But Wait ... There's More
What do large and small video and film productions have in common?
There are many different kinds of video and film productions ... TV spots, instructional video, TV shows, informational presentations, web video presentations, corporate videos, documentaries, and feature films. However, they all tend to share the same production process, at least at the basic level ... Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production.
Here's an illustration. Let's say Jimmy gets a new camcorder for his 14th birthday. He's hanging out with his friends and they decide it would be really cool to go to the Mall, act goofy, have Jimmy shoot it, and upload it to YouTube ... that was Pre-Production. So they go to the Mall, act goofy, and Jimmy shoots it ... Production. Next Jimmy puts the video from his camera into his computer, and edits it down some in a simple editing application ... Post-Production.
Let's go to Hollywood. Okay, while on his way to work a studio executive gets cut off in traffic by some teenage kid. He's not in a good mood. For the exec's first meeting of the day some lucky would-be moviemaker pitches his latest idea ... A movie where a bunch of teenagers go to a Mall, get locked in, and all die horrible grizzly deaths. "Terrific idea! I love it!", says the exec. So after the movie gets greenlighted the planning and hiring begin ... Producer(s), Director(s), Cinematographer(s), Set Designers, Costume Designer(s), the Cast, and many more. Sets have to be built, costumes designed, locations scouted, budgets made ... a jillion little details ... and it's all Pre-Production. Now they film the movie on a big carefully lit set in a big studio, and also at some remote locations ... Production. And finally they edit it all together into a stunningly brilliant blockbuster movie hit ... Post-Production.
Think of Pre-Production as "Planning", Production as "Making the parts", and Post-Production as "Putting the parts together".
So the process is similar for most video or film productions, but the scope of the tasks within the process vary greatly. The deciding factor in the size of a production is almost always budget.
back to top
What is the difference between film and video (as to "the look")?
There are 2 major differences ... frame rate, and image handling.
Frame rate refers to the number of images displayed per second. Film is shot and displayed at 24 frames per second (fps), and video is shot and displayed at 60 fps (technically it's 30 fps with 2 fields per frame). So, at 24 frames per second, film shows less images per second than video, and that alone makes it look different.
A film camera is able to capture detail and color better than a video camera. Video cameras do some electronic tricks to sharpen the image, but generally don't produce as good an image as film. A way of thinking about it is the difference between capturing a few hundred shades of a color (video) versus several thousand (film). For some things it doesn't matter at all. For others the ability to see subtle details makes a huge difference. Film is smooth and natural. Video tends to look harsher.
Larger commercial productions, often produced by Ad Agencies, usually shoot on film, which is then transferred to video. Most viewers wouldn't be able to recognize whether they were looking at film or video, but film does tend to give a more polished look to the production.
With some special processing, it is possible to give video a "filmlook". It's not perfect, but it does make the video look more like film than it would otherwise. I use it occasionally.
back to top
What is Non-Linear Editing (NLE)?
Here's how video editing used to be done, at least for TV spots ... A Producer would prepare tapes with various scenes. The main tape would be called "A" roll, and the alternate or cover scenes would be called "B" roll. The Producer would provide the tapes, graphics, words that needed to be superimposed (supered), and a script to a TV Director and a crew in a TV control room. The Director would count down and then everybody would swing into action ... Technical Director (runs switcher), Audio person, Chyron person (supers), Tape Operators, plus a few more. Everyone would have to do their job at just the right time. Everything would be output to a single tape, and that would be the finished spot. However, if anything went wrong (as it always did), they'd have to start all over again. Timewise everything had to be done in a line ... "linear".
When computers became powerful enough and economical enough to manipulate broadcast video it changed everything. One could modify anything at any point in the video sequence. It wasn't necessary to do everything in real-time line from beginning to end. That's what's meant by "non-linear".
The old linear systems were like typing everything out with a typewriter, and if you wanted to remove one paragraph, all the pages after it needed to be retyped after every change, whereas modern NLE's are the video equivalent of word processors: drag and drop, cut-copy-paste, any changes any time.
So Non-Linear Editing is just a fancy term for editing on a computer.
Here's a picture of what a typical NLE editing application looks like when it's up and running.
Note that
there are 4 windows shown on the screen ... 3 along the top, and 1
along the bottom. All the clips that are used to create the
sequence are listed in the upper left window. The editor opens
those clips in the upper middle window, decides how much of the clip
they want to use, and then includes that portion in the final sequence.
That final sequence is displayed in both the timeline (lower window)
and the upper right window.
backto top
What are camera moves?
The most common moves are pans, tilts, and zooms. These moves are typically made when the camera is mounted on a tripod or pedestal.
A pan is the camera scanning from left to right or right to left.
A tilt is looking either up or down, just like you would do with your head. If you look at your shoes your head tilts down. If you look at the sky your head tilts up.
