The other day was fairly typical for me. On the bus to work, I checked my email and watched a YouTube video a friend forwarded to me. I scanned news headlines while riding the elevator. Stopping by the corner Walgreen’s, I heard about new products from tiny video screens in the aisles. I got caught up on the health care debate while standing in line for a sandwich, as a flat screen television played CNN. Back at the office, I had a video conference call. I surfed the internet doing some research for a marketing project we are working on, encountering countless Flash advertisements and video productions. On the bus home, video screens at the front and middle played advertisements, headlines, and trivia. When I got home, I watched some shows on my DVR.  All in all, pretty typical.

But really stopping to consider it, I realize just how ubiquitous video has become. With its growing role in the internet, effectiveness and reasonable cost, video is now a mobile medium; with screens appearing pretty much anywhere you can think of (I even watched a video on a screen while fueling up my car recently!). Just as strong as video’s presence is the mind’s ability to filter the messages, remember the important ones and filter out the junk. And lets face it…most of it is junk.

So how do you keep your message from getting cast aside? Craft a simple message and present it in an engaging, original way. It really is that simple.

Let’s talk about honing a good message. Boil the message down to its core. The old adage, “keep it simple, stupid” applies now more than ever. A simple message is going to stick. You only have a short window in which to grab the audience and deliver your message. Too much information and you’ll lose them in the details and they won’t even remember the main point. This goes for anything type of video production from commercials to product promotions to training videos. Keep your audience engaged by keeping sight of the point. If you stray even the slightest bit too far, the message won’t seem as important, and you’ll lose your audience. Attention spans are just not what they used to be…you are still reading this, right? Ok, good.

Context plays an equally important role in delivering a successful message. Do you have your audience’s undivided attention? Likely not, so you have to grab it. Creativity is paramount. But you have to consider the tone of the message. A video to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking probably shouldn’t try for humor. It would distract from the sobering message. Remember, the message is what matters.

The venue is an important part of finding the right context for your video. If you’re promoting a franchise, you probably don’t want to use the small screens in retail shops – this type of distribution is more suitable for products. Likewise for training, you’re going to deliver a more effective message showing the video in a small room or making it available to individual viewers to watch on their computers than you would if you projected on a big screen to a large audience in a convention center.

The right message in the right context. That’s the big picture answer for how to separate your video from the rest. Watch videos around you for examples of what works and what doesn’t.  I am sure you will be surprised at what you actually see.

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You can contact Brian Green at brian@solidlinemedia.com. 

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

Ever had to sit through an employment orientation or training session? If so, and you’re like me, you found the experience, well, to put it democratically, inefficient. In an orientation scenario, you’re anxious to get started, wanting to make a good first impression. Instead, you’re stuck in a room for a few hours, maybe even longer, sometimes for several days. Or if it’s continuing education or a new policy at your current employer, then it’s precious time lost, cluttering an already busy schedule. Sure, you’re getting paid for it, and the information is necessary, but you can’t help feeling there has to be a better way.

And there is a better way, and one thats much more efficient. Training videos go a long way to offsetting costs, increasing information retention, improving the quality and consistency of the message, and shortening the time required to train and orient new staff.

Consider the costs of instructor-led training. You have to pay the instructor and the trainees, you have facility costs, printing costs, travel costs, possibly even refreshments. And you’re stifling productivity by blocking out hours or even days from your employees. Still worse, if it’s the typical training course, the majority of trainees aren’t going to retain half of the material, undermining the entire purpose of the training.

A training video can take a two hour course, cover all of the same material in an engaging way, and condense it into a 30 minute high end, entertaining video. Don’t believe me? SolidLine Media has done it. And not just once.

Think about it. A video training course that employees can view at their desk, on their computer, during downtime. A course that would take a full week could be viewed in less than a day. It could be streamed over the company intranet, there whenever the employee needs it, as many times as necessary.

Moreover, with a training video, the message stays consistent. An instructor could repeat the same course a hundred times, but it will never be exactly the same. Vocal inflection, word choice, every little nuance and gesture all can change the message, even if it’s unintentional. But using the same training video ensures that all employees get the same information presented in a uniform manner.

The moral of the story? A well produced (and entertaining) training video saves money, time and your employees’ sanity. The message gets across more clearly and uniformly. It’s a win-win proposition.

Click here to read a few Case Studies on how SolidLine has helped other organizations save time and money.

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You can contact Brian Green at brian@solidlinemedia.com. 

