"Well Begun is Half-Done"- Preproduction Planning Guide by Victor Van Rees & Tom Oates

Aristotle, an early proponent of detailed preproduction planning, is credited with the phrase - “Well begun is half done”. Surprises and change orders mid-project tend to derail a production schedule and increase costs. Thinking through all the details of any project will not only keep your production on budget, it will enhance the quality and effectiveness of your video. The following is a check-list of items to consider when planning a video project...

PART ONE: Creative Approach/Messaging

• What is the objective of the video? What do we want the audience to think, feel and do after viewing the video?
• Who is the ideal viewing audience for your video.
• How will the audience benefit from watching the video?
• What key messages do you want to get across in the video?
• Who is going to write the script?
• How much specificity, facts, figures, talking points must be provided to the script writer?
• What is the desired tone, manner and mood for the video?
• Is there any existing video footage or graphics that can be re-purposed in the video? 
• Can stock footage/graphics be utilized in place of original location shooting?
• Have you identified individuals to be speakers in the video?  If so, how people will be included and are there bios and photos available for each person?

 

PART TWO: Production

• What specific geographic and/or building location(s) will be required for shooting the video?
• Will crew travel be a cost consideration – most labor is based upon portal-to-portal?
• Are there additional locations available for b-roll shots or atmospheric shots that might be needed for cutaways - people working, building amenities, etc? 
• Has a shoot location(s) within the building been determined - Rooms/Location
• Is the location ‘noise secured’? (clear of construction/traffic or outside noise, office conversations, elevators, foot traffic)
• Are there windows at the location (will we have to contend with sunlight/exterior lights)?
• Will outlets for lights be available and will there be a building electrician or maintenance person available?
• On the day of the shoot, what hours will we have access to the location? (we may need to arrive early for set-up and stay late to finish the shoot). The crew normally arrives approximately 90 minutes prior to the scheduled “roll tape” time.
• Will the building/location be accessible? (i.e. not locked if it is too early/late in the day)?
• What is the parking & loading protocol? What information will building security need for all crew / vehicles involved?
• Who should the crew contact upon arrival? (name, phone number, email address)?
• Are location or filming permits needed for this location? Have they been filed with appropriate offices? Will copies of the permits be needed on-site during filming?
• Is a separate insurance rider – Certificate of Insurance (COI) - needed for this shoot? Will a copy of the COI be needed on-site?

PART THREE: Post-Production

Prior to editing, all music, graphics and voiceover narration must be finalized.  Plan for  the following items prior to initiating post-production and editing, either before, or as soon as possible after the shoot is completed:

• Do you have specific ideas on music or voice-over talent for your video or would you like suggestions? 
• Is there a corporate branding guideline to be followed?
• What type styles for titles or other text in video?
• What graphic design and colors should be considered for transitions?
• Are their existing charts, graphics or photos to include, and do they need enhancement?

PART FOUR: Deliverables

• What format – DVD or web based?
• Are either custom design labels and packaging required?
• Closed captioning required?
• Foreign language versions required?

Now you have considered nearly every element for budgeting and planning your next video project. You can now expect a more accurate budget, a better production experience and less stress.

White Paper: Save Money with an Omnibus/Ad Hoc Video Support Contract verson II

From Victor Van Rees, VP Federal Marketing, The EFX Company (dba EFX Media)

 

With an omnibus video services contract, similar to contracts awarded to EFX Media by the US Census Bureau, FEMA, OCC and others, Federal agencies can enhance quality, improve efficiency, and most importantly, save money. Oh, and you’ll only have to deal with contracting and price negotiations once every 3 to 5 years. 

Consider bolstering your in-house video capabilities with video services such as: a network of qualified video crews in every state and in fourteen other countries; technical support, such as: editing, interactive programming and animation; and staffing on an as-needed basis, under an IDIQ or BPA contract. When any department requires services over and above your existing capabilities, a vendor, such as EFX, could supply them on an "as needed" basis. 

FEMA has tasked EFX with providing script-to-screen video production services to communicate the importance of and the critical points in following  and complying with the Privacy Act. EFX videotaped in multiple locations, Atlanta to San Diego, and created several videos in a short amount of time . You can view one of the videos at http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=585&m=3124

 You will save money compared to adding staff on a semi-permanent basis for what might only be a temporary spike in activity. A vendor can supply media specialists, designers, producers, editors on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. Further, you would avoid the high cost of retooling your video equipment to keep pace with the latest in High Definition cameras, recorders, editing software, multimedia capabilities, etc. You would have at your fingertips, experienced artists and technicians who can instantly deliver a polished, professional, modern look to your videos. 

