​So it has recently been covered extensively that the video clip for DESPACITO is now officially the most watched youtube video of all time!  Hilarious. 
 
Not hilarious for any reason other than the fact that the video is pretty generic, pretty awful, pretty sexist and has not a lot going for it apart from some (I’ll admit this) pretty amazing boob/bum shots… the camera man was having a good day, that’s for sure.
 
We start with a cute bit of drone work over some generic Hispanic rocky beach city, establishing that the guy is cool (aviators) and the girl is hot (denim cutoffs).  Yes, the girl is gorgeous, and not wearing much.  The guys are frankly pretty ordinary looking, and yet again, perpetuating the problem with music videos (pretty much all of them) the guys are fully clothed.  Hate it.
 
The action moves to an “ordinary” Hispanic streetscape (multicoloured walls, people casually dancing on the street and old guys playing scrabble, happens all the time).  Oh, now we’re off to a club, where girl is hot in gold lamé and gets stared at creepily by everyone in the bar.  Dry humping dancing ensues.  Guys are fully clothed, again.  Girl touches herself, guys touch scantily clad girls… hedonistic pre orgy ensues… her arse should be insured.
 
Funnily enough youtube’s automatic playlist played for me straight after “despacito” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”… which starts, you guessed it, with a scantily clad chick.  This time though, the lady is BOXING, and it has a STORYLINE and ED SHEERAN gets his arse kicked by a sumo wrestler and his ladyfriend boxer saves the day, FULLY CLOTHED.  Hurrah!
 
Video marketing take away: “boobs and bums get eyeballs”? 
Well, we all knew that…
Don’t forget the value of a good storyline and strong characters!
 
Get eyeballs to your business with video production in Manly by Tanith at Tin Cat Productions.

Ever sit through a function where the MC reads out email messages from those who couldn’t make it?   You hear 40 variations on “sorry I couldn’t be there but…” and they all finish with “happy birthday/congratulations!” They’re pretty tedious to listen to… Now you can jazz up your own function with a video compilation of those who couldn’t be there, edited for brevity and humour, making all your guests feel the warmth of those who didn’t make it without the drabness of the MCs mutterings!
 
When Sarah (not her real name) was organising her husbands 50th and realised that there were people from all over the world that couldn’t come to the event but would love to send their love, she got them to shoot selfie videos. 
 
She also realised she did NOT have time to deal with the videos! 
 
To download them, compile them, cut them up so they weren’t repetitive and 4 hours long… to make them presentable on a large-format screen at the event itself… she needed help and called Tin Cat Productions.    We downloaded the videos from all the different accounts, we worked out which bits meant what in a variety of languages and put together a really snappy funny 5 minute video that EVERYONE at the event could watch and enjoy.  We figured this service just MIGHT come in handy for others who fancied fancying up their shindigs! 
 
# Make your Event Special
 
A professionally edited, well put together, funny OR sad OR sentimental video containing clips from all those people who just can’t be there on the night will make your function sparkle.
 
# Save yourself Time
 
When you’re planning your event  you do NOT have time to wade through hours of footage to create the perfect montage… We do that for you.  

​# A Video to Suit Your Event
 
This service takes in the range of videos that might be played at any variety of event… We cover weddings, funerals, birthdays, commemorations, anniversaries, baby showers, bat mitzvahs or any other event you care to host.  We tailor this service directly to each event, catering to the audience who will be present and the precise requirements of the party planner.  We tailor our music selections, style of editing and tone totally to the event at hand.
 
# They Type of Video you Want
 
Perhaps you have a collection of photos you’d love to present or a timeline of someone’s childhood or long happy marriage.  If you’ve got the assets (video/photo/audio) we can create a video to present on the night.

Hosting and Planning an event of any kind can be time consuming and tiring and all-encompassing.   We know the value of sharing the load and are excited to be helping people make their functions the best they can be for all attending.
 
Our new Event Video service will let the party host worry about the cake and the streamers and the balloons and forget about the video, because they know it’s taken care of.    
 
When Sarah found out Tin Cat could provide the exact services she required she felt so relieved that that job could be completely crossed off her to-do list.  After the event she emailed: 

​
So… you got your S*%t together and you’ve found/filmed/got someone else to film/invested in/winged some great footage for your small business - showcasing yourself/your brand/your product… what happens now? 
 
