The script writer develops a story idea with believable, interesting characters and lays out the plan on paper for the production team.

In this initial phase the writer fixates on a compelling idea and begins the “What if…” game. Characters are developed with back stories to flesh them out, and the idea grows into a causal storyline with a beginning, middle and end that includes the major plot points of each act. At the end of this process the screenwriter should know each character as well as a best friend, able to quickly predict how the character would react in any situation. The genre and theme should be clear, the story, solid.

Create the video in your mind’s eye first then commit it to paper in a story board style for easy communication to your production team. Write out the wording or copy points even if not perfect so everyone understands your vision.

What this means to you is that you have to come up with the script for your video before you begin the production process.  Spend some time before you begin jotting down ideas.  It’s amazing how putting pen to paper helps the creative process.

Make a list of the topics you can write a script about; what are you a subject matter expert on? How does your talent, skills and ability translate to a valuable script idea and video?

Remember that you can make revisions to your script so you don’t have to be perfect on the first draft.  Show your script to a mentor or employee and get their opinion and feedback.  Two heads are better than one.

• You need to write a script
• Who is your audience?
• What do they need to know about your topic?
• How will you format your message?
• Make a list of topics to elaborate on
• You can always revise your script before recording any video

From “Blockbuster Business Videos: What The Hollywood Pro’s Want You to Know About Creating Video That Will Increase Your SEO, Win Clients and Set You Apart From Your Competition,” by Ed Primeau and Laurie Brown. Laurie Brown helps individuals present themselves effectively in person and virtually through the camera lens. You can reach her atLauriebrown@thedifference.net or visit http://www.thedifference.net

A movie producer oversees all aspects of the movie production and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money and investing more time than being compensated for, especially before a film is fully financed  during the pre-production period.

The producer is often actively involved throughout all major phases of the film-making process, from inception and development through to completion and delivery of a film project.

What this means to you is that you have to learn how to think like a producer when creating video content for your business.  Who do you need to be on your video production team? Your employees know your business better than anyone else so utilize their talent, skill and ability. Keep in mind what your prospects and customers need to know about your business, products and services.

Create a budget for your equipment purchase or professional assistance as well as your investment of time and stick to it.  Create databases for your production team that include contact information of professional service suppliers, equipment vendors and other resources for easy access.

As you build your Internet marketing campaign, you will also need a database of all your contacts, prospects and social media account sign in information, including passwords.

You are the boss of your video production and as the producer you have to be the architect of your video from beginning to end.

• Learn how to think like a producer
• Who will be on your production team?
• Create a budget
• Manage your database of contacts, prospects and social media outlets

From “Blockbuster Business Videos: What The Hollywood Pro’s Want You to Know About Creating Video That Will Increase Your SEO, Win Clients and Set You Apart From Your Competition,” by Ed Primeau and Laurie Brown. Laurie Brown helps individuals present themselves effectively in person and virtually through the camera lens. You can reach her atLauriebrown@thedifference.net or visit http://www.thedifference.net

There are three main types of formatting that Primeau Production’s editor’s use for Internet Video sites such as Vimeo or YouTube.

• H264 Formatting
• WMV Formatting
• MOV Formatting

Compressing video can always be confusing, but here’s a few quick tips that can be your saving grace when setting up your editing sequence, and exporting your video masterpiece.

1. Always set up your sequence settings to match your source footage. You can set up a higher resolution sequence with lower resolution video, but the footage appears to be stretched and blurred in this way. It’s the same principle of blowing up a wallet sized photo that wasn’t done properly. You can change the pixel size of some footage to work with a higher resolution sequence but it’s always better to stick with the formatting of the original footage.

2. Match your Frame Rate. Whether it be anamorphic, progressive, or interlaced, you always have to match the frame rate of your source footage to the sequence or you will have strobe city in your video. Stick with 30FPS with internet video. 24F or even 25F is barley shot anymore and you only see this type of footage in movies, and documentaries. If you shoot with a higher end camera such as Primeau Production’s choice(Cannon XF-300) then there are a variety of different ways to capture your HD footage. Shoot in an interlaced form. 60I to be exact. Once you bring this footage into the machine, picking your sequence will be a-lot easier with the interlaced tracking, and motion will also look smoother. Almost all sporting events are shot with an interlaced Frame Rate to capture every frame of action.

3. Stick to the main format’s of video. In these times, sites like YouTube and Vimeo automatically format and convert your video to work with their website formatting for smooth playback and buffering speeds. Don’t export an uncompressed piece of video or a Microsoft AVI format. Those types of video are dead. Online video is the new Video Revolution.

