There will even be the most part fours ever released in one calendar year! Not only that, there will be an equal number of part fives! Breaking yet another record with: Fast Five, Final Destination 5, Puss in Boots, X-Men: First Class, and Winnie the Pooh. 

If thats not enough regurgated tripe there will also be 2 part SEVEN films with The Muppets & Rise of the Apes, and one part eight (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2)! 

If anyone see's ORIGINALTY tell her to report to Hollywood frickin ASAP!

Check out Box Office Mojo for a full list of all the releases this year.

2. Avoid Filming in Famous or Commercial Areas.
For example shooting a scene at Tower Bridge requires stopping traffic with a knock on drop in revenue for the local businesses, therefore incurs a cost to Westminister council. You can always find nightclubs or hotels that are willing to let you shoot for free in return for the exposure. A good producer on a tight budget should always avoid paying location costs, as this is normally where the largest proportion of a budget goes.

3. Film on a Sunday Morning.
Stopping traffic or avoiding the public is always best in the early hours on a Sunday.

4. Use Rising Talent.
Having a big star in your commercial or online promo is always good for views and attention, but if the concept doesn’t call for it then find good casting agents who have experience with major talent. More than likely they know the next big thing and happy that you want to help out the smaller actors on their roster.

5. Deferring their Salaries.
I suppose this is only relevant if you are producing a feature with ticketing and DVD sales. In exchange for dropping their salaries, actors, directors and producers can receive a share of the film’s gross profits, saving considerably on the budget.

6. Film in another Region.
Instead of filming in London where the crew will charge top dollar as with everything else. You can move your production up North where a pint’s are £2 and a local taxi ride will cost you £3! I think you’ll even find people are more willing to help and get involved for free as it might be a novelty having a camera crew in town.

Not only that but they had the conniving genius to shoot her backstage at the Ellen show in a bid to make it seem like a real off the cuff video to the TV Host. Forgetting that strange thing about the hair and watch what happens at 0:44 when Nat stumbles and runs out of things to say!...

Also, she never even eats a Popchip throughout the video, what’s that about!?... basically be warned that making a bad viral video just looks cheap and tacky!... A video of someone stepping in paint has more hits than this!

Booking the cast and crew would be phoning round your mate’s and arranging the big night out. But now we need somewhere to go!! Any ideas?... that’s when you source the location (which half the time is a nightclub or bar anyway!) Now let’s book in a driver... (TAXI!)

As the shoot commences the first few rehearsals and lighting set up’s are much like the awkward chit-chat you have cradling that first drink… but as the shoot get’s into a groove the energy flow’s and heroic yelps from the director as we nail some great shots you can hear someone at the bar shouting ‘SHOTS?’

After a good 10 hour session you wrap late into the night, now it’s that final push to break the kit down and get it on the trucks as if your stumbling through the town center hunting for a kebab shop that just HAS to be open! Your now knackered making unnecessary small talk as the driver drops you home.You crawl by your other half murmuring something about a mermaid with aftershave just before passing out.

At some ungodly hour you wake to a mobile vibrating just inches’ from your head, you pick up still semi slumber.. “Hello?”…”Hi, I’m picking up the Lights, Stands, Balasts, Hazer, Camera, Lenses, Jib Arm, Track, Dolly, Trace Frames, Leads, Matt Boxes and Filters…WHERE ARE YOU???”

Here's the result...

Shot on a Canon C-300, with a Losmandy track and dolly, and the Hollywood Micro jib.

Music Video Production Forum: Ross Anderson (Polydor) from Phink TV on Vimeo.

An independent film studios they have 2 Film, Video & TV production studios for hire 7 days a week. The facilities include hospitality rooms, wardrobe and changing rooms, an Internet cafe-style common area and plenty of onsite parking. They offer full production packages from Directors to Runners, Lighting and Make Up Artists. Camberwell have a very insightful blog where they publish lots of helpful articles to do with studio matters e.g. 3 point lighting for green screens, how to extract green screen using Adobe Premier Pro and much more... 

Music Video Production Forum: Camberwell Studios from Phink TV on Vimeo.

The second project for our clients John Guest (the world leader in push fit fittings and plastic piping!) Shot at our native studio Trackside on an overhead DSLR within 9 hours in stop frame animation.

Some of the key points outlined by the client including:
- CAD design service providing a detailed pipe layout drawing / On-site advice and support when you need it / Telephone hotline delivering answers and friendly advice / All from a World Leading manufacturer with over 50 years of engineering heritage.

As you will see from the finished video below, the stop frame animation has been mixed with motion graphics in order to get the points across within the given time frame without losing the viewers patience.

If you've watched that online promo and left thinking "how the blooming heck did they do that?" Sit tight and watch the behind the scenes shot and edited by Graziano ‘Jonny’ Guardiani….VIVA LA LAY FLAT!

Music Video Production Forum: Mikey Levelle (Producer) from Phink TV on Vimeo.

Music Video Production Forum: Dan Curwin (Commissioner) from Phink TV on Vimeo.

There should always be a carrot to every project i.e. ‘this is a good chance to work with such and such director,’ or ‘you can get some different content for your show reel.’ The fact is most DP’s, Gaffers, Grips and other camera crew members can go for anything from £200 a day to £1500, the fact is it’s creative and always negotiable. (...The key is having a good producer)

You should always factor in things like travel and accommodation, as some time’s camera crew are happy to work for a reduced rate if they get to work from home and on multiple projects at the same time. Also, by looking after your camera crew they will more than likely work for lower rates in the future as they know it’s always a fun set and the catering is usually good.

Comparatively, cut corners on the catering and making people do overtime without reward, and you will find that most camera crew will want full rates or gladly turn down the work.

If you need advice about filming a project then feel free to drop us a line or get in touch: brainwave@phink.tv | 0203 095 9729.

First Installment: George Burt

As an independant music video director George broke through directing video's for a little group called N-Dubz. Since, he's gone on to work on projects for The Kray Twins, Lady Stush, Nyah, Dot Star and loads more... Here's what he had to say and some open discussion on his journey so far.

(Please ignore the question on Dappy's decission to turn down Def Jam, some people didn't quite get the context!)

Music Video Production Forum: George Burt (Director) from Phink TV on Vimeo.

A little viral video by Devlin Graham and friends creating the world’s largest rope swing in Utah. Shot over the course of 2 days to get the right light and feel as the initial shoot day was overcast (oooh the joys of viral video production for fun.) The swing itself is 130ft high and each jump lasts around 20secs. In order to make sure no one died the crew spent 2 hours setting up, 200ft of rope and 5 anchor points… One guy even proposed to his missus while on it!

Please, please don’t try this at home (… it probably won’t be as good!)

We phink the boy did good, what about you?...

Hearing from Sam Parkinson & Ty Campbell (Camberwell Studio’s) on the do’s and don’ts when it comes to green screen shooting. Mikey Levelle from Shameless decoding what it takes to be a good music video producer, while George Burt talked us through his progression from wedding videos to high budget music promo’s for people like N-Dubz and Ed Sheeren.

During which, Mike Sharpe from The FND Collective announced the winner of Phink TV’s - £1000 Music Video Award. Watergun for “This Ain’t no Hymn” by Saint Savour…

But the real highlight of the night was a speech given by Creative Director at Polydor, Ross Anderson on “paying amazing people for the f**king amazing work they do, and stop trying to bleed them dry.” You could sense there was a feeling of unity in the room and that’s exactly what this platform is for!

A big thank you to all the speakers and of course our sponsors:

Radar, Camberwell Studios, Live Audio Production, VC Cocktails.

If you want to see more pictures check out the Facebook Group and catch you at the next one later in the year!

“Really good fun… I think it’s a really great thing to do for people who are starting out.”

Dan Curwin – Atlantic Records Commissioner.

You may never of heard of them but you probably use a John Guest product numerous times in any one day. Their fittings are in the plumbing you use to take a shower, the fuel applications in your car and even the piping making that Friday pint arrive on time!

The 4:05m video was shot over the course of 8 days mainly on location at their premises in West Drayton as well as sites in South-End, Windsor and South-West London. As with every project we take on we learnt something and even became inspired by John Guest, an individual that settled for nothing less than the best and built an empire out of his innovations! Much like us (we hope!)

Feel free to check out the finished promo.

Over the course of 3 days Phink TV had to film and edit 50 female auditions daily and hand in the edited “Pieces to Camera” by 9am the next morning. This involved 2 onsite editors capturing live footage, which they then cut, top’n’tailed with logos ready for exporting at the end of each day.

As well as the audition tapes Phink produced a Behind The Scenes promo for ITN Productions covering the different aspects of the winners story, to be broadcasted early January in the build up to the Casting Crème Gloss advert. So look out for it!

(If your brand or company needs video crew hire, get it touch!)

The Music Video Production Forum is BACK at Shoreditch Church January 26th 2012, and we have some amazing speakers in the form of:

Mike OKeefe: Commissioner and Head of Music Video at Sony.  

Mike has been working in the music video industry for over 20 years. He is a commissoner and heads the music video division of Sony. He has worked on hundreds of promos for most of the biggest artists in the industry over the past 20 years.

Dan Curwin: Commissioner at Atlantic Records.

Dan is a commissioner at Atlantic records. He has commissioned videos for a number of high profile artists such as Ed Sheeran, Hard Fi and James Blunt. He even commissioned the video for Chase and Status Blind Faith featuring Liam Bailey which won best UK Dance Video at the 2011 UK Music video Awards.

Caroline Bottomley: Founder of Radar.

Caroline set up Radar Music Videos, a worldwide network for independent music videos. The network is used by record labels, DIY artists and music video directors worldwide to commission and create music videos. Caroline saw an opportunity to help labels and artists to seed and promote music videos, while Radar has set up a successful advertising service.

Andy Woodruff: Studio Director at Camberwell Studios.

Camberwell Film Studios London is an independent film studios based in Camberwell. They have 2 Film, Video & TV production studios for hire 7 days a week. The facilities include hospitality rooms, wardrobe and changing rooms, an Internet cafe-style common area and plenty of onsite parking. They offer full production packages from Directors to runners, lighting and make up artists. Camberwell have a very insightful blog where they publish lots of helpful articles to do with studio matters e.g. 3 point lighting for green screens, how to extract green screen using Adobe Premier Pro and many more...

George Burt: Music Video Director.  

George has produced and directed a number of short films and documetories before beginning a renown collabortion with the band N Dubz who he is full time music and promo director for. During the last five years George has directed over fifty creative films for many A Listers aswell as up and coming music artists such as Mclean, DJ Ironic, Sway, Fugative and the band Toploader.

Mikey Levelle: Producer and Head of Music Video at Park Village.

Mikey Levelle has considerable experience as a producer since his first music video for Turin Brakes’ Something In My Eye (directed by Karni & Saul) in 2007. He's CV includes videos for Elbow, Ian Brown, Mumford & Sons, Jamie T, Morcheeba and UNKLE. He now heads Shameless the music division of London’s longest established commercial production house Park Village.

Jonny Morton-Clark: Resident Host _____________________________________________________________________

!!FACEBOOK EVENT HERE!!

We will also be announcing the winner of the Phink TV £1000 Music Video Prize who will receive a glass cut award handed by one of the judges.

VnC Cocktails have very kindly offered to throw a cocktail reception for all coming!!

BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE > BETTINA@PHINK.TV

(SPACES ARE LIMITED!)

Big thanks to our sponsors:

Radar Music Videos

Camberwell Studios

Focus 24

VNC Cocktails

Event Projection

Before I go on though, I need to get something off my chest. I've said it before. In fact I've shouted it before, and I'll do it again: 

STOP OBSESSING OVER HITS

Sorry to shout again, but having an obsession over hits your video has received, is completely insane and will ensure that any social media campaign you're involved in will fail. Hits and views are so incredibly passive in the grand scheme of things.  Let me show you the way to.......................................................................

Expectations - Keep It Real

I want to provide a very important distinction between a B2C and B2B campaign. If you are engaging in a B2C campaign you in most cases will have a larger audience than that of a B2B campaign.  In light of that in a B2C campaign, there is a suggestion that you will need to reach more people in order to reach your marketing objectives, or gain a conversion - the conversion doesn't need to be a financial conversion. It could be making a comment - remember we're talking about a social campaign, not a sales campaign.  So, based on that, the value of each audience member is likely to be quite low.  Whereas with a B2B campaign, due to the audience being smaller in number, each member will have a higher value and there should be an expectation for a higher conversion. 