A zoom is when one lens is moved to see farther away like a telescope. Sometimes a zoom-in (toward an object) is called a push, and a zoom-out (away from an object) is called a pull.
To "ped up" means to extend the pedestal (or tripod) up to make it higher (and therefore the camera). "Ped down" is the opposite.
Camera moves that involve moving the camera are called "dolly shots". In this case the camera is mounted on a pedestal that moves side to side or forward and back or moves on a track ("track shots"). These shots have a more dramatic look compared to the pans, tilts, and zooms. They simulate the way one sees things when one is in motion. Dolly shots cost more to execute because they require equipment, set-up time, crew, and rehearsal. Better looking production has a price tag, but many consider it worth the price.
back to top
What are "Transitions"?
A transition is the way you get from one clip to another. There are 4 basic kinds ... cuts, dissolves, wipes, and dve's.
A "cut" is just that ... one clip cuts directly to another. The movie "Circle of Friends" is a good example of a feature film edited with cuts only.
A "dissolve" is where one clip fades out as the next one fades in. The clips overlap. They once were used to signify the passage of time, but now they are often used to soften the "feel" of going from one clip to another.
The word "wipe" refers to a transition where one clip moves, is manipulated, or opens to reveal another, almost like a windshield wiper wiping on the next clip. There are circle wipes, push wipes, and nowadays a number of fancier wipes.
DVE's, or Digital Video Effects, refer to transitions that are made possible by computers. They include effects that take the a video image and squeeze, stretch, curl, twist and even move it in 3D space.
back to top
Can you remove or replace clips, logos, supers on a finished production?
Yes ... if the piece is still in the editing equipment. No ... if it's only available on tape as a finished piece.
Final Cut Pro is an increasingly popular editing application. Here's what the computer screen looks like when it's running. I've darkened the upper left portion because I want to direct you to the other two windows.
The lower window is called the "timeline". It reads from left to right. Left is the beginning of the spot. Right is the end. It's just like any timeline you might have seen in a history book, only instead of talking about centuries we're talking about 30 seconds. The vertical line in the middle of the timeline (called the "Playhead") shows where we are in this spot. We're just about in the middle. The frame that we're parked on is what's showing in the upper right window. Notice that the playhead is looking down upon several layers of something. The layers are:
V1 - The dancing girls
V2 - The brownish semi-opaque rectangle at the bottom
V3 - The "Dance Academy of Bellevue" logo
V4 - The phone number
So if the client wants to use a different phone number it's just a matter of replacing that layer with the new one. Not a big deal. But what if time has passed and the original video, logos, etc, are no longer in the computer, so now all that is available is the tape on which the commercial was put. I have no way of replacing that number. It won't come off the tape. Those layers that you see above don't exist on the tape. Everything on the tape is flattened down to just one layer where the video is mixed together.
As a workaround ... I could digitize the spot from the tape (put into computer) and put an opaque rectangle or "patch" over the old phone number, and then put the new number over the "patch". It would be a bit of a challenge to make the "patch" look good. In this particular case it's do-able, but it takes time. This is important to understand. Making small revisions to commercials, promos, or video projects that still "live" inside the editing equipment can be done quickly and usually inexpensively. Once that project is out of the editing equipment and available only on tape that same revision can be time consuming, expensive, or impossible.
back to top
What about Talent?
Most local commercial productions depend on a voiceover rather than an on-camera spokesperson. An on-camera spokesperson can be a real plus if they're good.
Concerning on-camera spokespeople in commercials and promos ... I've worked with a number of non-professional spokespeople over the years, and guess what! ... they almost always came across on-camera as non-professional spokespeople, and I don't mean that in a good way. I prefer to work with a professional. They usually take direction well. They care about their appearance in front of the camera, and have probably spent hours and hours working on it. The same goes for actors and actresses. Every city or town has individuals who put effort into acting, including kids. Most of these people will never hit the big-time, but they're almost always ready to go when the camera's on. When working with non-professionals you can usually count on everything taking twice as long or more. I once spent an hour and 15 minutes getting a person to correctly read 15 seconds of copy, and this was with cue cards. Exceptions to the above are testimonials or interviews. Real people work just fine if one controls the setting and the interview.
Sometimes a client wants to be an on-camera talent. A few are very good. Some are okay. Most are awful. Obviously this is a touchy subject. If the client is paying for the production then I have to give them the final say, but I try to be tacfully honest with them about what I think.
I try to judge an on-camera talents effectiveness not by their looks or slickness, but by whether or not they advance or detract from the message of the commercial. Some people come across fine one-to-one, but they just don't come through the camera. I really don't know why that is.
Celebrities, major or local, can add a lot of credibility to a message. If a client is seriously interested in advertising for the long haul it's probably worth consideration. Costs money. Always comes down to that.
back to top
Video vs. Stills?
