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It's hard to believe that it's December......Where does time go?
When you are a kid you wish your life away and time moves at a snails pace. But the minute you hit 18 and enter the real world it's like hitting a warp zone of time that moves at the speed of light and never slows down. What's up with that? Can anyone tell time to slow down? Father Time is still undefeated since the beginning of time and will continue to be. So with that being said, live for the day and enjoy every experience and every minute you are given on this earth because tomorrow is never promised.
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There have been studies that suggest that currently adults spend an average of well over an hour a day streaming and watching videos online. The king of online content is youtube and will probably continue to be king as it's set the standard for online video since 2005.
It's important for businesses and corporations to understand how valuable video content is for their website. Not only for websites but for all social media platforms. Social media has taken storm the last 4-6 years and we don't see it slowing down any time soon. So if you're not being aggressive with your social media and online video content you are potentially missing out on a good number of clients. Through many years of doing video production and talking to literally thousands of people we've come to our own conclusion, and it's not earth shattering or some big revelation, that people would rather hit the play button on a video and have information spoonfed to them rather than read a couple of paragraphs on the same subject matter. Online video content should be a crucial part of your marketing plan for your business or organization. If you ignore it your competitors will be taking potential clients that could've been yours. We get asked all the time by aspiring filmmakers/video content producers how to break into video production? One of the first things that we tell those trying to break into the TV/Film/Video Production world is to just pick up a camera and start filming something. Doesn't matter what it is just start filming.
What I mean by this is I tell a lot of those hungry to get into this field to get a camera, you can use your cell phone now as technology moves at lightening speed, and just walk into the woods and learn how to compose a shot by shooting a tree wide, medium, and then tight. Get good and comfortable with a camera and then offer friends and family who might have businesses a free video. Anyone who is in video production has done free videos, probably more times than they care to share. But this is a good way to learn how to frame a interview, get good b-roll, and learn how to become a storyteller, which I feel is one of the most important skills to have in video/film production if you are serious and want to make a career out of it. We are not big on filming weddings, nothing wrong with it at all and many companies do a fantastic job with it, but it's just not our thing. But if you are an aspiring filmmaker, doing a wedding at a very low cost is also a really good way to hone your skills and if the couple getting married allow you to do the style that's become so popular these days then you could tell a really cool story about their special day. This is very broad what we are talking about and there is certainly much more involved than just picking up a camera but that's a great place to start and will benefit you so much in the future if you can learn this skill along with many others. Feel free to reach out to Orange St Films with any questions or comments about video production. We recently produced a new video for one of our top clients, Brunswick County Schools. The school system is up for a $152 Million bond vote on November 8, 2016. We were hired to help educate the public on the needs of the system.....and there are more needs than could really be addressed in the video itself (although it was a paltry 6 and a half minutes long). So we were able to get a great voiceover from Chris Phillips, a fellow we use quite often. We then got a few interviews for the piece and we were able to take our drone up and give the viewers a unique aerial perspective so they could actually see the land and the tops of the schools...in hopes this would open up a few more eyes to the needs of the various schools. It was a fun shoot but most importantly we are playing a very small part in hopes that this bond gets passed so that so many students in Brunswick County have a better place to learn on a daily basis. It's very gratifying to produce something of this magnitude and who knows maybe it will educate and sway someone who was on the fence of voting for the bond. It is a worthwhile cause and we are honored to be a part of the educational process. Take a look at the video below or you can find it along with other examples of our work in marketing videos section.  We are producing a new paranormal/horror film called The Terrible Two. This past Monday, June 27th, we received a SD card in the mail that was signed anonymous. There was a note attached to the card that read, "Thought this would be of interest to your movie."
