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Signs of the Apocalypse
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[Ronald Lindeboom] “Life kicks your ass sometime. Get over it. Suck it up and get on with it. Do something about it. Don’t take no for an answer. Build something. If it doesn’t work, quickly build something else.”
[Ronald Lindeboom] “Fight back or lay down…it’s your call.”
As they say in the MasterCard commercials. “Priceless.”
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” Winner, Best Documentary, LA Reel Film Festival.
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[Chris Blair] “These are just 4 of MANY trends we’ve seen since the economic bust two years ago. Are we just that “unlucky” or are others experiencing similar trends?”
No, you absolutely are not just “unlucky” … I think it’s true that better-faster-cheaper with heavy emphasis on the cheaper has always been the trend in every industry, but in my 20 years in the business, I’ve never before seen such an extreme acceleration of the issues that come along with that as I’ve seen in the past 5 or so years.
I haven’t had a chance to read the entire thread yet, but certainly will come back to do that since this subject hits extremely close to home with me and is the reason that, as much as I hate to say it, I’m looking at the front door, so to speak … in regards to the business I love so much in general, not just my specific current job.
I don’t mean to quote somebody out of context, but a great line Mark Suszko reminded me of in another recent post comes to mind … “I’m taking the goldfish”. Let the folks with their HD cell phone cameras and iMovie have at it as far as I’m concerned. Hmm … do I sound bitter!? lol
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Just read through this whole thread.
I understand that most of you on this forum are long time industry veterans and often work in high-end production situations, but let me put a different spin on this, using my perspective.
As technology becomes cheaper/more accessible, yes, the rich kids right out of college may have access to a high quality cameras, high quality editing software, and high quality distribution methods (1080p on the internet). But that also means that high quality video communication is now a viable option for many many more clients……
I was hired 2 years ago to do video/multimedia production for a small company that manufactures construction chemicals. My company has 70 or so employees and I am part of a 5 person marketing team. I think that 5-10 years ago there were very few companies that size that would have a full-time videographer on salary. Now, I think we will see more and more companies doing this, with the drop in price of technology and the rise of social and interactive/viral marketing.
I think my company is ahead of the curve. And (hopefully, due in no small part to my skills) they now know that video is an extremely powerful means of communication, and even a small company like them can harness that.
Yes, the industry is changing. The way I see it, the industry will be different, probably more spread out, but I only see it growing and expanding in the future.
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Hi John,
First, yes- different perspectives are always welcome, in my book. That’s one of the reasons I come here, too.
For us, and I imagine for many video production companies, the equipment is indeed a large and ongoing investment. However, as a business owner, my biggest expense each month is payroll and benefits.
If you look at a “rich kid” offering HD video services in NYC for $300, you may think that’s acceptable- after all, most of these kids are rocking a 7D and a pirated version of FCP. Just a few grand, right? (ps: pirating is wrong and hurtful). But mainly, I think, the mistake in this perspective is that employees do not see their time as costing anything, since they’re on salary. I assure you, your company’s owner definitely sees the cost of your salary and benefits as a real cost of doing business, and you need to include your own yearly salary and benefits as part of the true cost to produce the videos, not just a few grand in gear.
The good news: your company has invested many tens of thousands of dollars, every year, in video marketing. The “also good news” you point out: the technical quality of this video is way better, hopefully, than possible in years past if you make a few smart purchases and work at your craft.
I very much respect a company that takes their video marketing seriously enough to hire in-house staff to work it. It’s sometimes the right decision, sometimes not. Totally depends on the company, and how the videos are to be used. But it often does work. For us, we get called in to do “higher-end” projects like TV spots and tradeshow video presentations by some clients who have one or two in-house video guys. It worked the same when we mainly did website design, we often worked alongside their in-house web or graphic designer.
I think a lot of the other comments in this thread were mainly about how the quality level has dropped in many cases, and that clients in many areas seem not to give video marketing the respect it needs to be effective. In your case, your company is clearly giving video marketing it’s due. That’s great!
Patrick
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http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design -
If it was the Apocalypse I would probably take the afternoon off. Maybe have some good food… Wow… you guys… “What’s the matter with kids these days?” Musicals have been written about this. Here is what I see as the Apocolypse Trifecta.
1. There is a certain point in your career where you are suddenly older than your customers and a lot of your long term customers are downsized, layed off, or retired! It is only a matter of time. So watch for that one.:>) It’s inevitable. Have patience
2. The advent of inexpensive and very effective software for video editing has led to a lot of companies doing video themselves in-house to try and save money.(however badly) I just did a large event where the client showed up with 16 videos that one of their people had done in-house. Normally we would have done that for them. We had to fix them onsite during the rehearsal.
3. The availability of inexpensive and very effective editing capability has also removed the price barrier for getting in the business. Today $4000.00 gets you approx. what $40k got you ten years ago. Photography studios are shooting video on their $2500 DSLRs, etc… Fewer viable jobs. More Competition For Them. Not everybody is positioned to work in the high end of the market. But that is the only place where you don’t run into the Do It Yourselfers with their FlipCams.The end result is well… the current Apocolypse.
Doug Normington
NORMCO Multi-Media, Inc.
(608) 824-0999 Office
(608) 345-7579 Cel
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