Cinco de Mayonnaise!

I love mayonnaise! Don't you? Ok...Ok, I know not everyone loves mayonnaise, but the fact is that it just goes hand and hand with certain foods. I mean you can't make a good ol' southern potato salad without mayonnaise! I can't imagine a sandwich without mayonnaise (although many will argue with this) The point is mayonnaise is a condiment  - a condiment that complements the food to make it taste better. I look at video the same way. Video complements your marketing! It's a tool. Just like blogging is a tool, or social media is a tool for your marketing.

Video ROI isn't the easiest to measure right away, but it is one of the quickest ways to get found on any search engine and will help you move up with your rankings. If you got just one good client because you were able to speak to that person in such a way that they could clearly understand who you are and what you can do for them, wouldn't it be worth it?

There are many misconceptions about online video marketing. Everything from "It won't resonate to my target audience" to "It won't help increase online sales" and so on. If you want to see statistics about how online videos help turn lookers into buyers, there's info all over the web, but I want to give you the most common misconception.

The #1 misconception about online video marketing is... "IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE."

Let's face it, you're not shooting a blockbuster film. With todays technology, you can pretty much shoot a nice looking, short video with a DSLR and iMovie, but remember you are being judged by potential clients. And if your video is shaky and has bad audio, you probably lost them after the first 5 seconds. It's important for your video marketing to be as polished as your brand and website are. There are affordable student video producers that start in the $500+ range. Then there are companies like ours that start productions in the $3500+ range. If you want to learn more about budgeting for a production please read our blog "What's the magic number?" 

So, if you don't have your video marketing revved up yet, get started today! Online video accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic and 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with each other. If you have any questions about how to get started, give us a call and we'll show you how to use your video marketing like delicious mayonnaise. Happy Cinco de Mayonnaise!

Pulloons Create March Madness!

Ah...the thrill of college basketball in March! If you're not a fan...well, you're missing out! Great triumphant victories and gut-wrenching defeats at the buzzer are at the heart of this tournament, as are thousands of fans comparing their NCAA brackets with one another in the workplace to see who is going to win the "pot."

Well, March Madness is no stranger to one of our newest clients, Dominic James, who was All American point guard at Marquette. Dominic and his wife, Angela Phillips, have created a new product called "Pulloons," which is a decorative gift box that automatically inflates a balloon on the inside by pulling a ribbon. It's a unique gift to be sold at floral companies for all occasions such as birthdays, Valentine's Day, and the widely popular Baby Gender Reveal party.

We had the pleasure of working with the Pulloons couple to create their first video production that is being used to help market their new product and showcase it on the ABC TV show "Shark Tank." Check out the links below! It’s pretty much a slam dunk!

http://msn.foxsports.com/south/story/ex-marquette-star-james-looking-to-make-new-name-for-himself-031914

YOUTUBE VIDEO

What's the "Magic" Number?

One of the most often asked questions we get right off the bat is, "So how much does a video cost?" Good question! The simple answer is - "As much or as little as your budget allows to do the job you desire.” 

This usually comes from clients whose video production hasn’t been high on their list of priorities in the past but now realize the impact videos can have on their business.

Our goal is to help you understand where the budget is going, so with that in mind, let me first provide an analogy.

Caller: "Hello, I heard you are great at building houses, and I'm in need of a house. How much does a house cost to build?"

Builder: "Well, what kind of house are we building? How big of a house do you want? Do you want brick, stucco, or hardy plank? What about hardwood floors, or carpet?  You get the picture.

You see, just like the number of variables in building a house, there are many variables that go into producing a video. So let me offer some things to consider that will help you along in the process of budgeting for a video and as you seek a production team.

CREATIVE

It’s your brand. What do you want it to reflect? Are you looking for your production company to bring you the “big idea?” If so, then there's a cost involved with that and you should budget for it. We believe it’s important to be part of a client’s whole planning process from Discovery to Delivery and everything in-between.  

Being with you in the planning from the beginning ensures that we stay on track to produce a video that speaks to the right audience with the best creative, and in the end, provide the value you desire in a video. 

Then before we start the pre-production phase we make sure the script is locked and ready to go.

PRE-PRODUCTION

These things don’t just happen, they are important but time-consuming, and must be considered in the budgeting process.

1. Scheduling – Although flexibility is always needed, a project coordinator is necessary to develop a detailed schedule.  This scheduling phase is time-consuming but saves both time and money in the long run. It is an expense the production company has to deal with.

2. Locations/Scouting - Do you need one location? Five? You’ll need to consider a larger budget if you need to shoot in multiple locations. The production team will consider that as they create the script.

3. Crew/Equipment - Organizing the crew and making sure that you have the right equipment is crucial. Knowing how many arms and legs needed on shooting day is vital to running a smooth ship. You don't want to send your only PA to the store when he/she needs to be helping on set. Remember time is money!!

4 Casting – Who will be in the video? Family, friends, employees or actors? There's a broad range of costs when it comes to talent from on-screen to voice-over. For professionals, the production company will “pre-screen” the talent based on fit and budget. The final casting process can be time consuming, but you should be able to block off a day (or less) to hold casting somewhere. when asking, “how much is a video going to cost me.”

5. Breakdown "Shooting Script” - Once the final script is approved, it’s necessary to work with the production company to break down the shot list. This is important to keep the production rolling along and not waste time.  It also aids in the editing process.

There's more to go into pre-production, but at least you get a feel of why costs can typically go up if not budgeted.

PRODUCTION

Shooting Day can be both stressful and fun at the same time. Proper budgeting for production can alleviate much of the stress that comes with too few people doing too many jobs. 

Just a few things to think about that impact the actual production on shooting day that will need to be budgeted.

1. Travel - The location should be considered. Will travel be involved as out of town shoots obviously cost more. Plus if it's an overnighter, then lodging, meals, and other travel expenses need to be part of your budget. Food on the set is also important. It might be a little thing, but it’s still a thing.

2.  Props - Although typically this could fall under "Pre-Production" because we will be buying props before shooting day. However budget some contingency funds in case you want to add a prop that might enhance the shoot to convey your message better. Sometimes it's just little things to help decorate the set.

3. SET-UP - Time is money no doubt. So even if you hire a small production team for what you think might be a 1/2 day shoot, expect there to be much time involved with setting up and tearing down. Remember, setting the right mood for a scene...takes time. 

POST PRODUCTION

So we’re through shooting now comes the hard part but also the most exciting…the edit! Editing includes cutting the footage (and arranging it in a timeline), choosing the right music, audio mixing, color correction, motion graphics, voiceover recording and any other elements together to deliver the final product. Here again, the video can be über polished with great effects, but if you want something to look like a Samsung or Apple commercial, there's a price tag that comes with it.

SET A BUDGET RANGE

While we can’t tell you how much a video cost, I hope you now have a better idea of what goes into video production and are ready to create your budget.  Let me recommend that you establish a range which can provide some flexibility in the creative process. 

There are so many cool things that can be done in video production but we don’t want to mislead you into thinking you can have something that your budget can’t support. By providing a budget range, we will be able to tell you the unique things we can do for you in that range…creative things to achieve your objectives and move your business forward.

If you're interested in working with us or knowing more about us and what we’ve done for others, shoot me an email at todd@atlantaideastudio.com or go to atlantaideastudio.com

And that's a wrap!!