Pre- Production "how to"

Module 1: Pre-Production

• Creating a proposal
• Establishing a budget
• Booking your crew.

Creating a Proposal
After you are commissioned to produce a video, your client will want something in writing which formally outlines the reasons behind the video. In your document be sure to include:

• The theme and objectives of the piece: what is it you’re trying to show?
• How you will achieve it: What tone will you take? What types of footage will you use? Are there events you need to shoot or interviews you need to coordinate?
• Creative and style ideas: How will everything come together? - Will there be use of Voiceovers? Music? Graphics? Split-screen editing?
• Most importantly: How will the budget be broken down? How many shooting and edit days will be involved? Will there be dubs that have to be made?

When drafting your proposal, be sure to include a timeline which outlines the production schedule and your video’s target completion date.

(For further information, please see the articles on Proposals and Treatments, Scripts & Storyboards for a full rundown of the proposal process.)

Future of television?

Henry Jenkins: In a Social Networking World, What's the Future of TV?

90% of all internet traffic will be Video

Video is on a march to dominate web traffic; Cisco Systems estimates that by 2013, video will make up 90% of all internet traffic, along with some 64 % of mobile users. The major networks are already planning for viewers to turn to the internet for some of their video entertainment. Debuting in 2007, Hulu is the industry’s own site, which was begun to retain a lock on straying viewers with its offer of hit shows. Disney, ABC Networks joined NBC and Fox this past April to add their shows to the offing; CBS is still going it alone.

The take away from this is yet to be clearly defined but one thing is certain, more and more people are turning to the internet, and specifically internet video for news, information and entertainment. For businesses and organizations to keep pace with this trend they need to ask themselves this: Do I have a viable outlet for my customers and potential customers to find me in this new medium?

the convergence is starting--

The Xspot – Local TV & Online Video Ad Convergence

iPhone just keeps getting better

Akamai Delivers Optimizied Video to iPhone
The new iPhone 3GS means you’ve got a whole new slew of options in regards to video. Without Flash capabilities on the iPhone our options were extremely limited, but now Akamai is working to fix that problem.

NEW Screen Writing software from ADOBE

Adobe Story: From Script to Screen

Welcome to the free preview of Adobe® Story™, a collaborative script development tool designed for creative professionals, producers, and writers working on or with scripts and screenplays. This preview version will let you try out a few of the scriptwriting tools that will be part of the overall features in the final version of Story.

Thanks to tight integration that will be available with future versions of Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium, Story will play the starting role in the pre-production phase of a planning-to-playback workflow. For example, script information will be transformed into relevant metadata that will automate the creation of shooting scripts, shot lists, and more. So in addition to being a modern screenplay tool, Story’s future integration with Adobe’s production toolset will help creative professionals deliver more engaging experiences, while also enabling huge efficiencies in pre-production, production, and post-production. The scriptwriting features in the preview version of Adobe Story are just the beginning!

With this free preview version of Story, you can:

• Craft your tale anywhere and at anytime in a secure online and offline writing environment tailored to industry requirements.
• Easily manage several script projects, develop character biographies, add links as reference points, and fashion synopses.
• Brainstorm script ideas or co-write and edit as a team. Assign roles that give production team members the ability to read, review, or modify the script.
• Import the sample script or your existing screenplay from other scriptwriting software, including Final Draft or MS Word. Take your script to the next stage by exporting to a variety of different formats such as PDF, XML, Text, MS Word, Movie Magic scheduler, or CSV for easy import into Excel.