Different Strokes for Different Folks

The social media audiences are different and social media marketing especially using video, requires a different approach and in turn you're going to require a different strategy in order to measure the success or the campaign.  

Some help to establish your Social ROI Strategy......

Have clear marketing objectives 

Decide which elements of the campaign you want to measure and which of these have the most value (more on that later)

Choose your video platform so you can measure the metrics - interestingly You Tube has just recently updated their Insights on their channel. 

Ensure you apply the measuring across all channels you are distributing through i.e. email, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter etc. 

Make a decision on where you want the people engaging with your video end up e.g. create a funnel. This can be a landing page on your website perhaps, or Facebook page. You decide. 

A few more points worth mentioning: Make sure to categorize your strategy based on who your video is aimed at: There are three basic categories: clients & customers; prospects; influencers/industry heavy weights.  You message and strategy will be informed far easier when you decided on this. 

Social Metrics You Can Measure

I'm going to look at 'Active' aspects of social video that you can measure. There are passive ones, such as Number of Views (flattery); Length of views (okay); Average length of views (as it says average); Frequency of views (not very useful on its own); Total time spent viewing (okay, but once again useless on its own and doesn't tell you anything in isolation).  

So lets show you the Active metrics that you can use to impress your boss and colleagues with: 

Shares: How many people shared your video to their groups, friends? This has real value and shows you immediately how engaged that audience member is. 

Comments:  Are people commenting on your video? Are they starting the conversation and engaging other audience members in your video. Plenty of value in such a person who does this. 

Clicks to another URL: If you've done your homework you'll have set up a specific landing page on your website and provided the link to that web page in your video. With web analytics programs like Google Analytics (free), you can see very easily where the visitors have come from - more awesome info to judge the success. 

Backlinks: With online video you can very easily provide code for visitors to embed your video wherever they want, say their own website, blog, or Facebook page. These will earn your website link back from these websites etc, which really helps with your rankings in search engines.

General Opinion: What is the opinion of your audience. Positive (great), negative (great - you can know more about your audience), passive (terrible - you had no impact). 

Influence: What is the authority or popularity of those engaging with your video content. Do they have a prominent profile in your space, or perhaps have lots of friends, lots of subscribers on their blog and so on. This is worthy of measuring and once again has value. 

Content Feedback: How are people responding to your video? Are they using text, images, audio or perhaps responding with video responses? Each of these adds value to your campaign - you'll obviously have to decide how much value you place on each.

Incentives: Perhaps you created a competition and to enter the audience was required to fill in some details. Or perhaps there was a survey you created.  There are numerous ways to get people to do something that gives you that all important thing called DATA - which can be measured. 

Conclusion

The Active metrics I've mentioned require you to think about your objectives first. Once you are clear on your objectives, you'll be able to place a priority and value next to each of these metrics. But most importantly you'll be able to work out what your ROI is. 

Next week I'll be offering an insight into the best tools to use for video marketing. 

Old School Approach to Video Marketing

One of your clients has a new product/service they want you to help promote through the use of a video; they want loads of hits on Youtube, you get together with the marketing department; brainstorm; think of some crazy, funny idea; film it; edit the video; distribute it via Tubemogul and various other video seeding platforms; maybe set a budget aside for sponsored video placement on various networks - Facebook, Youtube etc; then HOPE! 

I've simplified the process and have generalized a little, for the benefit of my post. Viral videos are quite rare in the business world, they require a large financial investment usually, and in the main are one-offs - this is not congruent with the strategy and financial means of an SME.

Additionally, there are no absolute guarantees that any video will go viral, no matter how much money you invest in it. And to put the final proverbial boot in video marketing strategies based on going viral; some of the practices used by video seeding companies can come across to the intended audience as being spammy (don't let this put you off used video seeding companies - you just need to read between the lines), and it becomes very hard to then control your brand reputation - especially if the video produces a negative response - potentially disastrous especially for SME's.

The Way Forward in Video Marketing

So what's the way forward then? My blog title obviously gives some of it away already - social video. But isn't that like viral videos I here some of you say? Nope, viral is only viral once it has organically reached wide and far and you are not seeding your videos, your audience is doing it for you. It would probably equate to hundreds of thousands going up to the millions of hits - why wouldn't you want millions of hits? Warning! 

STOP OBSESSING OVER HITS!

Sorry to be shouting at you about this obsession, but it reminds me very much of a business saying 'revenue is vanity, profit is sanity!' and I would say any obsession over hits is on the vanity category and you're missing the point of how to use a video. The question is what did those hits translate to in real terms or something meaningful? By that I mean, how many subscribed to your website, video channel, referred visits from your video channel to your website, or signed up for a newsletter, commented on your video or shared your video? These metrics are so much more useful than hits.  Sure it sounds great to say that you got 5 million hits on your video, but did those hits turn into valued customers, or repeat visitors who took a further action other than watching your video? If not, well you can keep your 5 million hits. 

What am I trying to say?

Don't worry, let me show you the way! 

Matt Cutts who is a head honcho at Google was asked at a conference recently, what are the three hot areas of online marketing SME's should be concentrating on? His response included mobile, social and local optimization. 

The use of video within social hubs is incredibly powerful and it can be highly targeted. How? Think about your workforce. Think about the last time you shared an online video whilst at work generated comments, shares and so on. I'm sure you'll find that the majority of them have social profiles which could include and certainly not limited to the following:  

Points to remember about this process

1. Before you even invest in making a video, you could ask your work colleagues to do some market research via their social networks - Facebook and Twitter are really good for this, but don't forget to use email.  Make sure to involve them in the creative process of the video as they will be far more likely to do what you're asking of them. 

2. You could even involve friends of your work force to provide feedback on the video during the editing process - friends are more than happy to offer their opinion when asked. 

3. Once you have the finished video, its all about distributing it, and the chances are that the colleagues who've been involved in the project from day one, will be more than happy to help distribute the video through their social networks. 

4. Reward your staff and show them some love for their efforts. You could even include an incentive, before they start, based on number of people who shared the video; how many commented; how many 'liked' or 'Google+' the video. Its up to you, get creative, and hopefully you know what they like or motivates them. 

5. Involve colleagues from different departments (if you have them). The wider and more diverse the people involved the more likely you'll get a wider response.

Next week I'll be giving you an insight into how to measure the success of a social video campaign. 

Video Marketing

According to Cisco they are predicting that 80% of all internet traffic will be video by 2015. This doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I personally watch all of my favourite TV shows online and my preference for learning about something is to watch it, rather than read it. In the UK our consumption for video is more than that of the USA, so as a business, you have to question if you positioning yourself in the right place.  Are you representing your business in the best possible way? 

I come across countless corporate websites who would rocket boost their business by incorporating video. It is so much more engaging than having to read a whole bunch of text, no matter how interesting your copy writing skills are. The point is that by using video you will leap frog your competition. Websites need a personality to help differentiate. Remember if you aren't using video marketing to reach new customers, someone in your space will be doing it, and making a difference to their bottom line.

Video production costs are not what they were 2 years ago, let alone a decade, so its certainly feasible for even an SME to allow for a video production budget, and working with a professional company.  I would strongly advise using a professional outfit for no other reason than quality control.  Videos are judged very quickly by their quality, and that goes for the actual content, as much as the look and feel. When I'm creating content I always ask the following questions:

Who will find the content useful? 

Why is the content useful?

Why would someone bother spending 3 minutes of their time to watch your video?

If you can answer these questions honestly and in the positive then your halfway there to creating some decent video content and reaching new customers. Nice!

Forget Going Viral

If this is your first foray into video production and video marketing I would suggest forgetting about trying to get your video to go viral on YouTube.  A lot of companies over look ready made customers - visitors to your own website. Its been proven that the use of videos helps with user engagement with your website - valuable and also conversion rate - highly valuable.

This a great way to get used to making videos for your company as there is not the pressure of trying to make the funniest, coolest video for YouTube.  Look after your own assets first! Your customers will appreciate the efforts

You could have a company intro, customer testimonials, product demonstrations, how to use the website, or your service. If you put your mind to it, you'll easily come up with a handful of ideas that you can take to a video production company to then develop with you

Budding music video directors, who want the opportunity to have their work viewed and judged by industry heavyweights, are being encouraged to check out Phink TV’s FREE competition.The contest is aimed at finding new and emerging video talent, while promoting that talent to established industry figures in the hope of finding them secure work and opportunities for the future.

The music video production industry is highly competitive and to get a break sometimes takes more than a decent video. Opportunities to meet industry luminaries such as Luti Fagbenle, Phil Tidy and US will certainly help give emerging talent a leg up.

Upon being asked to sit on the judging panel, Luti Fagbenle said: "I'm happy to be included as a judge for this music video award as I see it's a great opportunity to find and promote a fresh batch of young and talented UK directors that might not necessarily get the chance."

Building on the principle of promoting new talent, Phink TV have provided a platform where people involved in the industry can talk, discuss, debate, and learn from others working at the sharp end of the industry through their Music Video Production Forum, a free event held every three months. The next Forum will be at Shoreditch Church, London, E1 6JN on Thursday, 26th January 2012 from 7pm.

The winner of the £1000 Music Video Prize will be annouced and recieve there trophy on the same night.

You can DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM here.

Entrants’ videos must include a music artist from the UK and have been produced for a budget of under £1000.

- Positive outlook.

- Good use of Initiative.

- Tenacity.

- Smart working.

- Presentable.

Day to Day:

You will be contacting potential clients in the marketing and music industries generating and maintaining relationships via Telephone, Email and Meetings, from our studios based in London Fields, East London.

Job Starts:

January 9th 2012

Pay:

£12,000 per Annum + Commission.

To apply Contact:

- mark@phink.tv

- 0203 095 9729

Check out this online video production getting behind the scenes to the competition...

Artist: Loyale

Album: The Heater

Music Producer: Teal

Director/DP/Editor/VFX: Marty Martin

Video Producer: John Eagan

Camera: Canon 5D Mark II

Color Grading: After Effects

VFX/Compositing: After Effects + Optical Flares

For this Music Video Production entry we'll let Marty Martin talk you through how he produce this little nugget for Loyale. 

Shot last May almost entirely on green screen for a silly low budget. Because of the low resources, I had to continue taking on client work and I didn't get to editing until November. What seemed relatively straightforward (everything was shot with deliberate intent) quickly turned into a post-production challenge for multiple reasons. Although I had a very clear idea of how post needed to be executed, the fact is that I had never done any of the music video production techniques I had planned. I basically had to learn from scratch, and quick. This went from experimental project to labor of love in a short period of time. I believed in the video itself as well as the artist, Loyale, and I was set on doing the music and the video justice.

I cut a first story edit in FCP, which was followed up by numerous green screen replacement tests in after effects. Once I nailed an initial look, I just dove in and cut the video on the fly in AE. Most of what I accomplished was just by jumping in and taking a stab at it. Most of the time I got it right. I had to, because the biggest hangup was render times. Running a maxed out Mac Pro with CS4, i averaged about 12 seconds of render time per frame. In one sequence, it took about 30 seconds per frame! I was up in my attic office editing nearly 18hrs per day (with a few days off here and there) for over a month. I'm sure that seems ridiculous and some people could surely do it faster, but the render times and hourly crashes really slowed things down. Creatively, the biggest challenge for me was nailing a cinematic look in 3D space, while working in an After Effects 2D space. Plainly put, I have no idea how to do anything in 3D, so I basically had to come up with a bunch of tricks to simulate 3D movement and 3D tracking.

All in all, this was a great music video production experiment. I tackled the project at a time when I felt creatively stagnant and I needed to stretch my skillset into entirely new territory. I definitely see things now that I could do better or differently, but for a project I learned how to do on the fly, I'm super pleased and think this will bode well for this new electro-pop artist.

SUPERNOVA - Music Video [Canon 5D Mark II] from Marty Martin. themartymartin.com on Vimeo.

I guess the morale of the story kids; even if you don't know how to pull off your vision... just DO IT!

Previous episodes had taken 1000 (not a Billion!) Go Kart drivers and whittled them down to 10 hopefuls who now have to come to the UK for media training, physical testing, without rice!

