Video Doesn't Have to Feel So Bad

Ten Ways To Get It On Tape, Get It On Time And Get on With Your Life

Relax. This Isn't Going To Hurt A Bit.

Consider the Attaboy Rule: "One hundred `attaboys' equals one `you screwed up.'" A video project is just one of those types of work experiences that brings this rule to bear, like being responsible for the opening of a new office or launching a new product. Between the time the "this-would-be-great-on-video" lightbulb blinks on and when you turn down the lights for your first audience, you'll have a thousand chances to earn attaboys or screw-ups and both will last as long as your video remains in circulation and beyond.

Given the Attaboy (or Attagirl) Rule, it's amazing how often people get sweaty palms and forget just about everything they've ever learned about business. After all, you're not going to a foreign country, you're just trying to get a job done. And, believe this, there's an entire video industry out there that's ready, willing and able to help you get that job done on-time and on-budget. All you need to do is follow some hard-earned advice outlined below and you won't hurt your career a bit. You'll probably discover you even like it.

1. Put the phone down, take a deep breath and gather your thoughts.

First things first. Don't look in the yellow pages under "Video Production," call your friend Bob who used to work at a television station, or your crazy cousin Larry who has a camcorder. Instead, ask yourself what message you have to deliver to your audience and write it down in one or two sentences. Don't think about actors, comedy, special effects or anything else ... that will come in time.

The wrong message is "I want to sell more gizmos." Everybody wants to sell more gizmos. The right message would be more like, "I want my audience to buy more gizmos because ___________." It's up to you to fill in the blank but here are some ways you might fill it in.

"I want my audience to buy more gizmos because ...

... our factory is the best of the best.

... our technology is years ahead of the competition.

... once they see all the features and benefits, they'll see there's no better gizmo available."

Maybe selling a product isn't the idea. Maybe you want your audience to feel or learn or understand or believe something. Once you know what that "something" is, leave those Yellow Pages aside and talk your project up around the company or with suppliers and ask for advice or recommendations for video production companies. Somebody you know and trust can give you some leads. But c'mon, you're not going to put your career in your crazy cousin Larry's hands, are you?

2. Ask lots of questions?

Whether this is your first production or your tenth, always seek out more than one production source. Talk to two or even three companies (but don't call too many or you'll spend weeks just watching all their sample reels), ask them some questions about their business practices. What is their experience? Who are their clients? What's their business philosophy? What types of projects do they do best? Are they financially stable (and ask for proof)? In other words, evaluate them as you would any other supplier or consultant.

If you like what you hear, then and only then, tell them what you need to get done. Tell them the message you want your audience to see and hear. Give them your rough ideas and thoughts and then, start listening to their thoughts and questions. If they ask a lot of questions about your products, company, competition, budget and schedule, that's a good sign. If they start by asking when you'll be ready to shoot, that's a bad sign.

Now, give both of the production companies some time, a week or two minimum, to come back to you with some rough ideas and rough budget ranges. Expect a few calls about "how's", "why's", and "what's". When they come back with their answer (or better yet, answers), your decision will become much easier and more informed.

By the way, this is where you'll begin to learn that video takes time. Time to choose a production company, time to get a budget, to write, cast, set-up, rehearse, shoot, and edit. Rush ahead at your own risk.

3. Check your wavelengths.

After some meetings listening to answers and ideas, you should be nearing a decision. But there's one more question to ask yourself: Do I like these people? That may not seem like a very businesslike question, but you're going to have to live with them, their product and the impressions they leave behind for a long time. Just go ahead and ask yourself. The answer will help you make a better decision because if you can't all get on the same wavelength early on, you won't get to it later.

4. If it ain't writ, you won't get.

The script for your program is, without exaggeration, the be-all and end-all. Don't ... repeat, do not ... write it yourself. Find an experienced and talented professional SCREENwriter (your production company should know at least a few). Talk to the proposed writer. Does he understand your project? Does she talk intelligently about business and not just screenwriting? Does he ask you questions until you're about to scream? Good, you've got your hands on a real writer. (Keep your production company involved through this, though, because most writers are not producers and their big-ideas-on-paper may cost you big dollars.)

Answer all the questions and wait for the script to appear. Be prepared to be surprised and, please, give yourself some time to understand what's on paper and how it will get translated onto film or tape. Just as you may be surprised, you want your audience to be at least a little surprised or they're going to be falling asleep out there.

