“Gone are the days when you have to spend $10,000+ on a video by acquiring a crew, hiring a director, booking a studio, etc. Creating online video doesn’t have to be hard, nor does it have to look amateurish. If you follow these few basic steps, you can — quickly and easily — create a video yourself that shines…”

If you follow that line of thinking — it should be no problem using your own snapshots of the company executives in your next annual report, right? I mean, look at the great digital cameras that are available today. And iPhoto makes retouching so easy!

Here was my response to their blog:

Don’t ever forget that your brand is judged everyday by the quality of the messages and images you put in front of your audiences.

It may not be fair, but if your web site, printed materials or video look amateurish — that’s EXACTLLY the impression your prospects will now have about your organization. Amateurish. Unsophisticated. Unprofessional. Small. Not a major player.

You know you’ve thought the same thing about other companies’ sites when you’ve been online.

So, it’s true — the low cost of HD video cameras and laptop or even web based editing software is making video production much more accessible to everyone.

And, for video testimonials and simple short messages from executives — most companies can and should be able to create good video on their own.

But before you take on a video project with no outside professional help, remember some of the tough lessons companies had to learn back in the 90s when Desktop Publishing was all the rage.

I actually worked with a company that purchased Corel Draw and a color printer and told the RECEPTIONIST to learn how to use both so that they could “spice up” their proposals. Care to guess how that all worked out?

OK, so the point is this: just because you CAN layout a brochure — or point a video camera in the general direction of your CEO — doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

It sounds trite, but it’s true — you only get one chance to make a first impression.

The answer is … there is no single perfect answer.  It depends on the script or project, the needs of the client, the limitations or requirements of the shoot location(s), the overall budget and sometimes even the client’s ego (believe it or not)!

Sometimes all that’s needed is a camera person who is also experienced with recording audio — say, for a quick “talking head” interview — and maybe a producer and/or grip. Why does that work? Because there are very few variables. One location. One or two interviews. Not too much that can go wrong.

But start adding variables and suddenly the need for additional crew begins to grow. For instance, multiple actors means more complex audio (multiple microphones that need to be monitored and mixed) … props that need to be ready at just the right time … make-up, clothing and costumes that need to be readily available at the drop of a hat. You may also need TelePrompTer support for on-camera talent.

A variety of different scenes usually means different types of lighting and lighting instruments and gear. This requires lighting specialists and people who know how to move and set up equipment. If you’re planning any scenes where the camera will move (usually on a dolly), you’ll need someone to “drive” while the camera person is shooting.

And as a shoot gets more and more complex, you want to have at least one or two people who’s job it is to be ready to help with anything and everything. Because the more complex a shoot is, the more opportunities for the unexpected to occur.

Not long ago a client was challenging me about the need for a production assistant on a shoot with a fairly tight budget. Because the shoot was scheduled to happen in a warehouse-style retail store during business hours, we’d been told we’d need to be very conscientious about not getting in the way of customers or store employees. I reminded the client that we might find ourselves needing to suddenly pick up and move because of an unexpected event in the store like a customer needing to access something right where we’re shooting … or employees needing to close-off an area for a forklift truck to enter.

It only took a moment for my client to see the big picture. “Basically,” he said “what you’re telling me is that it makes sense to spend a couple hundred dollars more upfront rather than taking a risk that could cause us to end up spending a thousand or more if we go into overtime.”

Exactly.

My point is, if you feel your production company is budgeting too many crew people for your shoot (and therefore causing your budget to be higher) — ask them about it. They should be able to explain the duties of each person on the crew and why they’re needed. But also be ready to trust your producer’s judgment. Not only are there budget risks involved with having a crew that’s too small, there are also health and safety risks to think about. Heavy, unwieldy, sometimes extremely hot equipment requires experienced technicians working together to prevent injury to themselves and others on the set.