Video For Cheeseburgers, What is a Cheeseburger?

   What is a cheeseburger?  Is it something that you love to eat? Is it the alternative to a home cooked meal? Is it Fast Food?  Does it make you feel full after you've indulged?   We all know a Cheeseburger that is really great can be more than beef between two buns.  We also know that a good burger can be something we gorge ourselves with,  if we like it.  Video is similar in many ways. Whether your business is large or small, This visual tool can make them come back for more.  If the video is bad it could give you the motto "Less than One Hundred Sold".
     Everyone knows what video is but when it comes down to using it for your business do you know why and how to use it?  Is it faster? Is it more expensive than regular advertising? Are your viewers full after they watch it? Do they want to add more to their order?  Are they thirsty?  Does a visual taste almost as good?  Would you rather read about french fries or see what they look like? 
In this series of Blogs called Video for Cheeseburgers I will attempt to answer some of these questions.  I find that many business owners want to use video but are apprehensive to utilizing this great tool. Many people are not sure if it's a fad, if it will be affective,  and of course if the benefits will out weigh the cost. 
   Over the next couple weeks,  I will explain what video is, what it does, and it's 50 uses in corporate settings. 
I will teach you how to choose from Angus Beef to Ground Round.  I will help you decide what condiments to use and where to use them.  I will also give you some tips on using the self serve bar. 
Each week I will discuss a different type of Video and how to use it in your business.  Whether you are asking where the beef is,   or if you Garden Burgers are more your style,  I will explain a Video Application that will be right for you. 
   Why Cheeseburgers?  The cheeseburger has been around forever and it's something we are all familiar with. Film has been around even longer and it still seems to be mystery to the masses.
Since this is the first of the series,  Let's discuss What Video is and how it's similar to the Cheeseburger.
   In 1948 McDonald's was opened in San Bernadino, California.  By 1957 McDonald's had sold over $3million dollars worth of product.  What does this have to do with Video?  People knew what a burger was,  So what was the result of the craving for Fast food?  People know what film is, so why are they jumping at the bit to add this to their business repertoire? 
   People are in a hurry,  they don't have time to prepare a meal, even a burger takes a while to cook.  They want it now, they want it to be fresh  and they want a to get it from a clean business.  They want to be satisfied without having to sit down to seven course meal.    Someone watching a corporate video or an intro video wants the same luxury.  Your Clients not only will take time to watch a video on your homepage they will appreciate that you put it there.  It allows them to make decisions quicker.  People have a lot of options to research,  competition is fierce in any business,  if you aren't at the top of your game technology it can cost you trust. 
   America is a Microwave Society.  Maybe the Fast Food Generation paved the way.  The factor isn't how fast it's how efficient we are with the time we do have?   Executives can now watch a 3 minute report instead of reading for hours.  He not only can watch that report but he will also remember more of it? 
   In a Study done by Osha for becoming better presenters they found that three days after an event, people retain 10% of what they heard from an oral presentation, 35% from a visual presentation, and 65% from a visual and oral presentation.  Would this leave the executive to have more time to do other things? 
   Video messages are the same way.  People will watch a 1-3 minute video, but will they take the time out to read everything you have on your website?
According to Pixability Business Video has rose 3400% over the past 4 years.  This could be because of the popularity of utilizing YouTube.  With a large majority of people researching businesses on YouTube before ever stepping foot in the establishment, it's perhaps a very vital tool to have on your menu.  Some trends became norms.  McDonald's Sold over 3 Billion dollars within 9 years.  Think about why they became popular.  And I'm pretty sure a lot of them are still standing.  
One of the portions of fast food was because of quality. Most Fast Food style restaurants back then were served out the back of a coach?  Well at least at fairs, and carnivals.  They didn't have one on every corner.
    McDonald's did have a clear message to those who worked at their facilities.  They learned to do things by the good ole , Q.S.C.  Quality, Service, and Cleanliness.  With the hot market of Smart Phones anyone can produce a video now.  Quality of video translates into the image that your company puts out.  If you are serving greasy, sloppy, unclean video on your site, that is the image that your viewers remember. 
   Video that is high quality (lighting, camera work, audio to name a few) will show and will not only keep the client tuned in it will also make them take action. 
Service in Video should detail how your company will benefit them.  How will you Serve them?  This should be explained in the videos that you put out.  Whether through still images or direct messages the viewer must always be the first person in mind.  

   Cleanliness is a good topic here as well.  Is your message well planned?  Are you fumbling?  Are you believable?  Video will not only set the pace to your message it will tell the viewer if you are someone trustworthy enough to do business with.  Suppose your viewer just got done watching 2 other videos for the same type of company.   Yours is well done, compared to the amateur videos that they just watched.  Do you think this could impact the clients  decision on who to give their money to?
   Your viewers should feel like they have gotten a solid message, they trust what you are doing,  and they have been given a message to react to what you just told them. 
It's like the beef to the burger, and the burger to the bun.  Your business can survive without using video but it's sure a lot better when you have it. 
   Make sure you read about the perfect website video in our blog next week "Introductory Video/May I take your order?  PLEASE"???

