Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Bill Simmons competes in the Wing Bowl

SnagFilms is an excellent place to find documentary films, including the one I saw over the weekend -  Swallow Your Pride, a story about the rising popularity of competitive eating. What I love about documentaries is their ability to expose viewers to subcultures that the general public doesn’t notice, like a group of people totally committed to eating as much as humanly possible.

The film follows five competitive eaters as they prepare for and compete in Philadelphia’s annual Wing Bowl, an event wherein contestants eat as many wings as possible within a certain amount of time. The winner receives a crown and a brand new car.

The important thing about this documentary is that it avoids becoming superficial. The upcoming Wing Bowl drives the movie forward, but directors Josh Camerote and Brian Dwyer do a nice job of rounding out the story with great character insights and solid subplots. The film resolves around issues such as the motivations driving each eater, the impact on their health long-term, the credibility of eating as a sport, and the organization and governance of competitive eating. And all of the above is portrayed in an entertaining, humorous, yet honest way.

Swallow Your Pride has all the right elements - a good pace, a strong story arc, firm direction, unique and off-beat subject matter, and interesting characters. Anyone else craving chicken wings?

7 out of 10

It can be incredibly monotonous to sort through raw footage, especially if the director of photography has failed to properly prep and label the tapes. Imagine sitting at your work station trying to organize footage that has broken time code, mismatched labels (or worse yet, no labels at all), or labels with incredbily vague information (like “Tape 1.”) Any good cinematographer should always think of the editor when prepping for a shoot. It will make post-production a much more efficient process. Here are some important tips to remember:

1. Pack Each Tape - When you unwrap a brand new tape, fast-forward all the way to the end, then rewind all the way to the beginning. This method of “packing” the tape is much like an athlete stretching before an event. It will help prevent drop-out and digital artifacting.
2. Stripe Each Tape - Pop the tape into the camera and roll about 15-30 seconds of color bars and 1KHz audio tone. This will help the editor calibrate his/her equipment before capturing the footage.
3. Label Each Tape - It’s amazing how often people simply forget to label the tape, or they neglect to put enough information on the label. Always label both the case and the tape itself. On the label I like to write the client’s name, the project name (and a project number, if applicable), the date, and the tape number.
4. Preset the Timecode - Set the “hours” mark of your timecode to correspond with the tape number. Tape #1 should be, “1:00:00:00,” Tape #2 should be, “2:00:00:00,” and so on. That way, when the editor is looking at the footage in studio, he/she can tell instantly from which tape a particular scene came. Also, if someone ignores tip #3, an editor will know instantly what number tape he/she has in the deck.

Video Production is a collaborative process and a professional courtesy is always appreciated.

Editors are happy when they have plenty of footage to work with in post-production. Shooting multiple angles of a particular scene is called coverage, and whether you are producing your own film, or shooting a long-format marketing video, getting good coverage has many benefits:

1. Flexibility - Ample amounts of raw footage gives your editor many options for structuring the story.
2. Variety - Staring at the same shot for too long can bore some viewers. You want your video or film project to engage and entertain and the right amount of coverage will offer fresh perspectives to your audience.
3. Control - In your narrative film project, your main character picks up the newspaper and stares in horror at the headline. The information in the article is a vital part of your plot. So, did you remember to get a cutaway shot of the headline? Shooting the right amount of coverage gives you control over the story. It allows you to direct your audience’s attention to what you want them to see or to understand.

Here are some things to keep in mind about shooting coverage:

1. Scout - Go to the location where you will be filming. Look around. Start blocking the scene. Figure out where you would like to place your camera. How many set-ups will you need? Once you have done your initial scout, make some time closer to the shooting date when you can conduct a tech scout. This is when you and your production team do a final walk-through of the location to discuss each set-up.
2. Utilize Set-Ups - Consider how you can combine multiple coverage shots with one camera set up. For example, if the camera has been set up for a wide dolly shot, can you keep the camera where it is and shoot a lock-down close up as well? How about a pick-up shot of that file folder in your actor’s hand? Can you raise the camera up more on the tripod and get a high-angle establishing shot? Combining coverage shots into one set up will save a lot of time.
3. Start Wide & Work In - It’s always a good idea to get the establishing shots first. Then you can push in and reset the camera for your close-ups and cutaways. That way, if your day runs too long and you lose the location, you will at least have establishing shots in the can. Imagine losing the location and all you have are extreme close-ups and cutaways. The viewer will be disoriented and won’t know the location, the characters in the scene, the time of day, etc.

