[Joe Knapp]

To add to Mark’s comments:

•Get thin carpeted floors, to help with sound absorption.
•Use LED/HMI lighta. Stay away from the old tungstens, which can cause a room to get very hot.
•Doors are a major sound leak, and should be thick. Ensure that the door clearance at the top & bottom is tight, and use a sound-blocking door-sweep. If you feel like the door is still lacking, you can apply a sound-dampener to the back. SoundproofCow.com was a good resource for me.
•A high ceiling would be very helpful
•HVAC noise will ruin your day. Ensure that any loud HVAC components aren’t within the confines of the studio space.

We’ve just built new studio space with the company that I’ve recently joined, and it should do the trick. Keep in mind, in-house corporate studios are almost never ‘soundstage’ quality, but it can be made to work very well with the kind of work we do.

[Joe Knapp]

I know it’s been a few years since you originally posted. The landscape was changing dramatically when you posted, and continues to do so: 4K, super low-light DSLR, drone, web series and ‘viral videos. Software is cheap. Computers are cheap. Cameras are cheap. Heck, even the iPhone has a capable imager. Times are still tight, and people want to stretch their budgets with things they can do themselves, so they can have a YouTube presence.

Just remember: Everybody has a kitchen. Not everyone is a chef.

Love that phrase. But Eric does have a point. Even chefs have to adapt to new food stylings (gluten-free? Vegan?). Or if specialized, they need to make sure they are in a big market. Sushi chefs don’t play well in Cooter Creek, Arkansas.

It’s worth addressing, because I’ve been the corporate in-house guy who hires you for jobs. I’m also nearly your age (45 now), so I can speak to the experience and change of landscape. What do I look for?

•A recent reel with HD material. Seriously, the moment I see SD, I move on. And I’ve seen it very recently. It doesn’t matter if we intend for distribution sole on the web. Most players are 1080 now, with 4K as the upcoming resolution.
•Professional style. This is subjective, but to me, I want: shallow depth-of-field, dolly/jib shots, 4K (to future-proof content), non-flat lighting, great sound. The editing should feel up-to-date (generally quick), and the music choice can’t be cheesy. Similarly, graphics should reflect recent trends, and not look
•Competitive rates. This isn’t a race to the bottom, so don’t want dreck. I have budget, and would rather have an experienced veteran with up-to-date skills at competitive prices. Inexperienced kids don’t know to hold a shot longer for the edit, or can’t employ the wisdom you’ve gained as readily.Yes, they can charge a song for their work. In my experience, that’s about all their stuff is worth. But, some are very capable, and their pricing throws the curve.
• A decent website This shows me that you care about how present your work, and that you are aware of certain visual trends. It can be simple, but nicely laid out. Your video shouldn’t be embedded as a QT file, but be embedded/streamed from a site like Vimeo.

Note about the young blood: We need to realize that these guys grew up with this stuff. They had/have nothing but time to peruse YouTube, and try out their skills with their iPhones and pirated and/or education-priced software. They are passionate and juiced about video production, and they’ve not been beaten down over the years, depending on it to make your bread. They are having fun in an industry which (we often forget) is fun. Of course, companies want that ‘fresh young creativity’ combined with technical savvy and low-pricing. If you can bring wisdom and “experienced creativity” to the table, then that might be a trade off for low-pricing. But you need to sell it.

So what can you do, should you rejoin the industry? Here’s my thoughts:
•Get current. 4K camera with a nice wide aperture, LED lights, current software, current look & feel.
•Rent equipment where possible
•Sell your wisdom and experience.
•Have a wider variety of skill sets. Shooters/editors are a dime a dozen, but a good producer with organizational skills are gold.
•Rather than compete, join forces with some of these young bucks. Your experience, their skills.
•Ensure that your market isn’t too dry/saturated
•Demonstrate to companies that want to do DIY videos how they can make it better. By spending money on you, you shouldn’t just give them a video product. You should give them a video solution.
•Remind companies that by tasking out current employees to do video, they are taking away man-hours better spent elsewhere. Video production is like cooking or home repair: you can do it yourself, but it takes longer, and the results are always lacking.
•Finally: video is part of a company’s brand. Remind them that if the quality is mediocre, that reflects on the brand.

