Deconstructing a Project, Part 1

I will be breaking down, step by step, the process we took to create the following video:


Crossfader.com Marketing Video from Goldie Jones on Vimeo.

This video is one of my personal favorites, and one of the projects that involves the most common steps of a creative, scripted piece. In part one, I'll just cover the steps involved in preproduction.

Here was the initial challenge: we needed to create an exciting, edgy video to promote a website targeting artists that used a wide variety of creative software. The software that we were featuring in the video included video editing software, photo editing software, and audio mixing software. The final video would be used at a major tradeshow as well as featured on the website to draw in users.

Step One: The Idea

The creative team sat down and brainstormed the most effective way to highlight artists using software in an edgy, action packed way. Admittedly, people sitting in front of computers is just not action packed in anyway. But together we developed the concept of a DJ, a photographer, and a videographer all contributing to an event at a dance club.

We tell the story of the photographer in a photo session with a break dancer and then using software to create a poster to promote the event which we later see at the club. And we tell the story of a videographer filming a liquid dancer and then editing the video that is then played on the screen at the event. And finally, the DJ preparing her set and then performing in front of the crowd.

Step Two: Creative Development

Once we had nailed down the story and the client had signed off on the idea, I sat down with an artist and created a series of storyboards showing the entire video from start to finish and including detailed information on the shots that would involve a lot of graphics. As we moved through the storyboarding process, I also created a shot list of the shots that we would need to make sure we got while we were on the shoot.

These boards were shown to the DP (director of photography) to help give him a sense of the look and approach to the video and give him a starting place to design his lighting schemes. And we discussed the use of speed ramps (the changes in the speed at which the footage plays) and the general flow and feel of the shots.

I also used this time to work with the 3D graphics artists to nail down the 3D elements we would be using in the video (the opening logo animation, and the 3D crossfader slider used as a transitional element between stories).

And during this creative development phase, I created the styleframe mock-ups of what the graphics would look like, what the color scheme for the video would be, and the way we would use the graphics to transition from location to location within the story.

Step 3: Logistics

While the creative team was developing how everything would look, the producers and coordinators were hard at work pulling together all of the pieces. Booking the crew, booking the locations, arranging catering, conducting auditions, acquiring the necessary props, and communicating with the client.

Up Next: Deconstructing a Project, Part 2 . . . Production

The Quote Truth: How to know you are getting an honest bid.

It can certainly be a grueling process to go shopping for the best bid on a project if you don't already have an established relationship with a video production company. It can also be intimidating if you have never dealt with any video production companies before at all. But when it comes down to trying to find the right production company for you I can tell you the single most important pitfall to avoid and one that seems to be remarkably common.

If the production company doesn't ask you a lot of questions about the details of your project before they give you a price, then the price that they give you is meaningless. I can promise you this.

Each and every project is different. If you haven't told me anything about your project yet, I can not even begin to fathom what the price tag attached to it will be. If you need one camera set up on a tripod at the back of the room to film a seminar, that is completely different from a broadcast commercial shoot involving actors, multiple locations, and a full crew.

As a production company, if all that you, the customer, has told me is "I would like to make a video", I am obligated to ask you a series of questions in order to give you an honest, accurate price. Anyone that jumps to give you a number without fully understanding what your project is and what you would like it to accomplish is just throwing out a number that they think you will like in order to secure the project. Ultimately I would be very, very surprised if that number ends up being anywhere near the final cost once the project is done.

If you get a lot of questions when someone is building a budget for your project, you know they are actually taking your specific needs into consideration. If they don't ask any questions, how can they possibly know what you and your project need?

Why I'm in love with the HVX (and why it matters to you)

The Panasonic AG-HVX200 is far and away my camera of choice. Regardless of all of it's amazing features and flexibility, two things set it apart from all other professional cameras that I am aware of.

1) It's remarkably affordable.

The HVX is the most affordable DVCPro HD camera on the market. Granted the image isn't quite as clean as it's big brother, the Vericam, but honestly the only people who will really notice the difference are video professionals who have edited footage from both cameras.

