[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Addie,

1st off, I don’t know the copyright laws in Canada, not withstanding that the laws could be different whether you are French or English Canadian?

My opinion:
As the end client did not purchase an all out license for all materials and use there off, the client must go back to originator if they wish to re-image (screen capture included) any parts of the videos for alternative use. As in that it sounds like the videos was created and purchased to be used in full.

Why: I’m guessing that a local friendly company got the contract to produce the videos? And that a local tourist board did not have the full budget thereby relying on a bit of charity from supplier to make it work? The way the supplier would make up their budgets would normally be to charge for repeat usage, changes and other small bits and pieces that over time adds up and makes the proposition worth getting involved with.

However, it is not in the suppliers interest to get dumped publicly by the local tourist board. And it is not in the local tourist boards interest to be accused of stealing pictures and videos for their promotional use.

Not knowing the situation I suggest that a courtesy phone-call to supplier before doing the new campaign would have been the right thing to do and might have have kept everybody happy. Maybe even offering, apart from the obligatory credit, a link to the suppliers website or page of choice.

In any case; arrange coffee and cakes with supplier in an informal setting to see if you can find a positive way of resolving the issues, rather than going into an all out legal war which both sides will loose.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Kang,

Married to a vicar I know that you’ll rarely be able to satisfy the bride and the smallest things can easily ruin the whole day for her. After all it is the biggest day of her life.

Unless they’ve been married before, I’m not sure that they would even be able to explain what most other wedding video companies does, which is a moot point, as you have already delivered what you promised to deliver. Since they want more, this must be a sign of your high quality of delivery.

Tell them that you’ve been booked to do other work, as I expect you have, and offer them to extend the package at your normal price (if you have the footage to do that). DO NOT offer discounts; as lawyers they should be able to afford the expense, and I suspect that they don’t give discounts to any of their clients who doesn’t understand the concept of “5 minutes only”.

I’m sure that any judge and court will agree that a “Simple Package” is a clear description of what they got. Do not worry about that, yet.

Remember: you have something that your clients really want, and you have the only copy of it – so you can all afford to play nice. Or if that doesn’t work, just walk away and wait for them to realize that your time and equipment is worth money too.

my 5p

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Todd,

Sounds like a story straight out of “Clients from Hell”.

I have some experience with Digital Signage, although that market is the Wild West full of cowboys in comparison with the business of video production.

1) The end client, the restaurateur, will soon realize that it would have been cheaper to get the original vendor to do the install and ongoing maintenance. So make sure that your better half gets paid for all of the additional work.
2) Screen Manufacturers own digital signage software is often a non profitable add on, and can only be operated in earnest by the programmer who made it. Unless that you are doing something very simple that does not need regular updating, forget it. However, EZsign does come with comprehensive promotional websites from LG and how to vidoes + templates. Ask the client to supply an additional monitor that can be worked on/from in the design studio.

Alternatives that will work:
1) Design the whole thing in flash. It is an old fashioned way of doing it and will require a media player – but it locks the presentation in and no-one will be able mess it up – or easily change it… If adventurous, you could also consider HTML 5.
2) Get a bespoke digital signage package. My favorite is https://www.reveldigital.com – should make it clear that I am biased, as I am already connected to the company. It is a proven piece of SaS that can work on even the smallest media-players.

If you want to speak off-forum, then I’m more than happy to help out.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

[Mark Suszko] “Not trolling, or trying to be didactic”

No, you are just a spoil-sport trying to be clever 😉

But I do agree with Mark that a visit to the local china shop will offer something better than the old cast iron figures from the loft.

Jokes aside; as said, it is likely that the spot referred to was done in CGI. But the inspiration would have had to come out of something. And even though CGI has lot to offer for someone with unlimited time and budgets, don’t be put off by the old fashioned techniques of using models and blue paint.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

[Mark Suszko] “Cruel, but amusing”

Rob, I must apologise to you, as the intention was not to be cruel or poke fun at your question.

As much as it is likely to have been done in CGI, there is nothing to stop you from getting your old cowboy and Indian figures down from the loft and paint blue stripes on them (or green). With the right choice of lens, a motion rig and a bit of trickery in AE, I’m sure that you could make something similar without using the budget of the original. Even if it will keep Mark laughing.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Bill, you made me laugh although $20 sounds like real high production cost.

Cheaper version of the advert is to invest in either some green or blue paint and paint part of the objects that you want to be see through. Do a with and without shoot of object with background.