Admittedly, I’m an in-house guy, so experiences vary. However, if video is what you love to do, maybe this break will recharge your batteries. Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

[Joe Knapp]

Thanks, Sam. Glad you were bored! I may try to rent one on my next shoot.

[Joe Knapp]

I second the wish for a hybrid.

We use both, but relegate YouTube to social media efforts. We’re using Vimeo as our stopgap solution (until we get a digital management system in place). Vimeo is our video review medium, and also acts as our video server, for videos that we embed on the company website.

Vimeo Pro’s video review feature is great; very customizable, and strips off the extraneous stuff that peppers YouTube. Vimeo has always been very reliable, and the video “seems” better quality. Add in the password protect features, and it was the best, most secure, most affordable option.

However, I wish Vimeo had a private (unlisted) playlist ability like YouTube has, but with the customizable Vimeo interface. Instead, they have either a password-protected option, or a general video album. No ability to have a simply unlisted album, and no ‘playlist’ feature that automatically cue’s up the next video.

[Joe Knapp]

Yep, very true. I’ve run into that, and needed to buy the plug-in. On the plus side, one can end up with a nice array of After Effect toys. 🙂

[Joe Knapp]

Hey, Mike. I’m a corporate producer, so when I have a video produced externally for my company, I usually request the footage & media for my use later. I just wanted to provide an alternative opinion. If that’s provocative, then I’m cool with that, too. 😉

[Joe Knapp]

Loud & clear, Mark. Agreed!

It’s like any other negotiation, and the rules should be known upfront. That’s fair to everyone. 😉

[Joe Knapp]

[Mark Suszko] “Corporate videos have a long history of appropriating stuff they don’t own, on the theory that the video is for internal use only and will never be seen elsewhere.”

At my old job, they used a popular song in an internal video. Wasn’t supposed to be seen outside of the conference it was made for. Trouble was, the video was well done, and certain suits wanted to show it to their people. The culture wasn’t much for saying ‘no’, so before you know it, the video was everywhere inside and outside the company. The songwriter eventually caught wind, and Company X had to pay a truckload of money.

This has little to do with using old B&W footage, but at this point, I’ve already typed out the entire story, so I might as well post it. 😉

[Joe Knapp]

Sure, I can understand the idea of ‘secret sauce’. That’s a compelling reason. If you hire a chef to bake a cake, you can’t demand that they turn over the ingredients.

However, it’s not a perfect metaphor. In my situation, I’m looking for an extension of myself. I view it as hiring a service to accomplish a specific task. Part of the task is setting things up so I can rework a project, if necessary. And I don’t want to have to submit 2 weeks worth of paperwork, and deal with reams of emails, in order to replace a few shots and fix a VO.

I get it. I’d feel pretty vulnerable letting my project files go, and risk some other video company taking apart ‘my baby’. But I view it as MY baby; you just delivered it. You think you’re delivering a unique product, but I view it as providing me a unique service.

Look, in the end, you must decide for yourself whether or not holding files ‘hostage’ in hopes of future work is worth the loss of immediate work. For me, the market is swimming in capable people, and I’ll choose the ones that work with me. I don’t need hassle, I need help.

Perhaps you don’t agree with me, and that’s ok. It’s just a viewpoint.

[Joe Knapp]

From the “client” side….

Ken, I’m curious as to what hesitations you have for turning over all the footage? I don’t think it’s unreasonable to do this, and I say both from both sides of the issue. When I hire companies to shoot & produce videos for me, I ask for all project files and associated media, plus the raw media for interviews. However, I specifically state in my contracts that we will own this media.

Why do I request this? Heck, maybe I need to recut the edited piece differently, but need to do it myself for timing or financial reasons. Maybe we’ll want to explore the footage later, and apply to other things. The point is, is it really that important to hold onto the footage? Why not just charge a media transfer fee and be done with it?

Just wanted to give a different viewpoint. I’d love to hear feedback.