6. POWER POINT/VIDEO/DVD (Visual Media)
1. Consider Visual Media when:
- your product or service is highly visual
- your story is complex and can be made clearer through demonstration or animation
- your audience might not take time to absorb your story in written form
- your audience cannot cope with difficult written material (eg
– young children, recent immigrants)
- you wish to stimulate emotional responses with sight, sound and motion
- you want to deliver a consistent message to widely scattered audiences
- you want to give your message a sense of importance or glamour.
2. Planning:
- visual media productions can be expensive. Before you spend, plan
- Be specific about the message you want to communicate
- Is your message able to be translated into visual form?
- How will a visual medium convey your message more effectively
- Define your audience. Who, where and how many?
- Is your production for repeat use or one-shot?
- How soon do you need it?
- What are your budget limitations?
3. Think Distribution First
- consider each potential mediums and ask yourself: Will it reach the audience I want to reach?
Is it available?
Potential Media:
1. Internet Distribution
• Will internet users be interested in seeing your Video – Video/audio streaming can be tricky
• Are they the audience you want?
• Will you post it on your website?
POWER POINT/VIDEO/DVD (Visual Media) cont’d
2. Commercial Television
•Check in advance with network and station program people.
• Find out their requirements and interests.
•Assess the potential for television exposure of your media
• Will it get to the audience you want?
3. Community and Cable Television
• Contact community channels in advance
•Cable outlets are particularly interested in material with a local flavor. Also material that is “educational”.
• Limited audiences, often with special interests.
4. Special Interest Groups
• Identify the special interest groups interested in your production
• Talk to them
• Line up opportunities for showing your video at lunches, seminars, conventions, workshops, meetings, etc.
5. Lending Libraries
•Contact private and public video/DVD lending libraries and arrange to have your production listed with them.
POWER POINT/VIDEO/DVD (Visual Media) cont’d
4. Selecting the type of Production
Proper pre-planning will provide a good guide to the type of visual media most suited to your needs.
Principal types are: Video/DVD
- quicker to produce and less expensive
- excellent for training
- sound and visual quality is very good
- TV screen playback equip widely available
Power Point
- Inexpensive
- Quick to produce
- Easy to change
- Excellent for limited use productions
- More static and limited than video
- Software not reliable?
Website
- The internet website should be your electronic brochure
– A content Management System will allow you to change content
- Remember Content is King and must be updated regularly
- Do not waist a lot of money on a site nobody will see
- There should be a source for the media where you post
Media releases, pictures etc.
Film:
- Large budget proposal
- 35mm for commercial theatres
- Excellent visual and sound quality
- Most expensive
- Production time is lengthy
- difficult to make changes
- Print cost high
POWER POINT/VIDEO/DVD (Visual Media) cont’\
5. Start with a good shooting script
Regardless of the type of production, a good script is the most important element in any visual media production.
Writing for video/film is a highly specialized job. Use a professional scriptwriter either from your staff or outside.
Make sure you are completely happy with the script before you go into production:
- Does it really get your message across clearly?
- Is it interesting?
- Does it make full use of both visual and audio possibilities
- Can it be done? Can it be done within the time frame and budget you have set yourself?
6. Hiring a producer
There are a wide variety of production houses. Look for affirm with experience in the type of production you have decided on.
-Get at least three competitive quotes based on your shooting script
- Ask to see previous work – it is a good guide
- Talk to previous clients about their experience
- Consider cost but also the soundness of the company and its personnel. Do not always take the lowest bid.
7. Control the Production
When a production house has been selected, do not just hand over the shooting script and wait for a final print. You may be disappointed and changes at that stage can be costly and time consuming. You should be involved directly at several stages, including:
- review of planned shooting sequences
- approval of actors and narrators
- approval of graphic or animation material
- approval of first rough cut
- approval of fine assembly and interlock of visuals and sounds
- approval of final print
POWER POINT/VIDEO/DVD (Visual Media) cont’
8. Evaluate your Success
Evaluate the success of your production in relation to the target audiences you have defined. Keep track of:
o how often your production was used
o in what medium
o to who and how many
o what type of audience
o use response cards for audience reaction
o reviews by film or art critics
o do survey research on results of film
o awards