Monday:
The executive producer and ESPN presenter Mohit Lalvani decided it would be best to break the 13-17 year olds in and take them and our London based camera crew up trees and elephants at “Go Ape,” Woburn Safari Park… which is sort of like a huge outdoor Ewok play crèche with lots of signs and safety rope. So we thought it would be a good idea to strap a Go Pro Head Cam to one of the boy’s craniums with little warning and get the action from tree level! That evening we filmed the boys being given a tour around the Force India factory (previously Team Jordan…famous for erm... JORDAN!) 

Tuesday:
This was the first day at the Daytona Go Kart Track, where the guys competed in 2 heats and a final race. This time with slightly more warning we strapped 4 Go Pros to their heads! After the race we were joined by the official judges, Robert Fernley (Formula 1 pundit) Nico Hulkenberg (Williams / Force India Driver) & Anthony Hamilton (not the RNB singer!! Lewis’s dad and Force India’s Driver Manager). Once we wrapped for the day we did a proper recce of the track at 1:20m a lap..if you catch my drift!

Wednesday:
This was the fitness assessment day at the Porsche Human Performance Centre. Where the contestants where split into 2 groups. 1 camera crew had to cover the activities in Body Composition, Strength, Reactions and Aerobic Fitness, while the second hired camera crew sat through a seminar on Nutrition and Driver preparation. All very interesting stuff but I never got a go on the reaction wall!

Thursday:
Was a full day of Media Training and assessment from veteran motorsport presenter Louise Goodman. We filmed the guys learning how the media work in motorsport, preparing for an interview, what makes a good story and identifying the interviewers agenda… I think the main point that really came from the day was that a Formula 1 team isn’t necessarily looking for a quick driver, but someone who is marketable! (As with everything these days!)
Again this was all over seen by the 3 judges as well as Eddie Jordan who briefly swung by to give an inspiring talk on what it takes to win the competition. 

Friday:
Now we had the main event back at the Daytona Go Kart Track! The 10 drivers were again racing in 2 heats and a final but this would be decisive in helping the judges pick a winner of “1 in a Billion.” So for this we put together the best camera crew hire in London if not the galaxy covering the track with 7 XD Cams, 4 Go Pros, 1 crane and a roaming camera catching reactions in the pits. Luckily the weather held out and stayed quite flat, so we weren’t battling with different exposures in the edit!!! 

I phink we can officially say Milton Keynes is OFF the bucket list!

It almost brings you back to the metal videos of Metalica, NIN, and Soundgarden around the early ninties. With the entire video produced, directed, edited and all visual FXs by Jodeb it's nice to see someones vision come together so perfectly.

Must warn you not to watch if your squirmish or think all kids are little bloody angels!!

"LIKE" THIS BADBOY IF YOU WANT TO SHARE IT AND CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION CHART.

Apple haven't actually announced the iPhone 5 or its features but what a great idea for a viral video production and I don't see why these concepts won't be available within the next 2 years?

Produced by Phil and directed by thirtytwo (Will Lovelace & Dylan Southern) for Chase and Status’s second single off the No More Idols album - “Let You Go” is probably my favorite music video from 2010. This music video production is loosely based around a day in the life of Jeremy Kyle. From him firing hypercritical insults at his guests live on air, he visits one at home to have sex while her young children watch TV in the other room, to buying drugs and hiring a prostitute for an all night hedonistic session. He eventually ends back in make up looking at a picture of his wife and kids.

Definitely a great music video production from the best of Britain! Can you spot the Plan B cameo appearance?

What a way to round off a hectic weekend and just another day live event filming for Phink TV.

Hoxtonlab is an Audio and Visual company consisting of Managing Partner Erica Mainini, Motion Designer Giovanni Bucci and Sound Designer Marco Morano who have worked on projects for brands such as MTV, Redbull, P&G as well as creative agencies like Leo Burnett.

The site includes plenty of music and video elements, a secret area for clients to log in and collect their work, all against a Alexander McQueen inspired design.

If you need a website designed or built, get at us!

Jar Family Website said:

"We had a lot of fun making this video back in Hartlepool! Official release day for Poolie Strut (Radio Edit) is tomorrow - get yourself onto iTunes! To mark the penultimate day of the countdown, we're going to premiere the video just for you, the extended Family Jar. If you're in the video, hit the comments section when we post it! You'll have to tune in at 7pm tonight here on the website."

Make sure you purchase this one, and watch out for the next video for the second single "In for a Penny" which is in post production now!

Check out the video below… Four nets or “pitch backs” are set up so the batter can hit a ball at the first which then rebounds off the three subsequent nets and back to the batter who hits it back into the loop. Another ball is thrown into the mix to make the whole challenge tougher and we have a pretty impressive piece of video that’s good online exposure for the none mentioned batter!!



Like most of you reading this we are British and don’t know very much about Baseball! But do happen to know that the bat used in this video is by Easton, who’s branding is black and yellow and pretty predominant to anyone in the know!!!

So, is it real or shameless product placement with clever viral video production?

You decide!

We kicked off with Chris Barret and Luke Taylor who broke down some of the techniques they used in videos for Dels and Wiley, explaining how they really rely on art direction instead of post production wizardry. Then we heard tips and advice on Styling from MISS Jacqueline White & Natalie Willis, the girls clearly had a great time and lifted the whole event.

Following on, UMA Nominated Director Alexander Brown explained how he used jam jars to create the effect for James Blake's The Wilhelm Scream. While Memo Akten took us on a trip through his sound and lighting artistry in videos for acts like Depeche Mode. Sony Commissioner Claire Stubbs then stepped up and showed us the work she had been involved with for the Mystery Jets & The Vaccines. 

The FND Collective otherwise know as Barney Steel and Mike Sharpe took us through their careers and the phenomenal jump from £5000 budget videos to £70,000 for Pendulum!

We then wrapped on producer Phil Tidy who has produced work for the top of the industry including Shakira, Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen, Jamiroquai, Chase and Status to name a few. Personal highlight came when an audience member asked how to get video budgets larger than £10k and Phil replied "Maybe now's the time to go for a drink!"

It was a great evening and have to give a thank you to our host Jonny Morton-Clark as well as Co-Ordinator Bettina Smith who made it all possible. We plan to hold the next Music Video Production Forum in early December... So join the Facebook page for updates.

As the track has a latin / funky house rhythm the concept is based around a South American vibe including Carnival girls, Tango Dancers, Congo's and a Cuban trumpet player. All shot in an sea of lights at El Penol nightclub Brixton who's wall lighting displays consist of over 33,000 patterns. 

We won't ruin the concept so you'll just have to keep your eyes pealed until this goes to broadcast next week!

Even though corporate video production is very important and should be utilised there is no excuse for bad video quality. These will damage your corporate image and branding as your audience will associate you with things like cheap, dated or tacky connotations. So even if the budget is low, get experience on your side and keep things simply but well executed.

Here’s our top 5 bad corporate video production techniques:

1. Be Somebody Your Not!

Pretend to mean what you say and act sincere, read from a script prepared by someone else if you can! A great trick here is to read from a teleprompter just far enough so you can barely read it, this gives you that squinting, eye shuffle look.

2. Fake Backgrounds. 

You’ll probably want to give the impression your organisation is bigger that it is, so greenscreen yourself and drop in a shot of a big open plan office. If your really serious over light the subject so it doesn’t fit with the backdrop and get a really poor key so that the green screen flickers around the edges of the speaker, GREAT! 

3. Cheap Music.

Use tracks from cheap stock music websites that sound like they have been produced by Noddy and a Casio keyboard. A great way to source the music is to check out what the local elevators are playing, they’re really the tastemakers on this one!

4. Out of Date Graphics.

If your using titles in the “Lower Third” (corporate video production lingo for ya!) be sure that the font is from the 80’s if not 70’s and that the colouring clashes with what’s on screen. Also if your incorporating company logos for the top right, make sure it’s a low res file and nothing like a vector.

5. Cheesy Cuts and Transitions.

This is really key to any bad corporate video production. You can use simple things like the “edge wipe” or “cross stretch.” But if you feel like really going all out chuck in a couple “ripple dissolves” or “cube spins.” Basically grab your over creative Dad to direct the edit like his 70’s wedding tape.

Follow these steps and ensure no one wants to know what your about or what your selling!

Lets simplify it for one and all. A viral video is very much like a virus. Nobody really knows how the virus came about, all you know is, it exists and it's infected the lives of millions, and as soon as you've experienced it yourself, you move on, and find something else to distract yourself with. Its not really anything you have a control over. It just happens, when it happens. 

You may be aware that I've just slated viral videos. Maybe you think that I'm trying to put you off the idea of making a viral video. And you'd be right! Ask yourself a few questions; 

1. How many viral videos can you remember that are associated with a brand and what were they? 

2. How often do you share a branded viral video to your social circle? 

3. How many times have you engaged with brands further than just watching a viral video they produced? e.g. bought something 

I'll bet the answers to the questions are (or very similar)  

1. 2 or 3 

2. not very often 

3. infrequently, or can't remember 

Viral videos have a temporary nature about them. They come and they go. They don't necessarily end in people engaging with them, in a way that is helpful to brands, particularly for less visible and smaller brands. 

Going viral is the holy grail still, but perhaps they should be looking a little closer to home for results that could have a much bigger impact.  For smaller brands, the idea of using the model of social video a way to create impact could be the solution? 

What is social video? 

Social video is all about interaction. the more the better. Social video is veering towards continued conversation and commentary as well as sharing, rather than just sharing. Another principle of social videos is that the videos are a part of a strategy, i.e. to get people to subscribe to an event; for visitors to fill out a simple poll and so on. Social is all about engagement, and this calls for a different approach to the creative process of making such a video. 

Directors to Producers and Stylists will come together and share their knowledge and experience. So far confirmed speakers include:

COMMISSIONERS:

CLAIRE STUBBS (SONY)

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DIRECTORS: ALEXANDER BROWN (BROWNBOY) James Blake // Carl Barat // The Maccabees

CHRIS BARET & LUKE TAYLOR (US) Dels / Wiley / Tinie Tempah (Art Direction)

BARNEY STEEL & MIKE SHARPE (FND) Pendulum / Depeche Mode / Cher Lloyd

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PRODUCERS: PHIL TIDY (BUG) Oasis / Kaiser Chiefs / Lily Allen

MIKE LEVELLE (PARK VILLAGE) Scouting for Girls / Morcheeba / Jaime T

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VISUAL EFFECTS: MEMO (MSAV) Depeche Mode / Cher Lloyd

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STYLING: JACQUELINE WHITE & NATALIE WILLIS Pro Green / Example / Filthy Dukes

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SHOREDITCH CHURCH // THURSDAY AUG 11TH // 7:00-9:00PM

CONTACT: bettina@phink.tv for your place - SPACES LIMITED!!!

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SPONSORS:

EAST END STUDIOS - East End Studios is one of the largest Film and Photography studio within London - 07594 631 768

CAMBERWELL STUDIOS - Camberwell Film Studios London are Independent Film Studios based in Camberwell & have 2 film, Video & TV production studios for hire -0207 737 0007

CHARLES MILNES & CO - An insurance broker specialising in Film and Video productions - 0207 923 4655

If you're a business owner, instead of complaining that your staff are wasting too much time enjoying themselves on You Tube, engage with them. Make use of their enjoyment and passion for social media.  You never know, you might learn a thing or two and create a whole new community for your company. I believe social media allows business owners an unprecedented opportunity to enroll employees in a much more exciting a dynamic way.

Technology now allows video to be seamlessly integrated with websites. Think about how easily people share You Tube videos and how audience participation is so easy, in terms of commenting, and engaging with people interested in similar things.  Internet users now expect video to be available on most websites. And to be frank without video, it isn't exactly engaging having to read reams of text, and still not get what so and so business is about. Furthermore, Internet users almost expect businesses to have a social vibe going on about them, and by that I don't mean you have to be funny. 

Also, by social video, I don't mean viral.  Plenty of businesses fail to grasp the basic principles of social media, but still expect their online video to go viral.  What are the basic principles of social media: understand your audience; allow them to participate by sharing the video and either change, reply, add, or question your content. 

They reckon they counted 70+ 5-10pound carp once they finished screaming!

Fishermen! I salute you!

If you haven’t already heard about the phenomenon that is online video production, I suggest you leave this blog immediately and do not return until you’ve joined us in this current century.

All business owners need to wake up to the opportunities that exist with online videos.  If you’re business is online and you don’t currently use video to market your services or products, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of business.

