Our Production Studio recently completed post production on a fund raising video produced for Options 360 Pregnancy Resource Centers in Vancouver.
We’re thrilled that Options 360 has chosen Our Production Studio to produce these fund raising videos for the past six years!
Creating video that motivates and touches the heart is our passion. Thanks for watching!
www.ourproductionstudio.com/nonprofit.html
Today, Charlies Angels from ABC is the latest casualty, joining Playboy Club and Free Agents at NBC.
Most of the cancelled shows aired only 3 episodes before they were yanked.
It seems like three episodes isn’t a very long time to gain a following. Then again sometimes three episodes are two too many.
As a television fan, I can’t help but notice that the content in some of these shows is really lacking in substance and quality. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good shows on TV today. But they seem to be few in number.
It’s not just television that is suffering from a lack of quality content. Radio stations have become glorified jukeboxes, with announcers that have little or nothing to lend to the entertainment factor. Magazines that were once sources of information and entertainment have evolved into nothing more than advertising pieces.
Readers Digest at one time was one of my favorites, and I kept quite a collection issues. Over the years it was nearly impossible to read because of the advertising inserts.
What happened? We lost our focus and direction.
Radio and television started changing when talented people who were passionate about entertainment were replaced by accountants and investors who saw a huge revenue source to take advantage of.
Hollywood stopped making shows, they started making budgets.
Today, producers, writers, actors and actresses are intent on making tons of money. Somewhere along the way, they stopped doing it because they loved creating the art.
Sony recently said they would no longer supply the 3D glasses to go along with their 3D movies. That cost will now have to be picked up by theater owners. Guess who is really going to pay.
Most of the 3D movies the past couple of years are not very memorable. They were filmed to show 3D effects, but the story lines just aren’t there. Maybe the 3D movies haven’t been a success because they just weren’t very good in the first place.
Home builders are no longer meticulous in building homes that should last 100 years. Instead of being skilled craftsmen, they are experts at speed with less than perfect workmanship. I’ve spent many weekends this summer replaced siding that is rotting on my 17 year old home. Once the walls were exposed, I was surprised to see the poor workmanship that was hidden from view.
NASA has lost more than their share of spacecraft and lives because of the need to trim budgets, with parts and services provided by the lowest bidder.
Would you feel comfortable getting in a rocket that was built by the lowest bidder?
I enjoy watching shows like The Sing Off and America’s Got Talent. Some of these contestants really have the fire in their eyes. They sing and dance because they have the passion. They love doing what they do. They do it because they love doing it.
For those of us who have heard radio in it’s heyday, watched live television at it’s perfection, and thought Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made it look easy, it’s disappointing to have observed the decline. We thought it would only get better, and didn’t realize at the time how lucky we were to witness their creations.
For those who don’t know what they missed, they can be hopeful that great things are yet to come. Perhaps in their lifetime they will witness people once again becoming passionate about what they do, and not passionate about their love of money, fame and fortune.
The famous MGM logo said it all:
ARS GRATIA ARTIS ”Art for Arts Sake”
Options 360 Pregnancy Resource Center
When Options 360 contacted us, they explained that they needed this video to play at their fund raising banquets, which were less than two weeks away. Facing this kind of time crunch, we weren’t sure that accepting this project would be such a good idea.
Finding clients to interview, setting up shooting schedules, and editing a video that needed to be produced in a very short amount of time just wouldn’t allow us to produce a product that we would be happy attaching our name to. Because they are a non-profit that does a very needed service, we just couldn’t say no. How we were going to pull it off was another story. Sometimes, you just hold your breath and jump in feet first.
With just about six days to complete this project, the cooling fans were humming on our editing computers. Two days were spent on-location, taping new client interviews and getting some great material from some of the staff members.
Friday September 20th, we built our simple green screen set in the lobby of their Vancouver location.
Three interviews were taped during this four hour session. The green screen option was used to let us be a bit more flexible in controlling the background behind our subjects.
We used a three point system to light our set. A 1000 watt key light on our subject, a 300 watt backlight, and another 300 watt fill light which took care of any green “spill” on our subjects hair and shoulders.
Since the final video is geared for internet streaming, we shot the project in Standard Definition DV, 720 x 480 at 30 progressive frames. A DVD version would also be provided.
Because we had only days to complete the project, we needed to off-load each days tape into the system each evening. The client had also shot some material on a consumer HD camera. We were able to use the disc from their camera to download their videos.
After loading the files to the Sony Vegas timeline, we rendered the high definition raw MTF material to Standard Definition AVI files, then transferred the video via Firewire over to our array of outboard hard drives connected to the Adobe editing suite.
The fun was just beginning! One of the clients who was interviewed didn’t want her face or voice recognizable. This meant we needed to blur her face, and alter the voicetrack.