There was a famous PBS series, produced by Ken Burns, called "The Civil War". It consisted of photographs from the Civil War period accompanied by narration and music. It was a very effective production.
It is often assumed that such a production is easier to put together than one that uses video clips. I find the opposite to be true. When one is given a group of video clips to edit into a sequence those clips are already the right size for the video or TV screen. The moves (pans, tilts, zooms, etc.) are inherently part of the clip. Still images, on the other hand, seldom fit the TV screen, usually need to be blurred by varying amounts to look right, and need to have the moves (pans, tilts, zooms, etc.) manufactured. In other words the editor has to manufacture a look that would have already been accomplished by the videographer in a clip.
A nice commercial or presentation can be constructed from still images (if they're the right images, and if they're large enough for video). However, if the only intent is to avoid the cost of a shoot, the cost of editing may be higher.
back to top
What are some requirements for Graphic files used in video?
First ... they need to be large enough to fit on a TV screen. Translated into pixels, an NTSC TV screen is anywhere from 640x480 to 720x540 (width x height), depending on who you ask. So I always ask a client or graphics person for a minimum size of 720x480. Most logos on web pages are much smaller than that, and when you blow them up to a reasonable size on the TV screen they look fuzzy (to say the least). Older Non-Linear Editing applications might be limited to just a few graphic formats, but nowadays there's almost nothing that won't work. Common formats are TIFF, TARGA, JPEG, PICT, PSD.
Here's an easy list of requirements:
720x480 pixels minimum size (graphics people will understand)
TIFF, TARGA, JPEG, PICT, PSD
Here's just a litle more information for those who want it. The 720x480 refers to the size of the file as a rectangle. The image of a logo within that rectangle is going to be somewhat smaller. That's okay, as long as it fills out a good portion of the 720x480 rectangle. If, however, someone sends me a 720x480 graphic with a little tiny logo in the middle of it then nothing has been accomplished. Here's what I mean:
The first image would work fine. The second one wouldn't, even though technically the rectangular size of both graphics is the same.
There are exceptions to the above rule. For instance, if an advertiser or promoter wants to put a bunch of little logos on the end of a spot then it's not necessary they be as large as specified above.
back to top
Can I use popular music in my spot or video piece?
Usually this question really means, "Can I use pop music for free?", and the answer is NO! For more information on securing broadcast rights to popular music visit ASCAP, or BMI, or for mechanical distribution rights: The Harry Fox Agency.
back to top
What is "Mission Creep"?
The term "Mission Creep" refers to the way in which a project that started out as one thing grows into a much larger project, sometimes in spite of careful planning. Mission Creep usually occurs because of incorrect assumptions by a client or person who commissions a video production, and/or inadequate communication on the part of the Producer. Most commercial clients are not video professionals. It's not expected that they would or should be, and the process of production often appears something like "magic". So it's not unusual for a client to innocently request, halfway through the production, something that would result in nearly starting all over again, or something that would require an increased budget. The Producer then needs to evaluate how important this "something" is to the client, and determine whether accomplishing this "something" is in everyone's best interest, and discuss it with the client.
There are clients, referred to as "Grinders" who make a practice of taking advantage of Producers. CreativeCow's Ron Lindeboom has a good article on the subject here.
back to top
What is a Salespersons role in all this?
An Account Executive or Salesperson is typically the one who has developed a relationship with a client. That being the case, the client will usually rely on a Salesperson for some guidance in creating a commercial should one be necessary. This guide can help. If it is possible, it's best to include a Producer in a meeting with the client. If that's not possible or convenient then it becomes important for the Salesperson to gather information from the client. Here is a general list of questions that you might find helpful:
1.) What is your product or service? (Ask for elaboration, especially if it's not something familiar)
2.) Who uses or buys it? (Who is this marketed toward?)
3.) What's unique about it?
4.) What group(s) would you like to target with your advertising? (The client may not know, in which case make suggestions)
To help the Producer/Writer you can ask for information on "features" and "benefits". "Features" are characteristics of the product or service. "Benefits" are what the product or service will do to help or enhance the life of the consumer or viewer. Let's take my computer as an example. One of it's features is that it runs at 3 Gigahertz, but a benefit is that it helps me get work done faster. A person might not know what "3 Gigahertz" means, but they will understand "faster". When learning about a "feature" ask or try to determine what the "benefit" is. Some copywriters believe that commercials should always be centered around benefits, but I don't think there is a hard and fast rule. If a client's target audience is very knowledgeable about the product or service they might not respond to a list of benefits that they already know about ... they would want to know about the features. The product or service might offer a feature and/or a benefit that is unique. It's always good to know about those things. Usually a client will be happy to tell you.
Some products or services lend themselves to visual demonstration. Watch for that. Some products or services can't be demonstrated, but the results can (happy customers, thin diet product users). Testimonials are useful in this regard. Consider whether the product or service lends itself to an emotional appeal or an informational appeal (or both).
