Discover the Focal Point Difference in Elevating Your Brand’s Performance

Maximizing brand potential is vital for businesses of all sizes looking to grow and succeed in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace. Branding allows you to differentiate your business from its competitors and build a long-lasting relationship with your customers. However, to maximize the potential of your brand, you must have a strategic marketing plan in place. In this blog post, we will discuss how Focal Point can make a difference in elevating your brand’s performance.

Client Profile: Donna Marino, The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce

Click here to view video

We typically use this space to showcase clients who use video for external marketing or promotion purposes, but this time we’d like to mention a client that used a creative, well-produced video for internal communications.  The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, most known as the Indy Chamber, used a video production to engage its staff and Board of Directors at a critical turning point in the organization’s history.

“Ideally, what we wanted was a high-energy, multimedia product that not just looked at what we’d accomplished during the year, but would include a foundation of what the Indy Chamber is all about, says Donna Marino, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for the Indy Chamber.  “We really wanted to leave the audience with a good idea of what we were headed during the next year.”

This project was particularly important.  It was critical to motivate staff and board members, reinforce the chamber’s important role in the community and excite viewers about the future.  Not unlike other projects, this one was challenged by a short deadline, tight budget, and limited video elements.  By using motion graphics, personal interviews, music and still photographs, Focal Point Studios captured the essence of the Chamber’s work – and delivered on time.

“The end result more than met our goals – it is high-energy, creative and gives a historic snapshot of the Chamber while also wowing viewers with where we’re headed in the future,” says Marino.   

Focal Point Studios and the Indy Chamber are already planning more projects for the future!

Video Production: In-House or Not?

If you’re a medium to large sized business or non-profit organization, chances are you may have given some thought at one point in time to developing an in-house video/media production department.  Maybe you already have one.  But, what makes you sure an in-house production department is right for you?

Creating an in-house video production operation is quite an investment of time, employees and money.  There are three major questions to ask before doing so.  

Before you develop an in-house video production department, ask yourself these questions:

·       How often do I produce video content?

·       What level of production do I need?

·       What is the level of investment?

How often do I produce video content? Every company is different and an organization’s needs may fluctuate throughout the year.  If you have consistent needs for video content, then an in-house production team may make sense.  But, often times, I’ve seen companies that still need to outsource video projects, even if they have their own departments!  Sometimes an in-house team may be backlogged on internal projects and are unable – or ill-equipped – to handle complete a major, unplanned external project within the needed timeframe. Or, quite the opposite can happen:  an in-house team may only have to complete a few projects a year and company management may wonder why they’re paying for the overhead and costs associated with the in-house department.  

What level of production do I need?  The answer obviously varies, depending on each individual project.  Some may require a more “homegrown” or “grass-root” look while others may call for high production values, top of the line lighting techniques, and a cinema look.  It’s difficult to know for sure until a project is underway and it’s often times impossible to prepare for all types of scenarios. I’ve known of corporate in-house departments with limited production capabilities.  Either management doesn’t completely understand the video production process or is unwilling to invest in the right equipment needed to deliver a quality production.  And, if an in-house department isn’t properly equipped, staffing becomes a challenge: it’s difficult to attract and retain talented staff to work with an ill-equipped set-up.

What is the investment?  There’s a lot that goes into creating a video production department, including equipment and staff – and both are expensive.  What management sometimes may not understand is that even though there are fairly inexpensive cameras on the market, those aren’t always the best product for all jobs.  And, we’re talking about more than cameras – other necessities are tripods, light kits, microphones, editing systems as well other production needs like graphics or animation software, rights to music clips, and more.  The list seems to go on and on – and that’s not even including the training people who can run the department.   The most challenging part about technology is that it’s ever-changing:  equipment often becomes outdated quickly, making an in-house department a risky investment.

