Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

It’s been said that the simplest solution is usually the best solution. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working on some large-budget projects requiring extensive creative, several crew members, dollies, camera cranes, professional talent, a five-day shoot and several weeks of post. However, not every company needs such scale in their video marketing efforts. This is especially true in the world of online video. Clients sometimes need a  simple solution.

Over the past 18 months, we have worked with law firms on projects specifically for the web. The purpose of these online videos is to provide viewers with an informal, personal glimpse of an attorney’s practice. These videos educate, inform, and help the viewer to feel more at ease before they step into the office. After all, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable and confident in hiring an attorney if you had the chance to see and hear him/her first?

This format can be duplicated for any business that needs to inform the viewer about the company, introduce key personnel, and educate the viewer on relevant issues, laws, procedures, etc. These videos, although simple in their approach, never compromise on production quality. And they are always effective in increasing traffic to a website and generating new business.

In the world of video production, projects can span several months, depending on the complexity of the job and the amount of people involved. And during that time, a TON of emails will pass back and forth between the client and production company. Whether you work for the client or the production company, it’s important to save and organize those e-mails. Doing so will help both parties maintain clear expectations as the project moves forward.

Defining the Scope of the Project

When a potential client calls, interested in hiring me to produce a video, they usually go over the basic scope of the project. I am always diligent to take notes and ask questions during this initial conversation. As we draw closer to signing a contract, I always send an email, outlining the project, to make sure I understand everything correctly. Having all of these details recorded in an email is a valuable asset, because it’s much easier to reference an email than try to recall what was or was not said in a phone conversation.

Changing the Project

If a video project is under the oversight of a committee, the scope of the job might change several times before the contract is signed. Here again, saving and organizing every email is important, because it can get very confusing very quickly if changes are being made constantly. Contradictions can become a serious problem unless you have an email that you can refer to. Those emails are a clear record of what was said, by whom, and when.

Obtaining Materials for the Project

Many times a client will email me a signed contract. As the project moves forward, they might send me all kinds of materials for use in the video - scripts, photos, links, titles and other graphics, etc. I will always download these to my hard drive and store them in my project file. However, I will always archive the emails containing these attachments, in case something happens to the files on the hard drive. You always want your client to have faith and confidence in your abilities and your work ethic. Having to ask your client to re-send materials over and over doesn’t exactly send the message that you are organized and efficient.

Conclusion

I use Gmail as my email client. I find that when it comes to organizing, archiving, and searching for messages, Gmail works best for me. And it offers plenty of storage space. I usually hold on to conversations for about one year before deleting them, just in case a client needs to refer back to a specific job. Remaining diligent in your record-keeping will be of great benefit to your client relations.