I can see how some businesses can be put off at the idea of creating an online video; too much hassle; too much money; not enough time; no guarantee of a return on investment.  These are very typical arguments we hear all of the time.  But when we get the opportunity to explore our client’s fears, the fears are usually based on assumptions that are very loose and actually don’t have any substance.

Online video production for businesses is still relatively new territory really. There are very few companies who are really harnessing the opportunities online video production provides.  

For instance you still see that the majority of websites rely entirely on written content and still images to market their products/services.  I’m not saying that website owners should make fire-sale changes and get rid of all written content.  No, but I am suggesting that businesses should use a broader mix.  Lets face it we live in a very visual orientated society these days. Our lives are busier, and we want the information quickly.  We have a desire to be engaged with content we’re being provided.  We don’t always have time to read, so we scan and skim over the information to see if it’s relevant or interesting.

Online videos have a far better chance of making an impact, quickly, and are far more likely to be remembered (hopefully for good reasons).  Videos provide a space for being incredibly creative and can transform a seemingly boring product into something incredibly interesting.  A great example of this is the Blendtec blenders. 

If you started talking to me at a party about how well your blender blends butternut squash and pumpkins, I’d be seeking new company. Start talking to me about how well your blender blends an iPhone – now that’s a different story.  The ‘will it blend’ series of videos has completely transformed a functional product into something completely different and dare I say it – cool!  And here’s the rub – if you asked me to name any blender manufacturers, I can only tell you of one – Blendtec.

Blendtec is a great example for the use of online video production for several reasons, and I don’t mean for it’s viral quality. Its viral quality is obvious so no need to delve into that really. There are certain principles that are very clear that any business would do well to adopt, or at least learn from.

1.    You don’t need to spend a fortune on video production – its quite obvious Blendtec do not spend lots of money on their videos.  The main expenditure is on the products they blend, which considering the exposure they receive is a small price to pay in the long run.

2.    Involve your customers – Blendtec did a great job of suggesting which items could be safely blended at home. Brilliant! Additionally they also took suggestions of items to blend from their customers.

3.    Keep it short – 3 mins tops is the maximum for ads, product marketing, or music videos.  Although if you’re planning an online training video you’ll probably need longer, but you should definitely consider breaking the video into a series. The information is more manageable.

It’s pretty simple really, and you’ll be well on your way in sticking with these principles. On the other hand you could choose to totally ignore my advice, break all the rules and produce a successful online video. It’s all about being creative after all. Good luck. 

Any company producing online videos cannot ignore the power of social media platforms to help gain exposure. The rewards can be huge and there are some very convincing stats to prove this.

More people share videos via email currently, however the click through rate is not as good.  Links posted using the ‘tell-a-friend’ widget on Facebook generated on average 2.87 clicks each, and the Like buttons generates the same click through rate. Twitter generates an extraordinary 19 clicks per video.

So, ignore at your peril. We’ve been reading various whitepapers that suggest search engines are going to find it far easier to find online videos by way of new software and technology that will allow for each frame on the video to be described using meta data. At present, video publishers only have the opportunity to add a title and a sentence or two in the description field. This will change very soon.

Anyhow, back to Facebook and Twitter. We conducted an experiment recently in using a far more humanistic approach.  Instead of sending a direct message and asking our friends to ‘Like’ the video we published, we called them, had a good old fashioned conversation, had a catch up, then we hit them with the request to ‘Like’ our video. The response was far better than we anticipated and all of the conversations converted to likes. I can also say that there was no bribery involved at any stage, in case you were wondering. 

Being in here in Cannes really does feel like the whole advertising industry is under one roof... this of course isn't true because most creatives are actually back in the office sketching away and thrashing out that beautifully manipulating idea that will pull heart strings, force tears of laughter and subtly reaching for your pockets.

If one thing is worth taking home from this amazing experience is that the consumer is taking charge in force. Total transparency is now required by Creative Agencies alike and although it's a risky time to leave ourselves open to failure, the riskiest thing we can do is play safe!

Using new technology doesn't excuse bad ideas, but don't be scared to fail. If we have no fear then we move forward doing the things that we are meant to do - CREATE! Creating is our passion and it is this that separates us from every other species on the planet uniquely. As we drive forward in no particular rush, but in steady progression. We, the new agencies that are taking this industry by storm are able to manoeuvre quickly and effectively bringing content and idea's that inspire, create and innovate the new age of consumer. Viva La Cannes!

He spoke about teaching thinking!... and how important thinking is... good thinking.... simple thinking... logic thinking also...Thinking to create VALUE!

He also touched on how excellent work isn't always enough, but we have no way of saying "that's EXCELLENT but NOT ENOUGH!" So he has coined the word "EBNE."

Excellent / But / Not / Enough..and coincidental a town in Austria!

Another inspiring, life changing day live event filming in Cannes...

Now to hit the casino...If I win big is that gonna be "EBNE"!!!?

=s

You might not think it but hearing and being in the presence of Robert Redford is actually very inspiring, when you consider the man has got Golden Globes and Academy Awards coming out of his face, starred in over 50 feature films and a keen political activist... it's hard not to listen!

He spoke about taking risks, continuing to do what you believe in and getting the right people around you. Not only is he an award winning director but the founder of "The Sundance Film Festival" which caters to independent filmmakers in the United States and has received recognition from the industry as a place to open films. 

We love you BOBBY!

Funny part of it was how the mobile phone is our new lover... knows what we like, what we don't, all of our secrets and it's the first thing we reach for in the morning!

Even funnier is how everyone is actually on their mobile phones and tablets as the dude from Microsoft is talking about it!!

We're here live event filming for the Cannes Lions 58th International Festival of Creativity. Covering seven days and 57 sessions of thought-leaders and experts in all forms of communications and creative thinking coming together to inspire, debate and entertain.

We’ll bring you highlights from the Festival, gossip from the minions, and hangovers from the bar.

But right now it's all about the beach and trying to cast Natalie Portman as my future wife! 

"This is the perfect result to three intensive months of practising and training for this moment," said a thrilled Mildon.

Today the video has hit almost 7.5 million views, and rightly so considering you see the action from a cam on Jed's helmet.... I'm a now pumped with adrenaline and wanna be like JED!!

Once the label has established the next track for release the first interaction with a music video production company should be asking them for a “treatment.” Now they must send the track, budget available and show the production house the artist’s previous videos so they can see the progression and what’s been done before. 

Now the music video production company will listen to the track, take any initial ideas from management and come back with a storyboard and a mood board to give some sort of a visual representation to their ideas. These days a lot of directors are shooting tests to get any complicated editing effects across to the artist and label.

Once the treatment is signed off the music video production company should take half the budget up front as a deposit against the job. This therefore guarantees the work and means the producer is free to book in Lighting, Crew, Locations, Edit Days, Props, and whatever else that has been stipulated in the budget. The video is then shot and edited signed of by the client and broadcasted to the world!

Last year we documented a home coming gig while the band took us around Hartlepool to explain where they’re from and why they write the music they do. This time we had fans stopping us in the street and singing lyrics before we headed off to Spark FM for the bands live session broadcasted to the whole of Sunderland and the surrounding area.

We love the Jar Family and their extended family Arising Artists and Studio Condition, watch out for the first single “The Poolie Strut” out in July!!!

Even if it's not all that likely they notice the twist!!

Leather Hands 'Vertical Lines' from raizcubica on Vimeo.

Director Chris Milk teamed up with the Google Chrome team to fuse art, music and digital media into this revolutionary interactive experience. It takes the Arcade Fire song "We Used to Wait" and sync it with birds eye and Street View scenes of your childhood town generated by Google Maps, all seen through the eyes of a faceless hoody, supposedly you!

The music video production is heavily optimised for HTML5 compatible browsers as this was part of the launch for Google Chrome last year.

This to me has got to be the future of music video production but it's going to be hard to concept the use of it. What if we created a short computer game similar to Grand Theft Auto as a music video using the artist as the players and the single as the backing track?

Their debut album on AD Recordings has been produced by studio legend Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Super Furry Animals and InMe) but even better - the video for the lead single "South of the City" is being produced by Phink TV!

Our treatment has the majority of the video shot in the POV of a man on the run through London Town while everywhere he goes he see's the band performing on Billboards, TV screens, Bus Stop Ads, and his iPhone, until a disturbing twist takes shape.

I know, but you'll have to wait and see.

Who knew Charlie could actually throw it down? Probably not a viral video production but certainly something to take inspiration from...

4. Ell & Nikki – Running Scared (Azerbaijan)

Nikki first dreamt of representing Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2000 when she saw Russian singer Alsu finish second, since then she’s moved to London and focused on achieving that goal. I think they must have found Eldar Gasimov working as an Enrique Iglesias wax work while the original was being repaired and thought he might win some grandma votes. Either way something worked as they won the competition.

3. Glen Vella – One Life (Malta)

27 year old Glen Vella, born on 14th May 1983, represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with 'One Life', penned by Fleur Balzan and composed by Paul Giordimaina. This video is pure and unadulterated eurovision song contest cream layered on thick rich Maltese cheese, see what you think?

2. Dana International – Ding Dong (Israel)

Sinead O'Connor said, "She inspires me and gives me courage." Jean Paul Gaultier called her "my muse" and in 1998, Time Magazine chose her as one of the important people in the world! Dana International's story is not only the story of a successful singer; it is a rare and inspiring story about courage and the victory of the human spirit. (You know she was a man right?) This is her own composition and not a laughing matter. “Ding Ding say no more!”

1. Jedward – Lipstick (Ireland)

Irelands Eurovision song video for 2011 is Xfactor’s very own Jedward. Don’t mess with these 2 they have Irelands fastest selling record of 2010 and had to increase their live show dates from 28 to 75 in order to fullfil their fans satisfaction. Say what you want about Jedward…they don’t care!

The outer packaging is made up of a sturdy paper mesh with an inner sack made of film. The amazing thing is the sack is recyclable and the outer shell is 100% biodegradable.

We were shocked to find out that every plastic bottle ever manufactured is either still in existence or has been burnt at a cost to the ozone layer!

With that in mind we got fully behind this project and want to see Green Bottle do well. Keep a look out in your local supermarkets and buy Green Bottle over plastic every time, its the same price!

So even if they where fat, pale, spot ridden with an overbite worse then Freddie Mercury, we would take their picture and nod politely...

Priestbird - Diamond from Ron Winter on Vimeo.

flub/fləb/
Noun: A thing badly or clumsily done; a blunder.
Verb: Botch or bungle (something): "she glanced at her notes and flubbed her lines"; "don't flub again"

1. Pirates of the Caribbean 

Just as Jack says, "On deck, you scabrous dogs," to the very left edge of the screen over Jack's shoulder you can see the grip camera crew member with a tan cowboy hat, white short sleeve top looking out to sea like he’s on his hols!

2. Gladiator. 

After the battle with the Germanians, the next morning after the tavern, he is walking in the army camp and he feeds a horse a piece of apple. If you look closely between Maximus and the horse, there is a one of the camera crew wearing a pair of blue jeans with a boom in his hand. NICE1!

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

During a dueling scene inside a large hall, Snape pulls Malfoy to his feet. As he does so a cameraman is clearly visible with camera.

2. Pearl Harbour.

As Cuba Gooding Jr witnesses the first attack from the Japanese and starts to run along the corridor, he has to share the shot with the focus puller! Another reason why you have to be careful who you use for camera crew hire.

1. Dariya Dil.

Where do we begin?...

Dariya-Dil - Indian Superman by HansPfaall

No offence to anyone on the marketing campaign as this has obviously done well so far with over 3 million views, but it's not giving the audience any credit whatsoever!....Unless you think its real?

All is Full of Love – Bjork

The song is taken from her 1999 album “Homogenic” and directed by English music video director Chris Cunningham who’s probably best known for his work with Aphex Twin. The video starts with a robot that looks like the love child of Bjork and that one in I-Robot, lying on a white platform in the centre of a sterilization room being repaired or assembled by mechanical arms. Before the arms have a chance to finish, another Bjork-esq robot turns up and starts playing tongue hockey with Bjork robot the first while the arms awkwardly pretend to fix things in the background. Glassworks, the company that provided the special effects for this music video production stated they used SOFTIMAGE and Flame for 3D elements and 2D compositing, respectively.

