How much will all of this cost?
The answer is surprisingly simple:
You know how much the video will cost, because you already have a budget in mind.
Making a video is similar to buying a car in that you know how much money you plan to spend and this determines what dealership you visit.
Are you on a Mercedes Benz budget ? or a tiny Kia budget ? A Toyota mid range budget ?
Video production is costly mainly due of the manpower and time involved in the process. But it doesn’t have to be.
Often there are creative alternatives to costly expenses.
For example: If your story requires a car chase and big stunts but you don’t have the budget for it, there is always the option of stock footage, or perhaps animation, or have you thought about using toy cars as a metaphor for your message ?
TURN YOUR CHALLENGE INTO AN ASSET
Sometimes, the client has a board, an idea, a requirement for a film, but needs an experienced producer to supply a budget to sell it.
In that case it is very simple for me to calculate, based on the idea or the concept or the general expectations, a budget range with recommendations and options.
START THE CONVERSATION EARLY
Below are key questions to ask when planning video production:
IDEA: What is the idea ? What do you want to show ?
MESSAGE: What do you want to say and how do you want to say it ?
STORY: Is it a visual story ? Can you show it ?
These lead to the next steps which are:
SCHEDULE: What is the timeframe of the production ?
CASTING: Is the CEO of the company really the best actor to tell the story ? Let’s find the best talent suitable to deliver the message.
BUDGET: All of the above determine the budget and a competent executive producer will always be able to explain each individual component and its implication while at the same time come up with creative solutions to solve inevitable challenges.
TRUST THE PROCESS
TRUST: Production is a relationship of many moving parts all pointing towards the same goal but not necessarily arriving there on the same path. A skilled executive producer will manage to satisfy the interest and needs of all parties involved while at the same time ensure the integrity of the process. All of that depends very much on the mutual trust of each key player in each others ability to do their job and to do it well.
PROCESS: Film was invented a 100 years ago and even though the technology has changed dramatically we still adhere to the same processes of telling great stories. To put trust in the process and to let an experienced executive producer guide you through it makes the whole experience not only secure but also enjoyable and often leads to inspiring and amazing videos.
NOT SURE? ASK A PRO!
I will share a few case studies to illustrate:
A client approached me with a board that featured race horses competing on a track with one winning horse displaying the client’s brand logo prominently on its saddle blanket. I had to, not only find a race track to film on, horses and jockeys, but also manage to accommodate a budget I would put in the low Toyota budget range.
The solution: A country / location that has a horse culture as well as a film culture and is affordable: We shot this beauty in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the San Isidrio race tracks with a very generous team of jockeys and race horse owners who allowed us to race these beauties multiple times for our needs.
Another client asked to shoot a commercial in one continuous take, without a cut, tracking along a seemingly endless bar where customers in four different locations: South Africa, California, Asia and Germany would walk up to the bar and enjoy food and beverages.
The budget only allowed for one location and one shoot day. We opted for Cape Town in South Africa because the talent pool available could provide the multi ethnic casting and the production base could handle the technical requirements to film this in one day. We sourced a specialized precision motor that was engineered in Switzerland to ensure the camera would move at the same exact speed on every set so we could seamlessly match each individual scene. The art direction was spectacular and it all came together beautifully:
One of my favorite challenges: Shoot a car that isn’t available!
A PSA for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A limited series Ford F500 Race car was donated to the Barrett Jackson auction with all proceeds going to the hospital. The challenge ? You can’t film the actual car because it wasn’t available but you need to show it. The solution ? We used a model car. Can you tell ?
There are many more examples of creative solutions I came up with to solve big challenges and I am happy to talk about them. Just contact me.