If you are looking at outsourcing the post production to MAKE THE MOST of your precious footage, what do you need to consider?
 
**Use our A-Z of post-production to make sure your small business video doesn’t get lost in the post.**
 
A. Approval (Process) – What is it?  Have one. If you want changes to your video and are they included in the quote?  How many? Specify this before you start the post process.  (A common one is: one round of client changes included in the quote, extra changes after that charged at a per hour rate). Negotiate the approval process BEFORE you begin the editing process!
 
B. Branding – Supply your logo in the format that best suits the software that your post house is using.  Can they take a .jpg or is it too small? .png?  Vector.eps?  Give them the biggest/best file you have and talk to them about where and when you want the branding to appear.  Do you want a watermark on the whole project? Start and end logo with music sting?  Think about what you want and take advice. (see: eXtra files)
 
C. Creep (Project)- Beware asking more of your post house than you initially asked (and they quoted on)!  It’s easy to think “One more video/file/output/version won’t kill them”… but if this happens too often it can kill the vibe, man.  Don’t take professionals’ time for granted… and everything takes time.  If you want more than you originally asked for, be prepared to pay more.
 
D. Delivery (Project, not pizza)- How will your finished videos be delivered to you so you can use them?  USB containing finished files? Hard-drive with all the footage plus the finished files?  Via dropbox or other file sharing platform? Google Drive?  Do you want them delivered straight to your web developer or into your inbox?  Discuss the best options for delivery.
 
E. Enough- You can always do MORE in the post process.  Another cutaway, take out that tiny “um”… between you and your post producer you need to know when enough is enough! Stop already and get your video out there.
 
F.  Footage – What are you going to do with your footage now? Think about how you can repurpose your video to make different content (either now, or later!) … if it’s not time sensitive (ie: this season’s fashion) you can always re-focus your story and use that great footage over and over again.  Even if it IS this seasons fashion, you can use it in interviews or behind the scenes videos.  Evergreen!
 
G.  Goals -  what are your goals with your video content?  Your goals will shape the ENTIRE PROCESS, so don’t neglect this one… You have reams (bytes!) of footage… but to work out what you MAKE with your footage you need to know WHY you’re doing it!  Do you want LOTS OF EYEBALLS? Do you want people to SHARE your videos? Do you want to INFORM or ENTERTAIN?  Choose your goals to target your video creation.
 
H. Hard-drive – Consider getting your post producer to put ALL your footage (raw and finished) on one hard-drive.  That way it all stays in the one place, doesn’t get tangled with the editor’s other footage and at the end of the process you get the hard-drive with all your footage on it for re-use at a later date. (see: Footage)
 
I.  Important (Content) – Get it in the video!  Make sure amongst the tangle of the post production process that the important information that you initially wanted from your video is included in the finished piece.   It’s easy to get side-tracked by the pretty pictures and the lovely music.  Make sure the important bits are in there!
 
J.  Just – Just one more thing… If your video is nearly there… just wait another day, watch it another time, show it to another business friend and THEN make all your final tweaks.  Every time you say “Just one more thing” your editor has to open the project, make the tweak, adjust anything that the tweak has messed with, render it, output it, upload it and share it with you… it’s an awful lot for just one “JUST”… save them up! (see Enough).
 
K. Keep – Keep draft versions of videos.  Re-watch them occasionally to see WHAT it was that meant they didn’t make the cut. You might use them as alternatives someday.  Or you might like something about them/in them that you can incorporate in another video.  Video productions costs time and effort – use and repurpose it when you can. (see: Hard-drive)
 
L. Length – How long will your video series be?  This depends on why you made them in the first place.  If they’re for social keep them short… under 60 sec.  For website use around 3min is a good time to get information across without losing too many eyeballs.
 
M. Music – Where will you source your music ?  You need to own the licence to use music in a video, but don’t be scared, there are lots of places to source legal music! There are free Creative Commons licences available or low-cost music subscription services (AudioBlocks etc) which have huge selections of music to use in your video.
 
N. Names – Give your video series a catchy name.  Use naming conventions on versions of videos so you don’t accidentally load the wrong ones.  Use your video-makers name liberally if you liked their services!
 
