Understanding the Full Video Production Spectrum

Video Spectrum
Video is an invaluable tool to utilize throughout your organization and website. As much as we’d love to be the ones hitting record for every video you need, that doesn’t make sense from a time or cost standpoint. So, we’re here to help.
In this blog, we identify the 6 tiers of the video production spectrum, and when you can utilize each for your organization to get the most bang for your buck!
*Note* This blog does not speak to the video quality spectrum of live video as it is its own beast. If you want to know more about that, give us a shout.

Starting at the Low End… DIY Videos

DIY (Do It Yourself) videos have an important role to play, even with professional companies. Videos like these can supplement blog posts, reassure website visitors it’s safe for them to give you their information or even to simply entertain. Let’s discuss the 2 tiers of DIY videos.

Tier 1 – The Quick and Dirty DIY

When It Makes Sense

When your main goal is to relay a basic message and entertain your audience, this is a way you can go. Usually, these videos are shared through a social media platform or in emails, but there are times that a DIY could find itself on a website. There is little, if any, planning involved, the message is unscripted and there’s not much concern for picture composition or audio quality.

Production Quality?

Very low. A video like this may be shot handheld on your phone or recorded on a platform like ZOOM. There’s usually not much editing involved and rarely do the videos include much if any, b-roll, text, graphics, or music.

How Much Will It Cost?

These videos can be shot with the phone you already have or recorded from your computer and don’t require any additional tools. Most videos produced in this way usually require little, if any basic editing on the backend as well. Therefore, the only cost for these videos is your time.

An example:

The social media platform Tik Tok is full of great examples of quick and dirty DIY videos (though it allows you to easily add music and text). Many businesses have embraced their “content over quality” platform with great results.

Tier 2 – Prosumer DIY

When It Makes Sense

When you want to share a quick message or helpful hint that is related to your business, product, or service to your audience, this can be a great way to go. This tier also makes sense for creating internal videos, such as training videos. Videos in this tier have a script or at least an outline so the speaker stays on point with the message.

Production Quality?

Low. Videos like these can still be shot on your phone or recorded off a laptop, but there’s some thought put into the location of your video, lighting, sound, picture composition, and stabilization. These videos usually are lightly edited and include some professional aspects, such as text, graphics, and/or even music.

How Much Will It Cost?

These videos can cost you a little more than time. However, it may be worth investing in some basic tools to make your shots or sound better. If you don’t know how to edit video, it’d be worth it to hire someone for that.

An example:

We work with our good friends, Bob Fish (co-CEO of BIGGBY Coffee) and his wife, Michelle on doing the editing for the videos they shoot on their phone for their blog, One BIGG Island in Space. Below is one of the videos we helped them produce.

Interested in learning more? Click here for our FREE video tutorial on how you can shoot professional video on your phone or laptop. We can help with the editing to snap up the finished product.

The Next Two Tiers…

These second two tiers are the journalism production tiers. Journalism Productions are where a majority of professional videos fall because the quality is high enough while still being quite affordable. Journalistic videos can also be particularly appealing to an audience due to their unscripted feel and authentic presentation.

Tier 3 – Earned Journalism

When It Makes Sense

This is a bit of an x-factor. Earned journalism aka news journalism, is a possibility whenever your organization is doing something that is deemed newsworthy to the masses. If you have an event or cause you feel is a great opportunity for News Journalism, make sure to let your local news stations know with plenty of lead time.

Production Quality?

Decent. News journalists are professionals with training and quality equipment. Ultimately, though, news stations must produce several newscasts throughout a day, so they don’t have much time to put the story together and it may be missing the depth or aspects that you’d like.

How Much Will It Cost?

It can really vary when it comes to getting the news to produce a piece on you. Usually, it doesn’t have any direct costs, but rather a combination of time and the costs for putting on a quality event or cause that intrigues the community and attracts the news.

Tier 4 – Hired Journalism

When It Makes Sense

There are a lot of things that happen that are a big deal to you and your specific audience, but it may not check the boxes for the mainstream media. Other times, even if it makes the news, you may want a more robust, well-rounded, story to share. That’s when hiring a professional video production team to tell your story makes sense.

Production Quality?

Good. Usually, there’s not a script involved and the story is put together with first-person interviews. There are a minimal crew and minimal equipment during these productions. Many times the final video is accompanied by music, graphics, pictures, and text.

How Much Will It Cost?