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently awarded EFX with its second BPA for start-to-finish video production.EFX produced this recruiting and orientation video for bank examiners, shot in various US locations.

Watch the Video at http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=729&m=3237

An extremely important issue is scheduling. How often have you had to postpone communication releases until your in-house shop can work them into their schedule? An on-call full-service production center can deliver rapid-response location shooting, animation, editing and finishing within days, if not hours.

For FEMA, EFX taped training seminars in San Diego, then created a graphic-oriented promotional video to show FEMA stakeholders  the importance of attending orientation seminars. View the video by clicking http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=583&m=3975

The U.S. Census Bureau foresaw this advantage and awarded a contract to our company similar to what was proposed above – location shooting, editing, animation and staffing. The advantage of having a vendor with wide-reaching capabilities such as EFX under contract is you can minimize contracting efforts when sudden needs require immediate response.

Noorvik, Alaska, January 25, 2010 -- EFX provide US Census Bureau with a live satellite uplink from remote Alaskan village of Noorvik . In this photo, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves traveled by dog sled today and visited residents.

 

In addition to providing the U.S. Census Bureau with nationwide location, EFX provided animation, editing, and translation services. The animated video, “It’s Easy” was produced in 60 languages, including a version for the English & Spanish LGBT communities and a version in American Sign Language. View the video at http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=582&m=3160

 Here’s another example of cost effective animation for a government agency.  Touchstone and their OMB client, needed an animated video to simply explain the benefits of cloud computing. The video EFX created was presented on the app.gov website. You can view the animation at http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=582&m=2691

The funding minimum for such a contract can be extremely low, with each task order requiring simplified budget approval. A specially discounted rate card for services and labor categories would be established up front to allow instant cost calculation for task orders. The cost savings would be considerable. 

We can share with you sample discounted rate cards for ad hoc support contracts that have provided other agencies with the efficiency of instant support, enhanced quality, and extremely important budget savings

The EFX Company (dba EFXMEDIA)

GSA Contract GS23F0059P and GS23F0060P (small business set-aside)

EFX Media is one of the country’s leading full service video production and media communications firm with a complete production, post-production, graphic arts and creative department located in Arlington, VA. EFX Media has a team of exceptionally talented, experienced, and dedicated professionals trained in traditional media, the latest interactive and distribution technologies as well as business communication. Our core business revolves around Full Service Video Production, Interactive Solutions, Media Services and Online Video Distribution. We emphasize creating benefits and value for our clients. We have developed methodologies based on industry best practice and years of experience that allows us to deliver quality services. 

We are a small business, on the GSA schedule. Our staff of managers, producers, directors, cameramen, engineers, editors, designers, writers, schedulers, and office staff have been carefully developed to find the most capable and loyal personnel available to manage projects and to best serve our clients. Additional information about EFX and samples can be viewed at www.efxmedia.com. 

Just a few of our clients include: US Army, US Navy, Tricare, FEMA, USDA, OCC, US Marshals Service, Library of Congress, IRS, US Census Bureau, Department of Justice, National Geographic, UN Foundation, Booz Allen, Serco, SRA, General Dynamics, America Online, Exxon-Mobil,, and many others.

Victor Van Rees

Vice President Federal Sales and Marketing

The EFX Company ( dba EFXMEDIA)

vvanrees@efxmedia.com

2300 South Ninth Street

Arlington, VA 22204

Voice 703-486-2303 Cell:   703-447-8950

View our demos at: www.efxtv.com

View our blog at: http://efxmediavictor.blogspot.com/ 

How to Negotiate Best Values from a Video Production Company By Victor Van Rees

Like everyone, you want the best price for the best service and best quality.  How do you make certain the responses to your Request for Quotation serve you well? Here are a few inside secrets from an experienced vendor.

Be clear and explicit in your RFQ: If your bidders have to guess on certain requirements, they will have to include some “pad” in their pricing to cover unspecified elements.  For any variables (shoot days or locations, number of projects involved or type/amount of deliverables), provide a set number.  Although it may not be the exact details you will eventually have, giving a set number allows you to compare apples to apples. Another way to combat vagueness is to ask for additional options (a second shoot day, for example).

If you require music in the soundtrack, stipulate the number of cuts. Include specifications for graphics and/or animation for the opening and transition scenes. The more information you specify, the more accurate a vendor’s quote will be, and the less “pad” the bidder will include in their pricing.

Be flexible with your timeline: If you dictate a tight schedule and deadline, vendors may not be able to give you their best price. Every company has peaks and valleys in their schedule. From a pricing standpoint, allowing them to take advantage of ‘slow’ time with your production can avoid overtime and freelance costs. From a quality standpoint, a flexible schedule will let them utilize preferred editors or crews for your job, who might not be available on short notice.

