Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company

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.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that adaptation is an integral part of a successful business. Companies have to study the marketplace. They have to watch and listen, and be willing to evolve as technologies, trends, opinions, and public tastes change.

2010 marks Parc Entertainment’s seventh year in business, and during that time we have been able to work with a variety of clients on some great projects. To date, we have branded ourselves as a video production and post-production facility. But we realize that today’s media is more integrated than it was just a few years ago. Video is now a big part of a company’s web presence. Clients that come to us for video production services often ask about web design and development. And web designers are often asked about video production. They each go hand-in-hand.

As marketing content becomes increasingly connected, we realize that clients need compelling and visually stunning content. They need a production facility that can engage, inspire, and entertain an audience. That’s where we come in. In an effort to give our clients what they are looking for, Parc Entertainment will soon be Red Fox Media. In addition to our video production and post-production services, we now offer full website design, development, and SEO for our clients. By February 1, 2010 we hope to launch our new identity and we encourage you to send us an email, call, or stop by our offices so we can discuss how our production services can benefit your business.

To see some of the website projects we have already completed, you can click on any of the following links:

Southern Fastening Systems

Industrial Health Council

Shelby Academy

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.