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.

On this blog I have often talked about the importance of good visuals to drive your story. When done properly, an ad or marketing video can convey all necessary information simply through the visuals. Take Google for example. They recently launched a series of short videos to introduce people to their browser, Chrome. The ads are remarkable and they get their point across without any narration or any spokesperson going down through a checklist of benefits. They use a series of attention-grabbing visuals that gradually shift throughout the course of each video, changing your perspective of the scene. They leverage the limitations of two-dimensional space to create some pretty cool optical illusions. And each effect used in the video is practical - no CGI. What do you think?

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.