O. Ownership – Include this in your conversations with your videomaker.  Who owns the footage?  Do you own it or do they?  If you own it, are they allowed to use it to promote their own business?  Can they use bits of it in other productions?  Have the discussion about who owns what.
 
P. Publish – How are you going to publish your video?  If it’s straight into social channels how big should the file be?   If you’re publishing onto your website consider streaming your video from a third party to keep your website speed up.  Wistia (www.wistia.com) or Vimeo (www.vimeo.com) for example are third party hosts where your video plays from their site on your website (without taking the viewer off your website – key!)
 
Q. Query – If there are aspects of the post-production process you don’t understand, query your videomaker.  Ask them about the process and get them to explain the costs incurred and how they show up in your video.  Better to have the conversation than either party holding it in!
 
R. Render – Render files are a thing.  You probably don’t need to know about them.
 
S. Slow - Producing good creative content takes time.  If you’re up against a deadline make sure you’re honest about those requirements before you begin the post process.
 
T. Transitions – Your video content will require some transitions (where the video moves between one shot and another) and there are a lot to choose from.  I prefer a standard cut or perhaps a 9 frame dissolve, depending.  A dip to white or a dip to black are always good too… a wipe or a cross wipe or a 3D cube spin?  So many to choose from.
 
U.  Use (of footage) – Who owns and can use the footage?  Is it all yours?  Can your videomaker use the finished piece or the raw footage for their own purposes (eg. On their showreel/website)?   Did they do you a good deal? Do you want them to share your video on their own social channels?  
 
V. Veto – Who (if anyone) has veto rights over your video content?  Does the fashion model have any rights to say “I don’t like that shot”?  Is the video a collaboration where a number of people get a say?  Sort this out early on to avoid potential conflict AFTER a video has aired and someone is not happy with it!
 
W. Watch – View your video content from a number of different customer perspectives… The “never-heard-of-you” potential customer.  The “I’ve-tried-it-and-I-liked-it-and-I-might-buy-it-again” customer.  The “I-LOVE-THIS-BRAND” customer.   Target your video views to the set of customers you think will most benefit from the video.
 
X. eXtra Files – Supply your logo, specify your fonts and brand colours.  At some stage in the video process you’ll need your logo on a video –at the start, a small watermark or on subtitles… get everything ready and if you know what you want, be very specific! 
 
Y. YouTube – Your brand should most definitely have a YouTube channel and upload regularly… Google searches love YouTube and so should you!
 
Z. Zenith – The very pinnacle.  Not especially relevant, I just like this word.

If you have some video editing to be done, or some social media video you'd love cleaned up or made or finessed or saved from facebook video nowheresville, make sure to call Tanith your Northern Beaches Videographer.   She loves using all her video skills to tell your business story. 0478550533 Tin Cat Productions Manly. 

some days are ace and awesome and fantastically fulfilling and fun.  other days are meh.  this one was far past "meh" and into "grrrrrr" territory.

retrospective schedule of the day:

make food.  drive childA to schoolX. home. (normally childA would be on the bus, but it has an assignment due and NEEDS those extra 40 minutes for URGENT alterations)

try and talk childB into going to school. (she is having none of it.)

make food.  drive childC to school Y.  home. (THANKFULLY there were no parks around the school, so kiss'ndrop it is!)

WORK - producing video content - aka "being a professional". (interrupt work intermittently to hug childB, make food for childB and generally try and be a good parent while ACTUALLY  working on the social media videos on the sly.)

make food.  pickup childA at schoolX. home.  (childA normally catches a bus home but on sports day they finish early... and waiting is unthinkable)

make food.  pack bags. pickup ChildC at schoolY.  head to after-school activity D.  (pay for extra accessory at after-school acitivity D because I forgot to pack mandatory accessory - of which we have about 7 at home... sigh)

neglect to WORK while child C is at afterschool activity D because I forgot to pack the folder with all the damn paperwork.

head to afterschool activity E with Children A, B&C (where I continue to not work because of aforementioned forgetfulness.)

drop childA at schoolX for activityF. home.  (I need to attend activity F also, but since husband Z is late back from work^&*% I can't go just yet)

make food. try to look grown-up in hand-me-down sandals from a 10year old.  head to school x for activityF.  home.  (I am not sure if I passed the adult-test)

some things are immediately obvious to me from this rundown...
J: i am forgetful
K: my kids need to make their own damn food
L: my kids need to start using their bus passes and feet a whole lot more
M: it's no surprise that I don't actually get much work done on a day like this!
N: i am LUCKY i get to have days like this merging my kids and my home and my business life... i am not unaware of this.

you feel me??

