The camera development has been in a state of flux for the ten to fifteen years. For decades, it remained essentially the same. But now, not only new models of cameras are coming out, but radically different ways of capturing footage is being created. Depending on the type of film or video production, you might use totally different cameras. For instance, our films might call for a Red Epic, or a 35mm Arri 535, or even a Alexis. But for corporate video production, there are several different tools in the toolbox. So here are my top five cameras for use in corporate video productions. I don’t rank them in order because the different corporate or industrial video shoots require different technology. A hammer is great if you need to drive a nail, but if you’re turning a screw, doesn’t work…
The 34th Annual Telly Awards have awarded their highest honor for cinematography to Serendipitous Films and Top Pup Media for the production of a documentary on behalf of Revelations Water. The video, filmed in Nigeria, about a new life saving water filter, the Primeau, was shot by Ron Gonzalez and Daniel Millican. Using DSLR’s and traveling with the Microdolly and Microjib, enabled beautiful shots to help tell this important story. Producing was the Primeau inventor Ron Moser, his son David Moser, Dr. Ajibike Akinkoye and Lanre Abu. The video takes place on a polluted river in Lagos, Nigeria, as a father and son paddle their canoe. They are able to drink clean, safe water because of the new technology of the Primeau water filter. The video was also honored for a Bronze Telly for the Social Responsibility category, which was…
I had a potential client call me to ask about producing an infomercial for her company. In my mind, I was picturing a peppy pitchman, showing off a product to a live audience, in a 30 minute format, ready to broadcast. What she meant, was a short, 2 to 3 minute web video… an “informative commercial” or infomercial. With the advent of YouTube and Vimeo, anyone can broadcast their story quite easily. No need to buy airtime, just click and upload. In ever increasing amount, we are being called upon to create this new breed of “infomercial” — the short web video. The most common request is for a “documentary” style. Interviews supported by “B-Roll.” But as marketing directors try to differentiate themselves, we do some more creative video and film formats. The “narrative” is like a mini-movie or feature…
I’ve been surprised lately to find out that our new clients left their old video production company because of a lack of service, or more often, just bad service. After all, the corporate video production industry is a service industry. Our two greatest strengths are our ability to value add (bring to the table a lot of extras the clients weren’t expecting that add to the production value and efficiency of telling the story), and, as one client put it, we’re just nice guys. I believe life’s too short to engage in massive egos and work with people that are incredibly unhappy. So as we pull our team together, we look for those who approach difficult tasks with a positive attitude. Over a dinner meeting one time with a new client, our point of contact brainstormed an idea for the…
Dallas / Fort Worth Aerial Photography & Aerial Video Production Services The 8 rotor helicopter can handle cameras up to 18 pounds, which makes it great for anything from a GoPro to DSLR’s to even a Red Epic. RC Helicopters and small high quality cameras have opened giant doors for getting shots that before only very expensive cranes could do. The advantage is that in the past, for aerials, you had to rent a real helicopter with an expensive gyro mount, that could cost well over $1000/hour and most of the time more expensive than that. And the manned helicopters usually can’t fly under 500 feet for safety considerations. The remote controlled helicopters are able to get those aerial shots in the sweet zone– 60 to 200 feet, where the dramatic sweeps make much more impact. In this YouTube video,…
Hollywood has movies. New York has television. For many years, Dallas has been known for national commercial spots, but also rising is the corporate and industrial video market. Being centrally located in the middle of the country, Dallas has proven over the last few decades to be ideal for major corporations to plant their headquarters. And corporations need videos: marketing videos, instructional videos, educational videos, commercials, and web videos. To be sure, Dallas also has a film and television market, but one of the fastest-growing sectors has been the corporate and industrial video industry. At Serendipitous Films, we have produced five feature films, and several TV shows, but our biggest growth has been in producing corporate and industrial videos. Our clients have come to enjoy our big production-value look, with affordable pricing. If your business, corporation, or industry needs…
One of the most common queries that we receive, are questions about producing music videos. And the question that is asked, is how much does it cost. There are many variables that go into accurately estimating the production costs of a music video. How many days of shooting are required? Is there choreography? Are there other actors, or dancers? Are there any special effects? Computer affects? Most of the music videos that we make, usually start at around $5000 and move up from there, depending on the variables. We have gone lower on occasion, but a standard video might be in the neighborhood of $15,000. Some people are genuinely surprised at the cost. They might have a relative or a buddy who owns a camera and some editing software. And they can get it done for $400 or $500. The…
There was a time, not too long ago, when the effects of the change were felt heavily on the video production industry. Many professionals were finding it hard to find work or clients. Lately, fortunately in Dallas and Fort Worth, that trend is reversing. Video has become a much more powerful force in today’s corporate business climate. In addition to the popular video tools of training, marketing and sales, the growth of web videos has dramatically impacted the industry. Companies that had never considered having professional videos produced for their companies or for their products, are now searching for professionals that can create a powerful tool for the web. Obviously, Google is the number one search engine for the Internet. But what people are finding, is that YouTube is number two. Corporations and businesses are discovering that the use of…
The shooting for the short film “The Consequences” has wrapped in Amarillo, Texas. The film follows an older oil field man, Hank, played by Mark Nutter and his best friend Jerry, played by Jack Watkins. Daniel Millican wrote and produced, and Element X Creative’s Brad Herbert directed. The film will be released in early November
I break the phases of filmmaking into six distinct areas: The Idea; Development; Pre-Production; Production; Post Production; and Distribution. Most new filmmakers spend most of the research and education in the production phases. But the biggest hurdles are in the two “D’s”– Development and Distribution. Development is where you raise the money and build the right team. Distribution is where you make money to pay back the investors and enough for you to keep going. These two areas are woefully lacking. That’s why I started teaching the Greenlight seminar several years ago. Often people have a story they want made into a movie and they either write the screenplay or commission the writing of the screenplay. Then it’s an upward climb to get the script sold to a production company. Then it’s an uphill battle for the production company to…