Drop – The Pharcyde

Drop was the first single taken from the bands debut album “Labcabincalifornia,” and Directed by none other than Spike Jones who also directed features: “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaption” and “Where The Wild Things Are”. The video is a seamless take of the band performing the song backwards to a backward playback, which is then played in reverse to give a really surreal headfunk quality. It also features cameos from Redman and Ad-Rock, probably due to the sample being taken from Beastie Boys “The New Style.”

Gantz Graf - Autechre

Gantz Graf is a three track EP from Manchester duo Autechre signed to Warp Records. The video for Gantz Graf was created by Alex Rutterford and has received a cult following particularly within computer generated imagery art circles. The music video production for this harshly mechanical sounding song features an abstract object morphing, pulsating, shaking and eventually imploding in sync with the music. Rutterford claims the idea for the video came during an LSD trip he once had and that there was no generative algorithms to the imagery. Every frame was painstakingly synchronized with a specific element or frequency range of the track. WOW!

Guilty Conscience – Eminem Feat Dr Dre

The video was produced mainly using rotoscoping as Eminem and Dr Dre rap to the protagonist on how to deal with the conflicting situations and features ongoing narration throughout played by Robert Culp. MTV only aired the version without the murder at the end and finished on the escalating argument between Shady and Dre with no resolution. You can easily find the directors cut online (or below). Guilty Conscious was Directed by long time video collaborator Philip Atwell and Co-Directed by Dr Dre. Atwell first worked with Dre back in 1995 where he produced and co-wrote the short film “Murder was the Case” by Snoop Dogg and released on Death Row Records.

Just – Radiohead

Shot just down the road from our studio at Liverpool St Station and Directed by Jamie Thraves who also did music videos for such British acts as The Verve, Blue and Coldplay. “Just” has probably one of the best sub-plots and twists to be seen in british music video production. We’ll let you watch the video and not ruin it, as this really is one of our favorite videos and really makes an impression on the viewer, see what you think…

The music video premise leads on from what happened after the "You Gotta Fight For you Right" video and follows them on a mischievous beer fuelled tour leading to a stand off with the original crew on lilo! (Beasties still doing it proper at 40!)

Where does it go from here? Well, we know more and more people are uploading their own content, while our attention is being taken away from the TV and on to computer screens and mobile devices. You can pretty much guarantee then that your own innocent online video production about a trip to the zoo will be encoded with advertising about something relevant to you and your peers. All advertisers have ever wanted to do is interrupt what your doing and say “HEY, CHECK OUT THIS NEW RAZOR!” and if all you want to do is network and interact with your friends then that’s where they’ll be waiting.

The first piece of media transferred across the Internet was the logo for Mosaic, the web browser credited with making the World Wide Web so popular back in the early 80s. Mosaic was the first graphical browser hence the reason their logo was the first image to be seen on the net. Then on February 25 1993 a guy called Marc Andreessen proposed the idea of the IMG tag in HTML, a few weeks later he had developed a beta version of the IMG tag supporting GIF and Bitmap images for exclusive to Mosaic. He showed this off by posted a link to a Bitmap of Dan Quayle.  So now we started uploading images back and forth mainly of naked women in compromising positions which would take around 3-5 minutes to fully download (so I’m told.) Things got quicker and images loaded faster over the next 10 years, but the obvious step everyone wanted to take was online video!

I suppose not a lot of people will remember what online video production was like before the days of YouTube. The problem in the early days was that video streaming buffered to slowly and people didn’t comprehend the commercial gains that we do now. As broadband connection started to speed up and with increased computer power, consumers began to demand richer media content, so during the late 90s it was reported that between 9-17% of businesses started streaming video in one form or another, and companies like Guba started sharing online video production content between users. Then with the introduction of MPEG-4 in 1998 and its industry standardization in 2000, it paved the way for video streaming and downloading forever. This was still very much a niche format and only people with broadband in early 2000s could actually utilise it. It wasn’t until Adobe Flash was redistributed as a consumer product did online video production really take off in 2005. Flash was originally for web animation so it could handle high quality video playback and when they started bundled it into major browser packages people suddenly got to stream and play their videos quicker and easier.

Now startups like Metacafe and Vimeo where popping up trying to carve a market share surrounding this expanding media platform. But it was three former PayPal employees and their site www.youtube.com that didn’t just steal the show; they burnt it down and built it themselves! The first video to be uploaded ever on YouTube was “Me at the Zoo” starring one of the founders Jawed Karim and put on at 8.27pm April 23rd 2005.

By 2006 YouTube had become the third largest traffic site on the web, so Google decided to step in and buy it for a reported $1.65 Billion. 

Watch out for the second part on where online video production and its future.

Well thats what Colour Chart Films say anyway, check out their simple and clever concept for Corderoi's new cool music video "All Ways" below...

Corduroi - "All Ways" from mutuallymade on Vimeo.

Executive Producer:

Is usually the person who put the money up to make the project happen or has partly invested in the production. Most big budget films will have 3 – 5 Executive Producers owning a share of the gross profits.

Producer:

Is the information hub of any production, and in charge of all logistics from hiring crew, booking locations, renting the equipment to casting talent.

Director:

The Director is very much the creative lead in any camera crew. They are responsible for guiding the plot, orchestrating the actor’s performances, and choosing the locations. As well as more technical tasks such as camera positions, lighting effects and content for soundtracks.

1st AD:

Is short for first assistant director and is basically and extension of the director. The most integral responsibility of the 1st AD is making sure the production is running on schedule and relaying important information to the camera crew from the Director. Depending on the director’s discretion, some 1st AD’s will be in charge of directing background action or minor shot sequences.

DoP:

Or Director of Photography is the head of the lighting and camera crew in any production. The DoP has to understand how the Director wants the shot to look and then choose the right framing, aperture, filters and lighting to accomplish the desired result.

Gaffer:

Is head of all things electrical and basically an on set electrician. They usually set up and operate all aspects of lighting and sometimes credited as “Chief Lighting Technician.”

Grip:

“These are the people in charge of anything the camera goes on,” as I was once told. They will work closely with the DoP and place, level or move everything from Dolly’s to Tripods to Cranes. Sometimes the Grip will be asked to camera assist or even operate.

Runner:

A runner is generally the most junior member of the camera crew and involved in all aspects of the production from making tea, to picking up tapes or props and helping out with pre-production.

Set Designer:

Often has to oversee the aesthetics or textual details to the set design and any props. A set designer is essentially the architect of any structure or interior and sometimes has to create whole landscapes that mean they almost become a foreman while the building takes shape.

Props Master:

Is in charge of finding, managing and sometimes building the props that are featured in front of camera. Mostly these guys will be skilled technicians in construction, electronics, machining and plastic casting. A weapons master is someone that is licensed and specialises in firearm props. (They always get feed first at lunch breaks!)

Costume Designer:

This is the person responsible for planning, designing and producing all the outfits to be worn on screen right down to the fabrics and colours. They will have to work closely with the Director and Set Designer to interpret the overall theme of the production. Depending how large the budget is, a costume designer will usually have one or two assistants.

That’s just some of the camera crew job roles within most productions, there are far more but we would be here all week if I were to explain every last one. This is just a list of the key members and usually the core of the video productions that we do at Phink TV. I hope it’s been useful if not interesting.

If it’s a large event with multiple activities happening at any one time, you will ideally need at least two cameras to cover the action. One way of saving money is by hiring a videographer with two cameras and an assistant. If you’re really tight then you will have to settle on one camera with operator and hope that they can cover as much of the event as possible. This will really effect the finished edit if it features a conference or performance as the one camera will probably have to be locked off on a wide and make for a very boring promo. We always advise 2 cameras minimum for any event as we don’t want to compromise the edit and would rather the client saved money elsewhere.

If you want to be fully prepared and not incur any last minute costs like, car parking or needing extra kit. Then get yourself down to the location sooner than later with a stills camera so you can problem shoot the day and anything that might hold you back. If you can, seek out someone that runs the venue and ask them things like if there’s an area to store your kit or if you will have access to power supplies. Always, always check where your power supplies will be and where the best viewpoints are when live event filming too. This could save you added expense on the day when you realise you need to hire in an extra light or longer cabling, as you weren’t fully prepared. 

Are you going to be filming these events regularly or is it a one off? If it’s a one off then you’re probably best hiring your camera and lighting. This being the case we tend to go for the Sony EX3 as it films in full HD and is a very versatile piece of kit. They are roughly £150 to hire for a day and it should come with a tripod, top light, spare batteries and SD Cards. When it comes to lighting you should be all right with a couple of 2k blondes and a Diva Light which should come in at around £100, but this will be defined from you location scout.

If you were going to be filming live events more often, then it would be far more cost effective to buy the kit outright instead of continually hiring. Look at this the same as paying rent when really you should be paying a mortgage instead of letting your hard work / money evaporate. If you therefore wanted to invest in a Sony EX3 it would cost you roughly £5k, so maybe the Canon 5D or 7D would be better options? I wouldn’t actually recommend Canon’s for live event filming as there not as reliable when it comes focusing, but for the money you get an excellent piece of kit. The 5D for example is around £1.2k (body only) so you will need to invest maybe another £1k in lenses, then a few 32GB SD Cards at £120 each, with the other bits and bobs on top you could probably get away with it for £3k.

If this is really on a budget then keep the kit light and pack some nuts, fresh fruit and a bottle of water, as you can’t be live event filming at your best without plenty of energy!

Dealing with the client:

For a lot of corporates that we deal with video production isn’t high on their agenda and they tend to be quite fresh to the whole process. So it’s integral that you are patient and hold their hand through every step of the production. It’s easy to book the locations, hire the crew and arrive with the kit because you have done this a thousand times. But for the client it could be a new experience and they need to understand where the budget is going. A good code of practice is to talk the client through the shoot and the post production timeline, explaining when they will receive the offline and any further edits or graphics for sign off, don’t bore them with the in’s and out’s of lighting and camera equipment but make sure they feel they understand and trust you are doing a good job.

Understand the Brief:

The best way to avoid your corporate video producer hangover is to understand the brief fully from the off. I promise you WILL get the best results from not only understanding the brief but understand your client and empathise with their corporate image. The brief defines the specifics, and functionality of the project but your understanding of the client will indentify how and why the project needs to be executed.

Get everything in writing:

Make sure you agree the terms of the sign off and have everything in writing before you even start pre-production. Some clients will have a tendency to try and veer a project off on a tangent once things start to come together, but it is vital to your sanity that you keep the reigns and maintain focus on the goals you all decided was the reason to produce this corporate video.

Be flexible and adaptable:

Being flexible and adaptable is key to pull off the best possible corporate video production you can. You might have to re-edit elements of the video or possibly even reshoot whole scenes. So stay versatile and flexible to save yourself an early grave in this industry.

Payment:

I think it’s safe to say that corporates and large agencies are generally known for being late payers which is their privilege as they can pick and chose whom they spend their budget with. If you’re a one-man band or a start up, you can save yourself a lot of worry and stress by agreeing on an upfront deposit. This means you can pay off most your expenses before the production and not have to go into the red while waiting on your client’s next “payment run.”

Pick your projects carefully:

If you do end up with corporate video producer anxiety you can’t blame anyone but yourself. At the end of the day no one forced you to take the job on, no one other than yourself agreed to the brief or terms of the project. Even if you said yes to the work because the bank balance was heading towards nil, it’s still your responsibility. This means you need to take active steps to ensure you only take on clients that you enjoy working with, who truly value what you do and always pay on time.

That really is the best way to avoid your trip to the corporate video producer clinic!

The Eureka iPad application is a special digital edition of their monthly science magazine. In this app Eureka asks how the science of sport is changing the human race.

The app combines original journalism from The Times award winning science and sports teams with all the interactivity of the iPad, including enhanced graphics, stunning photography and exclusive video. It features writting and commentary from Matthew Syed, Mike Atherton, Mark Henderson, Hannah Devlin, Owen Slot and many more.

The Press Awards have now nominated the app for "Digital Innovation of The Year." This award can go to any individual or team of a national newspaper that demonstrates ingenuity or innovation in the use of multi-media platforms or content.

They must have really liked those graphics then!

Dogboarding from DANIELS on Vimeo.

Directed by Daniels | Produced by Gaetano Crupi Jr | DP Jackson Hunt.

Directed by Dugan O'Neal | Produced by Danielle Hinde | DP David Myrek | VFX by Beno

Wish I had goggles like this...

