete what Dengler himself saw as “unfinished business.”

The film itself is honest in its approach. It’s incredibly genuine and we feel as though we are watching actual events as they unfold. Bale’s dedication to the role is admirable and the investments he makes in his portrayal pay dividends in the final cut. Bale and the supporting cast of fellow POW’s (including Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies) succeed in developing a level of realism that fills in the for the lack of action and digital effects.

The biggest problem with Rescue Dawn is the fact that it has no real emotional impact. It fails to create a level of intensity that is to be expected from this type of story. At times the narrative seems content just to flow along slowly, like the lethargy of a meandering river. Therefore, it’s hard to connect with Bale’s character. You want to commit to the story 100%. You want to cheer for Dieter. But in the end you just sit back and say to yourself, “Whatever. If he makes it, he makes it.”

4 1/2 out of 10

If you work in a company or non-profit with a proud history, there will come  a time when a committee will be organized to plan an event that coincides with  an important milestone. The event will feature all the usual fanfare, including a brief video that documents the history of the company or non-profit.

During one committee meeting, the chairperson will turn to you with a stack of tapes and DVDs, place them in front of you, and say, “Here’s some footage and still images from the past 50 years. I’m putting you in charge of getting this video edited.”

This can an overwhelming task, considering the amount of raw footage you have to work with. And the costs of post-production can get out of hand quick if you aren’t careful. So how can you keep your costs down and come out the other side with a polished product?

1. Don’t Procrastinate - This is the first mistake that many people make and it results from the belief that any video can be assembled at the last minute. Start talking to production companies right away and give them your deadline. Look at our previous post for tips on production schedules. Remember that some production companies will charge more for rush jobs. If you are duplicating the final video, you want to give yourself at least two weeks so the duplication house can turn the job around in plenty of time.
2. Log the Footage Yourself - Sorting through a lot of raw footage is incredibly time consuming, but if you want to keep your costs low, you need to be the one to log all the footage. Create a spreadsheet listing each tape by its numerical designation. Then, when one scene starts, record the timecode. Record the timecode again when that scene ends. This log sheet will help your editor find shots quickly and efficiently. It’s also important to make a note next to those shots that definitely need to be included in the video.
3. Write the Script, If You Are Qualified - I’ve worked with many clients who have their own marketing department and by the time I’m hired, they have a script in place for their video. Having a script prepared will help you keep your costs low, but remember that the quality of your final video depends a lot on the quality of the script. If you have experienced marketing people in your company, then you might want to consider writing the script in-house. Otherwise, specify to your production company that you will need their writing services.
4. Stay Away From Copyrighted Material - Sometimes you might need additional footage in your video to compliment what you already have. If you are on a tight budget and a tight time table, it would be wise to stay away from copyrighted material. Securing licensing rights can be time-consuming and expensive. Use public domain footage as an alternative. You can also buy stock footage and stock photos at a decent price.

The last thing you need when you are volunteering your time to produce a video for a public event is an anxiety attack. So, take time to educate yourself on the production process and you can keep your costs and your stress level low.

How one goes through life depends entirely on his or her perspective. One individual might see the tragedy inherent in a specific event, and yet someone else might perceive the same event to be a positive. Is the event itself tragic or comic, or does it depend solely upon your point of view?

Summary

This philosophical merry-go-round is the foundation for Woody Allen’s 2004 film, Melinda and Melinda. The film opens at a restaurant where four friends are in the middle of a conversation about life and relationships. Two of the friends are playwrights. One friend says that life is inherently tragic, but the other claims that life is inherently comic. A third friend sets the plot in motion when he asks the two playwrights to listen to a story and then comment on whether the tale is best viewed as a tragedy or comedy.

From that point, the film follows two parallel stories, centering on Melinda, a young woman trying to get her life back together after a series of bad relationships and self-destructive behavior. One story follows a dramatic interpretation, and one follows the conventions of a romantic comedy.

Commentary: The Premise

The premise of following parallel stories is engaging, although cliched and formulaic. This movie would not seem quite so original had it been produced as a stand-alone tragedy or comedy. But because both story arcs are shown side by side, the film is much more interesting. I think most people enjoy contemplating how life’s course can be set in one direction or another by events outside their control. It’s fun to imagine what if? scenarios, thinking how things could have been different, if only…

Commentary: The Dialogue

The dialogue in the film is a number of things - snappy, clever, poetic, and philosophical. Allen allows his characters to speak what many of us only think. The danger of doing so, however, is that a lot of the dialogue is too on-the-nose and expository. It doesn’t ring true for real life. Characters (Melinda especially) engage in reflective and introspective monologues that are often tedious. At times it feels more like a stage play than a film, but perhaps that’s the intent, considering that we are seeing this story through the eyes of two playwrights.

Commentary: The Comedic Interpretation

Of the two “Melinda” stories, the light-hearted, comedic tale is much more interesting, due to the talents of the actors on screen. Will Ferrell plays Hobie, a struggling actor married to an up-and-coming director played by Amanda Peet. Ferrell’s Hobie is charming and innocent, and he falls for Melinda (played by Radha Mitchell) when he realizes his marriage is going nowhere. Peet is equally likeable as the ambitious work-aholic filmmaker, striving to lock in the extra money to get her first feature into production. The dynamic between Ferrell and Mitchell is fun to watch, and the dialogue between the two rings truer than the dramatic counterpart of the film.