Adobe After Effects is used to accomplish part of this. We loaded her raw green screen video into the timeline, then applied the Keylight effect to remove the green screen behind her. To build a virtual set for her, we added a layer and inserted a “talk show studio” as the background. Over the subjects shoulder was a virtual TV screen which had a “hole” available for yet another layer.
To keep things as simple as possible, we opted to just put the clients logo in that virtual TV screen. Trying to add B-roll video of other material was going to be just too time consuming. Because the virtual walls of our “set” were at angles, we needed to convert everything to 3D layers and “bend” the logo to appear as if it was flat against the TV screen.
Another layer was added so that we could blur the subjects face. A simple mask was created, centered on the subjects nose, and feathered out to cover her face. We needed to apply motion tracking to make sure the blur stayed where it belonged. The motion tracking layer needs to be rendered separately, and it would frequently stop rendering when our subject would turn her head suddenly, or play with her hair.
Saving our segment to keep what we’d accomplished, we then needed to change the voice track to disguise her. The audio track was loaded into Adobe Audition, where we changed the pitch of her voice, while keeping the original length of the track intact.
Our new audio file was then imported into After Effects, and was then married to our video timeline, and we rendered the completed video.
This process was scheduled to be performed overnight, because it would take several hours to render. Early the next morning, while inspecting the new video, we discovered that the audio track was off-sync by more than sixty frames.
There is a small flaw in Adobe Audition, which for some reason had omitted the first two seconds of our audio track. We were forced to go back into After Effects and render the audio file from the timeline. This time we were more careful to make sure the audio was exactly the same length as the video.
The next render was perfect, and the audio was locked to the video.
Our clients logo was provided to us as a rather low quality JPEG photo, which is fine for an internet file, but horrible when you blow it up big enough to be on a TV screen. The JPEG was imported into Adobe Illustrator, where we spent the better part of an hour tracing the letters and converting it into a vector based file.
A JPEG photo is actually made up of very small squares called pixels. Blow up the picture big enough, and all you see is a series of multi colored squares.
Vectors on the other hand, keep a nice sharp edge, no matter how far you magnify the file.
We had a second day of on-location shooting on the following Tuesday, and once again captured the tape overnight so we could start work on it early Wednesday morning.
Day three in post-production was spent rendering our new green screen video into work files.
On day four, we transcribed our interview subjects spoken words into a word processing format, so we could choose what key sentences would be best for our video.
The storyboard was completed on the evening of day four, and we were about ready to begin our assembly of the finished video.
Day five was a long process of editing usable clips, building timelines, and tweaking both video and audio transitions between the various clips.
Building music beds was our next project, and day six was spent adding custom length music tracks using Sonicfire Pro software. This software is probably the best investment we’ve made over the years of building Our Production Studio.
We’re able to pick out general music beds inside of this software, then dial in the length of the video segment we want the music to match, and then watch it “do it’s thing”. Not only can the music come out to the exact length we need, we can alter the music to feature more strings and less brass, or more excitement in a particular segment, then a softer ending.
The best part is, the music is royalty free, so it can be used online, on broadcast television, wherever you like. We pay one fee for each song, and use it without any thought of getting additional licenses for multi-media use.
We add these music tracks to the timeline, and do one last adjustment to change the volume throughout each segment. The audio sweetening is probably the most fun to work on, and because I started my broadcast career in radio, it’s the one thing that I can do almost blindfolded.
This nine minute long video was filmed and edited in just a matter of days. We’ve worked on 30 second television commercials that have taken a lot more time, and as you now know, it was a huge challenge to get this accomplished.
This was a project that was dear to our hearts, and Options 360 provides services that are in high demand. This year, they will help over 5,000 unborn babies see the light of day. That means that more than 23 kindergarten classes in our area will be starting school about five years from now, thanks to Options 360.
With so little time available, we could only do so much.
Could we have done a better job? Yes.
We felt a special calling to take on this project, even though it meant we couldn’t devote more time and resources toward creating it.
We can only pray that those who watch it will be inspired to give generously to Options 360 and support the good work they do.
This annual banquet is one of the largest fund raising events they hold each year. The video is played for those in attendance to show the work they have performed over the past year, in hopes of touching the hearts of potential donors.
Here’s a sample of one of the video features we produced for them in past years:
Options 360 Pregnancy Resource Center
The first day of production is scheduled for September 20th.
Once again this year, we’re thrilled to be helping Options 360, a pregnancy resource center in Vancouver, Washington. Over the past few years we’ve prepared their annual banquet video that aids in their major fund raising push.
They have three locations in the Vancouver area, and they seem to be bursting at the seams. During the filming process, we conduct several on-camera interviews. The majority of these interviews are in one of their small offices, which creates a few challenges.