1. Content is NOT king.

Between 10 – 65,000 videos are uploaded to YouTube daily, so what’s to say yours will standout? It doesn’t matter how “Viral” the content of your video is, if you leave it playing on a TV in your attic no one’s going to care. Don’t get me wrong, the content is what will keep people coming back and sharing the viral, but there’s certainly no need to agonise over the best viral video production possible.

Here are some guidelines we follow:

• Keep it short 15- 30secs ideally

• Designed for remixing so that it’s simple enough for others to take and reedit.

• Don’t make an advert! If a video seems like advertisement people won’t share it unless its truly amazing

• Be shocking; really make an impact on the audience.

• Make big title statements i.e. “The Queen Snorting Cocaine,” get the audience to think “Crikey! Did that really happen”

• Be Sexy, if all else fails hire an attractive women to be in the video.

2. Getting on to the most viewed page.

Now we’ve got the video with our optimum content, how are we going to get the hits? The core strategy to marketing on YouTube is to harness the sites traffic. 80 million people watch videos on the site daily and most of those views come from people clicking the Videos tab. The goal therefore is to get a video on to the “Most Viewed” page. If we succeed our video will go from being 1 in 10,000+ videos uploaded that day to 1 in 20 on the most viewed page.

So how do we get those first 50,000 views to get featured on the page?

Blogs: We can reach out to relevant blogs and websites that we either pay or ask to feature the video. Sounds a bit PayPerPost but it is effective and not against the rules.

Forums: We can join relevant conversations and embed the video. Sometimes this might mean starting new threads with different accounts and sparking a conversation. This can be very time consuming but if you have people to help it can have a huge effect.

Facebook: Sharing a video with your entire Friends list can have a tremendous impact. Also create events about the videos launch and allow people to comment by tagging them in the video.

Mailshot: Email the link to your friends and associates that might be interested, this can be a very effective way to get people sharing/forwarding.

Contacts: Make sure everyone you know watches the video and try to get them to forward or share it on.

Each video has 48 hours to get on the Most Viewed page, after that it could be moved to the Weekly Views or disappear into the ether, so its integral this all happens very quickly and if done right it will have a massive impact.

3. Title Optimisation.

Once a video is on the most viewed page, how are we going to maximize hits? People see hundreds of videos on YouTube, so the thumbnail and title are an easy way to get people to click on a video. Titles can be changed any number of times so why not have a catchy title for the first few days then change to something more brand related after that. We’ve noticed a recent trend in titling videos with phrases such as; “Exclusive,” “Behind the Scenes,” or “Leaked Video.”

4. Thumbnail Optimisation

Once we get on the Most Viewed page our video will be sitting with 19 other videos of excellent viral content! A compelling video thumbnail is the best strategy to maximize the number of clicks a video then gets. YouTube offers a number of ways to generate a thumbnail. The most common is grabbing a frame exactly halfway through the video. Therefore you can edit something very interesting in the middle of your video. This should be clear and ideally have a face or at least a person in it. It’s no surprise that scantly clad women get hundreds of thousands of clicks.

Please come back for the rest of Phink TV’s viral video production tips in part 2!

Be Genuine.

Everyone knows when someone is "schmoozing" on or at them. And, no one likes being "primed" for the pump. Be genuine in your interactions with others at an event. Again, it comes back to building trust, to building "brand YOU". There is a huge difference between being INTERESTED and in trying to be INTERESTING. When you are interested in learning about someone and their business entirely for the sake of learning about the other person, you will leave a lasting impression as someone who genuinely cares. On the other hand, when you are interested only so that you can take what you learn and then use it to make yourself or your products interesting to this person , you have slipped into the category of "scorched earth networking" and it is not a good place to be. 
Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships in the London video production industry and see how you can help others.

Teach/Don't Sell.

A good networker knows that the immediate sale of a product is not the goal in networking. Networking is about building relationships with people who will be happy to tell others about who you are and what you do. Word of mouth advertising is the most cost effective and powerful advertising. At every opportunity, teach others about who you are, as a person, and what it is that you do. Always present a clear emphasis on the type of client that you are looking for. In doing this, you will be building a salesforce that can reach far wider than you can on your own.

Follow up.

After anywhere you’ve meet people within London’s video production industry, send an email to each person that you had direct contact with. Mention something from your discussion in the email (it helps if you jot notes on the back of each person's business card that you collect). If there is a referral that you can supply to someone you've just met, include that in the follow up email. Showing up and following up are the two most important parts of networking. Showing up, in most cases, is the easy part. The follow up is, sadly, the most neglected part of networking. Since so many people fail to follow up, you can really stand out by just doing this simple act of reaching out to remind someone of who you are and what you do ... and that you are interested in exploring a relationship. Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.
Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given, the London video production industry is flooded and ruthless. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.

Follow up some more!

Depending on where you look, marketing statistics state that it takes 7 to 12 impressions for a consumer to make a buying decision. It also take’s somewhere between 5 to 12 impressions to become "top of mind". AND those are the OLD numbers. Because of the overload of information that we are all faced with every day, the number of impressions is actually quite higher. It is more likely to take 15 - 20 impressions before you make the connections that you are looking to build! Meeting face to face is the 1st impression. An email, a phone call, another card, a lunch date ... don't stop after 1 or 2 impressions. If your to survivor and prosper in London’s video production network you MUST build strong relationships, dig deep and make the continued effort to build ongoing relationships.

A great little motion graphics video by National Geographic about the worlds most typical person. Is it male? Is it Female? Are they white? Are they asian?

Be Youtube view 1,560,725 and find out!

4. Be Persistent.

This is absolutely key and every single day (including Saturday and Sunday) you should be doing something to move towards your goals. If your standing still the competition will over take you and effectively you will be moving backwards. So do whatever it takes to move forward, make calls, meet people, send emails, find the people that are active in the industry and establish a connection with them.

5. Be Respectful.

Your going to meet dozens if not hundreds of people within the music video production industry and it is a small place. Always be polite and respectful no matter whom you’re dealing with and even if someone else is being unreasonable. Reputations travel fast, so make sure people only have good things to say about you.

6. Create Opportunities.

Many of the jobs you will do coming up in video production will be less than glamorous, but there is an opportunity in everything you do. If you’re asked to copy scripts, make a copy for yourself. If your asked to make calls by your boss, this is a chance to learn by listening on the conversation. You have to find the opportunities as they come up and grab them with four hands!

7. Always be Learning.

You should be learning as much as possible as often as possible. Learn what each production department does, or each crew member on set. What does each music video production executive do? What information do they deem valuable. Learn about the business and why people do what they do.

8. Know where to look for work.

If your looking through classified ads in newspapers or at recruitment sites like Monster.com, you probably won’t have much luck. Most production jobs aren’t advertised and most people are hired through word of mouth or established relationships. So remember its a lot to do with who you know, so get to know as many people as you can.

9. Get Out There.

If you think a job in the music video business is going to fall in your lap, you’re probably mistaken. There are so many people in the business that complain about not getting a break but they aren’t making any steps to actually break in! Getting a job in music video production is not impossible, but it’s not easy. Becoming a great Director, DP, Producer, Make Up Artist, Gaffer etc, all starts by getting out there. Meet new people, take low paid jobs, and broaden your network.

10. Be Fearless.

Always remember that the big wigs on top didn’t start there. Very rarely do you have a prodigy that can walk in at the top with naturally gifted talents. 95% of the big guns started at the bottom, making tea, carrying kit, and taking food orders. You have to be fearless when going after what you want. Have strong convictions and the talent to back it up. Don’t let fear rule you, let you rule you.

Great video by: Jeremy Phillips, director | Lindsay Mann, DP | Vesta Goodarz, make-up..

Sometimes even the worst pessimist needs to have a little faith that metamorphosis is taking place. This trippy NYC adventure video for Trumpeter Swan stars some upside-down chin characters plus a woman who transforms from human to butterfly... NICE!

Here's a favourite Viral for March. And the latest compilation of FAILS from TwistedNederland... it's been up 2 weeks and already got 3,992,075 views!

ENJOY.

Be Prepared: Successfully networking the London video production industry means you must have your tools with you at all times. Always have an ample supply of business cards on you, and be on the look out for the next opportunity to make a new connection, make sure everyone in the room knows what you do. Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes you’re doing it special or different from others in the industry. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do and can easily articulate this to others. Ask yourself what your goals are before networking an event or meeting so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.

Have a plan: Savvy networkers always have an idea of what the goal is for each event they attend. Know, before going in, what the outcome is that you want for yourself or for the people you meet at each London video production event. Do you want to meet 3 people and focus on getting to know them really well? Or are you looking for an introduction to a certain type of client? Are you looking for information or connections that will get you that information? When you have a plan, it is easier to stay focused and achieve your expected outcome. It also helps you to keep on track to help others in achieving their goals when you remind yourself to be generous with your own knowledge and connections. And, when you have a plan it is easier to stay on task as you meet with people.

Be a Giver and a Connector: When you focus on "giving" and being helpful to others, the "getting" will come later and it will come in unexpected ways. Foremost to remember, is that no one likes a person with a "taker" mentality and London’s video production industry is a small place! When you are generous, people will notice and respect you for your kind nature. And, people generally do business with people that they respect, trust, and like. Act like a host at every event you attend by connecting people. This can be a simple act of introducing 2 people to each other or as elaborate as giving a testimonial about 1 person and their services to the entire group. All of these acts allow you to focus on the "other" and grows your social capital in the room. Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them. And why not hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.

Game Time: Put on a happy face at the door and remind yourself that it is "game time". This is your time to sparkle and shine. People will look forward to seeing you and meeting you if you are energetic, positive, and outgoing. Again, people enjoy doing business with people that they like. BE a person that others will like. Hopefully you've heard the Zen expression "Be the ball" ... well, whenever you have the chance, "Be the ball of the ball!" Do not burden or bore people with your troubles or your problems. Everyone has enough of their own, and, trust me on this, they do not need or want to hear about yours. Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

Listen with focus: When someone is speaking with you, give that person your entire focus. LISTEN. Really hear what the person is saying. Keep your eyes and ears focused and keep your self-talk and thoughts focused too. The greatest gift that you can give to another person is to truly hear what that person is saying. You've seen this before and it bears repeating: you have 1 mouth and 2 ears for a reason. Listen twice as much and talk 1/2, as much and everyone in the London video production bubble think you are a genius!

According to IT and networking giant Cisco, video is set to dominate the Internet in the coming years. In its white paper Cisco Visual Networking Index, published in June last year, the company predicted that by 2014, video in all its forms, including video demand and TV streaming, would exceed 91 per cent of global consumer traffic. Internet video alone will account for 57 per cent of consumer internet traffic.This white paper lays down a stark challenge to PR professionals. Master video or miss out. No brand or agency can afford to lose that amount and range of traffic. And the way consumers are viewing internet video is changing, as a result of smartphones, tablets and the newer Google TV and Apple TV. These innovations, which allow users to view the internet through their TV screens, are already creating consumer interest. A report from research agency Harris Interactive published in January and measuring 'buzz' showed 51 per cent of consumers were very or somewhat excited about Apple TV, while Google TV had 45 per cent of consumers excited. Furthermore, 54 per cent of people who were aware of Apple TV had actively discussed it, and for Google TV this figure was 48 per cent. Whether Apple and Google hit the right formula or another platform emerges, it is certain that internet video will soon be infiltrating living rooms across the UK.

The big buzz word over the past seven to ten years has been viral. Brands wanted to produce a viral video that would be shared by millions of people. But that is slowly fading away. Now brands are looking to provide a different type of video such as product specification video.

For example, if you want to buy a new phone you might look at a product specification video that shows you all the features of an iPhone4 or the latest HDC smartphone, which is more informative and user-friendly than reading a load of specs or watching a 30-second TV advert.

Content can also help maximise sponsorships. Vodafone sponsors the McLaren Formula One team and Lewis Hamilton, and it is using that to provide content that adds value. There are many F1 sites and publications, as well as sports and lifestyle sites, and they would take the content because it is fresh and unique.
Here’s some examples of successful online video production, and outlines what every PR professional needs to know.

Do not make an advert. Online video production needs to be appreciative of a media-savvy audience who recognise when they are being "sold to." Over-excitable clients who want a brand mention in every scene and a logo at the bottom would be better off consulting with an advertising agency.

