October 2011 Newsletter
Video Newsletter
Leverage Your Events
Many of our clients are global organizations and what we produce can be diverse; from flashy trade show pieces to internal communications. Getting the appropriate individuals on camera can be tricky... not to mention expensive when extensive travel is required. One good alternative is to use trade shows, annual meetings, conferences and other opportunities to gather interviews and video assets for later use.
There are a few things to consider.
Trade shows make great backdrops because you get the visual excitement of the event and can really show off your product or exhibit. They also let you interview people you may not otherwise be able to access easily. The "man-on-the-street" interview also provides interesting and credible comments. And, you get the benefit of documenting it for those who were unable to attend.
Other times you may want to use the occasion but not date the video with the backdrop of the location. We recently traveled to an international conference of attorneys held in South Carolina. Rather than use the beautiful Southern hotel as a backdrop, we created a small studio in a quiet room with a green screen. This gives us the flexibility to create any background during the edit. The videos we shot will be used for a variety of purposes including the organization's official website.
So, the next time you're getting together a group of employees, exhibiting at a trade show, bringing together customers or distributors – let us help you think about how you can leverage the gathering and create a variety of different communications from one video shoot.
A Noteworthy Organization
Over 16 million children in the US live in food insecure households. 1 in 4 Michigan children experience hunger every day – and one Grand Rapids organization is attacking those stats, and childhood hunger, one Sack Supper at a time!
Since July 2011, Kids Food Basket has served more than 156,000 Sack Suppers! Their efforts have been recognized nationwide – they've been honored by the US Chamber of Commerce, Lifetime – and in August, they won a brand new way to deliver their Sack Suppers. Through the Toyota Cars for Good campaign & social media, they won a free Toyota Tundra!
We created a campaign video for Kids' Food Basket a few years back. For an organization like theirs – a non-profit that's rapidly growing – two things were very important. First, the video needed to have a long shelf life and second, it needed to be easy to update.
So, we created a mostly graphic video - it shares the message of Kids' Food Basket – it's fairly simple to update (though it does take some time), and the look will last for years. We're currently working on our third update – and the look still has plenty of life left – here’s a look at one of our previous versions so you can see for yourself!
And, if you'd like to learn more about the great work this organization does, visit their website www.kidsfoodbasket.org.
The Latest from CK & CO
Meet Josh Peters, the newest member of the CK & CO team. Josh's background includes everything from shooting to editing and even producing! After graduating from MSU (we needed another Spartan around here to help CK cheer them on) he worked in government TV, and then for a media production company in Colorado.
He's an outdoor enthusiast – you'll find him backpacking or hiking on a nice day. When the weather is less favorable, he enjoys a good movie – and he's in good company (lots of movie enthusiasts at CK & CO)!
If we're out on a shoot, there's a good chance Josh will be there, so be sure to say hello!
Techy Tip
The final part of the production process can be the most satisfying – you finally get to see the results. It can also be the most confusing. Do you need a Quicktime file? Windows Media? How big? Is it for download? Streaming? Standard Definition? High Definition?
See? Told you. Confusing! Luckily, we're on top of all the latest file formats and compression techniques to make sure you get the file type that is best suited to your project. Here are some tips to get the highest quality results.
(1) File Format: There are two basic standards here – Windows Media and Quicktime. If you're going to be playing your file in a Mac environment, then Quicktime is your answer. If you're on a PC, then a Windows Media file is likely your best bet. However, many PCs do have the Quicktime player installed, so the Quicktime is also an option.
(2) Bitrate: This can be a confusing concept, but it's crucial. Basically, the higher the bitrate, the higher the video quality, but the larger the file size. Here are some examples of settings that we use, with the bitrate and the resulting file size for 1 minute of video:
- Web Preview – 600 Kb/s – 4.57 MB
- Medium Res – 2 MB/s – 15.8 MB
- High Res (DVD) – 6 MB/s – 44.6 MB
- HD – 25 MB/s – 174 MB
(3) Compression: This is the final piece of the puzzle. The one thing in common from our bitrate examples? They all used the Windows Media compression. There are lots of options. The key is to find a balance between size and quality. We tend to use a compression format called H.264 – common throughout the industry.
Finally, when it comes to putting your video on the web, it's best to check with your webmaster or web design team. They may request MP4, AVI, or something newer like WebM or Ogg Theora. No matter what the format, follow our 3 tips. And, if you need some guidance we’re happy to make a recommendation.