We need to create a small “set” and bring in our lights and audio into an area that is usually less than 10′ x 10′. That forces us to move the camera out into a hallway and shoot through a doorway. While it’s functional, it certainly isn’t ideal.
Because we are under a very tight deadline this year, we’ve proposed to speed things up a bit and utilize our green screen for the “virtual set.” We can move into a larger area that would not look as good on camera, but will be perfect to film in if we use green screen technology.
I know they are feeling a bit apprehensive about the idea, and are a little unsure what this is all about. To let everyone see , we’ve created a quick sample to view.
We added a Oriental backdrop to our virtual set, and then in the “tv screen” over the subjects shoulder, we added yet another video of an ultrasound procedure.
When done properly, a green screen can save a lot of time, because we can add anything we want to the background.
We’ll be sure to post their entire video here in the middle of October so you can see how everything turns out!
The agency had sent their representative to a remote village in Ecuador, armed with a digital recorder and lots of ambition.
We began the project with a lot of enthusiasm, but the mood quickly changed as we off-loaded the interviews and started logging the usable clips.
The person conducting the interviews did have some broadcast experience, but had absolutely no experience conducting or editing interviews.
“Did these people come to your village and help you?” she asked.
“Yes” was the answer.
“Were you hungry before they came to see you?”
“Yes”
“Are you happy that you have new clothes to wear and a place to sleep?”
“Yes”
Several hours of recordings had similar responses. There wasn’t more than a couple of usable sentences from the entire set of recordings. We had to completely change the direction of the advertising campaign in order to have something we could deliver.
Ask your spouse “…what should I wear to the party?”, and you’ll probably get an answer that sounds like “..whatever“.
Change the way you ask the question, and you’ll get an entirely different response.
“Tell me why you like the red one better than the blue one“, and you’ve just opened up the conversation, and allowed the other person to respond.
“What was your life like after you found out you were pregnant?”
“If these people weren’t here to help you, where do you think you’d be right now?”
Asking a question that doesn’t elicit a yes or no answer will draw out information from your subject. Putting them in a position to be an informer makes your subject warm up to you. It gives them a sense of importance, by allowing them to expose their knowledge.
There have many been gatherings that I’ve attended where people have told me they really enjoyed our conversation. Yet they didn’t realize that I only asked them questions, and never offered any information in return.
In speaking with several people, I asked questions that needed more than a “yes or no” response. Because I kept everyone busy talking, they felt very good about themselves, and in return, they believed I was quite the conversationalist.
Other than my name, most people left the gathering with no additional information about me, yet they felt they “knew me very well”.
If you’re going to interview one of your customers and use the material as a testimonial on your website, prepare your questions in advance.
Stay away from questions that a “yes or no” answer would be easy to give.
Ask “..why would you recommend this product?”, rather than “..would you recommend this product?”
Your viewer will get a lot of valuable information, and your subject will think you’re brilliant too.
Learn a little more about how to produce a video for your website at http://ourproductionstudio.com/videostyle.html
Nothing is really as it appears. For instance, at my first job at a radio station, I chased cows back into their field while I was on the air.
That’s because things are not as they appear.
During my morning radio show, at least once a week, someone would call the studio to report “….your cows are out.”
The owner of the radio station kept a small herd of cows in a field behind the radio station where the broadcast towers were located. This particular breed of cattle were escape artists. They knew how to unlock the gate and wander out onto the highway on a regular basis.
So that meant, I loaded up my “emergency tape” which contained a few songs that would play for about 10 minutes or so, and I would run outside to round up the cows.
If I called the radio station owner to report that HIS COWS WERE OUT, he would always have a convenient excuse for why HE COULDN’T round up his own critters.
“I’ve got a really important meeting downtown in about 15 minutes, and I’ve got my good clothes on. You’ll have to do it yourself” he’d say.
This wasn’t what I pictured when I was day dreaming about a career in broadcasting. I thought I would be playing records, interviewing famous stars, writing commercials and running down to the bank to make yet another deposit. But, I was wrong. Things are not as they appear.
If you’re a fan of Dancing With The Stars, you’re familiar with Lacey Schwimmer. She’s one of the professional dancers on the show. She’s a talented dancer and a beautiful young lady.
To get ready for the show, each celebrity spends a long time in preparation. Not only the days of rehearsal for their dance numbers, but before the broadcast, a lot of time is spent getting hair done, wardrobe ready and makeup done to perfection.
When the show is over, the lights are off and the makeup is removed, Lacey looks nothing at all like the glamour girl you see on TV. Things are not as they appear.
Did you spend some time on your website correcting spelling errors and incorrect grammar? Does your information correctly represent who you are and what you do?
