[Joanne Braithwaite]

Thanks! Now all I have to do is find the appropriate photos… onwards!

[Joanne Braithwaite]

I’m thinking that, if I am using real photos instead of virtual sets, I can just knock the whole thing out of focus. Is that correct?

Thanks!

[Joanne Braithwaite]

So Mark, if I find a stock photo and want to use just a small portion of it, I’m assuming that, as I push into the photo, it will naturally lose some of its sharpness.

Do you know whether that looks like a depth of field thing (good and desirable) or if it looks like a pixilated thing (bad and inappropriate)?

Or could there be a third option – I push into the photo, it loses some of its sharpness (so far, so good), it looks pixilated (not good) but then I soften all the edges and voila, it I’ve got depth of field. Pixilation is softened and it looks like the on-camera person is actually sitting in that room.

Am I on the right track?

I don’t want to use any virtual sets – they’d have to be real photos. And although I’m happy to start shooting my own photos, it’s going to take some time to build up a collection, so stock photos will have to do for a while.

[Joanne Braithwaite]

Hi Alan,

That’s the sort of thing I’m looking for! That shot looks like a virtual set and I’m hoping to find similar sorts of shots but real photos. A lot of what I’ve found doesn’t look like the sort of background you’d have behind a talking head. I’d like to find a boardroom, a brick-walled loft, that sort of thing.

Thanks!

[Joanne Braithwaite]

Thanks, everyone!

Joanne

[Joanne Braithwaite]

Thanks for that, Noah! I’ve bookmarked the page.

What I really need at the moment, though, is the video backdrop that you’d see in the final video. The last time I worked with green screen was on a tv series and the production house took care of providing whatever we needed to make it happen, but now I have my own company and have to figure out where it all comes from.

I’ve found lots of great backgrounds for still photographers and a few for videographers on google but would appreciate some recommendations. I’m imagining a DVD with video of nice looking board rooms, cool office spaces, etc. The kind of place I’d shoot clients in their own offices for corporates but without having to travel to their offices (and maybe their offices suck, either visually or because they’re right beside train tracks).

Thanks!

[Joanne Braithwaite]

I hadn’t thought about that, Mark. Good point. I’ve put lots of visuals into network pitches, at last once they’re past the one-pager stage, but the corporate client is new to me.

I plan to put a written description of my creative approach in the proposal, such as the points the video will cover, the locations, the “feel” and anything else of note, but recently saw a few corporate pitches from another company that had lots of pretty pictures in them, and was wondering whether that was industry standard.

What I’m hearing from you folks is that it’s not standard, yes? Put pictures in if you think they’re appropriate, but know that it could work either for you or against you?

Thanks, everybody! Your input is much appreciated

Joanne

[Joanne Braithwaite]

Hi Walter,

I guess I’m not sure what the difference between a pitch and a production proposal is – oops!

This document would be the one after our initial face-to-face meeting where the potential client has (with great excitement, no doubt) agreed to look at a written proposal. I’m imagining this would include my general creative approach as well as a proposed price.

If this (still slightly mysterious to me) proposal is accepted, the client and I would then sign a contract, and a full shooting script would be written up and approved.

I assume it’s this document that you “pretty up” with images and such? I’m also assuming that it wouldn’t be more than a couple of pages long. Is that right?

Thanks!

Joanne
https://www.pebblebeachproductions.com