Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Next week two new commercials for CommuteSmart will begin airing throughout central Alabama. Both spots are part of the “I’m Ready” campaign. The goal is to help viewers understand that making only small changes to the way they commute can help them save and earn money, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. We were hired by CommuteSmart to produce both spots. The one below focuses on air quality issues.

I’m excited to say that we’ve added another camera to our video arsenal. We recently acquired the Canon T2i, a great DSLR that shoots full frame 1920×1080p HD video in variable frame rates. Last weekend I spent some time shooting test footage, so I could get to know the camera a little better. Then I brought the raw footage into my editing system to see if I could establish a good workflow. Below are three clips I shot over the weekend. Here are some of my first impressions with the camera:

1. The shallow depth of field that you can get with these cameras is pretty remarkable.
2. Boosting the ISO will always add more grain to your shot. If you are shooting indoors and you don’t want a lot of grain in your image, keep the ISO as low as you can and add more light to your scene.
3. It’s a good idea to invest in some neutral density filters for exterior shooting. Using ND filters will allow you to keep your shutter speed at a slower setting. Increasing the shutter speed will cause your video to strobe more, creating a very staccato feel. Of course, this might be just the effect you are looking for.
4. Unless you are using Premiere Pro CS5, you will probably need to use some intermediate codec to convert the native MOV files into a format that your NLE can work with.
5. The T2i provides manual control over exposure and focus, and offers three different HD movie modes - 1080p/30fps, 1080p/24fps, and 720p/60fps. There doesn’t seem to be any manual control over white balance, but if you know of a way to change it, let me know.
6. Establishing rock-solid focus marks for your scene will be difficult without adding some kind of follow-focus system on to your camera. It’s not impossible, but it will take some rehearsing.
7. Make sure you purchase SDHC cards with fast transfer speeds. That will ensure better recording and better playback.
8. I love the LCD screen. Very large, very clear.
9. The ergonomics of hand-holding the camera isn’t as awkward as some people make it out to be. Is it different? Yes, but you can easily adapt.
10. The image stabilization in both the kit 18-55mm lens and the 50-250mm lens seem to respond very well. I didn’t use a tripod on any of my test shoots and was pleased with how the IS in each lens reduced hand shake.

Again, these are simply my initial impressions and observations. I’m sure I will post more as I start using the camera on client projects.

What your video production doesn’t know can hurt you. Many people who have little experience working with video production companies usually feel a bit overwhelmed. They understand that they need to produce a video for their company, non-profit, school, etc. but beyond some basic generalities about the project, they aren’t sure what the video production company needs or needs to know. If the entire process is to run smoothly, you need to provide the video production company with some logistical details. A good producer or director will know to ask you these questions, but it’s still a good idea to have this information in-hand when you discuss the project with your video production company. Here are some details that need to be hammered out:

Project Overview

• What/Who the video is for
• The goals/objectives of the video
• The desired length of the video
• Where the final video will be shown (website, public event, seminar, trade show, in-house communication, sales meetings, etc.
• The deadline (Read this post regarding video production deadlines and how to schedule your video project accordingly.)

Technical Details About the Project

• The video format (standard-definition or high-definition)
• If standard definition - widescreen or standard 4:3
• If high-definition - 1080i or 720p?*

Responsibilities

• Script-writing responsibilities (will the video production company be required to conceptualize and write the script, or will your department handle that task?)
• On-camera talent (will the project require professional talent to be provided by the video production company, or will your company provide employees for the video?)
• Voice-over talent (will the production company need to provide this, or do you have someone available that you have used before?)

The Video Shoot (this will help the video production company determine how many shooting days are necessary)

• The amount of material that needs to be shot
• The specific people/places/products/etc. that needs to be shot
• The number of different locations
• The number of people that need to be interviewed
• The amount of archival footage, stock footage, and/or stills that will be needed

On Location Considerations

• Addresses and directions to all locations
• Contact person for each location
• Loading/Unloading zones
• Specific location protocol (security concerns, where to sign in, where the video production company can and cannot go while at the locaton)
• Staging area (an out-of-the-way place at the location where the video production company can store their gear)

I recommend taking the video production company representatives on a tech scout of each location before the shoot, so you can go over these details and clarify any unresolved issues. A good tech scout will catch potential problems before the shoot begins.

Clear, consistent communication between yourself and the video production company will be of enormous benefit when the shoot begins. Take the time to conduct thorough pre-production planning. Provide the video production company with everything they need. Your finished video will be a lot better because of it.

—————-

*Don’t let the higher number - 1080 make you think that it’s better, or has a higher resolution that 720. Both are official high-definition formats. The difference is mainly in how the two formats record an image. The “i” in 1080i stands for “interlaced,” and the “p” in 720p stands for “progressive.” An interlaced image is created by breaking the image you see on your screen into two separate “fields” - upper and lower. Scan lines reproduce the image on the screen by scanning horizontally, top to bottom. On the first pass, the scan lines recreate every even line. On the second pass, the odd lines are recreated. The horizontal lines are interlaced to show you the complete picture. In HD video, there are 1080 horizontal scan lines. A progressive image is created by scanning the entire image in order, all at once, much like a single frame of film.