**apologies for the lack of capital letters.  it's a "screw-the-rules" kinda day.

Karen was in a quandary... She had started her business as a little “thing on the side” and it was making money (she was still slightly amazed by this).    Now though, she needed to scale… to get her business seen by more people so she could make more money so she could QUIT her day job altogether and work for herself…

but Karen HATED writing… she was a talker, a do-er, not a sit-and-write-er!  She knew she had to
DO SOMETHING to get her business seen, to show off her knowledge and attract more customers, but she could NOT SIT STILL.  Neither could she think of a DAMN THING to write when she sat staring at that blank page.
 
Karen needed another way to set herself up as an expert in her field and attract clients.
 
Small businesses everywhere are trying to hold their heads a little higher than their competitors to get seen.  They’ve got to think differently about how they market themselves and how they meet new clients.
 
How do your customers find you? 
Are you managing your on-site SEO and making sure all your website bank end is SEO-friendly?  How many small businesses can claim to be on top of this one??   Do you pay online directories a fortune to feature your business in a google search?  Wouldn’t it be great if your business came up early in an online search without having to faff around with seriously technical SEO…
 
How do your customers know you’re nice/good/talented? 
Do you keep an email database and constantly blog and tell them?  Do you comment on thousands of online forums and facebook groups trying to impress everyone with your knowledge?  Wouldn’t it be great if your prospective clients could meet you and see what you do and look at multiple examples of your work on their computer or mobile…
 
How do your customers find out how your service or shop works? 
Customers want to know how things work before they make the trek to your place of business.  Wouldn’t it be great if you could SHOW them how it works, take them for virtual a walk through your shop or service.
 
7 Steps to Small Business Success with Video
 
If your small business is in need of some social media attention or some serious kudos with your target market but you JUST don’t know where to start, we’ve got your back… In this post we’ve made you a step by step guide to help your small business to success using video.
 
#1 Work out what your business needs MOST
 
Are you a bit short of brand recognition?  Do you want to show people your product range?  Do you want customers to know you are really skilled at what you do?  Work out what it is you want MOST and work on that FIRST! 
(You might want to think of it from your customers’ perspective – what do THEY WANT from your business?  Perhaps work on THAT first!)
 
#2 Work out what style of video is the best answer to #1
 
A fashion shoot, a time-lapse of your processes or a FaceBook LIVE session all address a different aspect of your business and project a different feeling to your viewers.  Think about HOW people will see the video (YouTube? FaceBook? Email?) and make sure the target, delivery and message of the video all align.
 
#3 Work out HOW you’re going to make the video!
 
If it’s a FaceBook LIVE session to show your customers that you’re a real person with a real life and you have something important to tell them, great!  Work out WHERE you’re going to do it (think about background, noise, sunlight) and WHAT you’re going to say (beginning, middle, end, CTA) and then GO FOR IT!  If it’s a hand held mobile video that you’ll upload straight to YOUTUBE, the same goes – WHERE, WHAT.  If you want a slick fashion shoot or a series of how-to videos with annotations or special effects, you might want to call in the professionals! 
 
https://live.fb.com/tips/
www.tincatproductions.com.au/updates
 
 
#4 Make the Video!
 