We didn't really know what to make of the card or the note at first and then we popped the card into one of our computers and were absolutely floored by what found on the card. Our producers have gone back and forth on what we should do with this footage. Should we call the police, paranormal investigators, try and get in touch with members of the Poe family? Our team has never been put in this position before, so after taking a vote on what we should do we have decided go through the footage and release what we've found on the card over the next 22 days. Tomorrow, July 1st, we will release 2 of the videos, one at noon and one at 6pm. Each day after that we will release a new video at 6pm until we've pieced together the best we can what was on this card. Some of the content on the card is disturbing and may not be suitable for younger children so please be careful when watching. Again please use common sense when watching these and don't watch them by yourself in the dark. The videos will be released on the following site: youtube.com/OrangeStFilms There is a section labeled The Terrible Two, the videos can be viewed there. A couple of weeks ago we did 2 days of add on shoots for our new #FeatureFilm #TheTerribleTwo. We got some really solid performances and some scenes that really bring the film full circle. When we did the initial rough cut of the movie we knew we were missing something. We'd written these new scenes but weren't sure if we were going to film them or not. They add so much value to the film and we are so excited to be able to share this movie with the public very soon. For updates on the progress of the film visit the movie's website: www.theterribletwomovie.com Also please like the films facebook page: www.facebook.com/theterribletwomovie We've put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this project and our hopes is that it will connect with the public. Which should be the hope of every filmmaker when they take on such a project. Have a great one.  Written by: Cassie Phillips (guest contributor)
Chances are you’ve had lots of opportunities to handle things yourself when it comes to filmmaking and video projects. Decoration, finance, advertising are just some of the things that can end up falling to you, especially in the early phases of a business. As a result of this, things don’t always get done at the level a dedicated professional can provide. We’ve all seen those cheesy local commercials done with low grade cameras, poor lighting, awful writing, and limited editing. Yet the reality of doing it yourself may leave you with a video along those lines simply because you lack the tools needed. Cameras, editing software, expertise, and a qualified staff are extra expenses and investments you likely can’t afford to provide right now. The best course of action is to bypass all of that by hiring a person or organization who already has all of these things along with a career of experience. Do Your Homework Yet finding the right person isn’t always simple. Finding the right company for the job is going to require some research on your part. There are two types of searching you can do: active and passive. Searching Google and viewing webpages are what I call “passive” research. Thankfully professionals with websites will frequently have samples of their work so you can see the kind of quality they’re capable of. Don’t be afraid to call other businesses whose videos you’ve been impressed with. They may be willing to share references with companies they’ve used. They want to build a business relationship with you. At the same time, beware of companies that advertise too much. The best companies have work that speaks for itself. Active searching is naturally a bit more engaging because you’ll actually be calling filmmakers whose work you respect. I strongly recommend either meeting in person or talking over the phone with someone. Emails, texts and other forms of non-direct communication are unlikely to provide as good an impression of the people you intend to hire. Request Samples and Negotiate Once you’ve found a few different companies, don’t settle on a contract right away. Request samples from all of them and then decide between the ones you like. There are probably going to be a few different companies that can provide what you want, so the next step is negotiating a deal. You should also be gathering the intellectual materials you’d like to have in your project, as they’ll likely need more information. Not everyone is amicable to making deals, but if you’re willing to push it, chances are you can get them to give you a better price. Be firm about what you need and what your budget is. Don’t be tricked into paying in full before you see any work, either. There’s no guarantee what they produce will be up to standards. Payment should always be rendered on service and not the other way around. Naturally, you may need to put up some kind of collateral. You may need to work with sensitive information online in your negotiations and clarifying what you need. You don’t want to have to worry about security or being tracked, so consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) whenever you’re paying for things online. For an explanation, Secure Thoughts explains how to hide and encrypt your data so you can minimize the likelihood of information theft. Final Checklist When you’re sure you’ve found the company you like, run through what you need one last time. Double check you’ve got these things in order:
When everything is done, review the results thoroughly before you release it. Don’t walk away from the process until you’re satisfied. Make sure to be open to others’ opinions. What you like and what your customers like may be different. Consider having others view the finished product before showing it to real audiences. Do you have any other input on how to find a great filmmaker for your project? Are there any steps in your process you would like to talk about? If so, please leave a comment below and tell us what you think. We have been in this business for over 15 years now and have learned a little bit along the way. We are still infants compared to where we want to go in the Film/Video Production business. This may not reach many people but we want to start sharing a little more of the little bit of knowledge we've acquired over the years.
Our first piece of advice is to learn many different skills in video production. This makes you way more of a threat on a set whether it is for a commercial, marketing video, music video or even a movie. It's been said many times but knowledge is power and the more skills you develop, and not just develop but get really good at, the more work will come your way.....promise that. We couldn't have built a production company if we were only skilled in one area of production. If we only knew how to hold a boom microphone do you think that we would be able produce projects on a smaller scale/smaller budget? No we wouldn't. What will make you more dynamic and more desirable is attaining the skills of camera, lighting, sound, writing, editing, etc. This isn't for everyone but we promise that if you work hard enough and want it bad enough then it will come to fruition. We are living proof of it. When it comes to video production good, clean audio is one of the first things that is overlooked. We cannot stress how important getting clean sound can be for the overall look and feel of your final video.
There are many sites out there touting the do-it-yourself video for your business. But based off of experience you can really mess up your video if you are not 100% sure of what you are doing. Just think about going to a movie in the theater and how important the sound is to that finished film.... We have a client who had a couple of videos produced outside of our work....they were contractors who did their own quick videos. Our client noticed the difference in the quality of sound in our work compared to these videos who clearly used either the phone or the camera's microphone. We literally were paid to re-shoot these videos because the sound was such low quality and had such a noticeable hum in it. The point is don't skimp when it comes to professional audio because people, especially potential customers, can and will tell. Do it the right way the first time and pay a little more and your overall product will come out way better and reflect on your business in a more professional manner. The state of North Carolina has caught a lot of flack over the last several weeks because of House Bill 2.
We are not writing this to discuss politics or even talk about the bill itself. We are writing this to plead with those from the outside looking in. Many bigger companies such as PayPal have pulled out plans to build and set up shop in NC based off of this bill. We knew the backlash would be bad but no one thought it would be as bad as it's gotten. With that being said we are pleading to all industries thinking of coming to NC to not judge this state based off of a few lawmakers who make decisions for the state. Most importantly the film industry. Don't hurt the decent, law abiding, tax paying citizens of the state who continue to work hard on a daily basis. It's sad that everyday folks living in this beautiful state have to pay the consequences because of some lawmakers in Raleigh. This state is resilient and we will prove to those on the outside how much we have to offer. |
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