Put the audience first, not the client. 'This may sound counter-intuitive but otherwise you run the risk of creating a fabulous corporate video that no-one will ever watch. Producing successful campaigns will have considered the relevance, audience hook and shareability. You must appreciate the end user.

Know what you want to do with the content. What a TV station requires is very different from what a blogger will use. A TV station might need a clean B-Roll in broadcast quality. An online news site may want a full package including music and voice-overs, whereas a blogger may prefer a shorter clip with a smaller file size.
Quality is vital. Owning a video camera is not necessarily a qualification to handle branded content. Online video production has to be well produced, of high quality and well edited. You would not send a tiny, blurry, out-of-focus photograph to accompany a picture story, so apply the same logic to creating video content.
Content needs to be entertaining and tell a story. You do not have to film reams of content - keep videos short and sweet. Unless there is a genuine reason for a person to watch the film, they will not.

What can video add to a PR campaign?

- Extend the reach, longevity and impact of a campaign.
- Cross international borders.
- Get messages to those with little time or inclination to digest traditional media.
- Potential for sharing beyond initial placement.
- Reach busy journalists tied to their desks.
- Help ensure consistent messaging across all media.
- Direct engagement with audience.

Online video production is the most influential medium on the most influential network, so get onboard!

Music video production companies are in charge of the financial and administrative aspects of the entire production. They are responsible for making a successful video while staying within a budget. They often work with the director to hire the production team, the choreographer, film editor, lighting director, and director of photography and must keep order among the creative personalities involved in making a music video.

As a rule, production companies are hired and paid by the record companies or artists who are financing the project. Sometimes producers are asked to submit ideas for a video to promote a specific song these re called ‘treatments’. They must then compete with other production companies or video producers for the job. In some cases, producers come up with an idea for a video and then try to sell the concept to a production company, record company, or artist. While some producers start their own music video production company, many independent producers need to find their own investors or use their own money to finance a project. Often music video recording sessions can run around-the-clock for several days. Producers must be able to resolve crises, including budget problems and flare-ups of artistic tempers. However, there is great satisfaction in being part of a successful project.

Some music video production companies have very little involvement with the day-to-day operations in making the video. Others are hands-on producers who take part in both the creative and administrative work, sometimes even doubling as director or film editor of the video.

Since the video format is a cross between a short-subject movie and a television commercial, production companies and their staff come from a variety of backgrounds; television, the theater, the movie industry, and even advertising. No specific educational background is required; however, producers must have a keen business sense and a thorough knowledge of finances. Beginners may seek training in filmmaking or video engineering while working as an assistant, essentially an errand gofer or "runner" on a production team. Continuing education courses in videotape production techniques, electronic tape editing, and the use of cameras and synthesizers can prove helpful. Personally, even thought I run a video production company I still like to work as a runner on someone else’s production to get an insight into techniques and contacts I otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to.

Music video producers whose work is not well known may have to knock on the doors of record companies to present their ideas for music videos. Once a production company is established or has won video awards, companies and artists usually approach them for their artist’s projects. Those who have enough money of their own can produce a video and then try to sell it to a recording company. This approach is very expensive, however, because making a video can cost anywhere from £20,000 to as much as £1,000,000 if it features a major artist.

It really helps to have contacts in the music or film business. To learn the business, interested individuals should apply directly to production or record companies for work as a production assistant. If your just starting out, network with local artists and ask them if you can shoot a music video for them, this allows you to work up your portfolio (or reel as they call it in the business). The more videos you do, the more practice you will have and the more successful you music video production company can be!

2 LA hotties Jessie & Reanin, hide a camera 'Behind the Scene's' to show all the fellas exactly how sly we aren't! 

7,241,803 views 

On one hand, we have the established Soho production house who always thinks bigger is better and are really not adapted to the smaller crews, smaller budgets and simpler workflows that the new tech allows. And then you have the videographer with his 5D who thinks video is free. He’s often a hobbyist or enthusiast and sometimes might do a good job, or he might be using your project to discover that he really doesn’t like doing video. One thing that separate’s the two is the experience that they have in lighting, framing correctly and adding motion to your camera movement. There’s one thing that doesn’t change when you get down to it and that’s the art of the craft.

Even more important, is understanding the whole point of why your doing a corporate video production.

The hardest thing about our job is not making the pretty pictures, and producing well-crafted videos (that’s default). It’s understanding the clients’ communications goals, understanding who their audience is, understanding what the objectives are and making sure that the pretty pictures we make match those goals.

We always try to warn businesses about the end product if they opt to hire a college kid with lots of creativity but limited business experience. They don’t always understand that just because something is a creative idea, it doesn’t mean that it is a good idea to solve the problem the client is trying to solve. And in the end, they may not have the maturity or experience to say, ‘Wow, this would be really beautiful or interesting or funny to do, but it doesn’t actually benefit the client?’

If you need good corporate video production that engages your audience, you need your budget to justify that. Sometimes you will get lucky and find a good idea that can be produced cost effectively and resonant within your market. But more often than not you need experience and a team sympathetic to your needs that knows how to best capture and translate your company to your customers. The real bonus now is that this can be done for less!

When we’re on set there are a million things coming at you all at once, so you have to find a crew you can trust with confidence to accomplish the task at hand. Are you going to operate the camera or is somebody else? Can that person read your mind? Do they know what you’re talking about? Do they take direction well? If someone else is operating your camera, they could potentially mess up your entire video if they’re not capturing the shots you want. So make sure that the camera op and you have incredibly good communication and they truly understand the vision and direction you want to take.

Who is your assistant director? If you’re the director and you’re working with the actors, you don’t want to have to be the one that has to push everybody along because time is running short. And although we don’t really yell a lot on our set, there does come a time when things have to be pushed and moved. So make sure you have a good strong AD, somebody that is personable but firm and can manage the set for you while making sure you’re meeting the deadlines. They primarily should make sure your camera crews are where they need to be, and your actors are where they need to be and keeps everything flowing smooth through out the day.

Catering! Be sure you think about catering. Are you going to feed your actors or are they going to feed themselves? At the very least try and provide water if you can. Also facilities, are there places to go to the lavatory or an area for the hair and make up? There are many parameters to think about when it comes to camera crew hire the food is a great way to lift everyone’s spirits halfway through a long day.

There are two very important people in any camera crew, one is your Gaffer / Lighting Engineer, its pretty integral you have somebody that knows how to set up and use lighting. If you can’t afford somebody, research all you can on the Internet, go to the library, study lighting as much as you can. We’re in a rush to get that movie done but if you learn as much as possible about lighting it’s going to help you out immensely.

Another very important thing to think about in any camera crew hire is sound and the Sound Recordist. They are someone who can record clean and professional sound and doesn’t bang the cable around and makes sure they are watching their shadows don’t get in shot.

Most importantly, talk to your crew, remember you’re a crew and this is a job. It’s not social hour for us. Actors have the luxury when you yell cut they get to go and socialize with the other actors, but as a crew we’re moving stuff, we’re setting up shots, we’re keeping things rolling. You have to talk to your crew and make sure they understand that as much as we would love to socialize and get to know all of these actors, we are working and we need to stay very focused. That’s going to help you keep to your time frame and stay within budget.

I hope this article has given you some things to consider the next time you look to camera crew hire.

Who doesn’t love a good viral production on YouTube? It’s every brands dream to have a video that clocks up millions of views but instead of an improvised home movie, the brands increasingly have to spend big money on production, ad campaigns to support the videos and other props. But the rewards can be massive as a good videos spreads all over sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in days with most clocking up millions of views and huge interaction. As you’ll see most of the videos are made by big brands and are clearly not the sort of videos that you just pull out a camera and film in a second! Here are our top 3 viral video productions from brands in 2010.

3. Google Chrome - Speed Test: 

Google wanted to show us how fast it is rather than just tell us how fast it is. To do that, they made a Rube Goldberg-Ian video showing how fast web pages load in Chrome, (which actually loads web pages at 2,700 frames per second.)

The speed tests were filmed at actual web page rendering times. If you're interested in the equipment used to pull off such an elaborate viral production it was: a Mac Book Pro laptop with Windows installed
- Monitor - 24" Asus: Which they had to replace the standard fluorescent backlight with very large tungsten fixtures to funnel in more light to capture the screen. In addition, they flipped the monitor 180 degrees to eliminate a shadow from the driver board and set the system preferences on the computer to rotate 180 degrees. No special software was used in this process.
- 15Mbps Internet connection.
- Camera: Phantom v640 High Speed Camera at 1920 x 1080, films up to 2700 fps. 

2. T-Mobile – Welcome Back:

Uploaded on October 29, 2010, the sequel to “The T-Mobile Dance” at present has over 7,370,000 views and it's received rave reviews in Guardian.co.uk, Express.co.uk, and Mirror.co.uk.

The viral production has been embedded in bestofyoutube.com, t-mobile.co.uk, facebook.com, and nightin.parcproductions.com. It's gotten referrals from related videos, namely a teaser and a promo that it was "arriving tonight."

For a lesson in seeding check out how many tags it has, I counted 39: t-mobile, tmobile, lifes, for, sharing, welcome, home, back, Heathrow, terminal, five, airport, singing, choir, vocal, orchestra, human, dance, sing-along, Liverpool, street, station, Trafalgar, square, night, in, josh, josh's, band, Adverts, TV, Commercial, Ad, Campaign, Latest, Work, Channel, trailer, and did I mention that the description of the video includes a link to http://www.facebook.com/tmobileuk.

In other words, the T-Mobile team has topped their previous efforts.

1. Old Spice – The Man Your Man Could Smell Like:

 I know I’ve mentioned this viral before but it really is that good (no wonder it sparked 100s of copy cats). The seductive Old Spice Guy we all know and love, wooed us in 2010 with a video promoting the famous men’s body wash. The viral has almost racked up 30,000,000 views! This is the fastest growing online viral video production ever, garnering 6.7 million views after 24 hours, and ballooning over 23 million views after 36 hours! If you haven’t seen it (which is unlikely) it consists of Ex American footballer Isaiah Mustafa taking you on an elaborate and luxurious tour around exotic locations in his typical flamboyant fashion.

Last night The OC must of lost some viewing ratings as every hormone imbalanced teenage girl was screaming in Justin Bieber's face at The O2 for the Never Say Never UK premiere instead.

Phink TV was also there commissioned to film vox pops and photograph for Sky TV who had rewarded some of their customers with tickets to the premiere and given the chance to walk down the purple carpet just behind the Beiber himself!

Phink TV always enjoy Live event filming and reportage photography, so if you have an event coming up that needs coverage let us show you what we can do HERE. 

Instead of high budget adverts placed in extortionate media space, viral video and interactive banners will reign supreme. We’re already seeing the impacts through brands like Snickers who halved their marketing budget in 2010 between online and TV with the ‘Mr. T – Get Some Nuts’ Campaign.

Viral marketing all started back in the mid-1990s when marketers sought to create viral slogans that would be passed on via word of mouth and "infect" consumers such as Burger Kings ‘Have it your way!” Viral videos are just a natural evolution since online video became a popular medium a few years back and now easily shared via e-mail and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

It would be fair to say that viral video was born from the YouTube revolution where content is generated by its users and not the suits at Saatchi & Saatchi or McCann Eriksson who were trying to figure out what will resonate with their client’s audience. Instead the audience was saying back to the ad agencies exactly how they felt and what they wanted. Viral videos achieve their online ubiquity for various reasons, but a video usually has to be original, unusual, unexpected, hilarious or sexy to have a chance at going viral. Unlike the other types of video that can enhance web business, viral video typically has the greatest effect when it's encountered outside of a company's website. Because the business purpose of viral video production is about distribution and promotions, having it reach as many websites as possible is the goal. But in order to judge the success of a viral video, SEO experts do more than count its number of views; they also analyze what impact the video is having on a company's web traffic. When a viral video is optimized to reach the right audience, its positive effect on a company's web traffic can be overwhelming.

But defining a viral video is much easier than making one. In fact, Kevin Nalty, the author of Beyond Viral posted the same video twice and seen one go viral, but not the other, leading him to conclude that "you never know" what will be picked up by viewers. While some viral videos are just silly home videos captured on a Flip camera, viral video production can be part of a concerted marketing campaign. Take Old Spice, whose "Old Spice Guy" campaign helped the brand generate tens of millions of views on YouTube and increased sales by 107%.

Still not convinced?

