In celebration of his accolade, here’s access to a member’s only videoclip from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation on Documentary Edits.  “Seeing Life as a Story”:

At the end of the clip above, William then shows the audience this clip of his work.

You can purchase the rest of William’s 1 hour 10 minute  seminar and many other seminars, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

In celebration of his accolade, here’s access to a member’s only videoclip from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation on Destination Events.  “Packlists and Paperwork”:

Click here to see the St. John’s Trailer that Joe refers to at the end of the clip above.

You can purchase the rest of Joe’s 1 hour  seminar and many other seminars, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

In celebration of his accolade, here’s access to a member’s only videoclip from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation.  “Getting the Shots you Want!”:

You can purchase the rest of Ray’s 1 hour 44 minute seminar and many other seminars, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

In celebration of his accolade, here’s access to a member’s only videoclip from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation.  “How the Presentation Build the Brand”:

You can purchase the rest of Loyd’s 1 hour 28 minute seminar and many other seminars, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

In celebration of his accolade, here’s access to a member’s only videoclip from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation:

You can purchase the rest of Matt’s 1 hour 12 minute seminar and many other seminars, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

In celebration of his accolade, here’s a double shot of DP from his IN[FOCUS] 2010 presentation.  The 2nd video is for paid members online, but you get it for free today!

At the end of the clip above, David then shows the audience this clip.

At the end of the clip above, David then shows the audience this clip.

You can purchase the rest of David’s seminar and many others, over 12 hours of content, for only $250 for a limited time.  Click the button to buy your membership, and click here to learn more about all that awaits you!

I was first exposed to Super 8mm Film as a child.  I remember my Uncle Ronnie at family functions shooting Super 8.  I used to follow him around and was very intrigued by the camera.  Thinking back, this probably planted the seed for my love of the format.

I started shooting film a few years ago.  Other videographers would ask me how we sell it to clients.  We live in an age now of High Definition and Blu-Ray and one videographer in particular stated, “we have worked so hard at getting a clean image, why would I want to revert back to that crap?”  It was a valid question.

I also remember sharing clips on different forums and there would be comments like, “it just looks too grainy,” “looks rough,”  “too much shake,” etc.  There was only one problem.  They were making the mistake of viewing the footage from their own expectations and preferences, not from the viewpoint of the client.  They were getting hung up on the technical aspects and comparing it to HD.

Let HD be HD and let film be FILM!

People often ask me why is film different.  I can talk about latitude and depth of color, but what really makes it different is….it just has that look.  Clients understand it when the see it.  They either like it or they don’t.  We present film to every client with whom we meet.  We pull out the Super 8 and 16mm cameras, let them hold their vintage bodies, and talk about the history of the tools.

Our 16mm was purchased from a National Geographic photographer, so we mention that to add romance to the presentation.  It’s fun to see their reaction.

Sometimes on the wedding day, I will let a Bridesmaid or Groomsman shoot a little film to add to the romance of their wedding day.  They love it.

We need to remind ourselves that we are visual artists pushing the storytelling in ways that we as filmmakers are comfortable.  Film can be one of those tools, not only as a complimentary piece, but as something that differentiates your studio.  Film is not for every shooter nor every client, but it certainly adds a little interest in how people perceive you.

Sprinkle a little romance :->.

John Moon, Northernlight Filmworks

My entire approach to editing from the gut comes from Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report. During a speech at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, Colbert stated:

“That’s where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. Now, I know some of you are going to say, “I did look it up, and that’s not true.” That’s ’cause you looked it up in a book. Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that’s how our nervous system works.”

And that’s where the truth lies in editing: edit for emotion, edit with passion, don’t use a formulaic approach and make every wedding video unique-edit with your gut! There is a rhythm to an edit that you feel deep inside, like a favorite piece of music, with a beginning, middle and end, and when the music, or video, is over, you feel the satisfaction of being taken on a journey. I feel that when I’m shooting I’m merely gathering the raw materials to assemble in the timeline and create something in the timeline that did not exist before. Editing is what makes the movie what it is.

I’ve recently found editing inspiration in the 2004 movie “The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing,” and I highly recommend this to anyone involved in creating wedding films. The movie shows us the power of editing, from the early days of Hollywood when editors were considered to be more like skilled technicians rather than artists, to the present day, and includes insightful comments from Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese and many others. The movie reminded me of the importance being precise in your edit and not staying on a particular shot for too long (or too short). Quentin Tarantino compared the work of an editor to that of a composer and a writer: in music the building block is the note, for a writer, it is the word, and for the editor you have the frame, and “two frames added, or two frames less, is the difference between a sour note and a sweet note, it’s the difference between clunky, clumsy crap, alright, and orgasmic rhythm.” “Pulp Fiction” is one of the reasons I make movies today-thank you Quentin!

“And editing is why people like movies,” said director Rob Cohen. “Because in the end, wouldn’t we like to edit our own lives? I think we would. I think everybody would like to take out the bad parts, take out the slow parts, and look deeper into the good parts.”