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

Video is arguably the most flexible communication medium, and it is constantly evolving as we discover new ways to use it. Video’s only limitation is our imagination.

Of course a video production company makes this claim, right? But think about it. Statistics show that 65% of us are visual learners, and 30% learn verbally. Is there a better way to reach nearly everyone than with the audiovisual communication of a video?

One of the most important characteristics of video is its flexibility. Our projects often evolve during production to spawn additional videos for our clients. The best example is a conference opening video. After premiering at an associations annual event, SolidLine Media can make a few key edits and transform the conference opening video into a promotional or educational piece that the organization can use throughout the year. So not only will the video grab the audience’s attention and establish a high level of excitement at the opening of their conference, but they will generate this level of excitement throughout the year through the organization’s website, DVD distribution to members and clients, and for broadcast at regional events. Essentially the same video can be used to energize current and prospective customers alike.  And that’s more bang for your production buck.

Flexibility and adaptation are central to video’s value-adding and cost-reducing capabilities. This is an increasingly important part of our services, especially in this economy (yeah we had to say it…). Adapting videos for multiple purposes increases the value of the initial investment, and improves the organization’s communications model. In addition, videos can help streamline operations. For example, our training videos can cut a two-hour safety class down to as little as thirty minutes, all while increasing information retention and creating a consistent message. This will reduce the overall cost of training while improving its effectiveness.

Another important characteristic about video is that it integrates with evolving technology. Organizations are under increasing pressure to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies like social networking. But content is still king. An organization has to engage customers online. And the evolution of the web has included video streaming, animation and motion graphics, further evidence that there is no better way to engage an audience than with video.

Flexibility, reusability and adaptability: the core characteristics of video. The possibilities for integration into business communications and direct impact on the bottom line make it essential to communications and marketing models.

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You can contact Brian Green at brian@solidlinemedia.com. 

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

  
We live in a world in which media is virtually around every corner we turn. We are constantly bombarded with various types of media – which comes to us in many shapes and forms. Studies from Texas A&M University state that the average American consumer is exposed to more than 850 commercial messages a day. It is impossible to escape it, and for good reason. Media is the vehicle in which we as individuals can express ourselves, and as companies it is a way we sell our ideas or services.

So…How is it that we can go about creating media such as promotional videos, television commercials, training videos, or conference videos that will resonate within our audience’s mind? There are a lot of questions to consider when thinking about creating a great visual message. A few to consider: How can we truly have a lasting impact on our audience when they are constantly bombarded with visual content? How can we stand out from all of the rest? And most importantly, how can we get them to act upon, or learn from, the information presented to them? The answer ultimately lies in a great creative concept.

Anyone can regurgitate information though a camera and on to a television set that will ultimately go in the audiences short term memory only to be forgotten minutes later. Raw information needs to be molded and applied in a fashion that the audience can relate to, yet also in a way they might find interesting. Entertaining is a good thing. People like to be entertained, even if it’s a training or educational video, sales presentation, or other marketing production. Entertain your audience and they will pay attention and retain information. A good concept allows us to do exactly that.

A concept can mean any number of things; from a story-line with a character animation, to a cutting edge visual style. There are a number of methods we can utilize to make video productions that are engaging for the viewer to watch. Any production company can gear up with high-tech video cameras and make you a “corporate video.” But does this video engage your customer? Your employee? Your client? Is your viewer going to act upon what they have seen, or remember your key messages? Without the foundation, or the concept, you cannot build the frame. And now think about a house without a frame…sound like a very ‘sound’ structure? Didn’t think so. A good concept is created by taking into account a client’s goals and expectations, their target market, branding, and what they want to communicate to their audience. At SolidLine Media, we take into account all these important variables and then brainstorm as a team on how we can communicate that message in an interesting, fresh way. Each concept is custom, unique to each client and each production. After all, it is the original and great ideas along with the subsequent well executed concepts that will allow you and your company to stand out in a media saturated world.

So when you want to produce a truly high end video production, don’t be afraid to create something special… entertain your audience…and make them wanting more of what you got. And…don’t forget to call the Creative Team at SolidLine Media!

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You can contact Chris Hamilton at chris@solidlinemedia.com. 

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

If you have ever watched a corporate promotional or training video you have probably noticed its lack of visual stimulation and overall effectiveness (referring to non-SolidLine produced videos of course). A video that does not have any feeling really is not doing anything for the company it’s representing…other than making the viewer think about how boring the production was, which adds up to nothing more than a direct negative effect on that company. These days, in order to effectively communicate to employees, customers, or pretty much anyone in the world, you need to create a message that these audiences will actually want to watch. Sounds like a no brainer, right? Well, let’s go back up a few lines and think again about all those corporate videos you have seen over the years that were just awful. Now are we on the same page, right? Good.