Get your hubby or your bestie or your kids  to hold the phone or camera, and off you go!   OR if you’ve booked the professionals, talk everything through with them and then go for it!   They’ll work with you to make sure your video gives your business what it needs.
 
https://www.videomaker.com/tips-to-get-started
 
 
#5 Use the Video 
 
Now for the IMPORTANT BIT - Use the video!!  Don’t film it and leave it sitting on your hard-drive… USE IT!  Don’t worry if you don’t look or sound EXACTLY as you’d like (none of us do!)… customers want to meet the REAL YOU.  They want to hear your stories and see your products… so USE THE VIDEO!!  Facebook it, Instagram it, put it on your website and most importantly – set up a YOUTUBE channel.  YouTube is owned by Google so when you start to make videos all about your field of expertise – be it finance or fraggles, you’ll start ranking better in Google through YouTube. 
 
http://tubularinsights.com/how-to-post-edited-video-instagram/
 
#6 Analyse the video and its impacts
 
Once you’re over the mortification of being online in a video, sit back and look at it objectively – what could you have done differently?  Better audio?  Better light?  Better content?  Track views of the video (but don’t expect immediate eyeballs) and ask people if they’ve seen it.  If they’ve seen it, ask if they liked it or if it influenced them.
 
https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31965/How-to-Analyze-Facebook-Insights-to-Improve-Your-Content-Strategy-With-Video
 
#7 Plan your NEXT video
 
Using your experience of video #1, plan your next one.  Make it so that it’s better than the last, so that it answers your customers’ objections better, so that it shows off your products or services better.  You might even put some lippy on for #2!
 
If you’re like Karen and hate typing, writing and all things static, using video is a fantastic way to get your business content seen by prospective customers.   Use the above steps to identify what kind of content will help your business along, what kind of video to make, and then plan it, create it, disseminate it, analyse it and repeat!
 
If you’d like any help with your video needs, call Tanith at Tin Cat Productions… Tanith loves helping small businesses make big impact with video.

xxTC


 
 
 

 
Are you considering a video shoot for your small business? 
 
Whether you’re doing it yourself with some mates on the weekend or hiring a professional production company or videographer to create your video, check out our Small Business Video Shoot  A-Z to make your video shoot run smoothly!
 
A. Actors – Who will feature in your video?  Will you be taking a starring role in your video production as the “face” of the company?  Will you be featuring customers giving testimonials?  Are you dramatising a “day-in-the-life” of your ideal customer or doing a fashion shoot with your latest range?  Think about how you will source the talent for your video shoot.  Model agencies, school moms, business connections, clients or random people off the street can all work but you have to know what you want.
 
B. Branding – Will you feature extra branding/signage on the shoot day? Do you have t-shirts with logos to wear?  Banners to place in the background?  How much branding do you want the video to feature? (see: Equipment)
 
C. Catering – Will you need to feed everybody?  How long will your shoot be? What time of day is it? It always pays to keep your cast and crew decently fed.  Water and snacks are always happily received on a shoot day. (see: Jolly)
 
D. Daylight – What kind of light does your shoot require?  Are you filming outside in the bright daylight?  Consider umbrellas & extra shade. Are you filming at “magic hour” in the gorgeous yellow sunlight that comes in at an angle at sunrise and sunset? Be wary that you have limited time with his light! What time does the sun rise & set on shoot day and will this influence the images you are trying to capture?
 
E.  Equipment – The production crew will come with their own video equipment (cameras, tripods, lighting, audio and more) but what (if any) equipment do you need to supply on the day?  If your business makes things or provides a service ensure your equipment is working! If you’re filming offsite make sure you pack every little bit of equipment you might need to make your video shoot a success, and pack your banners. (see: Keys)
 
F. Footage/Files – How are you going to deal with the finished files from  shoot day?  Will you take them home?  Does the cameraman hand them over to the editor?  Make sure your footage & files are safe at all times, you just expended serious effort to make them!
 
G. Grounded.  Keep everyone on solid ground.  Nobody’s a movie star, nobody should be acting the diva.  Nobody will die if one of one shot doesn’t come off JUST RIGHT.  Yes, you’ve invested time and money in this thing, but you are not curing cancer.  Keep it real.
 
H. Hand-Held.  What kind of camerawork do you want?  Talk to your director/producer/cameraman early on to establish the style of your shoot.  Hand held and “natural”, or solidly on a tripod?  Do you need any sliders for camera motion?  Discuss.
 
I. Imagination – Bring some to shoot day!  Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the footage you’re shooting becoming a final polished video.  Use some imagination and ask questions of your production crew to help you envisage the final product.
 