Why this matters to you as a customer is that it brings HD into the price range of lower budget projects. An HVX can create a video that will look amazing on the web and blown up on a 40 foot screen on a stage. The flexibility of uses for HD without losing image quality is vastly superior to standard definition footage. Plus, as viewers, we are becoming so accustomed to seeing HD footage we've become trained to expect cleaner, crisper images in our media than standard definition is really capable of providing.

2) You can shoot tapeless.

That's right, no tapes. The video is recorded to solid state P2 cards, or external hard drives, or fed directly into a laptop. This means several things for video production as an industry.

First of all, speed. The time that it takes to get the footage from the camera and into an editing system is significantly faster than it has ever been with tapes. The turn around time for onsite editing becomes obscenely faster.

What this mean for you as a customer is that at an event (for example) you can film sessions or interviews or attendee feedback in the morning and play those videos during the networking dinner that evening, or have it posted to the event website in a couple of hours. A simple edit could feasibly only take moments (although allow time for exporting out to whatever file format you need to play it back on your AV system). I've turned around videos in under half an hour (not including the time it took to shoot the footage).

Secondly, it changes the way footage is stored. Since there are no tapes, there are no tape backups once the project is over. Companies frequently have archival fees if you want them to keep the files on their systems for a given period of time, and you should probably discuss archival options with them during the contract negotiations so that you aren't surprised by an extra fee and the end of project. Another option is to archive the footage yourself, purchase a drive or have your production company purchase a drive to be delivered with the rest of the final deliverables for your project with all of the raw footage on it.

Again, this should be addressed during the contract negotiations so that a company doesn't suddenly try to tell you that you don't actually own the raw footage, just the final project. This is rare but better safe than sorry because sometimes it does happen that people get a little strange about who owns the rights to what at the end of the day. If you want to keep the original footage just in case, or if you know that you will want to reedit later or repurpose the footage into another video, be sure you own the rights to all of the footage.

Overall, the HVX provides speed, flexibility, and higher image quality. As a side note, it's also great of shoots requiring special effects. I've always had great results with green screens and this camera. The one caveat would be; be sure you know what is happening to your footage once the project is done (but honestly, you should know this regardless of which camera your production company uses).

What kind of video would you create if you could have a finished project in only an hour or two?

What's Your Z? Episode 02

What is "motion graphics" anyway?

Most of the time when I'm asked what I do I get a lot of blank looks or the kind of "oh" that deep down you know really means "huh?".

What does it mean when I say that I create motion graphics? It means that I take static images (photos, text, illustrations, logos, etc.) and make them move.

For a example, in almost no time at all, I can take this:

















And turn it into this:


Dubai Map Animation from Goldie Jones on Vimeo.

This is a very simple example. Motion graphics can be infinitely more complicated and integrate in live footage like this:




We see them all of the time these days. On sports shows, in the opening titles of every movie and TV show we ever watch, in most commercials, we see them on screens in stores, we see them at tradeshows, we see them every where.

Motion graphics has brought new visual vitality to a brand's image. We can make logos do anything, we can make text move us through new worlds, we can create images to tell any story we want. Have you brought your brand identity to life recently?

What's Your Z? Episode 01

What do you think of when you think of Z? Let me know what comes to mind and you might see it pop up in one of these episodes down the line. This is the first in a series of creative spots for Subversionz Media just for fun. I guess we'll see where this goes.

The Critical Steps are The First Steps

I'm sure that we've all heard the phrase "putting the cart before the horse". I know the shoot is the exciting part, the moment when you really see things happening and everything is moving so fast. But don't be in too much of a rush to get to the shoot date and don't tie the hands of your production company by not giving them time to coordinate your project well, because it takes a lot of preparation to get to that point.

Never underestimate the importance of pre-production. This stage of the production process sets the tone for the entire project. This is your opportunity to communicate as much as you possibly can about what you want to get out of your video, what your message is, how long it should be, what kind of music you would like, and the list goes on.

However, don't forget you hired this company because they are good at what they do. Let the pre-production conversation be an open dialogue to get the most ideas out onto the table to find the very best fit for your project. The brainstorming process can really be a lot of fun. Take a long lunch with your creative team and just let everyone throw out ideas and see what you end up with. Send each other links to web videos you've seen that you really like the look of. Send each other color swatches/key words/fonts that you like. If you have brand guidelines and collateral, send them out so that your production company can create a look that is consistent with the rest of your company's content.