Some people working within Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 have experienced two specific problems while trying to preview their edits on an external monitor:

1. They are unable to send a signal out to their external monitors.
2. They are unable to preview clips from an HD project in full HD resolution on their external monitors.

In this brief tutorial, we show how to properly set up Premiere Pro CSC4 to ensure that you are able to preview your edits on an external monitor and in HD (when working with an HD project).

*Note - You might want to watch the tutorial in full screen mode.

Last Wednesday (1/27/10) we debuted a new video that was produced for the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB). The RPCGB is a community development organization that represents six counties and 84 municipalities in central Alabama. By leveraging state and federal funds, the RPCGB provides various services to its member governments that help facilitate growth and development. These programs are incredibly far-reaching, so they approached us and asked us to create a 4-minute video that would give viewers a basic introduction to the organization and the services it offers. We shot the video with the Panasonic HVX-200A at 720p/24p.

One of the things I enjoy most about working in video production is the variety. Every job is unique. One of the most recent jobs we worked on was for a producer based in Charlotte, NC. His client, a marketing firm from Milwaukee, handles a lot of work for Microsoft. Recently, a new video game was created for the XBox 360; a racing game called “Need for Speed: Shift.” To promote the launch of the game, Microsoft and their marketing team scheduled a demo with legendary race car driver Hurley Haywood. They needed a local production crew to come out to the Barber Motorsports Park to document the event.

We spent two days on location, shooting footage of the Porche vehicles on the race track and on the Barber test courses. We covered the action with two Panasonic HVX-200 cameras, shooting 1080i HD video to P2 cards. We had cameras placed at low angles next to the track, inside the vehicles, and up in scissor lifts. For the actual game demonstration, we pre-lit a Porche driving school classroom where we could get footage of Haywood as he raced other drivers on XBox Live. To conclude the shoot, we shot a sit-down interview with Haywood as he gave us his impressions of the game. The people at the Barber Motorsports Park were great. They were very accommodating and hospitable. At the end of the shoot, they even allowed us to select an item from their gift shop. It was certainly a fun and unique experience and I had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people.

Many of our video projects are shot on location, but every so often we have an opportunity to so some green screen work for a client. Shooting a subject against a green screen will allow the video editor to remove the green background and replace it with another of his or her choosing. Green screens are used every day on the evening news when the weatherman delivers the forecast.

Working with a green screen can be tricky, because if not done correctly, you will have nightmares in post production as you try to key out the screen and insert your own background. My recommendation is to shoot some practice footage first before you start work with your client.  Here are a few things I’ve learned from my experiences:

1. The green screen should have no wrinkles or folds. Any imperfections across the surface of the green screen will result in shadows and hard lines that will be difficult to key out in post.
2. The green screen should be evenly lit. There should be no shadows and no fall off. The light should be soft and diffused. A light meter will help ensure accuracy.
3. Create distance between the subject and the green screen. Any light reflecting off the green screen and onto the subject should be eliminated. If not, your subject’s edges will have a green glow when the screen is keyed out. Move your subject as far away from the screen as possible. Then use flags to block any reflected light coming from the screen.
4. Shoot on a format with the highest-rated color space possible. MiniDV has a color space of 4:1:1. You can use it for green screen work, but it isn’t the best option. Just be aware that there will be some challenges in keying with MiniDV footage. The edges on your subject won’t be perfectly clean. However, if your video is intended only for the web, MiniDV will work for you. Consider this video we produced. It was shot on MiniDV and the client was satisfied with the green screen work. Formats like DVCPro and DVCProHD have a color space of 4:2:2, making them better for keying.

Learning the proper video production techniques takes practice. There’s always something new to learn and the more time you spend shooting and editing, the better your craft will be.

In film production continuity is incredibly important. In short, continuity refers to the consistency of actors, props, plot points, locations, events, etc. seen by the viewer. Filmmakers must make sure that if an actor opens a door with his or her left hand on one shot, he/she must do it the same way in subsequent takes. There are people on set whose job is to watch out for these visual errors. It can be very difficult to keep track of all the details within a particular shot, but careful consideration of continuity will make the film seamless.

Last weekend while shooting a scene for my upcoming short film “If Only,” we ran into a situation that demanded we pay careful attention to the light falling onto the set. That particular day we began filming around 6pm while it was still daylight. It was an interior scene staged against a large window. I wanted the scene to take place in the late afternoon, but I knew that we would never get the coverage we needed before sunset. It was up to our cinematographer to match the lighting in subsequent close-ups with the daylight we saw in the establishing shots.

Fortunately, we were shooting 720p/24p on a Panasonic HVX-200a. All of our footage was on our P2 cards. The beauty of P2 is that every take it itemized as a separate file. Therefore, users have the ability to go back to any take without the need for rewinding tape. Rewinding tape to review footage can be risky due to possible time code breaks and the potential for recording over important footage. However, with P2, my cinematographer and I were able to review our wide shots from earlier in the day, examine the way the light was falling onto our actors, then match the close-ups accordingly. I think the results were excellent. This is another reason why I am a big fan of solid-state recording.

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.