Let’s assume that you have gone through the process of soliciting proposals from several vendors.

Once you have made the difficult decision of choosing a video production company, there will be some form of contracting process which must be undergone before the work on your video can start.

Here is an overview of what you should expect when contracting a video production company – as well as a few things you should watch out for.

A Detailed Quotation Will be Provided

Since rates tend to be fairly consistent within the industry, when comparing proposals from several production companies you may have found a difference in price based solely on the scope of the project having been interpreted differently.

Furthermore, some companies may estimate costs based on a ‘project’ rate, while others prefer to budget based on hourly and daily rates for labour, equipment and other costs. An initial proposal may have only included a high-level estimate without much detail on the specific scope of services to be provided, but this lack of information can cause problems later on.

Before signing off on the project, you should receive a detailed breakdown in the form of a line-level quotation or contract explaining exactly what can be expected.

At this stage, you will typically also be invoiced for a deposit payment of up to 33-50%, depending on the size of the project, with the balance to be invoiced for in stages or upon final delivery.

Terms of Services Will be Reviewed

Any terms of service the production company has which are not ‘industry standard’ will hopefully have been made clear throughout the sales process, but this is of course a good time to review these in detail before it’s too late.

For example, while most video production work is done as ‘work for hire’, meaning that you would own the rights to all raw footage and completed work, this may not be the case if a special price has been negotiated.

The producers should also agree to waive all moral rights, meaning they will not put a logo or credit anywhere on the video, unless otherwise discussed (learn more about these other other legal considerations in video production).

Potential Risks Will be Discussed

No video project is exactly alike and the scope of your requirements may change throughout production for a number of reasons. When doing any filming, there may be a risk of going into ‘overtime’, and post-production can easily require additional rounds of revisions not originally planned for.

You should be given a clear idea of any potential risks the production company foresees, based on past experiences, and how the associated costs will be dealt with (eg. will they require written approval, will they be absorbed by the production company, etc.).

A Project Plan Will be Presented

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” in video production, as in any collaborative process. Some form of project plan should be provided, the format and detail of which may vary, to be updated and used as a guide throughout the production process.

In our ‘Project Charters’, we like to summarize the entire creative brief, including the goals and objectives of the video, its target audience, call-to-action, etc. We will also list and provide contact details on all project team members so that everyone’s role is made clear, as well as a plan for approvals and communication throughout the project. Project milestones and deliverables are outlined along with a plan for handling risks, as mentioned above.

Much of this plan will have ideally been developed collaboratively with you throughout the sales process, since things like the project approval process and number of revisions planned for may have an effect on costs.

In Conclusion

Video production is far from a commodity and choosing a video production company with a proven track record and experience is vitally important to the success of your project. Before signing on that dotted line, be sure to request a list of past clients and to verify any references they may be able to provide.

If you’re considering have a video produced, request a consultation with one of our account managers who would be happy to walk you through the process in more detail.

Read and comment on the original post: Video Production Contracting Basics

In this (almost) weekly feature on the blog, we highlight some of the latest news on using online video for business from around the web.

1. Video Snippets Continue to Dominate Google Universal Search Results

Google’s ‘Universal’ search results show a blend of results from different sources such as web pages, images, videos and more.

As this article on ReelSEO points out, this is great for users who get to pick and choose from a variety of sources but it makes the work of a content creator much tougher given the increased competition for attention.

Fortunately, a new report from Searchmetrics confirms that video, especially if hosted on YouTube, remains the most effective way of appearing in the results.

The report, however, shows that informational videos tends to be favoured the most, especially when users are searching for terms that include “how to…”.

Read the full article and details from the report here.

2. What if They Held an Election and Nobody Used YouTube?

Apparently, some politicians still haven’t heard of this advancement in modern technology called “the YouTubes”.

Read the full commentary here which includes some interesting examples of how some politicians are (and aren’t) using video in their campaigns.

3. LinkedIn Introduces Video to Professional Profiles

According to the LinkedIn blog, you can now add video to your LinkedIn profile, giving you “the ability to showcase your unique professional story using rich, visual content”.

This also allows users the ability to include presentations, images and other rich media, but we see the inclusion of video having the most obvious benefit.

Read the full article from LinkedIn, as well as a great commentary from ReelSEO.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about these resources and more as we post them!