So, what are the options to an in-house production department?  One option is to outsource your video needs on an annual, retainer basis.  This eliminates the need to invest in expensive equipment and staff needed for a successful operation.  Many companies, like Focal Point Studios, offer custom, long-term production agreements that can accomplish a broad range of multi-media communications needs.  At Focal Point Studios, we pride ourselves in truly getting to know your company and its needs – and consider ourselves an extension of your staff.  We have access to the highest quality, most up-to-date equipment and tools to meet your needs quickly, efficiently, and on-time.  With decades of combined experience in storytelling, the media, and production our staff delivers high quality productions under tight deadlines, whatever the project – large or small.  And, it only takes a phone call to get started.  

Digital Cinema - Motion Picture Quality at Affordable Rates

Have you ever noticed how some video productions look a lot like film?  They’ve got a softness or smoothness to them, a different depth of field and well, they’ve just plain got a high-end look. 

Digital Cinema is the buzz of this video industry these days.  It used to be that clients who wanted the best quality products would turn to film – which is both time-consuming and expensive to shoot, edit and produce.  But now, with digital cinema, you can get similar results for a fraction of the cost.

When it comes to video production, there are varying levels of quality – everything from home-grown look to high end and well produced - and now, there’s digital cinema.  Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to produce high-resolution, cinema quality motion images, but without the use of conventional film.

You may have heard of the HDSLR or the RED cameras – those are a few of the biggies in digital cinema, with marketing materials that include words like “revolutionary” and “game changing.”  It’s a whole different approach to video production – some even say it’s the true “high definition” where HDTV is the really “low definition.” 

The biggest difference is the depth of field.  When shooting with digital cinema, cinematographers have a much greater control over the depth of field – producing images with soft backgrounds like what you’ll see in a movie theatre.  It’s all about the sensor.  35mm has a much larger sensor than a standard video camera, and digital cinema utilizes the same size sensor as 35mm film. 

The work flow is different, too.  Video cameras allows us to zoom in and out, pan left to right and other things.  Digital cinema is different in that there’s no zoom. The camera is physically moved either by hand held or using a dolly, jib or steadi-cam to create this effect.  Dolly, Jib and Steadi-cam moves help create stylish, cinematic images and add an instant level of class to the production…giving the production that WOW factor.  Plus, the audio and video are recorded separately with most digital cinema style cameras.  Video is captured by the camera and audio is captured separately, then they’re synced up during the post production process.  This allows for better audio quality and more flexibility in capturing sound – for example, the camera can be 50 feet away from a subject and the audio technician is up close to the action to capture the best sound.  More flexibility makes for a better end result.

All in all, digital cinema provides clients with another option.  It’s not the answer for every scenario – every project and budget is different and many require different approaches.  Most quality production companies have a variety of camera packages to meet each client’s own need.  Digital cinema is the latest and greatest on the market and is becoming more widely used.  Hence, the buzz.  

	Video	Digital Cinema
Overall Look	Clean, crisp look; everything in background is visible very much like daytimeTV shows	Has a softness, smoothness to look; more cinematic, like motion picture production
Depth of Field (how much is visible behind subject)	Smaller sensor provides little variance in depth of field	Has larger sensor, similar to 35mm camera; allows more control over the depth of field
Dolly/Jib vs Zoom	Lens can zoom in/out from wide to tight focal lengths.  Inexpensive camera movement; rarely seen in well-produced productions	Most camera movement comes from physically moving the camera with a dolly, jib or steady cam.  Lens change required for different focal lengths
Audio Workflow	Audio is recorded in camera; microphone is either hard-wired to camera or wireless with receiver on camera	Audio is recorded by separate audio device and synced during post production; allows for more flexibility in capturing audio .

 

Client Spotlight: Rotarian of the Year, Bill Ervin

We interview a lot people on camera, but rarely do we have the opportunity to work with someone who knows our business.  This summer, we did.  Bill Ervin was recently recognized as Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and the Rotary Club asked Focal Point Studios to produce a video about Bill. 

Bill’s distinguished career includes more than 25 years with the FBI, teaching at Butler University, and even producing documentaries.  So, Bill knows what it takes to get the job done when it comes to video.