4. Match Match Match. We cannot stress this enough. It’s like building a car. If you took a bumper off of a 2010 BMW and glued it to a 1996 Ford T-Bird, it just plain and simple won’t look right. Keep your Frame Rate fluent throughout your project. Keep your resolution fluent throughout your project. And most importantly, keep your format fluent throughout your project.

There are many resources at your disposal for formatting video, HD video, and Internet video. The most important in our opinion is video itself. Instructional videos are becoming more and more popular. When you don’t know the answer, do some research. Google it! And when all else fails and you need a professional to produce your next video, give us a call! Primeau Productions has been producing professional videos for over 30 years. When it comes to mixing format’s and getting your video viral, we WILL make it happen.

Mike Primeau

1-800-647-4281

Senior Editor-Premiere Pro CS4

Mike@PrimeauProductions.com

Keep up with the Video Revolution!

http://www.thevideorevolutiononline.com

It was 1984 when I decided that establishing a production company was a good idea. Advertising agencies were starting to feel the tightening of the clients’ belts and production was often outsourced.  You only need one great client to start a small business and I had two: Gail and Rice and Floyd Wickman.

Fortunately, both clients were growing and so Primeau Productions went along on the journey.  I learned a lot those first few years including the list of truths I am going to share with you today.

Truth one: always give great customer service 

Having a great customer service experience will get your customers talking about you with their friends and other business relationships. I remember when Floyd Wickman asked Primeau Productions to travel to Las Vegas in 1991 and help produce a 2 ½ day intensive learning conference. With very little live production experience, I brought two of our best employees and we hired a local AV company to provide the necessary equipment that complimented our Michigan-brought gear. The event was a success and Primeau Productions went on to produce 15 years of this annual event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Truth two: learn how to qualify your customers

Floyd Wickman and Gail and Rice were great customers;  I was lucky.  But over the years I learned the hard way how to qualify prospects before turning them into customers. I believe good customers are passionate about their business.  Just because a prospect has money and a heart beat does not make them a good customer.  Good customers have passion, communicate well, and pay their invoices on time on your terms.  We used to invoice clients net 30, but when we started requesting a 50% deposit our business began to really soar. Customers worth having will not balk at your payment terms and that upfront money is not only a commitment but also will help your cash flow.

Truth three: keep up with technology

Over the years we have had to reinvent ourselves as a video production company three times.  Keeping up with the trends and investing the time and materials is very hard to do. However, it is an important part of the success equation. Here is what I suggest for you to do: manage your time to include reading and watching YouTube videos that will help you keep up with technology. New software and techniques are released and discovered on a daily basis.

We just purchased a Cannon XF 300 HD video camera. When I look back on our greatest return on investment for equipment bought, video cameras are number one for ROI. This is our fourth line of video cameras we have owned over the years and they have always been Cannon.

The XL1 return on investment had to be 1000 times what we paid for the camera.  The XL2 had an even greater ROI since we have used that camera for over 5 years. Now I expect the XF 300 (which is like a Lamborghini) to not only out last our XL2 but earn us an even higher ROI.

We have upgraded software, production music, and templates in order to keep up with the current trends which translate to more business.

Truth four: build a great team

It is more important than ever for video production companies to have talented creating people on their team. Great video production teams consist of people who are excellent at creating great looking titles and graphics screens and know how to blend video formats (HD and SD) specifically for the network the video will be viewed on.

These talented people keep up with the times regarding software and design.  They watch other video productions to be influenced, but they never copy anyone else’s ideas.  Originality is the key to successful video production and talented people are innovative.

Truth five: go the extra mile

This truth is worth the price of admission. When we quote a project, our statement of work is included once we understand the customer’s expectations. I learned this from Napoleon Hill early in my professional career: always give the customer more than they expected. One way we execute this philosophy is by giving our customers an electronic demo link to their Vimeo hosted finished video production.

When the production is complete, we upload the customer’s video to Vimeo and embed the video in a URL address like this interview between our client Mark Thompson and Sir Richard Branson:

http://www.electronicdemo.com/sirrichardbranson.html

By going the extra mile, we have managed to keep almost all of our clients for 10, 15 and 20+ years! It costs a lot more for a company to earn new customers than it does to keep the existing (good) ones.

So there you have it, 5 truths as I know it from operating a successful video production company. I welcome your feedback, questions and comments.

Day in the Life- Testing for Peace of Mind 

What Does a Cancer Genetic Counselor Do? 