Look deeper: Don’t just check references. You’ve asked for three references, and you plan to send them confirmation emails, maybe even a questionnaire. Call them. Ask the references if your prospective vendor produced projects similar in style and scope as yours. Ask the references how flexible the vendor was, how creative or eager to please.  Don’t just check on the references, but ask for client contact information for each sample video submitted. You might find the samples look great, but the vendor only provided a portion of the work, or - heaven-forbid - went over budget.  When you view samples, consider the body of work. You may not see a perfect match to your project goals, but you should analyze samples for creativity, polish, storytelling ability, graphics approach, pacing, style and professionalism.

Add a step or two: Take time to make your decision. Allow for time to receive and respond to questions. Consider your review of proposals to be the first step in the bidding process. From your initial selection process, ask for best and final offers from the best three vendors. Ensure you include more specifics about the requirements when requesting the best and final offers. You’ll learn quite a bit from the initial submission, guiding you in fine-tuning your requirements. Consider an oral presentation from the finalists. Meeting face to face with a vendor can tell you a lot about their business sense, professionalism, creativity, and how well you might get along with them. Eliciting answers about approach, or suggestions for value-added enhancements to the project will foster a better production. Plus, you can learn the vendors’ thought processes. Think about scheduling the oral presentation at the vendors’ facility. You’ll get a look at how they operate, meet their entire staff and view their production center.  Remember, you are hiring a company, not just the individual you’ve been negotiating with. If there is only a single edit suite, or only one producer, or a small support staff, how likely is that vendor able to meet your schedule if illness strikes or another big job comes in.

Part of your negotiation is deciding the best product for the best price. It is a balance between both quality and cost. Don’t forsake one for the other. A bit of homework and planning can provide the best of both.

When to Outsource, Part Two by Victor Van Rees

In our previous blog article, FULL SERVICE PRODUCTION CENTER - When to Outsource? http://efxmediavictor.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-to-outsource.html , we suggested reasons to consider outsourcing to a full-service video production company. In Part Two, we concentrate on some special skills many in-house facilities don’t possess - Interactive programming and animation.

Since these aren’t necessarily capabilities many companies use regularly, why expand your staff with an expert?  It’s a perfect time to outsource.

Video asset management (i.e. organizing your video library so a viewer can find what they are looking for,) is becoming problematic as more organizations take advantage of the power of video communications. As one government public affairs executive stated, “We’re getting YouTube crazy”.

As videos proliferate, trees get lost in the forest. Viewers often miss the specific message intended for them as they search through a maze of videos.

Here are some examples where outsourcing was required to solve certain communication challenges.

“Finding the Right Career Path” – International Training Institute (ITI)

ITI possesses a wealth of online training videos for a variety of industrial career paths. The problem was finding job-specific training materials.

Example: Contractors wanted to view videos about becoming a better contractor, yet they would wade through a mass of videos dealing with how to be a better foreman, welder, roofer, etc.

An Interactive asset management microsite was developed, organized based on a user’s specific interest.

http://www.sheetmetal-iti.org/resources/index.html

 Every subject area was available to view, but users were first directed down a path of their choosing. Sounds basic, I know, but the Interactive programming and design for media management required special capabilities. Today, the right training is more readily available to the employee it was intended to serve. Every subject area was available to view, but users were first directed down a path of their choosing.

“Weaving the Web Into View” – Arlington Economic Development.

OK, your mere PowerPoint presentation now must be a multi-faceted, speaker-controlled video and animation-based show, merged with Bing 3D maps.

 

http://arlingtonvirginiausa.com/aedpres_web_version1/index.html

 No problem, right?  Not so fast. After the meeting, the entire presentation has to reside on your website with viewer controlled navigation.Now is the time to think about outsourced horsepower.

Arlington (VA) County Economic Development  needed a commercial real estate ‘virtual tour’ to showcase developing and available properties. They outsourced with a pro who could blend video with After Effects animation, with interactive design and programming, creating an attention-getting live presentation with navigation controls.

“Getting Real Face Time” – American Bar Association (ABA)

Sometimes, simply posting another video to your website isn’t enough to ensure your message gets heard. You need to position your cause or event as a prime importance to your audience. 

American Bar Association wasn’t getting the desired registration for their seminars and meetings. “Selling” the seminars’ advantages through promotional videos was the key.