Key out said colour in after effects, turn image monochrome, push whites up and blacks down to get a harder image, add multiple objects, maybe a bit of smoke, and then add zooms,pans and tilts in AE too. And for the cost of the paint, you’ll have made something that might not look too dissimilar to the advert.

But as Bill says; the real cost is coming up with the original idea – although in China they say that copying other peoples work is seen as flattery…

my less than $20 opinion 😉

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey David,

It is a real tough one to answer as it is all about how much value there is to the client? You’ll need to walk a fine balance between making a profit and not being greedy.
(“Greedy” is a harsh word to use in this context, but most deals falters when one party wants much more than the other is willing to pay).

I haven’t seen your video; but at which point does it become cheaper for the individual sales office to make their own video rather than licensing yours?
Are you talking directly with Head Office?
Is your product an advertorial for the “TV” rather than a training video?
Did sales increase in Australia as a result of your video? And by how much?

Since TV’s have a limited lifespan in general I would not wait too long before delivering the global videos. Also, that means that any licence longer than two years might be a moot point.

Bottom-line is: Your client will want your video in the market now. They are not likely to care for licensing, although you could ask that all future changes/amendments are done by your firm.

Since you have already produced the video, and been paid in full for it? Then the client might not be looking to buy you a holiday condo…

Maybe offer three packages:
1) Video to be used as is in another territory including digital file delivery: £Low
2) Video to be re-versioned for another territory: £Medium
3) Video to be produced again using local talent from another territory: £High

Keep it very simple! Licensing is everything but simple and may end up confusing your client to a level where they won’t be back for more. It really comes down to who paid for the original production and what the contract states on that.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey David,

You didn’t make it clear whether the video was originally produced for said company or for a general release?

If the company has already paid you for it, then they may feel that they own it?

My advice is to keep it simple:
Make the T&C according to the laws of where you are, which should also be the base from where you sell/license it.
Based your territory on language versions – price accordingly to how much that it will cost you to re-version the video. Don’t forget translation and graphics. Some areas will want the video dubbed to their language, so do not assume that sub-titles will be OK.
One model could be an upfront fee for doing the re-versioning. And then use Vimeo or similar as a pay per view platform – this takes out the hassle of generating different DVD regions.

If suitable, if you can re-package the program as an e-learning program with a test or two included, and charge $15-$50 per participant, you may find a better revenue model where the client will keep on coming back with new employees. In particularly if the company employs 4,000+ people in sales roles globally.

Good Luck 🙂

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Mark,

I hear you and I think that Walter has put it where it belongs, which is that Adobe will not get too many second chances for having any kind of “down-time”.

And no, I for one never thought that problems could not happen, as much as they didn’t for me, but that may be because I don’t make use of the whole CC package – yet.

What I did find interesting on the forum I’ve named “We all hate Adobe CC and will not use it, but happily moan about it to the end of days” is that a quick skim across the postings, an Adobe employee have dared to venture in there and tell the forum that the issues have been dealt with and that the problem should now be fixed – can’t remember any other major supplier/manufacturer doing that?

Personally I come from a background where I had a system that went to market, then got pulled from market, then went back on the market – but never actually did the key bit it said on the tin that it would do very well, to my cost. The difference in price to Adobe CC was about a $100K higher… That made me moan, and moan loudly. Which is why I appreciate how good a deal the (working) Adobe CC is, and how it makes it affordable for me to learn new tools that was otherwise out of bounds. In a market where my (our) job description are changing rapidly and the rates for basic jobs are dropping, that is very valuable.

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Mark,

I too have to say that I hadn’t noticed it before you told me.

Looking back: In the time the servers where down I managed to update my Acrobat PRO software, do three small family projects in Photoshop and knock out a 10 minute edit in Premiere Pro – so no complaints from me.

Not intending any disrespect to yourself, but if one wants to have a discussion on Adobe CC -v- I HATE THE WORLD & ANYTHING CALLED ADOBE CC – then this is a perfect forum for that kind of thoughts: https://forums.creativecow.net/creativeclouddebate

I’m sure that you meant well, but let’s not open the flood-gates of negativity into this beautiful heaven of sane people discussing marketing and business issues. 🙂

All the Best
Mads

@madsvid, London, UK
Check out my other hangouts:
Twitter: @madsvid
https://mads-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.co.uk