I am often asked, what is the best budget camera for online videos?  Xcelus Studios usually does not use a low budget camera for our video production projects, but I realize that most small companies cannot afford a $6000 camera for simple video projects.  They just want good enough video to post on the web.

After looking at the samples from my friends Flip video camcorder and reviewing the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera, I choose the Kodak Zi8 camera.  The biggest reason to use the Kodak Zi8 camera over the Flip Video camcorder is the ability to add an external microphone.

After watching video footage of my friend’s Flip camera from a FranklinCovey event at Sundance, I was impressed with the video quality, but not the audio.  I couldn’t hear the main subject due to the crowd noise and the isolated interview shots the sound was so distant that the interviewee seemed cold and unappealing. Remember that poor audio plus good video quality still equals a crappy video.  Portable video camera microphones pick up every sound in the room.

After purchasing the Kodak Zi8, I hooked up our Sennheiser wireless microphone to the camera and did some tests.  The audio was great and the video quality was great.  I also purchased a 1FT Audio Cable – Female XLR to 3.5mm Stereo Right Angle Plug from ComputerCableStore.com to use our shotgun microphones with the camera.

Another great feature on the Kodak Zi8 is the ability to choose which video format – 1080p, 720p 60fps, 720p, or WVGA.

For web video or training, the Flip and Kodak camera’s video output size is way too large for web viewing.  The video size averages about 60MB per minute in 720p mode.  This means that a 3 minute video would be about 180MB. I recommend that you use video compression software to reduce the file size before you upload the videos to your website.  We use Sorenson squeeze, but there are less expensive options available and some free online options as well.  A good web video size is ~4MB per minute.  A 3 Minute video is now 12MB vs. 180MB.

If uploading to YouTube, they will compress and convert your file automatically.  YouTube’s file upload limit is 2GB.

If you are using these cameras for interviews remember these tips for successful video:

LIGHTING – Three-point lighting is a standard method used in visual media.

1. The Key Light shines on the subject
2. The Fill Light shines from a different angle
3. The Back Light shines on the subject from behind

SOUND

1. Find a quiet location to record
2. Lavaliere microphones are preferred
3. Try not to use shotgun microphones
4. Cell phones should be completely turned off

COMPOSITION

1. Use a Tripod
2. Make sure to have the camera at the exact level horizontally as the main subject
3. Try not to look down or up on the subject with the camera
4. Use a medium shot
5. Avoid zooms

VIDEO COMPRESSION

1. 3 – 4 MB per minute vs. 30 MB per minute
2. 3 Minute Flip Cam video is 86 MB
3. Encoding Options
   • Sorenson Squeeze (Desktop)
   • Encoding.com (Online)

For reference, the cameras we use in our professional video work are the following:

• Panasonic HVX-200a with a Red Rock Lens system
• Canon 7D

Several years ago, I took my daughter to the opening of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Fifteen minutes into the film the audio started to crack and skip (No fault to the film maker) due to some malfunction in the theater. The movie itself was beautifully displayed on the screen, but the sound was so horrible that we finally left the movie and asked for a refund. It made me realize that sound is not just one of the many components to a video, but probably the most important component to get right to keep your audience’s attention.

I asked several colleagues about the critical components of a self produced video production and rank them in priority of what is critical to making a successful video. Audio was consistently ranked number one with lighting number two. It’s clear that audio can make or break your production. The reality is that most self produced videos ignore audio completely – just look at 95% of YouTube videos.
Webcam microphones just do not cut it for sound quality. If self produced video makers would spend $35 at Radio Shack for a simple PC microphone, the production value would increase dramatically. The key being – getting the microphone as close to the sound source as possible.

Even some corporate self produced videos forget about sound. I was at a large tech company waiting in the lobby and noticed a Sr. Vice President being filmed by a small consumer hand held camera without lights, tripod and a microphone. I can imagine the audio sounded awful and only amplified the fact of a shaky camera and poor lighting. How long would you watch a video with poor sound?

Another example of poor use of audio is when companies use Captivate or Camtasia for screen recording “how to” videos. Captivate and Camtasia do a great job, but cannot make the audio any better than the microphone that is used.

On your next self produced video production, invest in a good microphone. $400 can purchase a decent wireless microphone that can handle most self produced videos. If you don’t have a $400, there are several good USB microphones that are good enough for a video blog or screen recording for under $200.

In a future post I will talk about setting up an echo free room on a budget to make your audio even better.