Read and comment on the original post: Online Video News Weekly Roundup May 13, 2013

Video is a very effective way to communicate in many cases and as a video production company, it might sound odd that we would even suggest that you may want to reconsider having a video produced.

The reality is, however, that there are times when video is simply not the most effective way to get information across.

While bandwidth for online video is increasingly becoming less of an issue, video production can be costly, even if producing it internally (in terms of time and resources) and in some cases can actually be counter-productive to your goals.

Below are a few cases when you should stop and reconsider producing a video.

1. When nothing is being added by creating a video…

Video is an integration of some amount of imagery (live action footage or photography), text (motion graphics or static), and audio or music. But for a video to be effective it must be greater than the sum of its parts.

If you are finding yourself trying to ‘convert’ existing content (such as a Power Point presentation) into a video, as opposed to developing a concept naturally, then it’s a strong indication that you might be headed in the wrong direction.

It’s important to ask yourself “is anything being added by creating a video instead of simply text and images? Would anything be lost without it?”

2. When the audience will want to skim or go at their own pace…

When watching lengthy product demonstrations and tutorials, you may find yourself repeatedly having to pause and repeat sections of a video. Even worse is when explanations are moving too slowly, forcing you to begin fast forwarding, at the risk of missing important information.

This is a great example of when video can actually do more harm than good and when your audience may thank you for keeping it simple by sticking to text and images.

3. When you’re unsure what it is you are trying to achieve…

Video can be a great tool to promote, to educate, to brand and to engage. But a single video should ideally have a single purpose and a single target audience.

If you do have more than one goal, you may have better success by splitting the project up into a series of videos or by creating another version with a different call-to-action. Since this would affect the scope of work and potentially the timeline, you should determine the number of videos and the goal for each prior to beginning the creative development process.

When should you produce a video?

Video works best when it is viewed as a completely separate form of media from blog posts or infographics. It is best for times when an idea would be better communicated using a visual and audio element or perhaps animation to be interesting or understood. It also works great for establishing transparency and trust by featuring real people on camera.

For example, you might include a short video to explain only a portion of your message that may be confusing or as a personal introduction to your website, instead of trying to summarize the entire document or webpage in a single video.

Stay tuned to our blog in the near future as we explore further some of the better uses of video.

Read and comment on the original post: When (Not) to Produce a Video

Our brand new motion graphics and 3D animation demo reel is a compilation of some of our best animation work from the past few years.

We can bring your logo, titles and graphics to life with motion, and can render your products and even create new worlds in 3D, using the latest software like Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D.

Learn more about our motion graphics and 3D animation services.

Read and comment on the original post: New Motion Graphics and 3D Animation Demo Reel

Video produced for the BCAMA to promote their Breakfast Speakers Series on Big Data.

Why is ‘Big Data’ important to you? We asked this question in this short promotional video intended to increase attendance to the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association’s upcoming Breakfast Speaker Series event on ‘Utilizing Big Data to Your Advantage‘ on April 17th, 2013.

We storyboarded and concepted this motion graphics ‘explainer’ video from scratch and recorded a professional voice-over to help tell the story. An alternate version was created to be shown as an opener at the event itself with a call-to-action that asks attendees to ‘start the conversation’ on Twitter (#bcamabss).

Do you think the video effectively conveyed this message? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Read and comment on the original post: Big Data Event Promo Produced for the BCAMA

In this weekly feature on the blog, we highlight some of the latest news on using online video for business from around the web.

1. How Web Video Can Improve Internal Communications

Video is often promoted as a great marketing tool, but it can also be very effective for improving internal communications within businesses and organizations.

From training videos to internal employee relations, several examples and considerations are covered in a recent article from ReelSEO on how web video can improve internal communications.

Read the original article.

2. Use Conference Videos to Increase Email Marketing Success

Email campaigns are typically used to promote conferences, but did you know that including videos in your emails can significantly increase open and engagement rates?

There are a few things to consider, such as how to properly embed a link to a video in an email campaign and setting up a proper landing page.

Check out this article on how to use videos to boost the success of your email marketing campaigns for conferences.

3. How to Get Your YouTube One Channel Ranked in Search

YouTube has finishing rolling out new channel layouts which have once again shaken things up with regards to search engine optimization.