Here at SolidLine Media, we focus of the development and production of truly great high definition video production. Messages that are developed and executed specifically for the employees, members, customers, patients, or any other specific group that your business or organization needs to communicate to (effectively!). But in order to pull this off for each of our unique HD video productions, a few things need to happen in the equation to get the answer our client needs. First, we need to develop a great concept, one that your audience actually will want to watch. And second, we need to execute that concept with the highest level of production standards possible. I am not going to talk about concept development in this post, but I am going to talk about one of the most important factors to creating a great visual look…movement.

Art Director Mike Petrik 'moves' along in the SolidLine Production Bus...OK, not exactly the 'movement' we are talking about here...

Movement? In a video? What does that even mean? Let me break it down for you. When you watch ‘run-of-the-mill’ corporate videos what you end up seeing is a lot of ‘static’ visuals. Static camera shots, static graphics, static text. Add in a lengthy, lackluster script and you have the perfect formula for the newest sleep medication. At SolidLine Media, it has always been our mission to have viewers surprised after they watch one of our productions…surprised that they just, in fact, watched a corporate video. After all, aren’t all corporate videos supposed to be horrible?

Video + Graphics + Movement = Production Value
Movement is how everything comes ‘flows’ together nicely and neatly. And it comes in many varieties – from animated motion graphics and 3d animation sequences to tracking camera movements. But its not just movement for movements sake, there must be a method to your…movement. What it boils down to is all about flow and harmony – keeping the video flowing continuously by ensuring the video shots and graphics combine together in harmony. The end result is a well constructed video production masterpiece (too over the top with the whole ‘masterpiece’ thing? OK, well you get the point)…one with transitions, shifts, and sections. But the most important thing is that the viewer is engaged throughout because of the way the video was constructed…through a series of very structured movements.

Motion + Graphics = Motion Graphics
There is a great deal to get into when it comes to graphics, and you can learn a lot about SolidLine graphics and our unique process by reading one of Art Director Mike Petrik’s posts, including this one here: Helping You Realize Your Vision: Graphics. I just want to touch on a few things. To start, motion graphics. The name says it all here, but I feel the need to stress the importance of motion graphics. If done right, they can make all the difference between a dry, boring video and a fun, engaging one. It’s the difference between a static page of text on the screen versus a beautiful scene of moving graphics, animated text, and other associated visual imagery. At SolidLine, we take our graphics very seriously. Our Production, Post-Production, and Art departments work closely together to make sure all scenes are combining in harmony, and with the goals of the project and script in line at all times.

Charlie - Bravo = Alpha Transition Graphics
Another great way to keep a video moving is with smooth transitions between video and graphic sections of the video production. We call it the alpha transition. When going from full video to full graphic sequences and vice versa we add these transitions in to help keep the flow going. Most videos you see out there use just a simple Cut or Fade between sections. An alpha transition makes the transition feel much more natural – as if its all one cohesive piece. During an alpha transition a portion of the graphics are animated and superimposed with the video during the transition so it’s a nice smooth feel between scenes. Take a look at an example here as we move from one video shot to another using 2 alpha transitions in this production for ASUG:

X + Y + Z = Tracking Camera Shots
Finally, the last thing I want to discuss today is the tracking camera shot. I will write an entire post on this soon as it’s so important to us here at SolidLine Media, but here is the ‘skinny.’ Adding in tracking camera shots to videos makes the overall production just that much more engaging and enjoyable to watch. A tracking camera movement truly adds production value to any video production, quickly turning it into a Hollywood caliber video. So, what is a tracking camera? Well, it’s literally a camera that tracks. Tracks what? Well, this does not mean just panning or tilting the camera on a tripod. That is way too easy (and cheesy). The kind of camera tracking I am talking about actually moves the camera along the horizontal or vertical axis (X & Y)…or both at the same time (Z). And it can be done in a few different ways. At SolidLine Media, we love tracking camera shots. And we accomplish them usually with a jib and dolly system called a RocketPod. With this system the camera is secured onto the head of the RocketPod.  We are then able to ‘dolly’ and/or ‘jib’ the camera back and forth, and up and down, for a variety of sweet, high end shots. We can dolly on the 4 rubber wheels, or switch out to 4 roller skates (called “hot buttons” in the biz) and roll down any length of Matthews stainless steel dolly track for a completely flawless shot. Simply doing this will take any shot to the next level, and will make any room or space look better just because of the added value the moving camera creates. We can also get a great tracking shot with a SteadiCam, but that is a more complex system we will talk about in another post.