A production like this is likely going to cost at least $1,500 and can be much more depending on the time needed and complexity of the production.

An example:

One of our values at Good Fruit is to help first and be a positive force for good in our community. In that spirit, we volunteer our services once a quarter to tell the story of an organization within our community. This is one such story.

Want more examples? Check out our Solutions Menu to understand what’s possible at what price point!

Tier 5 – Cinematic

When It Makes Sense

When you want a piece that’s more polished than a professional Journalism piece, but don’t need to go full Hollywood, this is the right fit. Your video likely doesn’t utilize hired actors, need a 4K camera or a massive crew, but there’s still a lot of thought and energy into creating a quality, polished piece.

Production Quality?

Great. There is more thought put behind the shot selection, likely more equipment and a larger (but not massive) crew involved to make sure everything runs smoothly and the video is high quality. The final product will include the same elements as a Professional Journalism piece, but may also include some (or all) animation, and advanced picture and sound enhancements.

How Much Will It Cost?

A production like this can vary greatly depending on the overall scope, but you should expect to spend a minimum of $5,000 and the zeroes can tack on quickly depending on the scope.

An example:

We love working with our friends at SISU Mouthguards. Recently, we produced this commercial for them. Check it out!

Tier 6 – Hollywood

When It Makes Sense

When you need and want to wow your audience, this is the way to go. It’s likely that there is a script, big crew, lots of equipment, actors, and logistics involved.

Production Quality?

Superior. There is a lot of planning behind every shot and every word in the video. All aspects of the video are controlled. The crew is large and the equipment is top-notch. The final video will be meticulously put together for a superior look and feel. The sound will be top-notch and it may include high-end graphics and animation.

How Much Will It Cost?

If you want a cinematic production, pull out the pocketbook. It is possible to get some things done for as little as $25,000, but depending on your end goal, you can add zeros to that price tag quickly.

So there you have it; a quick tour through the spectrum of video production. Every tier has their own time and place when they are the best choice for relaying information to your audience. If you utilize the proper videos at the proper places and times, the value will be immense. If you have further questions, please feel free to give us a shout! Thanks.

I Have A Great Video. Now What? 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Video.

video shoot

Video is an amazing tool that can do some incredible things for your organization and brand, but like any other tool, it needs to be utilized correctly to get you all those results you hear about. We’re here to help you identify the ways you can get the most out of your videos.

1. Upload it to a Video Sharing Site.

The first thing is first. Utilizing a platform like Youtube or Vimeo will allow your video to automatically come up in web searches. Videos carry a lot of weight on the world wide web and so they carry the priority in searches. They also make it easy to share the video in emails or on webpages.

Helpful hint… Google (the #1 search engine) owns Youtube, so they prioritize that video content over others.

2. Send it in Emails

Whether it’s a sales e-mail or a newsletter, including links to videos are shown to improve open and conversion rates.

Helpful hint… programs such as Constant Contact and Mail Chimp allow specific tools for embedding videos.

3. Embed it in Your Website

Make sure the video is embedded in the appropriate place on your website. I.e. if it’s about your organization in general, have it on the Home Page. If it’s about a certain program, house it on the page about that specific program.

Helpful hint…Have the video near the top of the page, so viewers can watch it first and, if they’re interested, go into more detail by reading the text underneath.

4. Share it on social media for free

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, and others allow you a free platform to share your video. The numbers will not be as large as those coming from television, but viewers watching a video online are much more targeted and are choosing to watch the video and those are the numbers you want!

There are also paid options for all these platforms. Putting a little money behind the post can exponentially increase the targeted views as well.

Helpful hint… Upload your video straight to Facebook allows for a much more interactive experience, as your video will automatically start playing in the same window, rather than making the viewer click on a link first and be redirected to where the video is housed.

5. WRITER’S CHOICE: Play it before speaking or at an event

When speaking in front of a group, you only have a finite amount of time to share information about your organization, program, event, product. Using a video allows you to provide a 10,000-foot view of whatever you’ll be speaking on, quickly, making the most of your time. You are then left with the opportunity to answer questions and elaborate on details that are most interesting to your audience.

I hope you found this article helpful in getting the most out of your video. There are several other ways to effectively share your video and as technology grows, the opportunities will also grow. If you would like to learn more, we suggest these articles by HubSpot. If you would like assistance with sharing your video, we’d suggest reaching out to one of the following organizations we’ve worked with in the past…

Smith Advertising

Inverve Marketing

Glow Social Media

Change Media Group

Need more assistance? We’re here to help! Just give us a shout.

