Hiring "Professionals"

What does it mean to hire a "professional"?

Would you trust the guy next door to re-wire your house because he owns a drill and pliers? I have a tool chest chock full of different gadgets from the typical hammer and screwdriver to a stud finder, laser level and chalk line..among many other things that I may have used once or twice (you're impressed, I know). Even though I may own an impressive array of tools, I can guarantee that you would NOT want me over your house to work on, well, anything.

While I am adept at certain tasks...say hanging a picture on the 2nd try, or even doing a passable job at framing a room, I would never presume to force my questionable skills as a handyman on anyone else because, while I've taken care of my share of in-home emergencies and small projects, I'm just not that good as a handyman. While I may get the job done, it takes me much (much) longer than it would if I hired a true professional because I am usually learning as I go (and the results are sometimes questionable at best).

As the owner of a video production company I am amazed when I get calls from other "professionals" (sometimes direct competitors!!) who sell themselves to clients as someone with skill yet they couldn't tell you the difference between a video codec and a video file (a question I get with some consistency). Sure they may have bought a camera that looks more impressive than your iPhone camera, and they probably bought the latest version of Final Cut Pro because it is affordable, but that doesn't make them "professional".

Clients will never know, nor do they need to know, about the back end of video production. To the client you shoot, you edit. Nowadays there are so many "flavors" of video, 1080i, 1080p, 60i, 30p, 24p, etc, etc. Then there are even more options to output, what resolution, codec, compression rate etc, etc. Do we want to make it for Blu-Ray and DVD? Broadcast? Honestly it used to be easier to be in this business 15 years ago when you had three choices VHS, Beta or this crazy new thing called a DVD. Any professional HAS to keep up with the ever changing standards and technology.

I am getting more and more calls from other "professionals" recently who seemingly have no knowledge about video aside from the basics; you shoot, you edit. We all know that video has become democratized in recent years with better cameras coming out at cheaper prices, (although the RED EPIC will still set you back 6 figures!) but, like my impressive collection of wrenches and sockets, having the tools doesn't mean you know how to use them...or even have all the right tools to do the job (I could write a book on that alone).

I am all for helping people and I am proud that people see me as someone with some knowledge about my chosen field, but this is knowledge that I have acquired over *gulp* 20 years of working in this business. Even with all that time in the industry, I know I am just scratching the surface in what can be learned. I follow people on Twitter and Facebook that I consider 'guru's' in the field, these guys blow me away with what they know and humble me with what I have yet to learn.

There is no shortage of people who own a camera and a laptop and will sell themselves as a professional. These same people have called me not only asking about some of the more technical back-end questions but they also ask about more straightforward topics as to what lights we own, or even how to light because they have landed a job where the client expects a certain level of quality and these people get a quick dose of reality when they realize they cannot deliver with a camera and laptop alone.

I love where video is going. There are so many more outlets and potential for clients to reach their target audience with their message. Quality is still king and I think will always separate the professional from the non-professional. If you are in the market for a video to be produced, do your research, make sure you are hiring a true professional. And if you need any work done on your house or car do NOT call me.

Thanks for Reading,

-Chris

http://www.take2vm.com

Are you getting a good ROI on your company's use of Social Media?

When people think of investments, especially in terms of Return on Investment, typically you think of an investment in monetary terms. In the case of your company's use of social media you may think you don't have a large monetary investment in your use of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc...but you, or your company in fact does.

The old adage goes; "Time is Money", and use of social media can easily be a time killer. And if you are paying someone, or you're getting paid, to manage social media sites...time is indeed money.

So it goes back to the question, are you getting a good ROI on social media? Does a "Like" on Facebook or a new follower on Twitter turn into a loyal client (do loyal clients still exist)? Is the boss pressuring you to "monetize"the social media experience? It all comes down to content. What content are you providing your followers? Are you offering industry tips that will aid them in their business, or are you talking about yourself all the time?

We have seen social media as an extremely important asset to our business in maintaining communication with clients and keeping ourselves "top of mind" so that when there is a project they think of us as well as attracting new clients who would have otherwise never heard of us. As a video production company, the use of video on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have proved to reshape our client's end use of the product we produce. Just a few short years ago 100% of our non-broadcast work would be delivered on DVD. Now about 90% of our finished work ends up on some social media platform, giving clients compelling content for their followers.

When diving into the pool of social media, consider first your message, give people information they want and need, be sure to throw in a little humor and personality.. and the rest will follow.

Using video in your company's social media marketing

The great thing about producing a video as a part of your company's marketing plan in the modern age is that there are so many venues for you to showcase your video.

Back when I started in this business (waaayyyyy back in 1994) there was one outlet for a corporate video. After spending thousands of dollars, you got to walk away with....yes a VHS tape. Not only was the quality questionable but you would then have to make copies of that low quality VHS tape to send to potential clients.

In 2009, along with a physical DVD or Blu-Ray, video consumers have so many more options. It's a given that any video that is produced for your company should be on your website. But have you also considered uploading to Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.? It's a no-brainer to upload a video to each of these services. Doing this also increases your company's searchable footprint on search engines like Google and Yahoo. Not to mention the ease of pointing potential clients, or employees (for training videos) to a website. You get much more bang for your buck for your video dollar in 2009 then you ever did in 1994 with the potential of millions of fews today versus dozens then.

There is of course still a use for physical media such as DVD or Blu-Ray, and we get requests for duplications on a regular basis. A client recently requested a number of Blu-Ray discs of an HD project because they go to conventions all over the world and utilize HD monitors and really wanted to show off their video in the best possible way.

These options offer the corporate consumer the most possible options that work for their specific needs. We can of course still offer VHS....we'd have to dust off the old VCR's though.

How your company comes across on video

I recently sat down at a meeting with a large company that produces a high-end product. The company wants to produce a video that will showcase the quality of their product while giving the viewer a behind the scenes look at what goes into making it.

As a producer, my job is to learn as much about a company and what it does as I can to develop a message that will translate to an interesting and entertaining video production. When considering a video for your business, be it a marketing video, training video, or a commercial make sure you know what you want to say and how you want the business represented. Also don't just hire a video production company and let them freely come up with the script and what needs to be shot. A lot of video production companies out there will offer to come to your facility and shoot for 5 hours...ok then what? Shoot what? What about a script? Editing?

The main thing I try to get out of my clients is "what makes you different from your competition". Customers are more educated now then ever. With the internet they have access to unlimited information and can research products and read about people that actually use their product. Think about what makes you different, then work with your production company to make that come to life visually on the screen.

You know your business better than anyone you hire to produce a video. Take the time to talk to the producer at length about what it is you do and how you want it represented on the video. A good producer will have ideas as to how to shoot and will give you things to think about that you may have not considered.

The great thing about being a video producer is that I get to, for a little while, live the life of whatever company I am working for. I find this useful because nearly every business uses their own language to describe themselves, that language is not how your customers necessarily talk about you or describe you. A good video producer acts as a third party and will be able to give you another angle to consider when producing a video for your business.

chris AT take2visualmedia DOT COM