Dolly & Jib in action filming for Air France

OK, we have heard about movement, now lets see it all in action.  Check out this video for Gexpro Services which incorporates motion graphics with a variety of alpha transitions and tracking camera movements.

So, there you have it…the importance of movement. Remember, you can create a great and memorable HD video production for your organization or business. You just need to partner with creative people who know how to execute the right equation to engage your viewers. Here at SolidLine Media, we might not be real good at math, but we’ve got a few good answers up our sleeve…

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You can contact Greg at gvass@solidlinemedia.com.

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

One of the best things about the off the cuff interview is the fact that it seems, and in fact is, unscripted. The responses and the reactions are genuine, and given the right question, you’ll often come out with something better than you would if they were running off of a script. The problem comes in when you need a subject to say a specific thing, or if you need them to say it within a specific time limit. For those times, you need to have scripted interviews, and that means either memorization… or a teleprompter.

The there are benefits of memorization, but in the corporate video industry, it’s hard to tell a busy CEO or, for that matter any non-actor, that they need spend a bunch of hours working on it. That’s not all either, the longer the script, the more unlikely memorization becomes, and what if the client makes last minute changes? It is for these reasons that we at SolidLine have invested in our teleprompter. We’ve put it through the rounds, learned a thing or two, and have put a system of how-to’s in place for when we need to teleprompt on-location.

Teleprompting requires it’s own station, equipment, and operator, same as the sound, or camera department would. Since each shoot is different, the needs of that individual shoot would be different also, for instance, if the camera is on the jib you’ll need to figure out where you can be stationed with the proper amount of slack built into your cables so that the motion of the camera doesn’t disconnect you. At the same time you have to be far enough away to be out of the shot, and out of the path of the camera from start to finish.

Another thing to consider is, the needs of the person that you’ll be prompting. On some of the shoots I’ve been on with SolidLine, we’ve come to learn that if your subject is racing through the script, you’ll need to force them to slow down through the speed you scroll the text. On the other-hand if you are going too slow, there may be long awkward pauses in what they’re saying, because they are waiting for the next line to pop up. When dealing with subjects who have never read from a teleprompter before, it isn’t un-common to find people skipping punctuation and reading in a monotone voice. The best way to deal with this is through spacing. If you give them a little visual cue via creative spacing, they’ll be able to anticipate pauses and give a much more natural performance as a result.

Lastly, being close to the action is important! Whether you’re trying to do another job along with running the teleprompter or simply need to hear your cue to start scrolling. Some common issues include figuring out how your computer display options so that it displays correctly on the prompter screen (for PCs anyway, you simply right click on the desktop, click Graphic Options, Display, Notebook + Monitor), turning off your wireless so the notifications stop popping up over the text, and learning how to change the prompt font size in your particular prompting program.

SolidLine Media uses the EZ Prompt software for our shoots, along with a teleprompter from Mirror Image Teleprompters.

Using a teleprompter increases the amount of set-up and tear-down needed on each shoot, but it can also dramatically increase the production value of the final product too!

You can contact Ed at ed@solidlinemedia.com.

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com. Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

Over the past 8 years here at SolidLine Media, we have produced a lot of videos. Educational videos, promotional videos, training videos, even direct response television commercials. No matter what our clients dream up, we execute on the ‘big screen’ with creativity and technological innovation. Our capabilities are vast, and the variety of our production work definitely showcases just how ‘vast’ we can get.

One thing that you will see in a ton of our videos is interviews, or testimonials. The human element certainly helps to ‘sell’ a product or service, or to add credibility to a training or educational topic. Interviews can be quite powerful. But they can also be boring, longwinded, and can quickly lose the attention of the viewing audience. This, of course, is something that nobody wants to happen. And the good news is that it doesn’t have to.

I know from my experience at SolidLine Media and in the production industry that our clients are always going to want to include interviews and testimonials in their video productions. After all, we’ve conducted over 1,000 interviews in the last 8 years. Don’t get me wrong, I do agree they can be very powerful, persuasive, and informative, but only if they are executed correctly. And perfect execution is why SolidLine has become a premiere production house in this country.