As with the rest of the web, the old tricks of keyword stuffing increasingly no longer apply. But there are some things you can do to optimize your new channel for search.

ReelSEO has a great article with some tips on how to get your YouTube One channel ranked in search.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about these resources and more as we post them!

Read and comment on the original post: Online Video News Weekly Roundup Apr. 8, 2013

In this weekly feature on the blog, we highlight some of the latest news on using online video for business from around the web.

1. YouTube Hits A Billion Unique Views A Month

In just 8 short years, YouTube has grown to become the second largest search engine in the world (next to Google, of course) and by far the biggest online video destination.

The video sharing site has just reached a major milestone having hit the mark of 1 Billion unique views per month. According to Google, this means that nearly one out of every two people on the internet visits YouTube (one a monthly basis).

Read more on YouTube’s official blog.

2. Deciding Between Animation and Live Action for Small Business Video

Our favourite professional video sharing provider Wistia posted a great article this week about the decision on whether to have a live-action or an animated video produced for your business.

There of course is no, one ‘right’ answer but there are some important considerations such as your target audience, budget and timeline.

Read the full article on the Wistia blog.

3. How to Add Video to a LinkedIn Company Profile

Did you know you can add video to your company’s LinkedIn page? It’s true, both for your company service profile ‘home page’ as well as on each individual product or service page.

ReelSeo has provided a great step-by-step guide on how to easily do this yourself, along with some other information on the general optimization of your LinkedIn company profile.

Read the full article on ReelSeo.com.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about these resources and more as we post them!

Read and comment on the original post: Online Video News Weekly Roundup Apr. 1, 2013

In this weekly feature on the blog, we highlight some of the latest news on using online video for business from around the web.

1. How Long Should a Video Be? Long Enough to Reach a Point

How Long Should a Video Be? Is there a right answer?

Of course, if it can be ‘said’ in less time, then all the better. But the answer isn’t always so simple.

As this article from ReelSEO points out, it can depend on how long it takes to make a point and an emotional connection with your viewers. Kony 2012 was a great example of how a long video can be appropriate.

Read the full article here.

2. Getting Started with Video Testimonials

Customer testimonial videos are a great way to create credibility for your product or service. Hearing praise from real people (other than yourself) can feel much less tacky than a traditional promotional video.

You can see some of our own customer testimonial videos on our website.

So where do you start? (Aside from contacting us, of course) Here are some tips from Wistia on Getting Started with Video Testimonials.

3. Using Video SEO To Steal Clicks, Localize Results and Increase Conversion Rate

Video is a great way to stand out in search results for a cluttered vertical or a given search term, now that Google is increasingly displaying thumbnails from videos in search results.

It’s not just YouTube videos that can stand out in a search but also videos that are hosted on your company’s own website.

Read the full article on ReelSEO to learn more about the benefits of self-hosted video vs. YouTube and how to properly optimize your pages with video for search.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about these resources and more as we post them!

Read and comment on the original post: Online Video News Weekly Roundup Mar. 25, 2013

In this new weekly feature on the blog, we will be highlighting some of the latest news on using online video for business from around the web.

1. Looking Back On The Harlem Shake: Postmortem of a Video Craze

Whether your business jumped on this craze or not, there is a slim chance you didn’t happen to see at least one version of the Harlem Shake online dance craze at some point over the past few months.

So just what could you and the rest of the world have been doing instead of watching this silly meme? The figures may surprise you.

What I found most interesting about the stats is how many more views and ‘likes’ the top 10 videos received compared to the top ten Superbowl Ads from this year (which obviously cost a lot more to produce).

Read the original article on Reelseo.com.

2. Video SEO Basics

What is video SEO and why is it important for your business? Wistia, who  we  use to host the videos on our website, has release a new video explaining the basics of using video to help your website rank higher in searches.

Video increases your chances of showing up above competing text-only pages in search results, but the main take-away is that embedding a video directly on your website instead of simply uploading it to YouTube will allow your website to show up in search results along with the video instead of sending viewers to YouTube.

Watch the video on Wistia’s video marketing website.

3. 57% Of Online Consumers Have Confidence In Product Videos

A new study shows that consumers report having have an increase in confidence when buying a product online after having seen a product video.