Taking the time to prepare by scouting and creating a detailed shot list will ensure that you get the coverage you need for each scene. That will make you editor very happy. And it will give you a much better product.

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.

As you market your services to potential clients, it’s important to remember that perception is everything. If people see you as knowledgeable and experienced, they will be more inclined to listen to what you are offering. Image is key.

I recently came across a website promising visitors that success can be found in a video production career. On the home page is a brief video, featuring a spokesperson who covers a few introductory items in a “how-to” lecture format. The spokesperson was well-prepared and, based on what he said, seemed knowledgeable.

But something wasn’t quite right with the image they were presenting. This is a site for a company that wants you, the viewer, to consider them as a valuable resource in your fledgling production career. However, the quality of the home page video was unimpressive.

It was shot with a standard consumer camcorder under flat lighting conditions. The camera was pointed at the spokesperson standing in front of a dry erase marker board, creating a presentation that failed to engage the viewer.

It seemed that the on-board camera mic was used, rather than a lavaliere or shotgun mic. Therefore, the audio sounded thin and the levels were too low. The auto-focus was left on, meaning that during the video the whole scene would fall out of focus as the camera tried to calibrate itself.

Visitors to the site might come away from watching this video with a little less respect for the company, because little consideration was given to the image being portrayed to potential clients. A more effective video would have included behind-the-scenes footage of the production process: on location shooting with high-end equipment, in the studio working with the lighting gear, in the edit suite putting everything together, etc. This would have given the viewer a general overview into the production world and would have been far more engaging than a single shot of a spokesperson in front of a marker board.

Remember, perception is everything when it comes to marketing. Position yourself as a knowledgeable expert in your field and constantly re-evaluate the image and brand you are communicating to potential clients.

It’s dark, disturbing, and violent, and paints a bleak picture of the human race. It’s a superhero film driven not by wall-to-wall action, but by the flawed and dysfunctional psyches of the few who don the masks to save humankind from themselves. This is Watchmen, the film based on the infamous graphic novel
of the same name. It’s a somber story that attempts (and succeeds) to tear down previous preconceptions about superheroes and the type of people they are.

The year is 1985. the US has won the Vietnam War. Richard Nixon is still in office. And the Cold War is at its height. The Soviets and the Americans are on the brink of total destruction via nuclear war. Cynicism rules the day and costumed vigilantes are a thing of the past. Members of the group, known as the Watchmen, can only reminisce about days gone by, as they try to lead normal lives. But the status quo changes when one of their own - The Comedian - is brutally murdered. That leads another of the Watchmen, Rorschach, to find out why The Comedian was killed. This leads ultimately to a much larger plot that threatens the lives of millions.

The challenge of weaving twelve volumes of comic books into a single film was no doubt a daunting task, because it’s important for the unfamiliar viewer to understand these characters, their history, and their world. Otherwise, the story can’t engage the audience. The incredible opening credit sequence was a tool used by the filmmakers to condense some back story and yet provide important exposition at the same time. This was done beautifully.

The trade off is that when you must rely on so many flashbacks to orient your audience, you also run the risk of bogging down the pace of the film. This is exactly what happened with Watchmen. There were so many flashbacks and so much backstory that there didn’t seem to be a solid enough story arc to propel the film forward. There was no momentum. The flashbacks were offset with lengthy, dialogue-laden scenes from the present where Watchmen characters like the diestic Dr. Manhatten contemplated the human race, their nature, and their fate. Other characters like Nite Owl and Silk Spectre would digress into discussions about the “good ‘ole days” of Watchmen crime fighting. And woven into all of those elements was Rorscach’s investigation into The Comedian’s death.

Visually, the film is incredible. There are wonderful special effects from beginning to end. The fight scenes are intense and bloody, and makes The Dark Knight looks like a church picnic. Director Zach Snyder definitely had a strong vision for this film and he communicates this nicely. Watchmen is not a typical superhero movie where everything is black and white and flawless costumed heroes adhere to a high moralistic standard. These “heroes” cross the line. They’re violent. They’re disturbed. They have emotional and psychological issues. They struggle to know the truth about right versus wrong, which leaves everything in a messy gray. For its commentary on humankind and our plight, the film succeeds. However, it fails in its pacing and the overall story arc.

4 out of 10