So place “The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing” on your Netflix instant queue, and then join me at the next IN[FOCUS] gathering near you!
Vlad

Let me see a show of hands from those of you who meet your clients at a local coffee shop, or deli? Now let me see a show of hands that have a quiet place like your studio, home, or rented meeting space? I am going to share with you our experience with both and how each location affected our meetings.

When we first started our company we had a space set up in our basement that had our “office”. It worked for us at the time as we both were working other jobs full time and this gave a way for us to work from home and still spend time with our family. Our first 2 years we spend meeting clients at area coffee shops, deli’s, bookstores, etc… We knew where all the Starbucks were in the Indianapolis Metro area.

To be honest, we hated ever minute of having to meet clients this way. It is very difficult to talk and listen as these places can get quite loud. I remember one time the mother of the bride got pretty upset as they couldn’t hear the video we were trying to show them on our laptop. I don’t think we ever booked a job on the spot in those situations.

You are probably asking why we didn’t set something up at our home to meet with clients. Partly because we live a good distance out in the country and our house is hard to find. The other part was we didn’t want a bunch of strangers in our home. We do know some in the industry locally that do have clients come to their home. Some have a space set up just for that reason, while others just meet at their kitchen table or living room. If you meet your clients in your home and have a nice place set up just for your client meetings, that is great! If you don’t have a designated place set up I encourage you to make a specific room your client meeting space – it will make you look that much more professional.

I have heard from clients that have met others at their homes and they said they didn’t seem very professional as they met in the living room and there were kids toys around and dinner cooking and they felt like they were intruding.

We found our current space a full year before we actually took the plunge and rented it. We knew it was the direction we wanted to go. Why you ask? Yearger Properties, who owns/manages the building, has several buildings around the Indianapolis Metro area. The rent for spaces starts at $300 and goes up depending on the size of the space. The cool thing, and what drew us in, was that we can reserve the conference room in any of the buildings 24/7. We inquired about just renting the conference rooms on an as needed basis, but it would be cheaper in the long run to just rent an office space and have the option to use the conference room in any of their 5 locations (soon to be 7).

Conference Room at Noblesville Office Suites

With our initial space in the building, we always met with clients in the conference room first. Then, if things were progressing to a potential booking, we would ask them if they would like to come see our “Studio” and view our work. We would then invite them in, put in some sample dvds and chat.

After moving into the space and meeting clients in the building we saw an increase in our bookings 500% in 1 year. After adding another work station, our little space became more and more cramped, so w moved into another space within the same building. This space is about double what we had, and we created an actual “client meeting area” within the office space.

part of our “Studio” where we meet clients and show our work

We don’t use the conference room very much anymore. We realized that our initial reason for picking this space was the convenience of multiple locations to meet, but to be honest, we have only used that option a few times. We meet with clients in our “Studio” 99% of the time.

We just recently learned of another option in our area for event professionals to meet their clients. It is called L’Evento. They have a library of event professionals and brides can meet with them, view their work, and get their contact info. As an event professional you pay a monthly fee, $85. -$162.

Some friends of ours, SB Childs Photography, belong to L’Evento and it is working well for them. Stefanie told me, “We feel like our clients trust us more. We used to feel like we had to sell ourselves in spite of our meeting location, but now, the building gives that trust, and the clients are sold as soon as they step in the door.” This is a great option if you want to save some money on space and still work from home, and many cities have similar arrangements. Ask around with other wedding professionals in your market to see if they’ve heard of one local to you.

Another option is to see if there are any local event professionals that would like to go in on a space together.

As wedding professionals, we need to portray and convey that we are professionals. If you invest in a great client meeting area, you will see an increase in bookings, and more bookings on the spot. We now close 95% of our deals after the first meeting in the studio versus 0% instantly in coffee shops. Overall, our percentage of bookings went from 50% to 95% after acquiring our current location.

Meeting with clients over coffee a the local coffee shop is fine after you have booked them. :->

Wishing you a great 2010 for your business. Hope to see you at the IN[FOCUS] Event January 18-20 in Austin.

Jennifer Moon
Northernlight Filmworks

Did you miss out on our 2010 event?  Was it too far to travel or during a time in which you had other commitments?

If so, then you are in luck!  IN[FOCUS] is offering you access to 8 of the seminars from our event in the comfort of your own home.  Here’s a sample:

• Be inspired by David Perry’s talk about making connections.
• Learn about Jones killer workflow that will save you hours per project.
• Hear from William Gaff’s approach to heartfelt storytelling.
• Get down to business with Matt Davis.
• Think about your image with Ron Dawson.
• Become a director with tips from Loyd Calomay.
• Prepare for destination events, courtesy of Joe Simon.
• And get to basics with Ray Roman.

You can purchase all of these seminars for $250 through the end of February 2010

No matter what you choose, it pays to stay IN[FOCUS]!