J. Jolly – Sometimes on set if the shoot has been going on a while and energy is flagging, you may need to step up and give everyone a jolly-along.  A bag of snacks?  A coffee-run?  A change of script if someone is struggling?  Think about how to get around problems and be a problem solver.
 
K. Keys – This is no joke:  who has the keys?  Wherever you are shooting, think about each aspect of the video shoot in relation to the keys… If you are shooting in any kind building or you need a vehicle to move between locations access is everything - make sure you have the keys! (see: Locations)
 
L. Locations – Where will you shoot?  At your office, in a park, in a studio?  Will you pay them or offer product placement in return for the location?  If you’re planning on travelling between locations factor in travel time and parking into your schedule. (see: Permissions)
 
M. Makeup – Will your onscreen talent need makeup?  Will they do it themselves or will you supply a professional?  Do you want full make up or the natural look?  Be specific or you might get a surprise on the day. (see: Actors)
 
N. No – Speak up on the day.  It’s your video.  If you don’t like a take, ask to do it again.  If you don’t like the way something is being done, say so.  Conversely, listen to the reasons your crew provide if they have to answer “no” to one of your requests.  Everyone has an opinion, and everyone has the capacity to be reasonable! (see: Options)
 
O. Options – Sometimes it’s hard to say which thing will look better/sound better, so if you have time, you can try it both ways.  Better to capture your options on shoot day than discover later that you don’t have what you need.  Within reason!
 
P. Permissions – Will you need to get any additional permissions for your shoot?  From other suppliers or retailers of your product?  From the location where you’re filming?  Sorting these out in advance will greatly decrease everyone’s blood pressure on the day. (see: Branding)
 
Q. Quality/Quantity.  Nail this down early… Do you want amazing quality video or lots of video?  Budget? This will influence everything about your shoot, so decide how you will use your video (and therefore which of the quality/quantity side you're on) early on.
 
R. Read – Before you finalise the script, read it out loud!  You read it, give it to your partner/brother/mother for them to read it.  Record yourself reading out loud.  If it sounds dodgy or unnatural in any way, reword it so it comes out of your mouth sounding natural (or if it’s technical, at least not tongue tied!) (see:VoiceOver)
 
S. Script – Who will write this?  Will you as the business owner/expert write this?  Do you want the director/producer to write it?  Collaborate?  One writes, the other edits?  Scripts are the basis for your whole shoot – but keep in mind that things happen on the day that might require some flexibility around the content of the script, keep on message and don’t get bogged down in the precise wording.  Pick your battles! (see: Read)
 
T. Transport – How is everyone getting to the shoot location?  If they don’t drive, consider who they are and how important it is to get them there on time and consider providing transportation.  (see: Keys)
 
U. Underwater.  Who doesn’t need an underwater shoot?!  (Me please: any chance to jump in the water.)  Not relevant to all (or indeed many) videos.
 
V.  Voice Over – Don’t forget to capture your voice-overs on the day.   If you’re filming a piece-to-camera think about getting the main content in voice over as well as on camera.  If you’re doing the voice over separately (ie: professional VO artist in a booth) make sure you capture enough footage on shoot day to cover each aspect of the voice over. (see: Script)
 
W. Weather – Keep an eye on the forecast.  Think about alternatives in the case of extreme weather.  Can you move a shoot inside?  Can you move it undercover in the same vicinity? Could you change the whole shoot day?  How will that impact everyone involved? Get creative.  (see: Daylight)
 
X. eXtras – (cop out, I know)  Are you putting together a business overview video that needs some “customers”?  Loyal clients or friends and family make great (cost-effective) extras!    (see: Actors)
 
Y. Yelling.  Best not to, if you can help it.  A calm no-nonsense demeanour on set is worth quite a few decibels.  (see: Jolly)
 
Z. Zonked.  How you will be feeling at the end of the shoot day. Zonked, but happy you’ve completed your shoot. 

Now… to the edit suite!

Look at this spinning gloriousness!  Ah, product video, how I love thee...  you just sit there and rotate and I get to point my lights at you and make you look shiny.    

​Ingredients: One white wall in Manly, one videographer, one SpaceCube, a melamine shelf, a white table and a borrowed lazy susan!  

Thanks for a great product video shoot SpaceCube, we'll be here for the next one! xTC

So... (that's an in-joke)
We made an online course!
 
