“Collaborate”.  That is my mantra and the one piece of advice I give to any still photographer who is thinking of getting into video.  Many photographers are overwhelmed at the prospect of having to learn new skills, like how to capture good audio and how to edit.  I tell them, even if they know these skill sets – they should collaborate with professionals in these areas, rather than to do it all themselves. It’s not impossible to work solo in video, depending on the job, but it’s definitely more difficult and sometimes counter productive. Simply put, a good crew will make you – and your productions look good.

Still photographers by nature are independent creatures, so the concept of working with a team is somewhat foreign.  Sure, we have all collaborated with art directors, stylists, hair and make up people and assistants, but with video the team you build becomes even more integral to the production.  These days a team can be anywhere from two people to twenty or even more.

I have always had a partner, even in my still photography business, so when I got into video I found that was an asset and an advantage. In the beginning my partner would shoot the still images on video productions and I shot the video.  On simple jobs, I would also “run sound” and do the edit.  As productions became more complex, we would hire good sound people and editors.  Some jobs needed bigger crews.  We quickly found that not only could we not “do it all” but that we shouldn’t on video productions because it was self-defeating. Many times the productions were taking longer with smaller crews.

So how does one find good sound people, grips (lighting), gaffers (electricians) and editors? There are many online resources these days – Craig’s List, Mandy’s and Production Hub to name a few.  I have also met great people at DSLR meet-ups, editing user groups and trade shows and conferences.

If a job is complex and the budget accommodates it – I hire a line producer to put a crew together for me.  That’s their job and they keep a file of good people that they draw upon on an as needed basis. I actually found the editor who worked on my film and was brilliant, by networking with an ASMP member who also works in both mediums. Personally, I think one of the biggest benefits of being a member of ASMP is the networking.

Technology has had a major impact on visual communications, which in turn has changed the way, we manage our businesses and produce jobs.  It’s more the norm these days to build crews as we need them, rather than to maintain large production teams full time. There are plenty of very good freelancers to draw from.  Not only will a good team make you and your productions look good – you’ll be learning at the same time.

Gail Mooney has recently finished her first feature film Opening Our Eyes.  You can see a trailer and find out more about this project at www.openingoureyesmovie.com

When I started giving seminars about video for ASMP a few years back, video was a separate genre of “photography.” In fact, most didn’t even consider it a genre of photography at all, but rather a totally different skill set and craft.

Fast forward three years and video has infiltrated just about every photography market and genre, from editorial to architectural photography.  No longer a separate genre, video has become part of the photography business.

If you’re a photojournalist these days, you pretty much have to know how to shoot video, whether you shoot with a hybrid camera or a traditional video camera. Most publishing companies are demanding video for their online and mobile device editions of their publications.

Wedding shooters are now providing both video and still photography to their clients. Rather than compete for a piece of the photographic budget with a videographer who has been hired separately, or deal with the frustration of getting in each other’s way, the day of the wedding, savvy still photographers are handing both stills and video.  They may not shoot both mediums themselves, but they take care of both needs for their clients and coordinate those efforts.

Corporate photography has always been a big market for me.  In the glory days of glossy annual reports, I made a lot of money in the corporate photography genre.  These days, my corporate clients have shifted a lot of their dollars to video.  I can’t remember the last time that I shot for a corporate client that didn’t include a video component. I don’t let those dollars go elsewhere.  I provide solutions for both video and still photographic needs on the job.  My clients like it because it’s cost effective and it streamlines the workflow as well as unifies the “look” of the content.  It’s a win/win.

Video is rapidly becoming part of almost every photography market niche.  That’s not to say that still photography is passé, but rather to point out that a video component is becoming a standard in the overall business of photography.

When I think of the definition of what a  photographer will be in the future – I think of someone who is able to provide both stills and motion content and deliver their clients’ message with the whatever camera does that best.