As told by Within editor Katie Halloran

Organized for the day with her pink folders for her patients, Saint Mary’s Cancer Genetic Counselor Sarah Keilman meets me in the morning to preview her day. A one-person department, Keilman sees herself as an integral part of The Lacks Cancer Center team, working with the oncologists and surgical staff to provide patients information about genetic testing, coordinating the tests between Saint Mary’s lab and the labs around the nation that perform the genetic tests, and following up with patients on whether or not they have a genetic mutation.

Since June 2011, Keilman has been working at The Lacks Cancer Center,providing patients with information regarding the genetic testing, including which tests they may qualify for and which ones would be reimbursed by Medicare or their insurance.“Without insurance, the initial genetic test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome costs $3,400,” said Keilman.
Patients come to Keilman in a variety of ways. Some are self-referrals, who wish to find out if they have a hereditary condition that could be passed on to their family members, while most are referred by the cancer center and from Advantage Health physicians, but she has begun receiving some patients from Mercy Health Partners, as their site doesn’t have a genetic counselor.
“Most of what I see at is the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 screening for our Comprehensive Breast Center. Since we have known for 15 years that these genes work to suppress breast cancer tumors, it’s the most well-known and commonly ordered test,” said Keilman. She has noticed an increase with colorectal hereditary testing as well, thanks to Dr. Larry McCahill’s referrals.

Genetic testing is available for a variety of cancers, including, but not limited to,:

• Colorectal
• Breast
• Kidney
• Pancreatic
• Some brain cancers and
• Adrenal.

A master’s degree-trained professional, a genetic counselor can order the tests and is also trained in the psychological aspect of dealing with patients who are undergoing the tests. Knowing much about the genes and why they do what they do, Keilman is poised to answer any question that comes up.

Her first client for the day is a breast cancer survivor, anxious to undergo the testing, as she worries about her daughter’s and son’s propensities for cancer. A 30-year survivor, she was referred to Keilman due to her young age of being diagnosed with cancer. Keilman first begins with “tell me about your health history,” and listens to the patient, who remembers more in person than what she had filled out on the forms. Keilman then directs the patient to discuss her family’s health history while she takes notes.

Keilman draws a family tree featuring each grandparent, parent, sibling, cousin, aunt, uncle and children and grandchildren of the patient, and indicates which ones have had cancer. “This helps me see the trends within the families, when it’s simply illustrated,” said Keilman. Several of the patient’s family members had developed cancer at a young age. “This shows to me that your case is strong enough to move forward with testing, and that it would be covered by Medicare,” says Keilman to the patient.
After discussing all the options, the patient eagerly wants to move forward with the test. “I want to find out, so I can help the rest of my family, and especially my daughter,” the patient tells Keilman.

Keilman escorts the patient down to the Stat Lab in The Lacks Cancer Center, where she gets her blood drawn for Keilman to send it to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the testing will occur. The results will take two to four weeks to come back to Keilman, who then will tell the results to the patient. She is assisted by Phlebotomist Dawn Detweiler, who “loves working with Sarah. She is such a joy to be around.”

Keilman’s second patient for today has been recently diagnosed, and was referred by Saint Mary’s breast center surgeons. Unlike the first patient, after looking at her family history and her own health history, there was nothing to indicate to Keilman her cancer was hereditary. “We typically look for three things – young age of onset, the cancer to be on both sides of your body, and more than two family members to have the cancer,” explained Keilman. “Nothing in your records indicates a hereditary link for your cancer,” she told the patient, who was relieved that her children wouldn’t be at higher risk for cancer due to a genetic mutation.

“That’s the best part, helping people better understand their risks, and how they can combat the scary world of cancer,” said Keilman. “If they are identified, they can begin getting family members tested and screened, and hope to avoid the cancer for future generations.”

http://bit.ly/yoVVO1

We are very passionate about video and have 30+ years of video production experience that began in Detroit Michigan and has now expanded around the world. We want to help you make the right video decisions that will help grow your business by getting more Internet visibility using digital video.

The idea for the term ‘video shepherd’ came from our client Jean Houston-Shore.  She asked me during a phone conversation if Primeau Productions would be her ‘video shepherd’. I loved the idea and have put her request into a subscription-based service offering.

What is a ‘Video Shepherd’ in Detroit Michigan going to do to help you in Australia or another city in the United States? Distance does not matter with video because digital video is universal and formatted the same regardless of geography.

Back in the days of analogue video, there were geographical considerations video production companies had when formatting the final video product.  Europe was PAL formatted; the USA used the NTSC format and other countries like France and parts of Australia used SECAM.