Actually, these two lovely ladies have made an online course...
I just helped shoot the  video content for the online course!

This shoot had some odd requirements... two of them being air-conditioning and the other a bone.  You can guess why...  Otherwise it was a gloriously straight forward affair with some very prepared talent!

Thanks ladies, back to it!

Matt was laid up with a back injury and had some time to research his latest project: a video for physiotherapy practice MGS.  Happily he found me!  (Google page 3... must work on that!  All I can say is thanks to injuries!)

We met over coffee and sandwiches and had a chat.   (His back was still sore, but on the mend.)

He spoke to the other physios from his practice to get the o.k. to go ahead with the video project.  (Not really sure of the inner workings of the physios, but I'm sure there were some adjustments required by all after this discussion.)

They said "yes" and we had a meeting to discuss script requirements, shots needed, compared diaries and worked towards a date.

We found a  date!

We filmed, twice, at MGS Mona Vale for different parts of the video, and the editing all came together on the Mac (Adobe PP).

All footage including the finished videos - 2 version - were delivered to Matt on his harddrive for future use (Always a good idea).

There you have it... not so hard after all was it?

MGS Manly, it's your turn next!!

Sometimes working for yourself is terribly tedious, and sometimes sad, and you wonder if you'll ever have a handle on the world of "small business".  

Other times it's ridiculously busy and fun but you find yourself dropping balls all over the place.    (I once forgot my daughter at school while I entertained all my other daughters' friends at the playground!  Icecream?  Here you go... oh, where is my OTHER child? Ooops.)

On days like today I am able to fully appreciate my good fortune in being able (due partially to  having a husband in full time employment!) to work for myself AROUND my children.  

I volunteered, I did some client-facing work (filming! in an office!)... then I picked up child #3, who required the carrot of an early pick-up to face the stick of going to school after 3 days off sick!  Back at home, child #3 safely in front of ABC kids I get stuck into getting that client project out ASAP.  While it uploads, school calls - child #2 is laid low in sick bay and could I pick her up?  Of course I can.  

Today, I can.

Thank you today, for being kind.

**No bears were harmed in the taking of this picture.  Well, just a few prickles, maybe.

Dear video,
Yes, the final video will be much more slick, but I thought I'd put up a quick teaser first!!  And I'm waiting for the logo animation, so can't make any further progress till then... says my procrastinating self!  What glory can come from a third hand ikea table, some bunnings coated ply and a borrowed lazy susan...
Thanks peter god my lighting kit came in time because boy did I need it.  With apologies to Carol for the dodgy stills... but I'm a video gal first and foremost!  (just don't tell the magazine who took the photos and we'll be apples.)
xx TC

GRUMPY FACE... She doesn't want to "Niche".

To niche or not to niche, that is the question...

One of the interesting bits about working in video production is experiencing little bits of everyone else's lives... wins, loses, milestones and more.  And to me that's a perk.  

So what to do with the bombardment of advice to "NICHE, NICHE, NICHE"??  Video is video, right...  there are businesses out there that need web videos, social videos, online course videos blahdiblah... but are there ENOUGH businesses in my radius of practice (ie 15km from Manly!) in the same field to justify my niche-ing?  

To illustrate: On my roster lately...

• lingerie (sorry can't link the videos we made! check out Simone Perele Australia's facebook page for my most excellent close up second camera work!)
• physiotherapy (this one COULD possibly be a video production niche locally... there are a lot of physios: why are we Northern Beachers so physically strained?
• fitness (personal trainers could be a niche?)
• new product video (for a one-product business)
• kickstarter video (hush hush, not released yet!)
• event coverage (100 ladies with champagne and mood boards!)
• cooking 

And on my list of things I WANT to cover (enquiries gratefully received)...

• retreats (no questions needed)
• gin (ditto)
• more kids activities (who doesn't want to film kids having fun?)

Looking at this I suppose I could niche... but until it happens naturally I will not be hanging up my multidisciplinary video producer with-the-lot hat!!

​xxTC

" Yep", I thought...

"I make video for a living, and now bloody FB are doing Live streaming and whoops, I'm out of a gig."  
It might still be true... but I doubt it.