Commentary: The Dramatic Interpretation

The weaker of the two stories is the dramatic interpretation. Here, the characters are far less interesting, the dialogue far too stilted, and the acting too melodramatic. Aside from Mitchell’s performance, the ensemble around her was flat, stiff, and too over-the-top. Mitchell’s portrayal as the emotionally disturbed and suicidal Melinda really carried this portion of the film.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Melinda and Melinda explores some very human themes in very conventional ways, but presents them in a unique way.

5 1/2 out of 10

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a client in need of some footage that was shot back in 2005. I went through my archives and found the footage in question. It seems that my client, during a recent office restructuring, had misplaced their original copy. They indicated that they would be happy to pay for the replacement copy.

I made the transfer, packaged it, and shipped it along with an invoice that reflected my standard charges for time and materials. I received a call shortly thereafter from the client who was surprised at the cost of the transfer. I could tell she was unhappy. I did my best to explain my rates and why she was seeing this particular amount on her invoice. She paused, then said, “Well, seems like there’s not much I can do. I guess you’ll be getting a check.”

I could tell that the conversation didn’t end well. She just wasn’t satisifed. I hung up, the tone of the discussion still looming over my head. “I need to make this right,” I thought. This particular client had given me an opportunity to do some work for them back in 2005 and were pleased with the results. Now they have expressed interest in hiring me again for upcoming video projects. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize this working relationship, so I sent my client an email, along with a revised invoice. In my email I apologized that the price caught her off guard and that I wanted to maintain good relations with her company by reducing the amount of the transfer.

It’s important to get paid for the work you do. And it’s important to know what you’re worth. But what’s most important of all is customer service and the rapport you build with your clients. Exceptional customer service will go a long way and it will prompt your clients to hire you again and again for future work. You can afford to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.

Collection DVD

Our short film Collection, produced in 2007, is now available for purchase online. Collection tells the story of Jason Burke, an introverted high school student whose world is shattered upon hearing the news of his older brother’s vicious and mysterious murder. The only lead authorities have to pursue is a series of numbers carved into the victim’s neck. Now Jason must cope with the loss while reconstructing the events of that fateful night.

I was recently approached by a potential client with a question, “I’m interested in putting together a 6-8 part educational DVD series. How much will that cost?” On another occassion I received a call from an individual who simply asked, “I want to do a video. How much will that cost?”

If your company puts you in charge of working with a production company to produce a marketing/promotional video, it’s important to understand the budgeting process. There are several factors involved in bidding a job, and there are some questions that you need to ask yourself before picking up the phone to call a video production company. The more specific you are, the more accurate the bid will be. Let’s use the example of the 6-8 part educational DVD series to understand some of the factors involved in bidding a video. Here are some variables that need to be addressed:

• How long will each of these videos be?
• What’s the desired format? Do you need single/multiple camera coverage of a live lecture? Do you need a single/multiple camera coverage of a round-table discussion? Will you require any dramatic re-enactments? on-camera interviews? fictional narratives to illustrate a point?
• Will you need HD or SD?
• Will you need the production company to conceptualize and script the series, or will you provide the materials?
• Will the series require a professional voice-over talent, or will the educator drive the series?
• Will you want to shoot on location? Where? A classroom? Auditorium? Will the location be interior or exterior?
• Will the videos require any motion animation or heavy graphics? If so, how much?
• Will the DVDs need to be replicated and packaged with graphic art? If so, will you need one color, two colors, four colors?

The answer to each of these questions will affect the budget of the entire production. They dictate how much crew will be needed on set, how much and what type of gear will be needed, whether actors need to be hired, whether sets need to be built, whether location fees need to be paid, etc.

I understand that sometimes you might not know the answers to these questions, but don’t panic. Talk to potential production companies and allow them to help you narrow your focus. Then you can be assured that you will receive a more accurate bid.

Over the past two weeks I have watched three DVD movies - Flags of Our Fathers (see review), The Departed, and Unknown. I was disappointed when I saw that none of these three films had any special features on the DVD. Unknown had some deleted scenes, but Flags of Our Fathers didn’t have anything - not even a chapter selection menu.

Years ago when VHS was the norm, people just expected to pop a tape into the VCR and watch the movie. But now with DVD technology, people expect to gain a little insight into the production through documentaries, interviews, bloopers, etc. It should be a standard feature, like air conditioning and anti-lock brakes on cars. The problem is that studios are rushing their films into DVD production so they can get them on the shelves as quickly as possible. I would much rather wait a little longer for the DVD release and be treated to some behind-the-scenes commentaries. I was very shocked that Flags of Our Fathers had no documentaries on the production, the war veterans, or the battle for Iwo Jima. I predict that the studio is waiting to release Letters from Iwo Jima along with Flags in a bundled “Special Edition” package in order to get more money from the public. But I say, special features should be standard.