So… How Much Will This Video Cost?

So… How Much Will This Video Cost?

At Good Fruit Video, we’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of clients throughout the last decade. Clients that provide all sorts of different products and services to their customers, consumers, employees, stakeholders, donors, and volunteers. Every single client has their own goals for their video project, but one thing always stays the same… every client wants to know how much the video is going to cost.

In this blog, I will work to educate you on the variables that ultimately lead to the cost of your video project.

Variable 1: The Planning

Planning is extremely important for ending up with an excellent video. Answering the questions about the purpose, audience, message, timeline, and vehicle(s) for your video is paramount to the overall success of the project.

Once you answer those questions, you will need to identify how you want to project to be done. Will your production be:

  • Documentary style, utilizing interviews and complimentary video.
  • Direct address, scripted video.
  • Cinematic style, utilizing scripts, storyboards, and potentially actors.
  • An animation, such as a whiteboard video.
  • A live, streaming video, such as Facebook live or webinar.

All five of these production types have benefits and negatives, depending on your goals for the project.

Variable 2: The Crew

The size and expertise of your crew will change the price quite a bit. A person or crew, fresh out of high school or college, is going to cost less than a professional crew with years or decades of experience producing videos for clients. Utilizing a member of your own team to shoot the video is another option, though unless that is their main role, it may hinder performance in their daily work.

Depending on the production type, the size can also vary. A documentary-style production will normally have far fewer crew members, usually one to three, while a cinematic crew may have five, ten, or more crew members on set.

Variable 3: The Equipment

Good lighting and quality sound are probably the two biggest factors behind a great video. Understanding the need for additional light and sound equipment, as well as stabilization and other gear, such as a slider, jib arm or even additional camera is extremely important to make a quality video.

Variable 4: The Travel

If a videographer or crew is traveling any amount of distance in order to capture video for your project, that will be included in your cost for the video. Travel rates vary, depending on the distance, crew size, and time it will take the crew to get to the shoot and get back to the office. Shoots that take multiple days may also incur room and board charges.

Variable 5: The Shoot Time

Most production companies charge in half-day and full-day when it comes to shoots. A half-day is usually up to four or five hours and a full-day is up to eight or ten hours. However, there are teams that may charge in only full days or simply per hour. It really depends on the company and how they feel they can bring the best value to their client. Also, remember, a videographer or crew will need time to set up and tear down equipment, before, after, and during a shoot. Plan accordingly.

Variable 6: Post-Production

Again, depending on the approach to a video, post-production can vary. If a video was shot in a documentary style, the story will have to be created from the interviews and other audio captured. From there, additional video (known as B-Roll) will be used to complement the narrative. A process like this can take anywhere from two to four hours per hour of video capture. With cinematic videos, putting the story together may take less time, as so much was put into scripting and controlling the production. However, after the story is put together, things such as color grading and sound sweetening are done to polish off the video and make it ready for viewer consumption.

Variable 7: Turnaround time

Do you need your finished video in a month, a week, or a day? The turnaround time for the finished video will dictate the amount of concentrated effort needed by the team to execute your production and thus will affect the cost of the project. However, turnaround time is not only for finished projects. The amount of time given prior to scheduling, rescheduling and even canceling a video shoot can dramatically affect the workflow of a production team and can ultimately lead to additional costs.

Variable 8: Opportunity Cost

Is the shoot the one and only opportunity to get video of an event or interview with a certain person? If so, the cost of opportunity is great. NOTHING can be left to chance. EVERYTHING has to work right. The pressure is on and it’s going to cost you. But you’ll be happy when you have the video later on.

Conversely, when you book a videographer or crew, you are booking their most valuable commodity, their time. Until we are able to clone ourselves, there’s a huge value to that.

The Non-Variable:

There’s one thing that many people consider when thinking about the price of a video. Length. Call me crazy, but I don’t see this as a variable that should affect the overall budget. A video, with little video editing needed, may take little time to complete, whereas a 30-second spot, may take hours and days to get finalized. Ultimately, if the video does what it’s intended to do, the length should not matter.

Instead of looking at the length or video as a value driver, consider these other things instead…

What’s the value of the goal you are trying to meet?

Will the video help you make money? How much?

Save money? How much?

Recruit? Who? What is that person(s) worth to your organization?