“From the questions Brien asked me, I could tell he did his research and absorbed it,” says Bill about Focal Point Studios Executive Producer Brien Richmond, who led the interview with Bill.  “That’s a good part of what the producer and videographer do – the more they know, the better of a job they do. I was pleasantly surprised with his thoroughness.”

After his tenure with the FBI, bill spent about 4 years producing video documentaries – mostly related to WWII.  Together with a videographer, he traveled around the country, talking to people and doing what he says was “some really good stuff.”  He says his cameraman then was almost “frustratingly thorough” and it prepared him for being on the other side of the camera with us.

We interviewed Bill, then took him to Butler University to get some shots of him on campus – including on the courts inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.  In one instance, we asked him to take the same stroll across a court several times, even though some players were waiting to get on the court.   “Luckily, I had a background in video,” says Ervin.  “I knew that Brien wanted what he wanted and wasn’t going to stop before he got it.  The end result was fantastic – I liked it very, very much.”

Bill’s feature was just one project for the Rotary Club – we’ll talk more about others, and the club’s diverse use of video, in future updates.

Client Spotlight: Wiley Publishing

This month, Focal Point Studios is proud to showcase its recent work with Wiley Publishing for its 24-Hour Trainer Series: a series of books for computer programmers and web developers that cover a range of different topics, such as writing computer programs to developing applications. Each book includes a DVD that’s loaded with a series of videos produced by the author. The idea is that the DVDs offer readers the opportunity to see exactly how it’s done: it’s narrated by the author, with actual video of the computer screen and mouse and step-by-step directions.

The individual videos follow each chapter and are narrated, shot and edited by the authors. Wiley Publishing contracted with Focal Point Studios to produce the actual DVDs. We took the videos that Wiley supplied us, then compressed them, designed the interface, and produced labels that matched the book’s cover.

“Brien has been fantastic to work with. He’s the ultimate professional,” says Wiley Editorial Manager Rosemarie Grahm. “He always meets our deadlines, even short deadlines. When he knows we’re in a crunch, he turns things around even faster. Plus, he’s gone above and beyond on some projects – handling things not included in the actual contract, to make a better end product.”

This may not be the traditional video project that involves actual shooting and editing, but it’s something Wiley found to be a valuable process that could support and assist its in-house production team. We expect to announce more projects with Wiley in the near future.

How to Make Room for Video in Your Marketing Budget

Rethink your pie slices. There may a better way to carve your marketing pie. Consider shaving some dollars from your print budget and shifting toward the electronic media piece. While there’s still a need for print materials, that need is changing. Nine times out of ten, a nice print piece gets one look from a potential client. Video will likely get a lot more play since in can be used in many different mediums: a well-produced video project, a few sound bites for your website, YouTube, e-newsletters, and so on. It can be repurposed for years to come.

Consider your options. Not all video projects are created equal – there are varying levels of cost involved.

• Least expensive: shoot the video and turn it over to a professional to edit. A good, flexible production company will give you a tutorial – and maybe even loan you a flip cam – and then edit the video for you, with music and graphics. The result: a homegrown feel and look with a higher production value than you can do on your own.


• Middle of the road: hire someone to shoot and edit, but keep it simple. Don’t pay for extras that you may not need (who really needs a Cadillac when a Volkswagon gets the same mileage?) With good organization and planning, a one-day shoot will likely allow enough time to gather the elements you need.


• Most expensive: a video that has the highest production value. These would include “extras” in field production and post production, including things like high-end professional lighting techniques, animated graphics and custom music beds.

Start small – consider the start of your video library. Don’t think of video as a series of individual projects. Many clients hire a production company for one video project, then the following year find someone else for another project, and so on. This can turn out to be much more expensive in the long run. Find a good production company you like and start with a small project. Then, the next time, build on that project, using some video that you have “in house,” and incorporating a new interview subject, or video – maybe all you need is a half-day shoot. The beauty of video is that it can be re-purposed and “freshened up” by just adding a new element or two. And, as years go by, you’ll have your own video library to pull from and use in many different ways.