ABA saw the need to outsource to a production company with experience in producing and showcasing promotional materials. Further, a seminar-specific microsite was needed to host these special interest videos. The site was then wrapped into ABA’s main website, so viewers never actually left the association’s website. The outsourcing paid off with a marked increase in registrations.http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=587&m=2926

So, long story short, think about outsourcing when you have a particular communication challenge that might best be solved with an outside vendor – a vendor with sophisticated design, programming or production expertise.

Victor Van Rees

Vice President Federal Sales and Marketing

EFXMEDIA

vvanrees@efxmedia.com

2300 South Ninth Street

Arlington, VA 22204

Voice 703-486-2303

Cell:   703-447-8950

FAX   703-553-9813

View our demos at: www.efxmedia.com

Video concepts and white paper blog at: http://efxmediavictor.blogspot.com/

 

 

When to Outsource?

FULL SERVICE PRODUCTION CENTER - When to Outsource?
By Bruce Dixon, Lindsey O’Neill and Victor Van Rees

You’ve set up a basic camera package and you’ve installed edit software on a laptop to handle interviews and training scenarios for your intranet. Now you’re tasked with creating a polished, complex corporate marketing, tradeshow or advocacy video. You can certainly handle taping the talking heads and cutting them with scenes around the office. Now’s the time to think about going outside for that polish, extra touch, sophisticated look and the rapid-response that a full service post-production center can offer.

Here are just a few services you might want to outsource...

SPECIAL EFFECTS AND ANIMATION: When your presentation has to stand out from the crowd and leave an impression, you want that extra sizzle that only motion graphic effects or animation can bring. A blend of multi-layered scenes with special transitions can create a pace and emotion to carry your message.

McAfee Promo for AOL
http://efxtv.com/media.cfm?m=1028

OPM Cloud Computing Animation

http://efxtv.com/media.cfm?m=2691

If you need to convey an intangible concept or bring a computer program to life, an animation might be the best, or only, way to illustrate it. Full service post-production facilities generally have motion graphic designers or animators on-staff that specialize in creating impressive or realistic effects, and have the knowhow to blend them seamlessly into an edited piece.

COMPLEX AUDIO TRACKS: A full service post-production facility has access to the latest in library music tracks pre-screened by pros, as well an impressive collection of professional voice-over narrators available at the drop of a hat. 

Access to those resources is coupled with an impressive talent for blending all the soundbites, background narration, music and sound effects by mixing the tracks for transparency and impact with just the right timing.

EXPERIENCED WORLD-CLASS EDITORS AND/OR PRODUCERS: You know your company and its message, but are you having trouble crafting a bunch of interview sound bites into a real story appropriate for your audience? A professional who has spent a career in developing insight and presentation skills for every occasion will add that extra something. Storytelling is an art requiring talent enhanced by experience. Balancing all the elements from effortless pacing to eliciting a specific emotion, are some of the advantages of working with an industry pro.

DISTANT LOCATION PRODUCTION: You need scenes shot in Juno, Wichita, Duluth or Hong Kong. How do you find a local crew you can trust to shoot with the right equipment, in the best quality, with the right attitude, who will show up on time? A full service production center like EFX Media can book a production package selected from their long list of trusted crews in nearly every state and twelve other countries.

FINISHING, DUPLICATION AND INTERACTIVE: Your production is complete… now what? A full service post-production facility has all the equipment needed to distribute a product for broadcast, web distribution, DVD or CD physical distribution, or for event playback. Most in-house production setups are unable to handle the complex routing, cabling and expensive equipment needed to go seamlessly from the edit suite to distribution.

The full-service production facility can master to just about any tape format in standard or high definition, create digital files for web distribution or embedding within a PowerPoint presentation, develop interactive menu driven DVDs or provide … you name it. Also included is an expertise when it comes to more complex needs like translation, captioning, package fulfillment or interactive programming to organize and host your digital assets.


MEDIA ARCHIVE SYSTEM: Say you’ve completed a complicated marketing presentation and a year later you have a new management team. Now you have to replace all the scenes with the old CEO, and many are multi-layered with special effects. Imagine having to re-digitize your master, find the old source tapes or files, and re-create complex edits. A media archiving system allows you to reinstate a project’s media files so you can pick right up where you left off. Everything is back in place, like nothing happened, and you’re back in business! When your project is archived, changes are easy, even months or years after the fact.

INTERCONNECTION TECHNOLOGY: At a full service post-production center you might likely take advantage of robust technology to boost efficiency, particularly during the busy season when ambitious projects require a rapid response. At EFX, for example, we have our Avid Unity - a SAN (Storage Area Network) connecting all our production computers via Fibre Channel (fiber optic cables). This high-speed data connection allows all the edit suites and other workstations at EFX to access the same drives and project files. Using Unity means our editors can all work on the same project at the same time when necessary. 