Train talent? On what? Will a video help you do this better?

How long will you use this video?

So how much does a video cost? Ultimately, it depends.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to give us a shout. Thanks!

How Long Should My Video Be?

video screen

This article might get a little uncomfortable. I’m about to share a secret with you that you may not want to hear. Ready?

No matter how much someone is interested in your product or company, no matter how much they love it or love you, you still only have a very very short amount of their time. In today’s society, it’s best to make a quick impression, they will respect you more for that. So, how long is that impression? Ten minutes? Five minutes? Three minutes? Try two minutes.

Yes, two minutes is the magic number. For now at least, until there are even more demands on people’s time, and then it’ll drop again. Here are a few questions or comments I’ve received when relaying this information.

We play our video at an event where everyone is there for us. Surely, our video can be longer then, right?

Maybe. No matter where you are, you’ll start to lose viewer’s attention exponentially after 2 minutes. Remember, just because a person is with you at an event, doesn’t mean they’re fully there. They still have a smartphone that is full of their e-mails, social media accounts, news articles, and videos, all vying for their time. They obviously care enough to be there in the room, but that doesn’t mean you have their undivided attention.

But we have so much information to share. We can’t share it all in two minutes.

This is true for nearly every organization, program, or event. Two minutes is rarely enough time for everything. Consider making one, 10,000-foot view video, that gives an overview and maybe touches on a few key messages. Then create multiple, bite-sized videos that share specific information about specific things. That way a viewer can pick and choose the information that’s most interesting or important to them. If you force viewers to sit through information they don’t care about, you will lose them.

Is there ever a time when videos can be longer and still be effective?

Training videos are the exception to the rule. However, breaking up training modules into smaller, bite-sized nuggets of information will still be more effective and help with overall information retention.

I hope this blog has been helpful for you. If you’d like more information about this, we’d recommend you check out this article by wistia. If we can help you any further, please give us a shout! Thanks!

Seven Things You Can Do to Save Time, Money and Headache in the Video Production Process

explaining

When you hire a professional video team to make your content, you are paying a premium for the expertise, experience, equipment, and quality that comes from a professional. Depending on the size of your company, it can be a huge step, but one that can have a huge return on investment if done correctly.

There are a few things you can do to help streamline the production and save time and money in the process.

1. Be Realistic

You should expect to be spending money on a professional. With a budget under $1,000, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get much done. If you have a budget under that, you may want to look for students who are currently studying video production as a possible solution. Doing a production yourself may also be an option, but work on it will take you away from what you do best and can ultimately do more harm than good.

2. Be Specific

The more specific detail you can provide about what you want of your video, the better chance the final piece will fit your vision and meet or exceed your goals. Things like:

1. What’s the purpose of the project?

2. Who is your target audience?

3. What are your key messages?

4. What is your timeline?

The more specifically you can answer these questions, the better the end product will be.

3. Be Prepared

Having assets, such as pictures and logos, at the correct size and resolution, prepared beforehand will help the production run smoothly. The bigger a picture, the better. Think, at least 1000 pixels in width and in height. Vector files (.ai and some .pdf files) allow you to enlarge and shrink the graphic without losing any quality and should be used if possible. If not, use the same rule of thumb as with a picture.

4. Don’t Wait

Waiting until the last second can be a headache and painful on the pocketbook. Take the time to look at what is coming up for your organization and decide then and there, if the video is something you want to be included.

5. If You Think You May Want It, Get It

You don’t always need to know what you’ll use it for right away. We hear lamenting from clients, all the time when something went by and they have no video to remember it or to use in videos later on. Having that footage in the future, even if you don’t know what you’ll use it for at the time, is going to be greater than the cost to capture it.

6. Be Decisive and Thorough

In order to get your project completed quickly, efficiently, and within budget, make sure to review the full video completely, before providing edit notes. It’s also important to have everyone responsible for the video, review it before providing edit notes.

7. Share Your Wares

You paid a premium to get a quality piece(s) produced. Now you need to utilize it so it can help you meet your needs. Whether that’s embedding it in your website, sharing it on social media, sending it in e-mails, using it at presentations, or, hopefully, a combination, your video will only be effective if it’s used. If you need help with this, ask your network or the production team for suggestions for someone who can help.

I hope you found this blog informative and helpful to make your next video project the most pain-free and fruitful experience! As always, if we can help further, feel free to give us a shout. Thanks!