Don’t overlook the power of video.
Print marketing helps with your brand awareness: It lets people know you’re there. But today’s consumers want more: they visit websites for more information and that’s where video can best tell your story. It’s a way for people to see, hear and feel what you’re trying to sell. A well-produced video has the power to engage, educate and move people to action. Tough times mean tough decisions, but by being strategic, you’ll find a way to keep video a key component of your marketing plan.

Client Spotlight: Fifth Gear

Now here’s a company that gets it! Fifth Gear recently asked us to produce a marketing video for its home page to help promote the company’s new brand.

[click here to watch]

“Our first thought was ‘let’s do it ourselves,’” says Kim Brandt, who heads Fifth Gear’s Marketing operations. “But, we realized that with a new brand, we needed a professional approach. We needed to tell a story – something more than a casual walk-through of our warehouse.”

The Indianapolis based company provides e-commerce support, such as packaging, order processing, shipping and marketing, to online retailers. To give clients a “behind the scenes” look at its Missouri warehouse, FPS shot, wrote and edited a 60-second video showcasing its operations and employees.

“All of our clients are e-commerce. It’s important to show them that we’re using the same tools that they’re using,” says Brandt, who explained that the video was just one component of Fifth Gear’s SEO efforts. “We looked at a lot of companies before hiring Focal Point Studios and ultimately chose Brien because of his location in Indianapolis. It was important to us to be able to meet face-to-face and the production process was very smooth.”

Stay tuned: Fifth Gear has at least three more in the works.

Use Video. But, not just any video.

There are many different approaches used with video production, but most projects share the same goals: to engage, educate and motivate viewers. The right professional will help you figure out what style works best and what will be most effective in telling your story.

Engage

Video needs to grab viewers’ attention. In today’s busy cyber-world, we need to work quickly – sometimes we have only seconds to grab the viewers’ attention and keep them from leaving your website. Experienced creative services professionals know how to identify your target audience and then connect with those viewers by using a combination of music, video, sound bites, narration, natural sound, graphics.

Educate

This is about telling your story. Whether your selling a product or service, fundraising, or training employees, you need to inform viewers – and the message must resonate with them and be clearly communicated. The right professional begins by getting to know you and your company – so he or she can then effectively use the right approach and techniques to tell your story. Some professionals have been telling stories for years and, quite simply, just know what works.

Motivate

In other words: moved to action. Buy your product, hire your firm’s services, give money to your case, etc… There ‘s lots consider: should you use emotional sound bites? Include narration? Fast paced editing? What type of music? Professionals experienced in using various different techniques know what elements will best motivate viewers to go the next step and “buy into” whatever you’re selling or promoting.

Some people choose to shoot and edit their own video to save money. And, that’s OK, if it works. But, if a video is done incorrectly - if it’s missing basic storytelling techniques, if it doesn’t produce results - it gets expensive in the long run, if you have to then hire a professional to get the job done correctly. If you are looking for professional help, choose a creative services firm that has a comprehensive understanding of the marketing process – to best communicate your message using the appropriate tools and technology.

If you haven’t been convinced that your business needs video on its website yet, consider this:

• Video in email can increase click-through rates as much as 2-3 times
• 84% of Americans watch online video and in Nov 2010 alone, that equaled 5.1 billion video sessions
• When there’s video on a homepage, up to 80% of visitors will click that first, so it better be good!

Video is the buzz, especially with Social Media. According to comScore – a leader in measuring the digital world – video is the “sleeping giant” of 2011. Among some people, there’s a sense of urgency to get video posted on Facebook pages, websites, and You Tube. I don’t disagree. I just believe it can’t be any video. It’s needs to be good.

Telling Your Story with Video – Part 3: Wrapping a Bow on It

During the last few months in this space, we at Focal Point Studios have shared basic elements of how to tell your story with video. We’ve talked about crafting key messages, identifying good visuals and interview subjects and choosing compelling sound bites.  Now, it’s time to put it all together and complete the package.

Where to start  

Begin your project with the most compelling visuals and sound bites.  You need to grab viewers and keep them engaged.  Choose interesting video about your company or subject instead of a sound bite (we call them “talking heads”) from the CEO, even if he or she is the most senior level person you interviewed.