For example, on a quick turnaround job, we could be logging and ingesting footage on one system, while editing on a second system. On projects with lots of complex effects, we can break-up the rendering and spread it out among several machines for a faster turn time. While producing a large, multi-faceted project with little time to spare, you could have two or more edit suites working on various elements of the project simultaneously to finish within a very tight timeframe.

Online Video Asset Management, A Whitepaper

"Don't Let Video Assets Become a Liability"

Your web audience prefers video as an information resource. Your public affairs and training departments want to post more and more videos, while making sure that viewers can easily navigate to their subject matter preference. You need to manage a seemingly unmanageable library of video assets that is expanding exponentially, while delivering content in a timely manner. As more than one communications officer has stated, “My agency has become Youtube-crazy.” The proliferation of videos often means that important communications get lost in an online video maze. How many sites have seemingly dumped videos into the multimedia section of their website in chronological order? Consider how effective a public library would be without a Dewey Decimal System.

A successful online video communication strategy should consider the ease and efficiency of managing an expanding library of assets. Most importantly, the successful video asset management system will foster an enhanced viewer experience. Video engages viewers more than online text, and you want them engaged and channeled to targeted communications. The following aspects are key criteria for establishing an effective Video Asset Management System.

The Platform - You want your staff to have a simple and speedy method for uploading and cataloging video assets, without requiring programming skills. A turn-key approach utilizing a content management system should allow for ease in uploading videos and updating the site, with the same level of technical knowledge requirement as for a word processing program.

Navigation – More about navigation in the Viewer Experience section below, but the initial flowcharting of a navigation system for logical organization of subject matter is a significant first step. Considerations should include: how many levels, how many categories, how are the categories linked to other website sections, what are the hierarchies? A search function on the site should be considered, and a system for entering meta data should be established.

A menu page from EFX Media’s video demo site www.efxmedia.com

Omnibus/Ad Hoc Video Support Contract, A Whitepaper

We suggest that several Federal agencies could greatly benefit from an omnibus video services contract, similar to contracts awarded to EFX Media by the US Census Bureau, FEMA, OCC and others. We have developed the following White Paper that outlines the advantages of such a contract for augmenting internal facilities at Federal agencies, corporations and associations. Consider an approach for augmenting your in-house video capabilities with video services (primarily location shooting) and technical support (editing, interactive programming, duplication, etc.), on an as-needed basis, under an omnibus type of IDIQ contract. When any department requires services over and above your existing capabilities, a vendor, such as EFX, could supply them on an "as needed" basis. This would minimize the need to add full-time staff or equipment for what might only be a temporary spike in need. The funding minimum for such a contract can be extremely low, with each task order requiring specific budget approval. A specially discounted rate card for services and labor categories would be established that would allow for instant calculation of cost.

The cost savings would likely be considerable. The efficiency of instant support without lengthy contracting effort would be enormous. The US Census Bureau foresaw this advantage and awarded a contract to our company that is similar to what I propose (see blurb below). The US Army has also consolidated many of their video service needs to an IDIQ contract recently, as has the Office of Comptroller of the Currency. The advantage of having a vendor with so wide-reaching capabilities such as EFX under contract would be to minimize contracting efforts when sudden needs require rapid response. Further, we have created a national network of video production specialists with the latest in camera equipment, all available to us at below-market rates on a 24-hour notice basis.

Noorvik, Alaska, January 25, 2010 -- EFX provided US Census Bureau with a live satellite uplink from remote Alaskan village of Noorvik. Here, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves traveled by dog sled to visit residents.

Scene from animated "It's Easy" a how-to video on filling out the
Census form, created in 60 languages. Video can be viewed at http://www.efxmediatv.com/media.cfm?c=582&m=3160




U.S. CENSUS BUREAU AV CONTRACT:
The EFX Company (dba EFX Media), a twenty six year old video production company in Arlington, has been awarded a contract from the US Census Bureau to provide video production and other audio/video services. The Census PIO (Public Information Office) sought to find a general supplier of outside AV services to augment its own extensive in house capabilities. EFX Media will provide, among other services, location video production crews, editors, editing services, interactive design, and technical staffing services. Should all options be exercised, the contract will be worth $3.5 million dollars over the base year and four option years. In addition to providing location shooting all over the country, EFX was tasked with producing a 10-minute animated educational video to show citizens how to fill out and mail back their census form. The video was produced in 60 different languages, including a version for the English & Spanish LGBT community and a version in American Sign Language.