[Mike Cohen]

This was discussed in a thread not too long ago. A recent experience of mine:
I made a simple treatment, text only – the client questioned some of my suggested interview questions and shooting scenarios – that is good since i was guessing.
Next i sent them a simple storyboard in Word, using stock photos, along with a disclaimer saying the photos are just to get the feel of the shots, not actual depictions but close enough.
instead of looking at the big picture, they focused on problems with the stock photos (nurses don’t dress like that in our hospital, we can’t show patients, etc..).
Thus, one needs to consider the audience for a storyboard. As others have suggested, if the client is not visually oriented, the first images they see from you may be burned into their eyes and skew their feedback on future images.

Mike

[Mike Cohen]

Is your client happy with the edited videos you have been delivering? Not to suggest that you bite your tongue here, but if the paying client does not recognize bad shooting, and is in fact satisfied with the delivered videos, your comments/criticism may fall on deaf ears.

Take a hypothetical client of ours – A client who always useS the audiovisual techs (poorly trained) included with their convention center AV contracts(cheaper than using an outside crew) to shoot live events – the results are nearly always predictably poor (low audio, poor lighting, high gain, wobbly shots zoomed from the back of the hall, slow reaction times when a speaker changes) but despite suggestions for improvements or alternatives, they go with low price over higher quality every time. Quality is subjective. The client is happy that the event has been documented at all.

It can be frustrating to work with incomplete materials – you might take a proactive approach and give the client a suggested shot list for the next video, based upon what you know the shooter usually misses.

[Mike Cohen]

Back in the 90’s, AVID was the system of choice for selected ad agency types. If you didn’t use AVID, they would take their business elsewhere. Now FCP is becoming the industry standard within some parts of the industry. If your clients want a given product and you can deliver it, that is all that should matter.

Obviously if the deliverable is something which Premiere cannot handle, such as OMF export as someone else suggested, or using an existing Motion or FCP project, then that is a simpler answer.

Mike

[Mike Cohen]

Sometimes I use a headset mic, but the sound quality can be kind of poor (I’m talking the cheap kind you would use for Skype).

Usually I just hook up a camera to the computer via firewire and use a lav or shotgun – record straight into the computer, export the audio and delete the video.

A USB mic would be cool, amybe I’ll get one.

Another option if you do a lot of this is an audio recorder, like this or another similar unit

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Edirol-R-09-24-Bit-Wave-MP3-Recorder-241132-i1174901.gc

[Mike Cohen]

ever watch CNN – they relegate the anchor to about 1/4 of the screen, with all the tickers and other graphics.

If doing open captions (always visible) these can stay in the lower 1/3, like a super. As for the sign language, it is traditional to have a PIP also in the lower 1/3.

I would do some mockups to show the client ahead of time to make sure they like the approach.

Mike

[Mike Cohen]

I wouldn’t mind seeing it also, since I am developing a process based upon the recruitment style video we are now producing.

Mike

mcohen at cine-med dot net

[Mike Cohen]

Adobe/Macromedia Director or Flash are what we use. Autorun on a Mac is dicey – we usually include Mac instructions on the disc (open start or start.htm) although there may be workarounds. Autorun on a PC, assuming the feature is not disabled, is a bit easier.

Mike

[Mike Cohen]

regarding protocol in terms of speaking, there are a few things you can say on a set that would not fly in most other situations:

Excuse me ma’am, can I just ask you to thread this wire down your blouse…

I’m just going to clip this to the back of your pants…

You mind if I apply this gaffer tape to the inside of your jacket…

Don’t mind me as I crawl under your desk…

Sir, do you mind if I powder your forehead…

[Mike Cohen]

Ah, so that’s what is behind that unmarked door I kept passing in the Flamingo lobby last NAB…

[Mike Cohen]

pretty much every electronic product is made with plastic (petroleum), metal (mining), silicon (beach erosion?) and energy, both at the factory, in the shipping of raw materials and finished goods, and most of these things are made overseas.

I think a better approach to going green is looking at more local means, such as heating and cooling.