We know from the experience of our clients that videos are a great way to demonstrate a product, but it’s nice to have some solid data to back this up.

Read the article and the results of the study at ReelSEO.com.

4. GoPro Evolution: From 35mm Film To America’s Fastest-Growing Camera Company

GoPro has become a household name, the small ‘point-of-view’ camera being used occasionally even in the odd professional production by companies like ours. But the actual amount of market share the relatively new camera manufacturer has managed to grab may surprise you!

Check out this interesting look at the evolution of the GoPro from Forbes.com.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear about these resources and more as we post them!

Read and comment on the original post: Online Video News Weekly Roundup Mar. 18, 2013

It’s much more cost effective than casting, hiring and filming a professional spokesperson, and can more easily be updated or replaced in the future. Narration can also help to bridge any gaps left in a story after filming interviews.

It is typically also the best approach when creating a video in multiple languages, since a voice-over can be recorded and on-screen text replaced, instead of making the foreign-language versions feel like an afterthought trying to dub-over what an actor is saying.

There are just a few things to keep in mind when using a voice-over in a video to make sure you get the right results and to avoid delays and costs overruns.

Check out the latest article in our Video Production Knowledge Centre to learn more.

Read and comment on the original post: Tips for When Using a Voice-Over in Your Video

comScore has just released the 2013 Canada Digital Future in Focus, its annual report on trends in web, online video, mobile, and social media.

A few highlights from the report, most specifically relating to video, include:

• Canadian users spend more than 41 hours per month online on their desktop computers, the 2nd highest in the world and the 1st in terms of monthly pages and visits per visitor.
• Online video is “of growing importance to the digital ecosystem as long-form viewing and premium programming migrates online. Canadians rank 2nd worldwide in terms of monthly hours of video viewing (25) and number of videos per viewer (291). The Entertainment category saw the largest growth in number of videos viewed versus year ago.”
• Subscribers watching video on their mobile phones has increased 21 points in the last year.

The data clearly shows the growing importance of online video, specifically that which may be also viewed on mobile devices. Read the full report for other interesting insights.

What do you think – do those numbers reflect your online computer and mobile device usage? Have you been watching more online video?

Read and comment on the original post: Report Shows Online Video on the Rise

Karen is the primary contact with clients during production, making sure projects are on budget, on message and on time.

Mark manages many of our existing accounts and helps to develop new business.

Shane is the latest addition to our team. He manages some of our existing accounts and will be helping to develop new business.

Lilian is our Senior Editor and new Creative Director, handling the motion graphics work for most of our projects.

Ben is our primary editor, with a focus on story editing for many of our larger projects.

Meet the rest of our team of dedicated production and support staff.

Read and comment on the original post: Our Team Has Some New Faces

Video is a very effective way to communicate which allows you to demonstrate the benefits of a product or service in ways that photos and text alone cannot.

We’ve compiled a list of what we consider to be the top 5 benefits of video for the web.

Read the full article here.

Read and comment on the original post: Top 5 Benefits of Video for the Web

Proof that incorporating video into presentations can be a great way to increase engagement.

Back in Motion provides rehabilitation and employment services. They were entering into an RFP process which required them to put together a presentation and decided to incorporate video to help them to stand out.

They were successful in all 5 catchment areas for which they presented and feel that the videos were an integral part of this success.

Watch the above case study video to learn about how Basetwo Media was able to help Back in Motion to better communicate using video.

Read and comment on the original post: How Video Helped Back in Motion Win RFP

The guide is broken down into three main categories: Programming & Production; Publishing & Optimization, and; Community & Social Media.

It is a great compilation of well-known best practices, including those we have written about on our website such as optimizing for search and adding captions. There are also some interesting tips on scheduling & frequency, cross-promotion, and something called “Tent-pole Programming”.

Check out the Creator Playbook yourself to learn how to take your YouTube video marketing to the next level.

Read and comment on the original post: YouTube Playbook for Video Marketers

We are really happy to start 2013 by launching a brand new, fully mobile responsive website. The new site is much more focused on our clients and will be constantly updated with educational articles and videos.

Special thanks to Vancouver website design company Forge and Smith for their great work on the project.

Have a look around and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Read and comment on the original post: Our Website has a Brand New Look!