To understand how to film a successful interview you must first understand the basics of interview filming. A typical interview set-up includes 1 camera, 3 to 4 lights, and a boom or lapel microphone. The interviewer prompts questions and the interviewee answers them on film. Simple. When it’s finished the footage is then sent to the editor. This footage contains a single shot of the interview subject and nothing more. Now, the editor has the daunting task of editing the ‘best of the best’ of that interview together, usually into a larger production. Sound easy? Not exactly. What happens when the interviewee starts to ramble, stumbles over words, and uses filler words such as “like”, “um”, “er”, “ah”, “basically”, and “y’know”? Well, the audience will end up seeing (and hearing) it because the editor doesn’t have anything else to work with other than that 1-camera shot from the interview. The editor can’t really ‘edit’ this single shot together very well as any edit will result in what’s called a ‘jump cut.’ A jump cut basically (whoops, used a filler word) looks like a skip. And a skip just won’t look right in most cases. I know everyone reading this has seen this situation in a video…a long winded rambling executive, a discombobulated customer testimonial, or a lost in thought ‘filler word’ user. I mean, come on, we all tense up under pressure, get lost in our own words, and use fillers to ‘fill’ in the gaps. Right? Yes. We know interviewees are not perfect. Heck, I stay on the other side of the camera for a reason. Well, two reasons really. 1) Because I don’t want to be on camera. 2) Because nobody wants me to be on camera.

So, how can you fix this? First, you could stick with the single camera and add something called ‘b-roll’ over each edit point. B-roll consists of footage or graphics that essentially cover the edits so the audience does not notice the interviewee’s dialogue is being edited. While I do highly recommend adding b-roll in most cases, it does cost more cash and takes more time. And, in the end, there is often not enough of it to get rid of all the aforementioned ‘issues.’

Ok, so now what? So far we have learned about the 1-camera interview and adding b-roll over the edits. But what if that’s not enough? What if the interview is still too long or drawn out? You don’t want to lose the audience. Do you? Nope. Looks like its time to increase your options by adding a 2nd camera.

For 4 years now, SolidLine Media has been conducting interviews with at least 2 cameras. This interview style results in a 2nd option for the editor when cutting the footage together, a safety option. Now, getting rid of those ‘issues’ quickly becomes a whole lot easier. When editing with 2 camera options, the editor has the main camera shot, or A-camera (just like in a 1-camera shoot discussed above) as well as what we call the B-camera. The B-camera is a 2nd shot, usually framed closer up on the interviewees face and from a slightly different angle.

An example of an A-Camera shot

An example of a typical B-Camera shot

Production Coordinator Ed Boe stands in for the lighting of a 2-camera set-up

The B-camera is synced to the A-camera with a BNC cable through a technology called Time Code. Time Code is a numeric coding system that links media sources together. The 2 cameras are also synced to an electronic Time Code Clapboard, or Slate. Now, we have 2 cameras and a slate all displaying the exact same time code, they are synced down to the frame. The slate generates the time code and is displayed and filmed by each camera during every take of the interview session for reference by the editor during editing. Once the slate is seen on both camera monitors the script supervisor notes the time code on a Shot Log. This shot log includes notes on whether the take was good or not along with other pertinent info and is provided to the editor for their reference during editing.

The electronic clapboard, or slate, in use before a take

An actual example of a SolidLine shot log from the field

As you can see, this method is more complex, but results in 2 perfectly synced shot options for the editor to successfully execute the most informative, entertaining, and clean interview edit possible. Add in some b-roll, graphics, and music and you are on your way to creating a truly lasting video production. To see an example of this method in action, check out this production for ASUG, which was comprised entirely of interviews.

You can contact Greg at gvass@solidlinemedia.com.

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.

Being in the video business I get asked quite often about my job. There is something intriguing about the cameras, the lights, the glamour. It’s Hollywood, right? Well, not exactly. Most of the time when people ask me about being a Producer, they usually harp on how ‘cool’ it must be to be out filming all the time and going to all these great locations. After I calm them down and explain this is corporate video production and, in fact, not Hollywood, I do actually end up agreeing with them…my job does rock; it is great to be out on location, travelling the country and meeting a ton of truly great people along the way. But being out on location is only just a fraction of what it takes to complete a successful and high end video production. After all, by the time the crew gets to the location for filming, a bulk of the hard work is already complete…

The SolidLine Media production offices in downtown Chicago, IL are always busy with the ‘fun’ stuff…editing videos, creating motion graphics and 3d animations. But the office is also always busy in a stage we call Pre-Production. This is the intense development stage that every video production must go through…where a concept is hammered out, designed on paper, presented to the client, turned into a script…and finally (emphasis on ‘finally’), approved by the client. For this post, I am going to use a recent production we completed for Onboard Systems, a worldwide supplier of helicopter cargo hooks and components, as I walk through our unique and very successful Pre-Production process.