Most projects can be coordinated in 2-3 weeks. Small projects may only need one week. Complicated projects that call for a script/multiple locations/casting actors/etc. may take upwards of a month. If you know that you will be wanting to do a video in the near future, start early. The more time you give yourself and your production company, the less stressful the process will be and the better your results will be.

I'm well aware that often a short turn around is unavoidable, and maybe the early bird gets the worm, but whatever your timeline ends up being, the best way to get the best results out of any project is to have fun with it.

Video Speak

You decide you want to make a video for your company . . . to recruit new hires, promote a product, to jazz up an event or trade show, to train your employees, to communicate with your customers, or any number of other reasons. You find the right company to create your content and dive into the process with them, and then they start throwing around words you may not have heard before if you haven't been closely involved in a production before. So, here's a simple starter glossary to help you understand what your production company is trying to tell you.

Preproduction: This is everything that happens before the day of the shoot. Building the budget, fleshing out the creative concepts, refining the message, building storyboards if necessary, booking equipment/locations/talent/crew, making travel arrangements (again, if necessary). The thoroughness of the work done here will set the tone for how smoothly the production and post production process will go later on down the road. Don't skimp here. Give your production company the time and communication they need so they can save you time and money in the long haul.

Production: The day of the shoot. All of the gear and crew and talent arrive on set, lights go on, and the camera rolls. This is the exciting part. And, honestly, the shortest part of creating a video.

Post Production: Putting the video together. This involves several steps: capturing (getting the footage onto the computer), logging (sorting through and tagging your shots so the editor can easily find what they need), editing (piecing it all together), color correction (polishing the look of the footage, can also create a custom feel by shifting colors to create a mood), audio sweetening (removing background hum, making sure your volume stays consistent), graphics (adding your logo to the video, adding the names and titles of interviewees, adding flourishes for visual interest), exporting, compression, and usually uploading or printing to tape.

Producer: This is the person that will work with you on the budget and timeline. They are your one stop shop to answer all of your questions. And they will have a lot of questions for you. They will also be coordinating the crew, equipment, logistics of the shoot and post production. A good relationship with your producer is vital to a good experience with creating your video.

Director: Most of us know this one already. The person in charge on set the day of the shoot. They may also be involved during preproduction to work on storyboards/script.

DP: The Director of Photography, either operates the camera or directs a group of camera operators and directs how the shots are lit.

Gaffer: Sets up the lights.

Grip: Assists the Gaffer.

PA: General assistant to anyone that needs anything.

Audio Op: Handles the audio equipment and makes sure you get the best possible sound.

Editor: Pieces together the final video.

Of course, there's a lot more too it. You may have a team of people working on postproduction doing specific tasks. Your crew the day of the shoot may include makeup artists, costume/props people, special effects crews, dolly operators, and on and on.

But this is the starter glossary, so we won't get too complicated.

The Road to Video Production

When I went back to college I wanted to design book covers like my heroes Michael Whelan and Dave McKean. Thankfully I found myself in a degree program that covered video production and interactive design as well as graphic design.

From my first video production class, I was hooked. I loved the immediacy and the malleability. I loved creating the stories through words, visuals, live action footage, and animation. I loved holding the camera and finding just the right angle. I loved the post production process of putting together all of the pieces like a puzzle with infinite possibilities. I loved creating images that could only exist in video with animation and compositing. And oddly, I even enjoyed the scheduling and pre-production coordination.

When I entered into corporate and commercial video production I found myself thriving in a world of tight deadlines, high expectations, and endlessly pushing the boundaries of my abilities. And through it all, I'm still hooked. And still excited to be a part of the constant changes in this industry as technology continues to provide more and more venues for video to reach out to the world. It's no longer trapped on the TV. It's on the growing myriad of screens that we turn to for almost all of our daily activities. We even carry it in our pockets now on our mobile devices.

And it's not going to stop there. Wait until the day when street teams are handing out fliers on the street made not from paper, but a microfilm capable of displaying your latest advertisement and guerrilla marketers drive around the city turning skyscrapers into screens with vans equipped with mounted projectors. Who knows, maybe we'll turn sidewalks into display panels. I guess we'll see.

Welcome to an ever expanding world of possibilities.