Gail Mooney has recently finished her first feature film Opening Our Eyes. Watch the trailer and find out more about this project at: www.openingoureyesmovie.com

This week, we are focusing on our contributors’ favorite bookmarks.  The places we go when we’re looking for information, inspiration, insights, training, time-saving tools and more; the bookmarks we find more valuable than the millions of other potential bookmarks that populate cyberspace.  And there are millions.

Now that the vast majority of the world wide web has been fully indexed, our society has discovered the downside to comprehensive search.  There are just too many choices.  How do you decide which ones are worth clicking on?  How do you know that something even better isn’t lurking on the 3,712th page of your favorite search engine’s returned results?

I’ll tell you how – just go to CameraCake.com

ASMP’s new social bookmarking  resource by and for professional photographers is live and open to all!  CameraCake lets you:

• post links to your favorite books, websites, blog posts, tutorials, articles – anything with a URL
• search resources that others have posted  by topic, category, type, tag, poster or reviewer
• like/dislike resources, add reviews and subscribe to resources, posters or categories
• easily identify the most popular and most recently posted resources in any search category

This is your opportunity to help build the largest and best searchable database of resources with value to professional photographers; a database that will help us all work faster and work smarter.

So, go to  www.CameraCake.com, create a user profile and submit your favorite resources.  Search, like/dislike and review resources others have posted.  Help your community, help yourself.  Join us at CameraCake.com – and bring a friend!

Judy Herrmann has spent the past 9 months building ASMP’s new social bookmarking site with invaluable help from Barry Schwartz and Luke Copping.  You’ll find her favorite bookmarks on CameraCake.com.

The post-production process for video is far different than it is for still photography. Most people think of post-production in video as “editing” and that’s certainly true to some extent, but the word “editing” in video production is far different than what that word means for still photography.

Editing is not just culling through the good and the bad clips and it isn’t just knowing particular software like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere – it is crafting the story.  Sounds simple – and it is I suppose – if you know how to tell a story cinematically. Every cut and the timing of that cut plays a part in telling the story and moving the film along.

It doesn’t matter if you are working on a 15 second spot or a feature length documentary, the story or the message is the heart of what you are creating and if that is blurred or not clear – then I don’t care how beautiful your imagery is – you have failed to do what video excels at and that is “telling the story”.

Some post-production tips:

• Hire a professional editor – or trade services with one if you can’t afford one.  It makes all the difference in the world.  Professional editors know more than just how to use editing software – they are like a musical composer – creating the rhythm and feel of the piece with timing and juxtaposition.

• Do a very rough cut yourself – this forces you to look at everything you have shot and put it into the context of the story you are trying to tell.  You become a better shooter when editing your own material.  You discover exactly what you should have gotten in the field when you get into the editing room.

• Get all your assets in order – By this I mean gather any and all stock still images or footage, narrative, music, graphics etc.  This keeps you focused on the story.

• Force yourself to look at the “whole” without stopping to tweak – This is a tough one but it’s important to watch your piece in its entirety to get the sense of the whole story.  It’s tough because you’ll want to stop and tweak the audio or slide a clip one frame over – but try to watch it through at least once.  Then go back and tweak.

• Wear earphones when editing – It’s really the only way to listen for any volume changes or hisses and pops.

• Don’t wait until the day you need to ship your project out to compress it – We all push it to the eleventh hour but some things you just can’t hurry and that is compression for DVD’s or blu-ray or even a compressed file for upload.  Compression takes time.  And there is no one size fits all formula.  It’s the type of thing that you just have to test.  Leave time to do so.

• Use straight cuts – I hate it when I see lots of dissolves or these crazy transition effects.  I don’t want people to notice the cuts.  I like to keep them simple.  Everything means something in editing and something like dissolves generally means the passage of time – so if that’s not what you want to say – don’t use them.

• Music – Music is the backbone and the heart of any good piece.  I found when editing a feature length piece that I needed lots of music.  Even royalty free music adds up but it makes all the difference in the world.  It takes a lot of time to search for music.  It takes even more time to hire someone to compose an original score. Plan for it and budget it. Don’t use mainstream music unless you have licensed it.  If you plan to do that, you should also be prepared for the cost to license it.