*http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/traintec.html

Render "a melt down Sonnett by a Final Cut Pro user"

Final Cut Pro  you are the biggest A-hole I know!  You make me want to cheat on you for being so damn ungrateful!  But I'm not giving up on us yet?
I think if we can just love us a little more, baby, you and me?
Whatdya say baby,
Oh yea?....Well I'm tired of your tricks!  your stupid error messages, your upppppgraddees?
I don't want to divorce you.
But don't let the Blue Ray hit ya in the ass on the way out!
I'm tired of all your deceitful ways and all your rendering!
I loved you but I should have dumped you a long time ago?
But I did take that vow didn't I?  I did sign that registration form didn't I???
I'm with you every frame of the way.
You and me baby, you and me?
I just can't wait til we get in a bigger hard drive.

AD Copy, What's your name, and Whose Your Daddy?

Many clients have an interest in creating a commercial and then they come to us to find that there is a lot more involved in this process then they first realized.  I hope to make this an easy place to find some direction.  There are several key points here to consider for writing your Ad Copy even if you are a do it your selfer, these tips are going to help you create content that will get you noticed. 
This 1st part is crucial.  The What?  What are you selling, What are you promoting, Why are you selling, promoting it? Is it a product or a service?  if you know the what and the why the rest becomes easier.  Be Direct, and Simplify.  Clarity here will launch you to the next level.
The 2nd part is just a crucial but will give you more direction.  KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!  You aren't selling diapers to astronauts!  Who are you selling or promoting to?  Make sure this is in line with what you are trying to achieve.  Are you really putting yourself in the customers shoes?  Are you speaking their language?  Do you know how they think?  Will your message kick them where it counts?   Is what you are saying attracting their attention?  Are your benefits listed?  How does your product or service serve them?  If they were to glance at the headline, would they want to watch more?
The 3rd portion here is To have a well thought out blueprint to the construction of your project.  Do you have some sort of formula?  Some things to consider, is this SEO user friendly?  Are you creating Brand Value, Are you giving an unusual twist to it? Is the grammar and inflection correct to the message you are projecting? Does it use expressive medium? And is the headline one that packs a punch to keep them interested? 
4th if your headline is boring then no need to bother with the rest.  Save your time because if you are creating ad copy that is just not interesting then why bother?  Creating your commercial should be just as fun as a barrel of monkeys!  Monkey's are cool!  The headline should be powerful, short, out of the ordinary.  It should break the rules, and appeal to your audience. 
I hope that this is helpful to my readers.  Feel free to contact us regarding creating compelling and engaging content for your next video project. 

Acting is not a Spectator Sport

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/events/2012/apr/20/5836/

To find your niche in life as an actor is not crucial until you figure it out that it would have been a hell of a lot easier if you had figured it out a lot sooner.
As a creative person you probably have many talents.  I do as well.  It's part of what makes me be a good producer.  I take the time to remember that I will always be trying to improve my skills and tune up my craft.  This weekend has proved to me that while I still take risks at 46 I am still enjoying this journey.  
No matter what you niche is just do it.  Take action and just do it.  If you sit back and talk about it and never follow your gut feeling you will never truly be happy. 
Do what you love,  the money will come.  Don't let money be your drive, let the love you have for what you do give you the pleasure of the experience. 

Surprising your Mom on Mother's Day, The Eve Grey Way!