Here are some findings that might compel you to add video content to your marketing campaign:

Online video is the only advertising medium with a growth rate of 40 to 60 percent per year. More traditional media, like television and print, have flat or declining growth rates.

Online video viewing is increasing across all demographics. A bigger video audience means you can target more viewers and potentially turn them into customers.

The ROI of getting in front of customer eyeballs through online video is typically high, because of low production and distribution costs.

A video by topic is about 10 times more likely to end up in the top 10 search results than a text piece of the same topic, since search engines try to diversify the results. In short, videos get preferential treatment, and there's a better click through rate than with text pieces because videos show up with a hard-to-miss thumbnail.

So if you hold the purse strings to your brands marketing budget remember, Video is the most visceral and interactive form of social media, which makes it the most effective and persuasive marketing tool. People remember video more than, say, a banner ad. Embrace the future become a pioneer and get people talking about you through viral video production.

This week we've gone for a video of Connecticut Quarter Back Johnny Mac showing off his right arm and creating a right old stir online!

Anyone up for a 'SOCCER' version? 

Here are some hard earned tips on getting the best from any music video production.

1. Storyboard that bad boy, a music video, like a drama, should be planned, even scripted, before you shoot. Flying by the seat of your pants isn't going to get you where you want to go. Do a little homework. Study music videos and performances featuring music of the same genre and note techniques that impress you. Try to figure out how and why the directors took the shots and made the cuts they did. You don't have to duplicate what you see, but it won't hurt to borrow some ideas from the pros.

2. Instruct the singer to sing properly – no half-hearted singing or, worse, miming. If they mumble or mime, it won’t look right when you lay the shots against the song, as the tension and movements of the face and body will not be consistent with the sound of the song. They must sing as if you were making a real recording.

3. Shoot plenty of angles, and make sure that most angles cover the entire song. If you do not shoot enough angles of the whole song, the final feel of your music video might be too slow.

4. One simple and good tip is having GREAT locations, obviously this can be dictated by budget, but sometimes a skyline view or a disused warehouse can give your music video production that big budget feel.

5. A very underrated tip is feeding your crew good food! This can be an easy and achievable way of really picking up everyone’s spirits halfway through a long shoot and getting the best out of them.

Those are my top tips I hope they help you as much as they have me.

Written by Mark and Ady (with help from Taylor Herring PR) the promo takes you on night in the life of a dog, and not just any dog but a 16 stone ray ban wearing Great Dane!

Not spoil the plot but its going to be a right giggle!

See more of our online promo work here.

Handmade by ThemeTraders they just couldn't wait to get their PAWS on them. (See what I did there?)

The paws are actually for an online video being Produced by Phink TV. Check out more of their corporate video production services.

The design brief was to be kept clean, simple and image based while the content management system gives rights to different users to add profiles, post notice's or advertise events and services.

Ella Mizrahi, Operations Manager for Creative Network Partners opened the News content for the site with:

"Well its been a while but take a look at our new website, it's been built by are very own legends Phink TV." (which was nice...)

Phink TV is also offering ongoing SEO services to help CNP establish the site and gain interest from potential tenants.

When it comes to video editing performance and RAM, the bottom line is this: Would you rather travel on a race horse or on the back of a turtle?

The amount of RAM you have on your computer is probably the single biggest determinant in how fast your editing system runs. More, obviously, is better. (RAM stands for Random Access Memory. The more you have, the more capacity your computer has to run large amounts of files at the same time.)

How much RAM do you need?

512MB of RAM is considered the minimum requirement today. Granted, some programs say the minimum requirement is 128MB but honestly, that quantity will probably leave you a bit frustrated. It is actually best to have several GB of RAM space.

Next to the CPU, RAM is the most important element in your computer for determining speed. Even if you have a fast CPU, a lack of RAM will leave your edit computer performance sluggish.

Why is that? If you don't have enough RAM, you can't have a bunch of huge files open at once. And video files are of course some of the largest files of all.

When you open a file, the hard drive delivers that file and puts it into RAM where you can work on it. The next file you open will also be loaded into RAM. If there's not enough RAM to store both files, the first file will be taken out of RAM to make room for the second. This takes time and slows your computer down to a snail's pace. And of course, if you actually need both files at the same time then what?

FREEZE UP AND CRASH!!!

So, if your edit computer is too slow, or you experience a lot of crashes, probably the simplest and least expensive way to fix that is to put in more RAM!

Here’s a little gesture of our appreciation for the clients, suppliers, family and friends that make Phink TV what it is.

After considerable thought on what we should do, we cleared out the office car park, bought over 100sq meters of materials and spent 4 hours in minus 4 degrees with Mark almost losing his toes on the roof.

(So you better enjoy it!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Diageo is preparing to roll out the Windsor brand globally next month. It will be the enhanced latest edition created by Diageo master blender Douglas Murray and packed in a modern 'cubic' decanter by British designer Gordon Smith. Windsor 17 recieved the award for best in its class beating well known and more established brands.

Phink TV shot interviews with Douglas Murray as well as experts and judges for their reaction to the new brand. While capturing the ambience of such a high brow affair attended by royalty and industry leaders set within a beautiful and extravagant venue.

Phink TV is very excited about Apples new ad platform iAd. This revolutionary nu-media reaches millions of iPhone and iPod touch users around the world through their favorite apps. With the iAd Network, you get access to the Apple audience, the world’s most engaged, passionate and loyal consumer. 

This audience:

Has installed more than 7 billion applications

Has activated over 160 million iTunes accounts

Downloads 200 new apps every second worldwide

Spends, on average, 30 minutes per day using apps

Sets trends and shares with family and friends

Each ad is shown within the many thousands of apps in the network only to the audience you want to reach. This highly-effective targeting uses unique interest and preference data that taps into passions relevant for any brand. Whether they are reading the news, playing a game or checking the local weather, the ad will make an impact.

Some people argue that the iAds might cause a problem as it’s a platform for displaying banner advertisements built right into the new iPhone operating system. But for agencies like Phink TV it marks the start of an exciting new era for interactive digital advertising.

See Apple CEO Steve Jobs presenting the new medium during his keynote speech at the WWDC Seminar 2010. 

“Its amazing in 15 seconds of video how compelling it can be!”

Here are the visuals to Wretch 32‘s banger, “Traktor.” Directed by Ben Newman, who recently won a UK Music Video Award, takes you on a journey deep into the true urban underground with this visually stunning video.

The beat samples (Pulp Fiction theme music) Dick Dale and His Del Tones – “Misirlou” and features a heavy dancehall drum pattern.

Wretch 32 is the UK's newest urban star. Already established as a hugely respected underground artist, Wretch has worked with the likes of Tinie Tempah, The Streets, Chipmunk and Bashy and is now coming at you with his solo material. Aggressively addictive debut single 'Traktor' is already building up unstoppable momentum, having been Zane Lowe's Hottest Record In The World and received support from Annie Mac, Mistajam, Trevor Nelson, Ras Kwame and Seani B.

If you’re looking for music video production, check out our work and get in touch.

This viral is currently at 3.5 million views!

"Take that Apple."

If your interested in viral video production give us a look.

It's not a music video production so much as a creation myth, following Kanye West's creative life from birth to rebirth, with the scantily-plumaged Selita Ebanks as a fallen Phoenix who (probably) symbolizes the bouts of creative fury that have defined and sometimes threatened to destroy the rapper's career. In some ways, this episodic 34 minute art flick — matched with various songs from Kanye's upcoming full-length My Dark Twisted Fantasy — strikes me a bit like Splash but with a birdwoman instead of a Mermaid, and with a cinematic eye that's more akin to Fellini and Kubrick than Ron Howard. But, to be real: In terms of artistic audaciousness, Kanye is indeed on-fire and untouchable...

Kanye West, director | Jonathan Lia, producer | Hype Williams, writer (based on a story by Kanye West) | Kyle Kibbe, DP | Derek Lee + Peter Johnson, editors | Company 3, vfx | Vanessa Beecroft, art director | Philip Lim + Martin Izquierdo, costume designers

Check out our own music video production HERE

Emphirical (pronounced: EM-FEH-RI-CAL) is an eccentric R&B/POP female duo with powerful sounds tweaked with Afro fusion. The duo based in London, have performed at many prestigious events in the UK alongside some of Nigeria’s brightest including 9ice, Olu Maintain, Tony Tetuila and X-Project to name a few. With great collection of songs and performances under their belt, the sassy divas would be seen as a delicacy in the male dominated Nigerian Entertainment Industry. 

In order for this to be a profitable excercise the Phink Team needed to shoot as many video's in ONE DAY as possible while maintaining the usual high standards of production work. The day was therefore divided into 1 hour slots and committed to shooting as many takes as possible for each of the Pocket Promo customers including the likes of:

- Wheres Huey.

- Snakeyman.

- Astro Pirates.

- Manifest.

- Segge Dan

   ........and many more.

The post production team then editted each music video with simple cuts, precision timing and in their own unique style which was delivered on time and well UNDER BUDGET!!!

If your interested in cost effective video production please get in touch -

brainwave@phink.tv

http://www.myspace.com

The concept for the production was based on the lead singers journey from a penthouse party aftermath, through the tunnels and streets of London and eventually arriving on stage to perform the song in front of a packed out crowd that same night!

The first day saw filming start at The Mayfair Hotel where a cast of friends and extras had to re-enact the chaotic aftermath (some dressed in Venetian Carnival attire!) with filming ending in Greenwich foot tunnel around 2am the following day.

2 nights later and Dakota had to be back on set at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen to film the concluding shots for the video on stage. This included 100+ extras, 1 crane, 20+ Crew, 2 Red One Cameras and over £400 worth of booze!

The video is in the latter stages of the edit so be prepared to see it up on all major broadcasters soon.

See the finished work - http://phink.tv/work/39

Jack came up with 2 ideas to work in partnership with the existing TV advert.

1. Cover a large building in giant paint splodges, and install a car
on the building, as if it was driving down the side of the wall.
2. Park 5 cars in a row, 4 of which will be competitor brands, and
covered in paint as will the ground around it (the Qashqai
will be spotless.)

Because of the unique nature of this campaign, Nissan proposed that the project be filmed from beginning to end for the benefit of their global
employees, advertising agencies, suppliers and partners. This will start
with the creation of a model of the car, include the installation of
the paint splodges and model one week later.

The end result has to be an engaging, uplifting film that leaves the viewer feeling like an incredible amount of skill, work, time, craftsmanship, intellect, brute force and technology went into creating such an incredible result.

The shoot was held at Netil Studios in East London on Red One cameras and incorporated, Sax & Trumpet players, B-Boys, Congos, and even Belly Dancing!

"Make your Move" is set for release late February so watch out!

PHINK TV.

The piece is on a new technology that tracks data on white van men in real time (nice!).

Here's Keiran talking about putting the illustration together: 

"I drew it entirely in Adobe illustrator, it was supposed to be as if it was taken from a camera in a helicopter, but right at the last minute it changed to be a spotlight that lit up the van, so it got a bit frantic at the end... aswell as the fact that the colour of the van had to change from blue to white at the last minute!"

Phink TV - Video Production in London

We have picked a winner – Rogzeey Roberts, and putting together a promo for his night “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” (Video coming soon!)

(By the way the marbles were in our Motivity Short Film on the Work page around 3/4s the way through!)

See here - http://phink.tv/work/5

Watch out for more competitions!

Phink TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYxhK6Sps1M

PTV.

A series of short films helped shot by London based Video production company Phink TV shows the A-Team star keeping a watchful eye over the conduct of the British public through a set of CCTV cameras.

The footage will appear on www.getsomenuts.tv, and the site will also feature a shop your mate competition, which allows users to upload similar footage of their friends committing unmanly acts to win a series of prizes.

See the first instalments here:

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/theWork/news/947979/Snickers-cctv-Abbott-Mead-Vickers-BBDO/

Raida sadly died on September 19, 2009 due to complications relating to a mixed-martial-arts accident.

Here's something we found in the archive. Originally shot for Indelible Magazine formally run by Ady Le Roux (Phink Co-Founder)

This exclusive never-seen-before video footage of DJ Roc Raida in action at Cargo, London back in 2005.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKSv-QPKlKE

Love Life.

PTV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb55ep-DrSo

‘Contact’ sees the crew link up with Tony Truand on the lens for London's Finest and a great video production!!

See more of Tony's work at www.tonytruand.com 

Phink.tv