So you want a corporate video?

But your company doesn't want just any old video communication .. it wants film that's glossy, stylish, edited to music and looks ... well... looks expensive. (And don't we all want that - production companies want to do thier best work for you but sometimes it's about having the confidence to let them take control and do what you've engaged them for - that is - make that film)

First of all look deep into your companies wallet....... and get everything out.

Ha! - just kidding and In the words of Michael Winner 'calm down dear' however you'd be surprised at how easy it is to waste incredible amounts of cash on film and video - equally you'd be surprised at how easy it is for the good guys to find clever ways around small budgets and produce astonishing results for your video production.

If you read this you'll understand why this is, and while you may not save money at least you;ll know where the money's going.. putting you in control

 

We all know that all Video production is, historically, a very expensive process and there are (as you'd expect) equally historical reasons for this;

1. Equipment
Cameras, editing gear, lights - in fact all the basic things needed to make video were (and still are to some extent) VERY expensive.

2. A lot of People
Cameraman, soundman, camera assistant, producer, director, editor.... and they all want paying.

3. A lot of time
In short- the old equipment was time-consuming to use and it was easy to rack-up the man-hours particularly in the edit

Why is this relevant to me you ask?.... well hold on stay with the program because In the past few years, there's been a revolution going on in video production and it's been fought on two fronts:
FIrstly equipment costs have plummeted - bringing broadcast quality cameras, video production facilities and editing equipment within reach of anyone with a few grand to spare.
Secondly, advertising revenue is down, The BBC budget is squeezed, and the pressure is on to deliver more for less across the board in Broadcasting.

This revolution happened within TV broadcasting companies first, but it's slowly spreading outwards and is just beginning to bite on older independent producers with big overheads like rent and a lot of staff ..... producers who don't do anything other than 'produce' are a quaint relic of the past and if you're a company you need to be aware (like very media savvy companies) at just how much you can get for your money by spending smart and using the rapidly appearing 'slimmmed down' tv production models that are in use right now by The Major Broadcasters and gradually appearing in the commercial sector.

Let's take a classic example:

CREW
A classic crew consists of a cameraman, camera assistant and a sound man.
Add a Producer to this and then a director and a runner and you have a real party on your hands...... congratulations it's your film and you're paying. (mine's a large one by the way)

Here is the News:
The modern trend in lean mean documentary and news broadcasting (and this applies to all the big terrestrials in the UK and abroad) is to use a Shooting PD..... this is a shooting Producer/Director.
Or in other words a guy who's a producer/Director who knows how to handle a camera.
Congratulations you just fired 4 people and you got the same product.

This is FANTASTIC! And it works.. if you don't believe me have a look at any prime time doco. - Because many of them are shot that way.

It Works because one person is perfectly capable of doing sound/vision and liasing with those around them on and off camera - this is especially true of Corporate situations where the camera is invited and hasn't just crashed in unannounced.

This isn't to say you don't need a large camera crew or a producer sometimes.. but it's horses for courses, and if a guy turns up on his own with a camera and some lights it doesn't mean you're not getting a quality product that's fit for Saturday night on BBC One. It simply means you might have money to spend on another part of the production.... a helicopter shot or something really amazing that counts on the VIDEO.. and doesn't just look impressive on the day of the shoot.

 

There's more and more video being made - and it doesn't have to be made badly just because budgets have been paired down to a minimum, the more creative and the more knowledgeable a production company is then the better the result - and thats just not always about the money.