• Hire a sound mixer. – Again professionally speaking, the sign of a non-professionally edited film is one where the sound wasn’t mixed.  And when played in a theater – you will hear the difference.  Actually, even when played on your computer, you’ll hear the difference. Audio is everything in video.

• Learn to love collaboration. – On my latest project I worked with an editor, a sound mixer, a graphic designer and professional musicians.  They all raised the bar on my film and made me look good.  Find a way to collaborate – trade services, make friends with other pros, raise money with crowd funding – find a way to work with professionals on your projects and it will make all the difference in the world.

Gail Mooney has recently finished her first feature film Opening Our Eyes.  You can see a trailer and find out more about this project at www.openingoureyesmovie.com

For the past 9 months, I’ve been hard at work bringing an idea to life.   For years, I’ve relied on a handful of trusted friends and colleagues to help me stay on top of books, blogs, articles, and other great resources that would keep me ahead of the curve.  Then, it hit me – what if there was way for all of us to help each other stay ahead of the curve?

I brought that idea to the ASMP National Board and Staff.  With their support, Barry Schwartz, Luke Copping and I have created CameraCake.com – a new social bookmarking site for professional photographers.  As our mid-August launch date approaches, I’ve been thinking about the resources I want to share.  They include:

The Art and Business of Photography by Susan Carr
Category: Business Type: Book   Keywords/Tags: Business, Copyright, Licensing, Future Trends, Creativity

Description: This is the first book I’ve seen on the business of photography that addresses the rapidly changing realities all photographers face today.  Jam-packed with practical ideas, actionable advice and thought-provoking analysis, this book will benefit anyone trying to earn a living as a professional photographer.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com
Category: Marketing Type: Blog   Keywords/Tags: Business, Marketing, Advice, Entrepreneur

Description: Every day, marketing guru Seth Godin, offers ideas, advice, exhortations, admonishments, warnings, aphorisms, and more on his blog.  Sometimes brilliant, frequently thought-provoking, always worth it.  This blog should be on every small business owner’s short list.

www.ASMP.org/education
Category: Education Type: Seminar  Keywords/Tags: Business, Marketing, Sales, Negotiations, Social Media, Future Trends

Description: ASMP’s traveling seminars offer carefully vetted speakers whose information packed programs are solidly based on real world experience.  This season, 4 SB3 veterans -  Tom Kennedy, Colleen Wainwright, Blake Discher and Jay Kinghorn – provide powerful presentations that help photographers conquer daily challenges and face the future with confidence.

www.fxPhd.com
Category: Education Type: Tutorial  Keywords/Tags: Motion, Digital Video, AfterEffects, Premiere, Final Cut Pro

Description: Jay Kinghorn (one of my top 5 friend/colleague resource sources) recommended fxPhd for learning video post-production.  We’d played around with the tutorials on Lynda.com (another fav) but were impressed by how in-depth and real-world these programs are.  Each 10 week course provides access to the instructors, a student forum and, when appropriate, downloadable sample clips.  The courses download to your computer so you can watch them again and again.  Each “semester” includes a free business oriented program along with the technical/creative courses.  Previously offered courses are also available at a reduced price through their “Vault.”

I could go on but I will save the rest for the launch of my new baby, CameraCake.com, arriving in mid-August.  I hope you’ll join in the sharing!

Judy Herrmann is looking forward to delivering her newest labor of love.  You can find some of her other labors and loves at ASMP.org, ASMPproAdvice, www.HSstudio.com and www.2goodthings.com.

I get asked this question all the time “How do I price video”.  First of all I need to state that I do not position myself as a DP or Camera Operator.  I want to take the lead on a project and handle the entire video production.  So when I talk about pricing video, I talk about how I price various aspects of a video production job.