No matter what anybody tells you, if your message isn't in the script, it will not appear on screen.

5. You could spend enough to build a house so where's the blueprint?

You may have rough ideas about how much you have to spend on your project, but if you're tempted to ask what a video costs, get serious. The answer to that question is another question: "What does a house cost?" That depends, doesn't it? How many bedrooms? Need a den and a family room? What neighborhood? How much can you afford to pay?

Video projects cost more than you may expect but they don't have to cost more than you have to spend. If you want to control the cost of your project (and if you don't, there's this bridge in Brooklyn ...), you'll have to spend some real serious time working out a lot of details with your producers. For example, is there a cost effective alternative to shooting all of your company's plants in thirteen states and three countries? Consider best possible cases, alternatives, mandatories and talk and talk and talk until you're satisfied. A good production company will honestly and straightforwardly say, "You don't have enough money for that but we could ..."

If you've ever bought a house, you know how the words "be realistic" work. Ditto for video.

6. Casual observers become casualties.

Video projects are very collaborative. You can like it or not, but there is no getting around the fact that you will be an active participant from beginning to end. You can defer some decisions, but not as many as you might like. You'll have to get scripts approved, get payments expedited, approve on-camera and off-camera talent and on and on. Don't fight it, it's just the way it is.

7. Don't let the technoids get control.

Unless you have a special aptitude for foreign languages, don't get lost in all the technical jargon. You don't have to know DVE from Squeezoom from CG from sync sound from Paintbox. Those are just tools and techniques and if you spent enough time choosing a good production company, you'll find the producers are good translators, too.

A corollary of that is to make sure that whatever techniques and technology used in your project are used to help deliver your message, not just "because." Unless you have definitely decided to use a lot of special effects for a reason (and, honestly, there are times they can be appropriate), you may find yourself with a video that more resembles a soon-outdated hallucination than an appropriate business communication. Just ask "Why?" when one technique or another is suggested. If the answer makes sense, the technique probably will, too.

8. Wear your iron-seat pants to the shoot.

If you ever thought there was very much glamorous or exciting about shoot day, you're about to be disappointed. Shooting a film or video is and endurance contest that could leave you longing for a daylong review of your department's financials.

It'll seem to take forever for the lights to be set up. It'ss seem to take an eternity to block the shots (that means work out all the details of exactly what your viewers will ultimately see). It'll seem to take a millennium before the on-camera talent gets the words right or the wheat blows in "just the right way." Everything is finally going to seem perfect and some character with a clipboard is going to want to shoot it all again. That's just plain how it goes.

Have another cup of coffee (or maybe not). Walk around the block. Pull your chair over to the food table and munch M&M's. Stretch. Leave the room and check in with your office. Do a crossword puzzle. Never ever say, "Let's hurry this up" or they will. And believe it, you wouldn't want that to happen to your program.

9. Don't end up on the cutting room floor.

You're on the home stretch now, but editing, to put it mildly, takes time and patience. Keep in mind two things: one, if you didn't get it shot, it won't be there and two, this is no time to try to save time.

First, remember you wondered why they shot the same shot over and over again? Now you'll be glad they did because you'll have options that you would never have expected you would need. But, conversely, this is a bad time for any new ideas about what should be on screen. You have all the material you're going to get, so make the best of what you've got because you really, really don't want to have to shoot any new shots.

Second, don't rush it. Even if somebody tells you your project will "cut right together," it's not quite the cake walk you might be imagining. The editor will be sitting in the dark room with a lot of monitors staring at shots over and over again. This is necessary. This is good. So, be patient.

10. Bring it all back home.

The tape is ready for viewing. Your boss is tapping his foot nervously. You're almost home now.

But wait. A little bit of work remains. Check the videocassette recorder and television to make sure the colors are right because more than one program has been just about sunk because all the people were green and the lawn in front of the factory was orange. Recite the program's objectives and the audience it was designed to inform. Encourage those who must approve the project to watch the entire program before offering criticism or commentary. Have your producer on hand to help you cover any necessary revisions or tweaks so you don't agree to anything that just cannot be. (see above regarding what is on film/tape and what is not). Almost inevitably, you'll have to return to the editing room to fix or revise parts of the program. Better to expect that than to expect miracles. Miracles only happen in the movies.

BOND STREET STUDIOS, INC.

Ann Arbor - Grand Rapids - Chicago

800-466-1855

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