Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

Birmingham, AL – July 6, 2010 – Red Fox Media, Inc. (formerly Parc Entertainment), a digital production company in Birmingham, took home a bronze Telly Award for a promotional video created for the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB).

The RPCGB is an organization representing six counties and 84 municipalities throughout central Alabama. By leveraging state and federal funds, the RPCGB provides various services to its member governments that help encourage economic growth and development for the region. It’s an organization with many components, so they needed a brief overview video to introduce viewers to the RPCGB and explain the organization’s programs and initiatives. RPCGB Marketing Specialist Greg Wingo turned to Red Fox Media to handle the creation of the video, from conceptualization to completion.

“As a Birmingham native, I was extremely excited to work with an organization that is doing so much for the city and the region,” said Clint Till, President of Red Fox Media. “The work of the RPCGB is so important and I’m glad that we could help communicate their message through this video.”

The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web. With over 13,000 entries per year, the Telly is one of the most sought-after awards by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies.

Red Fox Media, formerly Parc Entertainment, is a digital production company that specializes in video production/post-production and website design/development. You can visit them on the web at www.redfoxmediainc.com.

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.

I received an email a few days ago from an individual interested in purchasing a large quantity of videotape. I quickly scanned the email. It was odd, but I just  assumed he made an honest mistake. After all, we are a video production company, not a supplier. I responded and recommended a reputable supplier that I have used several times before.

After sending the email, I looked at his original message and read it more carefully. The more I read, the more suspicious it sounded. First, he introduces the email by giving his name, but does not tell me who he works for and what position he holds. Second, he doesn’t seem to know whether I am a video production company or an equipment supplier. If he obtained my email address from my website, then he would easily see that Parc Entertainment is a video production company. Third, if he is a professional in the production industry (as he indicates both from the content of his email and his email address) then surely he would be aware of the production supply businesses that are out there. And finally, there’s something about the way the message reads that throws up a red flag. The grammar isn’t quite right and some words are misspelled. Here’s the original message I received:

GOOD DAY,
I Am …,I Want to Order The Product Bellow.

SONY DVCAM TAPE PDV184N …………………….

165UNITS

I Will Like You To Get Back To Me Now With The Total Cost Plus Sales Tax.I Will Forward My (Visa Card) or (Master Card) Details For Payment As Soon As You Email Me Quote..

If you don’t have the tapes or you are a video production store,Videographers or photgraphers and you have a supplier that you can help us place a special order overnight and we can offer $3 on each unit for service render fee and make payment upfront before you place the order.We want your store to help us order from any supplier you know because we are busy in our production film field.

Get Back To Me Soonest on email.

Hi Clint,Thanks for your email.I want to know if you can help us place a special order for 165units of sony tapes and we will make payment upfront plus tax and give you extra $3 on each unit for service render fee.Pls render us the favour because we are kinda busy on a film location field.

Clint,I know it will save me money but i will appreciate if you can get us the units through your company and we will keep you in our record for future business on video production contract.

Last Thursday I posted part one of a two-part series on how to budget for a video production. In today’s article I want to conclude by looking at those items in your budget that are necessities, but can often be overlooked.

Estimate Your Per Diems

Once all of the items from last week’s article are taken care of, it’s time to make sure that you and your crew have something to eat throughout the shoot. Make sure you cover the cost of meals and craft services (i.e. the snacks and drinks you and your crew grab throughout the day). Per diems can range anywhere from $25 per person per day, to $50 per person per day. I have found that $40 per person per day works for me.

Estimate Your Travel

If you do need to book a flight for the job, call the airline and inquire about their excess baggage fees. You need to account for that cost in addition to the cost of your tickets (You can save money by either shipping some gear ahead of time, or by electing a crew member to drive the gear to your destination).

But even if the shoot doesn’t require a flight or hotel stay, you need to estimate how many miles you and your crew will be driving throughout the production. As of this writing, the standard IRS rate for mileage reimbursement is $0.55 per mile. Don’t forget to estimate your mileage for pre-production and post-production. And remember that with driving comes parking fees and possible road tolls.

Estimate for the Unexpected

What happens when a shooting day gets rained out and you have to add on an additional day? Did you account for that in your budget? You need to. I always add a little to the budget to cover contingency days and any other emergencies that might pop up while in production.

Estimate Your Production Fee

The final thing you need to add into your budget is a production fee. This is especially important if you are set up as a business (LLC, Corp., etc.). You’ve paid yourself and your crew. You’ve accounted for your expenses, and so you need to make sure your company has some left over at the end of the day. After all, if you want your business to grow, you will need to turn a profit.

These are my suggestions for how to prioritize your budget. Hopefully it will help you be more organized and, ultimately, more profitable as you grow your video production company.