As the producer, I charge an overall “creative fee” or “producer fee” for handling all aspects of the job from concept to creation.  In the markets I work in, primarily in the corporate and institutional sectors, I work directly with my client and handle the production rather than go through an intermediary like an ad agency or designer.  I take creative and fiscal control of the project.

So how do I come up with what I charge?

• When I am shooting both still images and motion for a client – I charge for them separately.  I do this because most of the time, I won’t be shooting both mediums on a job.  I’ve done it before and it’s self-defeating.  That’s one reason, but the other reason is that I deal with the licensing and usage differently.
• I base my fees on my cost of doing business as well as what the market will bear in my area for that type of job.  It’s easy to research your competition because many video production companies provide a rate sheet online.
• It’s fairly easy to find out typical rates for crew that you need to hire, whether it be an audio engineer or an editor. A seasoned editor will be able to give you a pretty good estimate on how many hours the edit will take depending on how many hours of footage you shoot.
• I charge for my gear whether I rent it or own it; it is fairly standard in the business of video production to include a “camera package” or “lighting package”.
• If I am asked for a bottom line price then I need to stipulate what that price does and does not include.  The client needs to understand that my camera package is priced based on using a Canon 5D Mark II and not a RED.
• Traditional union rates and rules only apply in traditional business models.  Technology has lowered the entry bar to video production but it has also created a demand for motion content – much of it coming from our existing still photography clients who are now asked by their bosses to fulfill video needs.  Don’t make the mistake of “giving the video” (or the stills) away. Each one of these mediums has their own and unique value to the client.
• I charge for creating the project and I grant usage for the project in its entirety.  It may be that I am hired to create an online web video for internal corporate use.  But if the client falls in love with that 1-minute video and wants me to cut it down to 15 sec. and use it in a broadcast spot – then I will charge not only for the new “cut” but also for the broadcast usage.

For those of you who become more of a hybrid and begin to offer your clients video as well as still imagery – don’t make the mistake of giving it away.  If you do, you will have lost your opportunity to state your value in that genre with your client.  Ask yourself – at what point will you be good enough to start charging that client for your motion work?  And who is going to determine that?

Pricing and estimating video is one part of the process. After the job has been awarded, I make sure I follow up with a SOW (Statement of Work) that is signed.  It includes all my terms and conditions, including payment terms, licensing and usage.

Gail Mooney – creating storytelling still and motion imagery for new media.  www.kellymooney.com

Late last year, after creating some personal video projects, my partner, Mike Starke, and I started exploring the realities of producing video for clients. Over the years, we’ve learned the hard way to perform in-depth research before committing funds to any diversification scheme so  we started the process by doing a series of informational interviews.

First, we called photographers we’d met through the ASMP to ask about their experiences making the transition.  We gathered equipment recommendations, software and hardware tips and an extensive list of information resources, tutorials, workshops and courses.  We asked about costs, billing rates, production roles, working with crews, and everything else we could think of on the business and production sides.

Next, we called some clients to learn about their needs and see if they’d be interested in using us for video projects.  Several told us that if we could produce video that looked like our stills, they would send all of their video projects our way. Many of them shared what they liked and disliked about working with other video teams.  A few even sent us links to videos they’d created for clients and told us exactly what those projects had cost.

Armed with information from our peers and clients, we agreed that adding video would be a smart move.  To hone our shooting and editing skills as quickly as possible, we signed up for an immersive workshop.  We spent a grueling week experiencing everything it takes to produce, shoot and edit a short video project.  Everything, that is, but the business side.  Finally, at the end of the last day, the instructor announced that the going rate for video is $1500 for a 3 minute piece.

Whoa!  All that work for $1500????  The class freaked out!  Luckily, our research allowed us to chime in.  Sure, some editorial & photojournalism video projects pay that low a rate but the budgets our clients mentioned were substantially higher – 5 to 10 times higher for projects with similar production values to what we learned in class and even more for videos with lengthy shooting schedules, higher production values or broad audience reach.