The first step in the process is the Pitch. The Pitch is where every production begins. Our pitches start with a detailed review of the SolidLine Creative Brief.  The Creative Brief is a document of important information we put together during the sales process with details from the client regarding project goals, audience, timelines, etc.  After this review, it’s off to the whiteboard with a dry erase marker and a few creative SolidLine minds. After a couple hours of hashing out new ideas, we finally agree (or agree to disagree) on a couple ideas to present to the client. For this presentation we write up each idea as a Treatment. A Treatment is a simple few paragraph explanation of the project. In this document we highlight how we intend to structure the production, key messages in each section, and the art direction (including ideas about narration talent). Below you will see a copy of the SolidLine Media Creative Brief.

SolidLine Media Creative Brief - Click here to view the PDF

Once the client is satisfied with the Pitch, the next step is to develop a detailed Production Outline and Style Sheet. The Production Outline is really a skeleton of the final video. It includes details on the opening, what each section throughout the video production will entail (footage, interviews, graphics, 3d animation, etc.), and what information will be included in the final call-to-action or closing. The Style Sheet is a 6 frame overview of the graphic ‘look and feel’ of the production…sort of like a mini storyboard. As you will see below, the DHL Ocean Freight Services Promo Video graphic concept was very complex and included a mix of text key points, container imagery, combined with HD footage. The DHL Global Forwarding branding was, of course, implemented throughout.

This is the initial style sheet for the DHL Ocean Freight Services Promo

So, now we have the both the organization of the production and the art direction approved. It’s time to start writing the script. This extremely time intensive and detailed process begins with a complete review of all research materials sent by the client as well as all production meeting notes. The script is written based on the Production Outline and overall goals of the project. Once a first draft is complete it is sent to the client for review. Detailed feedback is compiled and sent back to the SolidLine Media team and a new draft is worked up. This process continues until the client is completely satisfied with the script. On the DHL Ocean production we had 4 script drafts before we were ready to move forward on the next step. The script is the most important part of any video production, so it is necessary for all parties to be completely satisfied with the script at this point before we move forward with any creative work. The final draft of the DHL Ocean Freight Services script is below.

DHL Ocean Freight Final Script - Click here to view the PDF

The fun stuff is on the horizon…Production. We are getting there, but one integral step is still left to complete. This is the development of the SolidLine Media 2-column script, sometimes referred to as the ‘shooting script’ or the ‘visual script.’ The 2-column script has, well you guessed it, 2-columns. These columns consist of the Video side on the left and the Audio side on the right. The audio includes the narrator, on-camera spokesperson, actors, interviews, and/or testimonials. The purpose of the 2-column script is to completely plan the video out on paper. The right side will feature all of the audio while the left side will highlight the associated visual imagery. We separate the visual imagery into 3 categories: “V” = Video Footage, “G” = Motion Graphics, and “A” = 3d Animation. As we move through the script audio on the right side we will indicate on the left side what the viewer will be seeing. The visual imagery is written out in detail on the left utilizing a reference number and a “V”, “G”, or an “A” depending on the type of imagery. This same reference number is then placed on the right side in the narration audio to indicate where that visual sequence starts and stops. You can see this demonstrated in detail below by looking at the DHL Ocean 2-column script. Once this process is complete, a client can essentially view their entire video just by reading this 2-column script as this is exactly what the SolidLine Media Production Team will use during on-location filming, graphic development, and editing.

DHL Ocean Freight Services 2-Column Script - Click here to view the PDF

The Pitch is complete, Production Outline approved, Style Sheet designed, Script is locked, and the 2-column Script is printed and in the hands of the SolidLine Production Team. Now its time to finish the production planning, hop onboard the SolidLine rig, and head to Hollywood…or, more than likely, Cleveland…

Below is the completed DHL Global Forwarding Ocean Freight Services Promo Video, entitled “Beyond Port to Port,” currently being distributed by DHl sales teams across North America. Enjoy the show!

You can contact Greg at gvass@solidlinemedia.com.

For more information about SolidLine Media, visit us online at www.solidlinemedia.com.  Or call 312-939-8600.

Copyright 2009 SolidLine Media, a division of KV Media Group, Inc.