VIDEO PRODUCTION CONSULTATION

When we have our first meeting we'll define a number of things that will give us a better idea of what problem you are attempting to solve with your video.

First of all, is a video really what you need? Sometimes it isn't. Video is a fantastic medium, but there might be an easier or more cost-effective way for you to communicate your information.

Now that we know a video is what you need, we need to talk about your video budget. This is always a moment of anxiety for our clients. They compare it to the "slick" car salesman asking the loaded question "how much were you looking to spend?" But you need not be anxious about this question. The plain and simple truth is we need to have some idea how much money you are willing to commit to the project. There is a huge difference between a video produced for $1,000 and one produced for $3,000. We can discuss those differences and develop a set of priorities for your project.

Once a rough budget has been established, we can move on to defining the video's audience. Who is going to watch this video? Is it for internal or external use? Will you or one of your organization's representatives be present while the viewer is watching, or will they be watching it alone - as a visitor to your web site, perhaps?

When we know what the audience looks like, we'll talk about things like look, feel, tone, and pacing. This is where we start to discuss specifics. In what video format will it be recorded? Will the video be treated with artistic filters to give it a particular look? Will the video have a serious or comedic mood? Will the video use fast cuts to evoke a sense of high-energy, or will there be slow dissolves for a more relaxed experience? All of these questions affect the final product.

The next question is what video delivery medium (or media) will be used? Do you want to hand your viewer a CD or a DVD? Will the video be shown on television? Do you want to stream it on your web site? While the delivery medium doesn't have a great deal of impact on the production itself, we just like to know where we are going before we get started.

Sometimes the hardest part to define is the video production timeline! This is where we determine the target dates for various production milestones, such as the first day of videotaping, or when the first rough edit is due.

Once we have filled in all the blanks and the initial consultation is over. We can then start crunching numbers and provide you with a video production proposal. As a rule, we work on a project basis rather than a flat hourly rate; we find it's easier for us to track and generally saves you money. You gotta like that!

You can check out our video production pricing page for more information on how we come up with the numbers.

After we have answered any questions you might have and you accept our proposal, we can move forward and start working on the pre-production stage of your video.