Match video to audio

When you’re editing, always consider how to “show and tell.”  If the narration is talking about a certain process, match visuals to the narration – whether they are moving video images, graphics or an artist’s rendering.   This makes for a stronger story and reinforces key points.  Also – look for ways to cover sound bites with video, so that you hear the person talking, but see more interesting video.

Beginning, Middle, End

Good stories have all three.  The beginning sets up the story and engages viewers.  The middle provides details and supporting evidence why viewers should “buy into” your product, project or organization.  The end must “seal the deal.” Want to stir emotions to raise money?  Save touching sound bites for last.  Trying to drive home the need for something?  Restate compelling evidence and video.

Voiceover, Music, Graphics

Sometimes we call these “icing.”  Not every story needs narration – sound bites, placed in the appropriate order, can tell a story alone.  A voiceover can provide authority and help guide the story.  Appropriate music helps pacing:  upbeat keeps it moving, slower allows for sympathetic or reflective moments.  Graphics add a professional touch – use the company’s logo as an opening or closing; animation provides a slick, stylish look. 

Fairbanks Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

Focal Point Studios is proud to showcase our recent architectural photography project for Fairbanks Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. Fairbanks has been around the Indianapolis community since the 1940’s – and its newest Recovery Center opened in 2007.   Our project coincided with the development Fairbanks’ new website.

 “Brien’s architectural work is outstanding,” says Ty Spisak, Communications Coordinator at Fairbanks Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. “The photos capture you and make you feel like you are in the space – whether it’s the lobby, board room or common spaces.”

Floor to ceiling windows and changing light provided for both challenges and triumphs, which you’ll see in the Focal Point Studios Photo Gallery.   With a one-day shoot, planning was critical: a site visit helped develop a timeline which placed us in the right rooms at the right time of day, beginning before sunrise to shoot the building’s exterior. 

“He knew where to stand to take pictures to showcase the room and give it an inviting feeling,” Spisak notes when talking about Brien’s professionalism.  “No one thinks about how much time it takes to set up and the outcome was wonderful.  We wanted to showcase the environment – its homey, safe and welcoming feeling.  And, you can only do that through photos.”  

Focal Point Clients, Wiley Publishing

Focal Point Studios is excited to showcase Wiley Publishing and a partnership that illustrates how print and video media combined can create powerful marketing tools.  Wiley Publishing produces a wide range of publications – including the For Dummies series, Frommer’s Travel Guides and Betty Crocker Cookbooks.   Quite simply, Wiley uses video to help sell books.

Focal Point Studios recently produced a video to promote a Digital Field Guide for the Canon T2i/550 and you’ll find it on sites like Amazon.com, where the guide is for sale.  The target audience is online shoppers: research shows that consumers looking at books online are more likely to buy something if they can first watch a video about it.  A creative video production engages website viewers and provides an added dimension to typical print reviews. In today’s world of iPads, iPhones, Droids and other multi-media devices, this is critical! 

What enhanced the partnership between Focal Point Studios and Wiley was CEO Brien Richmond’s photographic expertise and understanding of the product.  Keeping the target audience in mind, Focal Point Studios produced a video that makes the digital guide seem user-friendly and a “must have” for camera owners.  We are proud to announce that we’re currently working on additional projects with Wiley Publishing.

Telling your own story with video – getting people to talk!

To assist clients interested in producing their own video projects, Focal Point Studios continues our series with tips on conducting interviews and the quest of good “sound bites.”

What is a “sound bites?”

It’s a statement that summarizes a thought – a “snippet” gathered during an interview that helps tell a broader story.  The best “sound bites” show emotion.  Viewers relate to them.  They remember them.

Put subjects at ease.

One of the most important parts of the interview takes place before the camera rolls. Establish a good rapport with your subject – help them feel comfortable; make them want to share their story.  “Small talk” about something they enjoy helps serve as a natural transition to the “interview” segment. This isn’t a major movie production – no need to state loudly, “rolling!” when the camera goes on.  Treat it as a casual conversation, rather than a formal – or forced – Q&A session.