Corporate Video Production Cost, Part 3 – Types of video production to meet your budget

Now you know the cost drivers for video production and typical questions to narrow your scope of you project, let’s look at 5 general types of corporate video and the price ranges it cost to produce a video:

1. User Generated Production
2. Basic Production
3. Mid-range Production
4. High-end Production
5. Complex Production

User Generated Production
Examples: Recorded webinar, podcast, converted PowerPoint presentation with audio or   basic video using webcam or consumer video camera.

Many user generated videos are perfectly fine.  They are “good enough” for the project.  It all goes back to the question, what is the purpose of the video?  Most of these videos are targeted to employees for training or simple communications.

The cost to produce these videos is minimal and usually time to produce is the only cost.

Basic Production
Examples: A short, narration led program, which is scripted mainly by the client, incorporating photos or images with text and basic editing with text and graphics.

A lot of corporate videos fall into this type of production. They include basic information, but produced with a higher professional look and feel than a user generated video.  The use of a professional voice talent and stock photos add to the production quality. The big difference is the quality of the audio and graphics.  Many companies have the in-house capabilities to produce at this level, but do not have the time.

The cost to produce these videos is would fall into the range of $4,000 to $10,000 depending on the length complexity of the script and required graphics.  Length of the video could cause the price range to be even higher.

Mid-range Production
Examples: A narration or presenter led program, fully scripted by script writer, produced over a number of days, incorporating more detailed motion graphics or 3D images and some basic music production.

Mid-range productions take video production it to the next level with dimensional graphics and images and add animations of processes or concepts.  This could also include a short green screen production of a video host.

The cost to produce these videos is would fall into the range of $8,000 to $25,000. The higher cost could be related to animation development time, longer finished minute of video, video host and studio recording time or cost to acquiring specific images or graphics and music tracks.

High-end Production
Examples: A drama or role-play reconstruction using professional actors, or a company profile video with detailed video production by incorporating sophisticated motion graphics and music.

This production value adds the use of actors, video hosts, complex video script, detailed animations, shooting specific B-roll footage, location rentals, permits, studio time and larger studio crew.  This would also included videos of C level executives that create a high value of image and branding.

The cost to produce these videos is would fall into the range of $15,000 to $30,000.  The higher cost could be related to animation development time, longer finished minute of video, video host and studio recording time or cost to acquiring specific images or graphics and music tracks.  More preplanning is also required for high-end productions.

Complex Production
Examples: A longer, more complex production or a series of videos, using known actors and presenters, incorporating state-of-the-art graphics and special effects and original composed music.

The difference between this and a high-end production is adding higher quality actors or spokespersons, locations, planning, using extras, script writer, production crew, and complex motions graphics and animations.

These production start around $25,000 and could go above $100,000.

Remember these are all general price ranges based on unknown production needs.  I tried to group these into 5 general category types of video production that most companies would use.

Now you know why when question is asked – how much will it cost to produce your video? The answer is- It depends.

Welcome to my blog. I hope to provide useful information about corporate video production, using videos to promote your business, nurture leads, train employees, improve customer service and support experiences, and insights to Xcelus Studios – a video production company.

A little about me, I have an Accounting degree from Utah State University and an MBA in Marketing from Brigham Young University. I have been primarily involved with marketing training services for companies like Novell and SmartForce. Marketing and sales videos were primary components to my marketing mix. This was before Internet streaming was prime time.

At SmartForce I developed lead generation programs based on an online video news show. We were using Yahoo! and Broadcast.com as the engine. These news programs were 18 minutes in length and featured a show host and three news segments about SmartForce customers who were successfully using their elearning products. These video based lead generation activities were very successful.

After SmartForce I worked shortly with a small production studio called Emerald Forest. From there I went to work for Hitachi Data Systems as their Sales Training Program Manager.

At Hitachi Data Systems, we developed video based sales training using a talking head and bringing in key bullet points or images. These training courses were delivered on a CD-Rom to all sales globally. Eventually they were converted to web based an iPod format for mobility.

In May of 2005 I started Xcelus. We initially did training development using video, Flash animations and HTML programming. In 2008 we did our first commercials for a Paintball company promoting their Paintball guns. Our next commercial was for Monster Balls paint balls. This commercial ran on Fox Sports channel. Soon we were doing as much marketing video development as we were doing sales training development.

The web based videos followed my video philosophy of short, to the point, videos. 60 seconds for the elevator pitch and less than 4 minutes for a product overview/more information video.

Using this blog should help you in your video production process to improve your results and to share creative ideas to take your video production to the next level.