Putting a professional looking video on your website is a great way to make your business look it’s very best. A video let’s your customer see your business the way you want to be seen.
Your business should appear it’s very best if you expect to attract and keep customers. Show us how good you are, and how good you can look with a well produced, polished video.
Put on your best clothes, put on a little lipstick and show us how good you can look!
Maybe things really ARE as they appear!
For some ideas on how to accomplish that, check us out. http://www.ourproductionstudio.com/howvideo.html
At the time, I didn’t know much about selling advertising. My broadcast experience was in writing scripts, and producing the ads for our small market radio station.
The radio station was very popular at the time, and we did a good job at covering local news, especially agriculture related stories. The station was in the heart of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and home to family farms that had been in existence for over one hundred years.
My potential client was an area Farmers Co-op, who catered to the farmers and ranchers in a three county area. It just made sense that they should be advertising on our radio station….at least I thought so.
All I had done was introduce myself to him, and I was hit with his blunt statement.
In the past, he actually tried advertising, but he didn’t receive the response he had expected. So, in his mind, advertising didn’t work.
Before visiting this gentleman, I had found his old script in the files. It contained a laundry list of brands they carried, store hours and address. Information you may put in a newspaper ad, but certainly not a radio ad. No wonder he thought advertising didn’t work.
This caught his attention, but he still didn’t seem very interested.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he yelled “No, you can’t DO that!”
“But since radio advertising doesn’t work, naturally it won’t make any difference to your business, right?”
He was convinced, I got his business, and they became long time advertisers on the radio station. The ads did not have a laundry list of brands, but instead talked specifically about how their store had “hard to find” items.
The thought being, if “hard to find” items were in stock, then everything else you may need would be there too.
Advertising works. How you present your information is key to success.
No matter if you sell a product, offer a service, or just want to get your point across, the same principle applies.
Tell your story in a way that will rouse curiosity. You don’t have to explain every detail. Instead, offer a small sample that will create desire in your visitor, which makes them want to find out more.
The longer someone stays on your website, the more likely they will become your customer.
http://ourproductionstudio.com/webbuild.html
Rinso soap from the 1940's
The Rinso brand of soap was a big radio advertiser during the 40′s and 50′s. It contained the sunshine ingredient Solium, which they said made your clothes whiter than new!
I still have no idea what Solium is, but people believed that it worked, and they sold a lot of soap.
We see similar claims today. Some pretty outlandish television and radio commercials try to convince you they have a winning product. You may watch the screen, hear the words, but it’s just not sinking in. We’re hit with a lot of advertising every day. Not just radio, tv or the internet. Your drive to work has billboards, store front signs, trucks and delivery vehicles…all competing for your attention.
What used to work isn’t working so well anymore. You’ll need to be honest and believable if you want to get through to your customer.
Jeff Davis explains why the standard 30 second tv ad lacks the impact it once had because of short attention spans and unbelievable claims.
“You’ve got to be kidding” I thought to myself. And I smiled.
Flying over country that is void of human habitation, hundreds of miles away from civilization, this gentleman puts his faith in a 64 year old airplane.
Why would anyone think something from 1947 could be better than what we can build today?
Quite simply, it works well.
There is no computer to adjust engine timing, correct course or auto pilot the plane. One must rely on skill and experience to fly and safely return with this revered aircraft. While these conveniences and upgrades ARE wonderful to have, this bush pilot chooses to use something that has always worked for him.
Someone e-mailed me, asking if we shot our videos with high definition cameras.
“Are you making a video for the Discovery Networks?” I asked.
He told me that he needed a video about selling some books on his website, and that it MUST be done in high definition.
I explained that shooting and editing high definition costs more than standard definition, and since he would only be showing his video online, standard definition (with high quality) would bring excellent results.
He insisted on high definition. His belief was that anything less than high definition would be an inferior product, and simply wouldn’t work for him. Our potential client also didn’t believe in paying the price for high definition either.
We used to call it “champagne taste on a beer budget”.
If your video is targeted for your website, a quality standard definition video is going to look great. Most likely, the video will be down scaled to fit nicely on your webpage, and the bit rate will be reduced so that even those with slower internet connections can watch it easily.
Should you want a DVD of your video, it will automatically be down scaled to standard definition in order to play on your machine. (Blu-Ray DVD is high definition, and that’s another story).
In other words most videos are going to be converted to standard definition anyhow.
Reading articles about all the latest technologies is a great way to keep up-to-date. There are situations where you will want to be shooting in high definition.
But for basic website videos and DVD handouts, standard definition TV is still an excellent choice, both visually and for your checking account.
Is the video on our main webpage high definition or standard definition?
Knowing exactly what you need, and using quality cameras and software is the key.
There are times when flying the 1947 De Havilland still makes good sense.
