Business Services

Pay As You Go Video?

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I read this article this morning and hated the idea. Then I thought about it some more and I’m actually starting to really like it. A UK company, Shoot Cut Go, has created a company that helps you figure out what kind of video help you want (there’s a toll free hot line  if you have questions), gets you instant quotes, books your experts on-line and then provides for electronic delivery! Video and multimedia freelancers all over the UK are part of the network. Whether you need a full shoot, voice over talent, or editing they can help you get what you’re looking for, one would assume at a good cost.

While I am generally a fan of a one-stop-shop, this is a brilliant idea. It’s bringing video production to people who can benefit from it, but can’t necessarily afford what a large production house would charge. Since they have teams of freelancers all over the UK, you would be supporting local talent (for shoots at least) and not have to worry about huge charges for transportation. It puts the power in the hands of the small business that can benefit the most from video production.

To me at this point, it’s all theory. I’m in the US and not really in a position to go out and check with clients and the freelancers to see how everyone is liking the operation. But I do like the idea. For the production folks it’s a way to keep busy – let’s face it, it is  hard to start a production business. These folks have a company, that in essence, helps them line up work. The client benefits because they know the crews are carefully selected (and I would imagine that if there was an issue the company would help work out the problem) so they’re protected. It’s really a win-win.

I think that an idea like this would work well in the US – even if just on a state level. A few production teams working together and leveraging each others ability. Don’t have a 3D animator, that’s ok because someone in Sterling dose. The work is spread around to those who can do it with little effort by team. It builds resume reels and client bases. The clients get what they need all in one place.

Could this be the future for small video and multimedia production?

What the Heck is Corporate Video Anyway?

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High end linear editing suite, 1999.

Image via Wikipedia

When I started college as a Radio/Television production major I thought I would work in television or movies. I never thought I would end up corporate video. Like many of my classmates I entered the wonderful world of small market television after college eventually becoming weekend director at a top 100 market. After a couple of years I figured out that not only am I good at video production, I love it. I also figured out that I hate news production. After some work in marketing and public relations I discovered a home in corporate video production.

The much less sexy cousin of television, corporate video covers a range of uses and purposes. While it might not be as glamorous, it’s filled with variety and options that television just doesn’t have. One day you could be working on a training video and the next be working a flashy marketing piece. And chances are that unless you work in news your whole life, at some point you too will work in corporate television.

Most production companies will at some point be involved in corporate video. Whether they like to admit it or not. Doing commercials is a lot of fun, but unless you’re a big firm there usually aren’t enough of them coming through the door to pay the rent. Trust me, this was not the career path I would have predicted, but you know it’s not that bad. The hours are a lot better than TV that’s for sure!

The best part is that I get to do such a variety of videos, I don’t get bored. Some have been a little less exciting than others, but in the end I’ve learned something. The challenge is to make each and every production fresh and interesting, because that’s what you’re clients deserve.

More and more companies are moving toward video to reach their customer base. They’re going look for people with vision, creativity, and high quality standards to help them do it. I think that many of these business will be looking to form long-term partnerships with small production companies rather than forming internal teams. If you only want one or two videos a quarter, the overhead for putting a team together and outfitting it with the right equipment is not cost productive. Hiring a local production company to handle videos from concept to completion is likely a better investment. One or two videos a quarter may not seem like much at the start, but if marketed well and producing good work that one company turns in to three or four, and it could just keep growing from there.

To answer the question, corporate is a growing lucrative market for those interested in a career in video. It’s fairly stable and there’s a lot of room for growth. My only words of advice are, be good at what you do. Do you’re job right and the possibilities is limitless.

The OTHER Side of Me

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I realized that I’ve neglected a very important part of what I do and who I am. It’s time to rectify that.

I’ve gone by a lot of different titles….video specialist, videographer, multimedia specialist, media specialist, editor, director…the list goes on. In a nutshell, I’m good at video production. It’s my sweet spot. I’ve done marketing and communications work but I always find myself back in some aspect of video production.

I consider myself a generalist. There are those who focus on editing, or lighting, or sound. I’ve never been that lucky. Most of my work has been on small teams or small projects where you have to wear many hats. I’ve worked in small market television and corporate video. I’ve even shot weddings as side gigs on the weekends. And I can honestly tell you that a bad day editing is in many ways better than a good day doing almost anything else.

So why do I bring this up? Because I intend for this blog to cover my video life as well. I’m hoping you’ll find that there is a bridge between what most people think of as video and the world of marketing, messaging and outreach.

And now and then I may throw in an amusing story about some of the crazy things I’ve seen, done, and experienced during my video adventures. You’ll have to stay tuned for that.