If your mom is anything like my mine,  She already has everything. Every year we get my mother flowers which are beautiful,  but they die within a few weeks.   Since Mother's day isn't until May,  the thought probably hasn't even crossed your mind.  It will be here before you know it.  Why not think about doing something rather unique for your mom, wife or grandmother this mother's day?
Why not create a Life Documentary or Family Memoirs Video?  They are really easy to do.  If you aren't familiar with the process or how to put one together you can hire a professional company or you can put one together yourself using Still Shot photo's , Documents such as birth certificates and marriage licenses, and other multi media elements. 
You will want to take the time to plan it out.  Such as have a beginning, middle and end.  You may want to talk about favorite memories of growing up, camping trips, children's birthday parties.  It will help if you have a solid idea and if possible script it out.
The reason I'm bringing this up early is that it can take some time to put it all together so you will want to allow yourself a good amount of time to prepare the video and get all the materials together.  Perhaps someone has footage on a 16mm film or Hi8 that you may need to get converted over.  There are a few local places that can convert such tapes, however it will make sense to also check your local community college.  Many times they have equipment that you can either use or pay a college student to convert for you.  Most conversion shops will charge approx $25 for every 1-2hours of tape.  You can then upload the footage to imovie if you are working on a Mac,  Corel Movie Studio on PC.  There are several movie editing software programs that are very inexpensive.
Once you put all your edited versions together you can download some music, mix in some pictures which can be scanned and made into jpeg files and added to your Family Memoirs.  Once this is all edited burn to a DVD or upload to YouTube and watch her smile.
Some other things to include would be where she grew up.  You can do a search on google maps if you don't have a picture of the town and do a screen shot.  The quality is very good and is still affective.
Some other ideas would be interviews with family members, her favorite song, her perspectives on life or moral choices, artifacts, objects that she loves etc. 
If you are really creative you can include a voice over recording of someone talking about her.  Or include animations and graphics. 
If time is of the essence you can contact a video company that can do this within a few weeks.  If you start now it will be done by May 13th, 2012 or March 18th if you live in the U.K.
Think about the incredible thought that goes into this type of gift.  Whether it's Mom, Grandma, or your Wife it will blow her away.
We are taking orders now for Life Documentaries and Family Memoir Video's the cost is approx $350 depending on the length of time.  Call us today 619-288-9350
Don't forget this is one gift she will have forever, unlike flowers memories never die.
Life Documentaries usually focus on the deceased, but these are a true keepsake.







Here are a few other ideas that you could include in your Family Memoirs Video:

Protect your case in Court with Legal Video Documentation

While legal videography is not new, it is becoming more prevalent.  There are several types of video applications that can be used.  There is also a certain protocol and specific requirements that the videographer must be aware of so that this tool is not thrown out in court.  Insurance companies are learning the value of video tools as well.  Using video is not only a precautionary measurement, it is also a document that prevents malpractice suits and displays safety.   We currently have 3 Videographers on our team that have gone through the certification through the National Court Reporters Association.
The certification is highly important but not a requirement in the state of California.  However, if you don't want to take the risk of getting your video impeached then it's best to stick with the professionals that understand how to do the correct documentation.
There are several video documentations.   Settlement Documentation, Depositions,  Site Inspections, Wrongful Death,  Day in the life, Accident Reconstruction, and Estate Tours are some of the most common.   Settlement Videos are a dramatic representation of a person's life before and after an injury has occurred.  Depositions are pretty self explanatory however, they can benefit a case even if the interviewee is not located in the same area.  Day in Life videos show the person's life from the time they wake up til the time they retire to sleep.  Although these videos are admissible in court, the courts required very strict guidelines as to how these documents are created.   Wrongful death videos are focused more on the family and the loss they are experiencing due to the death of a loved one.  All these videos should be done with a certified videographer.
Certified Legal Video Specialist or CLVS obtain extended training and are only certified through the National Association of Court Reporters.  These individuals are the only ones that should be doing video for legal purposes.  In many cases they will give a letter of authentication and will place the video with the production company.  The Videos are not edited typically and the tapes are placed in a sealed envelope with the letter of authentication.   This should be a standard procedure that the videographer does to make this a true legal document.
Eve Grey Productions L.L.C.  currently has 3 videographers that carry this certification.  We insure that the videos are done with the highest quality and the highest integrity.  For further questions regarding these types of videos check us out at www.evegrey.com or contact us directly.

Creating Content For Signage

I wanted to share with you some interesting tips on creating digital signage content.  I thought for my business owners out there this would be helpful if you are considering adding digital signage to your business. 
Your most important message should be in the beginning and the end of the sign.  This will help to get their attention and remember the message.
 Use slower speeds on the 1st image than the others and leave enough time at the end for the last message to be remembered.
Choose 2 messages and get rid of the rest.  People like to say too much.  Keep it simple by focusing the messages and not going off on a tangent.
Group together in 3 Key phrases and concepts.  Important words and phrases need to be introduced 2-3 times in a row for enforcement.
Use jingles and Rhymes to help your clients remember.
When you use images of peoples faces or babies this can detract from your message.  Be sure to include these only if it is reinforcing.
Keep Text Clear, Simple and remember to use a Call to Action Statements.  It's best to keep your Logo and the Action Statement On the Screen at all times.
Your Call to Action Statement should Start with a verb, then the subject immediately following.
Use San Serif Fonts and Large Fonts for readability.  Don't go overboard with animation, text hodgepodges and colored texts.  Consider the style of your business and message.
Use Contrast on foreground and background.  This makes a huge difference even if it's done by 10%.
Motion Graphics and images should not interfere with the message either.
Digital signage is more like posters and not TV Commercials.  Each Slide needs to be strong enough to stand on it's own.
All the slides need to be geared toward the full message. 
I hope this is helpful to my readers that are either creating digital signs or are thinking about using digital signs. 
We Do FREE consultations for businesses seeking Video Branding and Marketing, Digital Signs, Apps, and Films.