History has a funny way of repeating itself. For me, figuring out what the market will bear was the hardest part of pricing photography.  Video’s no different.  And, like stills, talking with peers and clients still seems the best way to get a realistic sense of how the marketplace will value my work.

Photographer and Business Strategist, Judy Herrmann, helps people grow businesses by providing hard-working images that communicate key messages and through one-on-one strategy sessions, seminars and her blog, 2goodthings.com.

When estimating an upcoming video or multimedia job, it’s easy to neglect estimating the time necessary for client reviews and encoding your video files for output. These two areas alone can quickly eat through your profit margins .

Here are a few tips to make sure you’re accurately estimating these aspects of your video jobs.

- Specify the number of rounds of client review in your estimate and contract. Be sure to also include notice of charges the client will incur should they exceed this allowance.

- Communicate with your clients that all the project’s stakeholders need to sign off on each round of the video. Make it clear that you cannot incorporate their corrections until you have everyone on board. Explain to them that this saves them money, because it decreases the risk of them incurring additional costs because of late changes.

- In your project discussions, be sure to address the technical specifications you will use when preparing your video files for client delivery. This helps reduce the risk of confusion between you and the client and allows you to add the costs of preparing multiple iterations of the video file to the initial estimate rather than surprising your clients with additional fees when they ask for additional files.

- Take the time to become familiar with the nuances of video encoding. Like preparing a still image for CMYK reproduction, there are technical and aesthetic issues you need to be able to address to get the best quality output. The night before the project is due is not the time to begin experimenting with the compression settings in your video-editing software.

Jay Kinghorn is president of Kinghorn Visual Inc., which specializes in helping small-to-medium-sized businesses spread their stories through Web video.

First let me say that I position myself as a producer and that I estimate on the entire video production. I do not hire myself out as a Director or Director of Photography or as a Camera Operator. Many times I may also direct and shoot a project but when a client comes to me and asks for an estimate, I estimate on the entire production from concept through creation.

With that said I estimate each video production much like I would estimate a still photography production except there are more components I need to consider. Essentially there are three major parts to every video production:
• Pre Production
• The Shoot
• Post Production

Within each of these parts I need to consider my costs as well as my fees. Below are some items that I consider when estimating on a video production job but certainly not limited to them as each job comes with its own particular needs.

• Producer or Creative Fee – this is my fee for producing the job. It does not include my fees for other aspects of the project that I may undertake such as shooting or directing. It also does not include any licensing or usage that may apply.
• Writer, storyboard creation
• Crew – DP and/or Camera Operator, Still Photographer, Audio Engineer, Gaffer, Grip, Assistants
• Casting, Talent, VO talent
• Make up, stylists
• Editor/Editing suite
• Graphics or motion graphics artist
• Stock footage, photography, illustrations and music needs
• Equipment – camera package and other camera needs – jibs, dollies, monitors, specialized needs like Steadicam or teleprompter with operator, lighting package
• Location needs, catering, travel logistics and expenses
• Insurance
• Exportation of product as files and/or hard media (DVD or Blu-Ray)

A lot of my clients want fixed price contracts. Rather than to be presented with estimated man-hours and billables, they are asking me for firm bottom line figures. For that to work and for me to protect myself, I need to make sure that I think of everything that a job will require and make sure these costs are reflected in the estimate. I also need to be clear with my client and include in the estimate a description of exactly what the project entails, what we are responsible for and what we are not responsible for.

Lastly in order to know how much to charge in the way of my fees and to estimate how many hours I will need to spend on a job, I rely on past jobs and proposals. I base my fees on both my cost of doing business – what I need to make a profit- as well as what the market will bare for this type of job in my area.

Gail Mooney – creating storytelling still and motion imagery for new media. www.kellymooney.com

When shooting video in the field with a DSLR camera here’s a tip that will help manage your footage.  Create a disk image (DMG file) of your card and back it up to several places.  It will keep all files in the DCIM folders which is essential when using the Final Cut Pro Log and Transfer plug-in.

Gail Mooney – creating still and motion imagery for new media http://www.kellymooney.com