Some commercials are all about "price and item", usually ending with a "call to action". Some are all about establishing an image or a "feeling" about the product or service.
You can also direct a client toward this section on this web page as a thought starter.
If a client meeting with a Producer is not feasible try to gather what information you can. Then try to establish communication between the client and a Producer by phone or email.
A Producer can handle the job of getting the commercial done, but it's a good idea for a Salesperson to stay involved with the production. It can be as simple as dropping by during a shoot. Most clients appreciate it.
back to top
What is an "effective" commercial or video piece?
It's one that gets the intended result for the client or commissioner of the piece if given sufficient airing. I know that sounds obvious, but it's surprising how often that goal is overlooked. An effective commercial is not necessarily one that has lots of bells and whistles or special effects. A flashy showy commercial might win an Emmy, but not bring any traffic through the store. Of course, an effective commercial can be flashy, and sometimes should be, but my point is that the goal should always be to effectively communicate messages to the viewer, and the fewer the better. Sometimes font on a black screen with a compelling voiceover is the best choice.
A healthy budget doesn't guarantee an effective commercial, but a skimpy budget will severely limit important elements like talent, voiceover, graphics, shooting, editing, and likely decrease it's effectiveness.
back to top
What makes an "effective" commercial or video piece "ineffective"?
Bad scheduling or placement is one reason a campaign fails. It doesn't make any difference how good or potentially effective a spot is if no one sees it.
Another thing that decreases response is making an unrealistic offer. If one offers mahogany toothpicks for a hundred dollars a piece response will be extremely limited. I don't know of a way to make that offer appear attractive without telling lies, and I won't do that. I don't know any Producers who will.
Broken promises on the part of the client will also ruin effectiveness. The public seems to be more forgiving of politicians than they are businesses.
back to top
How Should I Budget for a Video or Film Production?
Serious advertisers spend serious money on production because production budget, though not the only factor, is related to effectiveness. If every time the spot airs an effective presentation is made the advertiser gets more value per airing. It's about that simple. We all hear about huge amounts that are spent producing Superbowl commercials, and that's not an accident or bad judgment.
Having said the above, one has to start somewhere. It's not unreasonable to begin by devoting at least 10% of the total TV campaign budget to production, and many producers reasonably suggest that this amount should be 20-25%, but here are some obvious considerations ... If the total budget (including the time buy) is going to be $4000.00, then 10% would be $400.00 for production. That's not going to buy much of a spot. If the total budget is $500,000.00, then 10% would be $50,000 for production. That's not an unreasonable or unusual amount for big advertisers, but for small, local, or one time advertiser it's probably unnecessary.
Companies and individuals often ask for bids on production without giving much information, and this can lead to problems for the both the biddee and bidder. Here's why. A video or film production is not a commodity like bananas in a store. There are many ways to convey a message or story in a video presentation. A better way to begin is for the client to consider how much they are willing to spend, and then ask a producer or producers what they can come up with for that amount. This can lead to productive discussions, and these discussions are very important, especially at the beginning. Most established video production and post-production operations and individuals are not out to rip anybody off. They usually want you to be satisfied and come back.
A good article on the subject, written by Michael Kolowich, can be found here.
back to top
The GOOD FAST CHEAP Rule
It is simple and goes like this: You'd like your project done GOOD, FAST, and CHEAP ... Pick 2.
back to top
What is HDTV?
HDTV stands for High Definition Television. I'm not going to go into much technical detail here, but it's important to know a little about the subject, because, as of February 17th, 2009, there is going to be a great change in TV broadcasting, courtesy of the U.S. Congress.
The current method of getting a picture from camera to TV station to your TV is called NTSC. Using this method your TV picture has an aspect ratio of 4:3 ... that means 4 units across, and 3 units up and down. So if your picture was 4 inches across it would be 3 inches high. The NTSC picture consists of 480 scan lines on the screen.
The most common HDTV system has an aspect ratio of 16:9 ... 16 units across and 9 units up and down. This is closer to the aspect ratio used by feature films. The picture is wider. The number of scan lines on the screen is either 720 or 1080. So because HDTV has a lot more scan lines it has higher resolution, which means it looks better.
You can't watch HDTV on a NTSC TV set without a converter. Congress has mandated that on February 17, 2009 all NTSC over-the-air broadcasting (the current method) will cease. Your favorite TV stations will be broadcasting in HDTV only. Everyone will need to have a new HDTV set or a converter to get these broadcasts. Expect to hear a lot more about it.
The video production community is in the process of upgrading hardware and software to make the transition.
back to top
Links
Video Shooting Tips for Non-Professionals
Final Cut Pro Tips & Tricks for Experienced Editors
I encourage questions and/or comments?
CreativeOasis Production Services