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Lights? Camera? Software?

3/30/2015

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With NAB right around the corner, spectators will be inundated with a plethora of new and advanced technology to help enhance your production. But which technology is the best? Which camera should I use? Do I have the best lights? Am I using the best editing software? The answer is, you’re probably not. 

 With video production technology changing almost weekly, your new cutting edge camera that shoots 4K and 1000fps will probably be obsolete next week. At least this is what they want you to believe. The truth is, what you currently have is probably good enough. As long as you aren’t shooting on VHS or have a microphone duct taped to the end of a hockey stick, you are probably more than capable of your clients production needs.  

 I have been shooting and editing for about 10 years. In that time, I’ve seen technology change drastically. I remember when going from a DV tape to solid-state storage was a big concern for a lot of filmmakers. Do I trust this? Is it going to keep all my footage safe? Those were the concerns back then. As we see now, solid-state recording has become the norm. A lot of cameras now have the option of shooting straight to a hard drive in order to get the highest bit rate.

 I also remember when Final Cut Pro was the answer for low budget filmmaking because of its versatility and affordability. Nowadays it seems everyone is leaning towards the Adobe Creative Cloud. Final Cut Pro is now Final Cut X (FCPX), which is more of a hybrid between Final Cut Pro and iMovie. Though I’m not a fan of FCPX, I know a lot of professionals working with this software.


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 The truth is that technology is always changing and it’s always going to change. Companies want to be the first to market with their new and innovative technologies while the rest of us production folk are constantly trying to catch up. 

 Ultimately, it still comes down to your talent and story telling. Whether you are producing a commercial for public access or a major network, creativity and storytelling are still at the forefront of video production. 

 I remember when you had to have large budgets and known actors in order to produce something marketable. Now, with the affordability of cameras and editing software, you are able to pretty much shoot and edit almost anything. This year Tangerine, a feature length film that was shot entirely on an iPhone, premiered at Sundance. Entire commercials are now being shot on GoPros. 
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Tangerine, Magnolia Pictures
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GoPro Red Bull Stratos Super Bowl Commercial (2014)
 So while companies keep coming out with the “latest and greatest,” you should be asking yourself, “what is the best I can do, with what I have?”


By Daniel Herzog
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THE COST OF MAKING VIDEOS: PART 5

3/16/2015

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By Michael Goldstein 

When it comes to the cost of editing and polishing of video there is a lot that can cause confusion as well as miscommunication of expectations.  My goal today is to try to help explain why one production company might quote you much higher or lower on editing hours than another and how to make sure you are only paying for what you need.


Post Production/Finished Product:

The process of taking raw footage and turning it into a finished project can take varying amounts of time.  The main factors that go into making editing hours add up are how polished the final product looks and the amount of revisions you have for your video.
 
When I say “polished” I am referring to just how far you want to take the video from a basic editing of clips together to something that should be up for an award.  Some videos only need basic editing, color correcting, and simple graphics; where others might require motion graphics, special effects, green screen keying, etc.

If your finished project was a car, do you need a Chevrolet or a Bentley?  It’s important to let your video production company know your expectations before hand so they can best estimate the cost of your project.  If this video is for internal training, chances are you won’t need fancy custom motion graphics, so why pay to have them made?  If you are looking to impress your customers, however, some entertaining post production effects and graphics might give your video the extra spice it needs.

Finally, revisions… This can be the cause of the largest discrepancy between your initial estimate and final invoice.  When your video production company sends you your video for the first time, this is your opportunity to review it and request changes that you would like.  Maybe you don’t like a certain take, or perhaps you want it cut down a little shorter.  Whatever the changes; here is the key:  Do everything in your power to give ALL of your changes to your production company at once (or in as few revisions as possible).  The more frequently you go back and forth between reviews and additional changes, the faster the post production editing hours will add up.  It’s not always possible to get it just right on the first review, but keep this mindset of giving them as much as you can at one time, and you will save a lot of money in the end.



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Heart Marketing Wins! 

