[Mike Cohen]

Just ordered my copy. Looking forward to picking up some tips and tricks. It is great fun shooting interviews as each location offers opportunities and challenges.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

We use Basecamp – each major project gets a Basecamp project – only invited users both internally and externally can access a project. It displays images within the site, but media you have to download.

What this system does for us is eliminates endless emailing of attachments, and provides a user friendly way for clients to upload and download files. One things that continues to be true is that in the corporate and health sectors, personal computers and the people using them are slightly less sophisticated than in the consumer world (ie, no support for Quicktime, limited support for MP4, limited support of streaming and chat and skype and IM and anything that is not a Word doc in some cases!) So we need to make things simple for our customers.

We use YouSendit for obtaining large files from the field and for propagating files to those not on a BaseCamp project.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

Well, not going to give any details of our business operations, but I will reiterate what others have said. When things are slow, work on your capabilities. We have been tweaking a new website for a year and building a new CRM tool for our e-commerce side of things. Both of these investments will pay dividends in the future.
New work comes in if you work for it. Budgets are often based upon fiscal years, not on when someone needs a video made. So you sit and wait, follow up periodically, and keep working your contacts for new business, and seeking new contacts.
But yes, the economy is slow for a lot of businesses.

Not sure what this has to do with Final Cut X either. It’s software.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

I signed up for Quirky – a product development community. They solicit ideas (ie, an improved coat hanger), then get comments from the crowd. If a product goes into production, they compensate anyone who contributed based upon their level of input.

I think what all of these companies realize is that there are a few great ideas and a lot of good ideas out in the community, and most of these ideas will never see the light of day.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

In the theme of “what comes around goes around” I’ve had a few such experiences. Recently I was contacted by a surgeon about bidding on a video. I asked him how he got my name, and he forwarded me a long thread which went something like this:

Doc:

Hey Joe. Can you ask around about what vendor you use for surgical videos?

Joe:

Sure, let me ask around.

____

Doc, I asked around, and here is what I found out:

Re: Video vendor

Joe, see below from Tim in marketing.

Bob Smith, Assistant to the Traveling Secretary

___

Re: Re: Preferred vendor

Bob, ask Mary Jones, Global Marketing Director.

Sarah Jane Smith, K-9 Industries

___

Bob, here’s what I got from branding. Mary J. 🙂

Mike Cohen
Cine-Med
203-263-0006

________

So as you can see, ask enough people and your name might come up.

Incidentally, this word of mouth referral eventually resulted in a new paying client. Hooray.

Good clients are out there. Sometimes you find them, sometimes they find you, and sometimes they find you through a mutual acquaintance.

Do good work. Get more work. Repeat.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

We started using Basecamp this year. It is good for projects that have either lots of people or lots of assets or both. It eliminates long email threads and keeps files up to date. This is not just for video projects. If we are planning a meeting or event it is a great way to keep everything in one place.

It has a time tracking feature which we have not started using yet. As others have said, they key is getting people to use it without it taking over their lives.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

Did the camera guy do the 12 days of work as a charitable contribution towards whatever cause this video is for? Is there a receipt for this contribution?

Nothing in writing = little chance at recourse.

This is Business and Marketing Forum 101 – get it in writing, or you’re on your own once you realize you’ve been hosed.

Does the camera guy own the raw footage even if no money has changed hands? That’s for the legal system to decide.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

Adam,

First, stop telling the world you don’t have any training or experience. I think you are on the right track, you just need some refining. To put it into cooking terms, you can make a nice egg sandwich, but would you serve it to the CEO of a big company? Maybe, maybe not, but think about refining your craft. There are a million sources for learning as well as simply going and making stuff. Your egg sandwich video visually tells you how to make an egg sandwich, but it is so similar to 100,000 other videos on YouTube. Look at a cooking show you like and try to emulate that, or simply find things you like and make them your own. Cooking shows are either “dump and stir” or something more refined. Find your own hook, otherwise you are just showing how to chop an onion.

I’d suggest re-doing this egg video. Add some narrative, perhaps some music, even out the sound and the lighting. You don’t have to spend a lot on gear. You have to spend adequate time refining your craft however.

Good luck.

Mike Cohen

[Mike Cohen]

If you drop your camera can you afford a replacement?
If you have a lamp blow and burn down your client’s office can you afford to buy him a new office?
If you get elbowed by a drunk groomsman and fall on the wedding cake do you have a spare cake in your camera bag?

I think you have answered your own question.

[Mike Cohen]

I keep a few shades of powder and generally only use it for people with shiny heads and noses. Use a new foam pad every time you need another dab. A very small amount can help with hot spots. But only if necessary and almost always with men only. 90% of women being interviewed are already wearing makeup in my experience.
Mike Cohen
Ps. Replace makeup every 6 months or sooner.