--This article was a collaboration of local area producers. Mediaforce would like to thank them for their input. What a powerful communication tool video can be! Did you know that some studies have shown that people remember merely 20% of what they hear, and only 30% of what they see, and an incredible 70% what they hear and see? What questions do you ask? Will your final product meet expectations? We think it can if you follow some simple, but important guidelines. What better place to start than money? As with most things, you get what you pay for. Especially with video production, if you make a decision to hire a production company solely by picking the lowest quoted bid, you will probably end up with a video that is much less than what you expected. There's a saying that goes you can't have it fast, good AND cheap. It's not just a saying. It's true. Two of the three, yes. All three, not llikely! In fact, run as fast as you can in the OTHER direction if you see it coming. This video represents your company. Make sure it doesn't come off llike a school video science project, On the other hand, there is no reason to go nuts and go balls out with a huge budget. Find a company that gives a fair bid for the type of video you need and can produce your project in a professional manner. Look for quality and customer service first, then measure that against the quote. More than likely, you will be able to find a company that fits your budget. First, find a production company that has done it before. Look for real experience. Ask for recent clients names and numbers, then follow up. Also, there a couple ways to have your project priced out for you. The "Package Price" or the "Piece Meal" price. The package price for the entire project is the way many video projects are priced, or negotiated. This way is usually the best for both parties. The client knows exactly how much to budget for, and the production company knows how much money they will have to work with. If you choose this route, be sure to have a clear bid with exactly what each side will be responsible for. The advantage for this is if the company requires to do more work than initially planned to finish what is described in the bid, they are obligated to do whatever it takes to complete the project. But, it is very important to understand that if you as the client, ask for more than what is described in the bid, you would be expected to pay extra for that request. So be thorough.  If you piece meal, basically you hire your production company by the hour or the day, it just depends. So, you are paying for their time and only the time they are working on your particular project. Your producer should be able to give you hourly and daily rates and to estimate the total cost for the project according to your needs. This way is a not for the individual that has a very tight budget target to hit. Now, your producer should be available to you at any time to answer questions and to consult with you about any part of the video producton. Don’t underestimate the importance of your producer to the project's success; pay them fairly because they could make or break the entire project. What exactly does a producer do? They manage the project from the beginning to end. They are responsible for coordinating the scriptwriting, pre-production, shooting, and editing. Depending on where you live and his or her experience, you can expect to pay your producer between $350 to $1000 a day. Who's going to write my script? Scriptwriting is usually charged by a finished minute rate. For example, if your script is 15 minutes long and you are charged $200 per finished minute, your cost for a complete script should be $3000. A complete script should include all voice tracks and equally important, the video shot descriptions that match the voice track, as well as the graphic positions. Shooting is usually charged by the day, but sometimes can be quoted by the half day. Depending on your needs, your shoot may be as small as hiring one cameraman with gear, all the way to having a complete crew that may include a cameraman, lighting director, audio technician, production assistant, teleprompter operator, make-up artist etc. Rates vary depending on your location, It is standard to hire a strong two-person crew for $1,000 to $1400 per day, including professional camera gear, audio and a lighting package. The editing can be charged by the hour or by the day, depending on what you are most comfortable with. For most all projects, a high-end digital (non-linear) editing system will handle your project fine. Depending on the location and system, you should pay between $100 - $200 an hour, including a creative editor that can help make those important last minute decisions .   Award are important, but they're not everything. One thing they do tell you though, is that the company has been recognized by their peers in the industry. There are regional and national awards that producers can enter their projects. If your production company has won some critical acclaim, it’s a good chance that they would be a good company to produce your video. When it comes to quality and a format to shoot on or to edit to, other than the producer’s expertise, the quality of the final product depends largely on the equipment used to shoot, light and edit the video. For most corporate video projects -training, industrial or marketing-, television or commercial programs, the DV format is the smartest choice because of its native digital format. Betacam SP has long been the industry standard, but recent advances have swung the pendulum toward digital video, or DV. From a client's point of view, one of the new professional digital video formats like DVCAM, DVCPRO, Betacam SX or Digital Beta, will give you broadcast quality images. Mini DV is an incredibly small and powerful tape format, and is very popular now among consumers. If your production company wants to shoot using Mini DV, make sure they are using professional, NOT consumer, DV cameras. Mini DV does not mean it is equal to DV Cam. There are differences, so be careful.   When first meeting with the producer, they should ask you most of the questions and then listen to what you want. This is your company’s video and it’s up to the producer to try to get in your head to give you a product that you want, not what the producer wants. If the producer tells you what you need without listening to what you are saying, a red flag should go up. Every project is different, and each has specific needs and budgetary concerns. Set up a time to meet with the prospective producer. If you want a marketing or training video for your widget, it would be important for the producer to see the widget. Bring copies of videos you would like to emulate and tell your producer what you like and don’t like about these videos. Be sure the producer brings sample tapes similar to the project you want to do. Questions to Ask Your Producer: What can I do to keep my costs down? A good producer will help you keep the project within your budget. Some of the more common ways to save money are: * shorten the length of the program, * use fewer professional actors, and * keep the shoot days to a minimum. Holding a pre-production meeting to coordinate the project could save hundreds of dollars. If the shoot is scheduled at your company’s location, try to do everything possible to facilitate the videotaping process. For example, if you are creating a marketing or training video for your widget, let your manufacturing line take direction from the video producers and allow disruption of their work. What kind of experience does the producer have? The experience of the producer relates directly to the quality of the finished product. Be sure to see examples of video work that the producer has personally produced. Are there any extra charges?
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