3/10/2015

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Yes, we ventured out into the snow storm and made it to the Triangle AMA's Hi-5 Conference for the second year in a row! This year was packed with good information, but what’s been sitting with me since Adam and I left is Heart Marketing vs. Head Marketing, taken from The Power Of Visual Storytelling with @ekaterina.

Through other breakout sessions, other speakers talked about how to “look people in the eye digitally” and “be thought leaders” and “engage prospects with content they actually want to consume,” referring to establishing relationships with your community. Don’t just throw content at them that is company-centric; evolve to a consumer-centric approach.

Ekaterina used the term “infobesity” in her keynote, which I now know is a real thing. There is so much information out there, how can we possibly consume it all? It is within our nature to seek out information from our fellow peers, friends, neighbors, co-workers and so on, whether it’s online or in person.  And we are more likely to share what we find online if we find that it has social currency. Meaning:

  • The content makes us look good to others 
  • The content is humorous, entertaining or remarkable   
  • The content makes us feel like an insider 


An image goes passed culture and language. It transcends barriers. Just as a picture tells a thousand words, a video can tell millions of stories. Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster by our brains than text.  And images and videos are easily one of the most shared type of content out there especially when it pulls our heart strings, makes us shed a tear, appeals to our humanity, or strikes something we are passionate about.

Take this years’ Superbowl commercials for example . The highest ranking ads were appealing to our hearts – Budweiser and the “Lost Dog”, Always and what it means to be “Like a Girl”  and Microsoft showing us how they do the impossible with Braylon, the double amputee.  There has been a bigger shift from head marketing to heart marketing, and it seems to making an impact - even if at the time I was crying into the buffalo cheese dip at a Superbowl party.

The average adult attention span is 2.8-8 seconds. 
How do you capture your audience in such a short amount of time? 

By Olivia Turnage
@laughlivlove 


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Return to Triangle AMA's High Five Conference 

3/6/2015

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By Adam Buccafusco
Olivia and I attended the 2nd Triangle AMA’s (American Marketing Association) High Five Event on behalf of Burning Oak Studios.  This year’s conference was just as exciting, entertaining, and enlightening as last year! There was so much information to feed our heads in the two-day event that we had to divide and conquer. I’ll head up the creative aspect and Olivia go into the marketing aspect.

The first keynote was the return of Aaron Draplin, the founder of Draplin Design Co.  This lovable rock star of design brought a new lecture that once again warmed the cockles of my artistic heart. Draplin discussed his passion for “dead logo” hunting. Aaron would comb through flea markets, swap meets, and estate sales looking for icons of yesteryear. There are beautiful combinations of shapes, colors, and imagery that can be found in vintage branding materials. When you get down in the dumps about being a designer, Aaron Draplin is a reminder that design is suppose to be expressive, open to creativity, and most importantly it’s suppose to be fun! If you’re not having fun designing, maybe a trip to the local rummage sale will inspire and rejuvenate your creative spark.
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Aaron Draplin, the founder of Draplin Design Co.
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A most excellent North Carolina print by Draplin Design Co.
I sat in on the breakout session titled Data-Driven Design with ReverbNation’s Chris Johnston. ReverbNation is a site that boosts promotion for over 4 million musicians, managers, labels, venues, and events around the globe.  Johnston explains how the altering and redesigning your interface can affect your analytic trends positively and negatively.  The Sr. Director of Product Management describes a scenario where the simple color change for a navigation bar dramatically impacted how users were flowing through the site. The charts dips badly due to the nothing more than a color change. The designers had no choice but to switched back to the original bold black bar, which cause the charts to level out again. Using data trend to keep your message clear 
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Chris Johnston, Sr. Director, Product Management, ReverbNation
All things considered, I felt this year was as good as last year. The show was a bit tighter and handled the weather issues well. My suggestion for High Five is add more breakout sessions about executing design and promotional campaigns, and maybe even some tips on dealing with the cost of production. I believe the Triangle AMA’s High Five event is going to get better with every year. Check back in with the burningoakstudios.com and OakNotes to find out what Olivia thought about her experience. 
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