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FIRST MEETING
| Because no two video projects are alike, it’s a good idea to meet with us to figure out the exact specifications of what you want and need. We’ll work out a quote based on your requirements, and if you’re happy with that, we can usually get started right away. |
OUTLINE & SCRIPT
| We may need to spend some time working on the outline or the script. We’ll already have a broad outline worked out from the quote, but now we need to make it specific. This can take a few days if it’s needed quickly, but a couple of weeks is usually better. |
ORGANISING THE SHOOT
| We usually like to visit filming locations before the shoot in order that we might use the space to its fullest potential. If it’s a complex shoot where we need to get permissions from a lot of people, it could take up to six weeks to arrange; while a simple shoot could be sorted out within a week. |
THE SHOOT
| Filming for a longer project can range from less than a day for an event video, to eight days or more for a complex half hour video with many locations. |
POSTPRODUCTION
| "Postproduction" means editing and everything else needed to finish a film - effects, sound mixing, music and mastering. Editing for a long project usually takes several weeks. Adding requirements for effects can significantly increase the time, but we usually figure a certain amount of this into our schedule anyway. |
FINAL APPROVAL & DELIVERY
| Once we’ve got the video to a stage where it’s watchable, we’ll meet with you again to show you the video and seek comments. We’ll then make any necessary tweaks or re-edits you require before delivering the video on whatever format you desire. |
TIMESCALE | A simple 30 second web video could be completed within two weeks, while a half hour DVD might take 3-4 months. |
3 - Can You Make DVDs?
We can and we do. We'll usually design the menus and a cover and provide cases as well.If you want professional graphic design, though, that will cost extra. Depending on how complicated the DVDs are, there'll be a basic cost for every disc over and above the initial number you order. We can generally fulfil orders of a few hundred by ourselves, but if the order goes above 500 units, we have to get them from a DVD Replicatiin house.
This is because there are two basic ways to make a DVD - "Duplication" and "Replication". "Duplication" can be done with almost any DVD drive these days, and depends on a laser changing inks on a DVD-R to work. These are good quality and this is a service we can provide. "Replication" is for bulk orders, and needs specialised equipment, because the laser physically burns the data into the disc. This isn't economic for small orders, but is very good for orders over 500 units, and results in a more durable product.
4 - What Equipment Do You Use?
We use the Panasonic HVX200 and the Sony Z1 cameras.
The HVX200 is a compact little beastie, but it can shoot full quality HD video (as opposed to the heavily compressed HDV, which is mainly a consumer format). It can also handle DVCPro50, DVCPro and DV – very flexible! For shoots where we need the absolute highest picture quality, we can also field an SG pro lens adapter system, which allows us to use 35mm lenses – in other words, we can make the footage look as good as something shot on film.
The Z1 can shoot HDV, but it comes into its own for standard definition shoots on either DVCAM or DV – in fact, it’s a better DV camera than the HVX200 is! When the video is meant for the web (and consequently a smaller screen size), the Z1 is often what we use.
5 - Can We Have Music in Our Video?
Certainly! But there are a few restrictions...
Music copyright is a thorny issue, and it's very expensive to use music made by your favourite band. We can employ a composer to make original music at a reasonable cost, or we can go the completely free route and use royalty-free music which is specially recorded for use in these kinds of projects. We tend to find that this works in most instances.
6 - When You Contact Us
You can contact us with any kind of idea and we’ll happily sit down and chat with you about how to achieve it.
However, while we can start from a blank slate, it will help if you’ve thought about the following things:
- Who will see the video?
- What message should be conveyed to the audience?
- Where will the video be seen?
- Are there any fixed dates when certain things must be filmed?
- When will you need the video to be ready for?