Today almost all video is viewed on the Internet.  This Internet-based digital video can be very confusing.  In fact, on average we receive 10-20 phone calls and 20-40 emails each week from existing clients asking us video related questions.  Questions like:

Why does my video look small on YouTube? Why are there ads at the end of my video on YouTube for my competitors? Can I use video from a DVD in my marketing video? The company I hired to record my presentation in Miami wants to send my video electronically, how do I download it?

How do I index my video for better search engine optimization? Are titles important when posting my video on Yahoo?

Primeau Productions can save you a lot of time and money. The proper use of video will help you get more business from the Internet.

Monthly cost $25

Here is what is included:

- Help from us to help you understand digital and Internet video

-A 15% discount on all video production services like professional video editing, video recording, standard definition to HD conversion, YouTube clip creation, recording Internet video webinars, Skype interviews and other web cam video activity as well as any other professional video activity that you need.

-Video storage and back up advice for various networks like Vimeo, Viddler and YouTube

-Periodic “easy to understand and read” email tips on how to effectively use digital video to get more business

-Instructions on how to add more video to your website

-Instructions on how to correctly format, encode and distribute Internet video

-Opportunity to email our tech support as often as you like to ask video related questions

Call 800-647-4281 to sign up.  You may cancel at any time because in this ever changing world, you may discover that video is not for you. You may also discover that video may be the key to recession-proofing your business.

When were stuck while trying to negotiate and complete our video production for the Napoleon Hill Foundation “The Master Key to Success” 13 part video series in Spanish, Tim Meehan led Primeau Productions in a direction. Primeau Productions goal is to help get Napoleon Hill’s message out through these videos to one of the largest and fastest growing market sectors in the world.

Meehan helped convince Primeau Productions that the project of translating these videos was worth the time and financial investment during a trip to Chicago last June when I presented at Notre Dame University for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event in Chicago on Internet marketing.

Taking the lead, Meehan found a translator in Myra Mexico, Judith, who is a teacher and speaks fluent English and Spanish. Judith did a wonderful job translating our summer intern Madeline Meehan’s transcripts of video 1-10 and Rachel Witucky’s transcripts 11-13 that were created from the English Master Key videos.

The DVD master has been authored and we are ready to go to press. Notre Dame University has placed the first order of DVDs. Don Green, Chairman of the Board of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, has requested another 300-400 sets.

Primeau Productions does have a contract with the Napoleon Hill Foundation for licensing the video and distributing it in Spanish form globally.

Meehan suggested a trip to Mexico to record the voice of Napoleon Hill to assure all translations were perfect. We decided to stay in Puerto Adventures at Blue Caribbean Resorts, who is a client and friend of Primeau Productions. The gated community of Puerto Adventures is a beautiful destination about 45 minutes south of Can Cun Mexico. Blue Caribbean Resorts provided a beautiful 4 bedroom 2 and a half bath condo on the Caribbean for us at no charge. Blue Caribbean is one of the most beautiful resorts I have ever been to and had the privilege to work with.

Our trip to Mexico to record also has parallel karma. After serendipitously finding Judith and having all 13 video scripts translated to Spanish, Meehan posted an ad on Local Gringo (Mexico’s equivalent to Craig’s List) to find a Spanish voice talent. We planned on having to fly in someone from Mexico City, Merida Mexico or Cancun Mexico.

We received one reply to Meehan’s ad from a woman who knew somebody who had done voice work in the past. She referred us to David Nunez and introduced Meehan to David via email.

The really amazing part of the story is that David happened to live right in Puerto Adventures, a 5 minute walk down the beach from where Tim and I stayed at Blue Caribbean Resorts. While finishing up the Napoleon Hill Spanish recordings during our weeklong visit, we got to know David Nunez. David has two master’s degrees, one from Harvard and the other from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a marine biologist.

David chooses a life in Puerto Adventures, leaving the American fast track behind. Today David is a Biology teacher at a Puerto Adventures private school. David Nunez also founded a nonprofit organization to help repopulate the bay in Puerto Adventured with bottom feeding sea creatures that have been absent for many years due to over fishing. We accomplished our goal of recording a perfect Spanish voice of napoleon Hill and met one of the most interesting and resourceful people who has become a friend and ally of Primeau Productions. Thank you to Blue Caribbean Resorts and David Nunez for helping Primeau productions deliver Napoleon Hill’s message to the Spanish speaking population.

Blue Caribbean Resorts

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