Find their passion.

If you know what your subject is most passionate about, get them to elaborate on that topic.  Ask questions that help elicit specific answers, such as:  “What’s the most rewarding part of your work?”  “What do consumers rely on most?”  “Why is [a certain aspect] important to you personally?”  This lets their guard down and helps show emotion.   Emotion engages viewers; engagement moves viewers to action.

Guide your subject; ask them to restate.

“Sound bytes” need to be clear, concise and complete.  Let’s say a CEO is talking a bout his company’s customer service and says, “It’s what sets us apart from our competition and connects us with our customers.”  What sets them apart? Ask him or her to restate the thought using complete sentences.  For editing purposes, this is better: “At [company name], customer service is our top priority.  It gives us a strong connection with our customers and sets us apart from the competition.” Or, if someone rambles during an answer, pick out the part you think will work nicely and ask them to repeat just that part.

Remember that video helps sell – be it a product, service, or concept.  Messaging is purposeful and meaningful; helping craft a message during the interview makes for a simpler editing process and more effective final product!

So you want to tell your own story with video. Where to start?

With today’s user-friendly technology, an increasing number of clients want to produce their own video projects.  Focal Point Studios has decades of professional production, marketing and storytelling experience and we’d like to share a few basics.  Whether your goal is marketing or fundraising, for posting on You Tube or shown in person to small groups, creating an effective message is about telling a good story.

Consider this:
Visuals.  All stories need good visuals.  What will engage viewers and keep them watching?  Video provides a unique opportunity to “show and tell” what’s going on.  If you’re talking about a certain process, the best way to illustrate that is by showing the process.   If a company’s history begins with a sketch of a product on cocktail napkin 50 years ago – find that napkin and show it!  Use narration or interviews to describe what’s on screen and reinforce the message. 

Memorable Moments.  What will viewers “take away” or remember most from the production? This is your chance to be creative.  Look for something unique about your company or its message to showcase.   What makes you stand out among the competition?  Think about how to illustrate that.

Personal Stories.  Use personal accounts to tell a larger story.  Is it someone who benefits from your product or company’s work? The person who founded the company?  Someone whose life was saved through the use of a specialized medical device?   Interviews with key subjects give viewers someone to connect with, bring emotion to a production and help move viewers to action.

Keep it Simple.   In nearly every beginning journalist classes, students learn to “Keep It Simple, S*&^&%!”  Identify your key points, and then stick to them.  The average viewer has a short attention span and limited ability to process too many details. Think of how headlines simplify a newspaper story.  Create three headlines and make them the focus of your production.  Use printed content for additional details.

This is the first in a series. 
Watch for our next newsletter, when we’ll share tips on conducting interviews and getting that perfect “sound byte.”
interviews to describe what’s on screen and reinforce the message. 
details.

Welcome

Welcome to Focal Point Studios and thank you for taking the time to learn more about our business. I would like to take a moment to introduce my company and myself. My name is Brien Richmond, President of Focal Point Studios. We specialize in multimedia production and commercial photography. We are committed to producing engaging images and presentations that inspire and impress our clients as well as their clients and prospects. If you are looking to get noticed Focal Point Studios can help you achieve your goal.

Personally, I have over 25 years of marketing and communications experience combined with a strong business acumen, which provides me with the insight to recognize the value of your marketing message.

During my career, I have had the pleasure of partnering with clients such as; Indiana University, Wiley Publishing, The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, The Indiana Chamber, WISH-TV, Goodwill Industries, Lauth Property Group as well as various other companies on a variety marketing and communications projects.

We pride ourselves on relationships. Focal Point Studios values the business relationship and forms a true partnership with each and every client. This allows us to interact with our clients on a personal level and truly understand their daily challenges and deliver outstanding creative with results.

If you would like to learn more about Focal Point Studios I would be happy to set an appointment and meet with you. Please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,


Brien J. Richmond
President
Focal Point Studios
brichmond@focalpointstudiosllc.com
www.focalpointstudiosllc.com
317.710.6454 direct