"And it's Crap!" I thought... 

Who wants to see a bunch of idiots with the camera bobbing around motion-sickeningly in front of their massive shiny foreheads with their washing machines in the background?? ...and sure, some of the videos I've seen are like this, but some aren't.  

Let me give you some examples of when my mind started being changed miniscule bit by bit!

1. First I watched some New York Times FB LiveStreaming... informed interviewers interviewing interesting people, what's not to like?
2. Then I tuned in when my friend Seppo FB LiveStreamed on his drive through the picturesque Kansas countryside and we had a weird but fun chat-of-sorts.
3. Then I loved it when I signed up for a FB LiveStream 7-day-challenge thingi, which was fantastic!  And all through bloody FB Live. (Cheers Caz from Writally!)

People still make silly mistakes with terrible quality sound and don't think about the background or check the angle (hellllooooo tiny person in the massive frame there... ever heard of headroom?), and some people will not SHUT UP about how amaaaaazing their NEW THING is, but we can weed them out, can't we? They'll soon learn.

Perhaps I should tell them?  Check out my FB Live Stream soon! (joke, will never happen)

The beauty of being my own micro-production studio is that in the school holidays, when to be honest, most work stops, I can still do video production projects with these cool foxes!  

Our Little Foxes are a bunch of mama bears who are invested in the creative intelligence of our kids... and they luuuurve video.

In the school holidays, what better thing is there to do than drag the 6 year old along to the video shoot, and film her chatting away?  She was reluctant at first to be featured on camera, but after seeing the 3 year olds ace the spotlight she was unstoppable.

Difficult as a shoot is with 12 kids on set, between the mums, the dads and a massive supply of popcorn we managed to fit in some difficult questions such as "What is an entreprenur?" and "How do you SPELL entrepreneur?"  

In between (innumerable) toilet breaks we got some stony silences and a little bit too much detail about Ant-Man that unfortunately, for the sake of brevity, had to hit the cutting room floor.  

​I could fill a commercial TV half hour slot with the uncomprehending silences, but thankfully you guys don't have to sit through them, you can just watch the "best bits" edit that has so far been seen by over thirteen thousand folks on the book of face.

Tanith is TIN CAT PRODUCTIONS
​0478550533

You don't need much on video shoot day... You do need however:

*An idea... and ideally this idea should have been had BEFORE the shoot day.

*A sense of humour... because sourpusses are a downer.   Even the hardest day on a video shoot is a doddle compared to child labour down the mines, chin up people!

*Ingenuity... you'll need the strangest things, you'll need them NOW, so you'll get them.

*People skills... there's always one.  Sometimes there are two.  But at a number greater than zero, you will learn to deal with them: calmly, professionally, and with a wry smile that they can't really get angry with, but that your contemporaries will interpret as "This is the one.  I'm dealing.  Bring coffee."

*Calm... always a good one, on set this is a necessity.  Sometimes "Quiet on set!" are the greatest words to hear, because it means one cannot deal with anything else, one must just wait.  Enforced meditation.

*Water... don't forget to hydrate.  Coffee does not count.   Don't overdo the hydration though because...

*Access to bathrooms... this has been one of the biggies for me, when people need to go, give them somewhere preferably without cockroaches and stench.  If roaches and stink is all you've got, it'll have to do.  

*A finish line... How long is a piece of string?  Working on an interminable shoot with no obvious end in sight is a killer.  Make sure everyone knows your expected finish time, and keep them updated if things change.  "Cut!" is a great sound on any shoot, but  "That's a wrap!" is the winner.  

Tanith is TIN CAT PRODUCTIONS
0478550533

Hankering after summer!  We took the kids down to the beach and shot a series of TEN social media posts and this gorgeous 50sec web video for Little Pinwheel's gorgeous online shop.  Bring on summer!

Not your usual testimonial video - these ladies REALLY loved this course... and now their testimonials are out there in video form nudging the fence-sitters into booking... Lovely.

I moonlighted behind stage at 2015's TEDx conference at the Sydney Opera House to help The Milk Bar and 3M produce this video showcasing the fantastic diversity on show at the conference... I'll be back there on May 25th doing it all again, hooray!

Episode 1 of 6, cute little foxes...