September 2003
From the desk of John Cooksey
Elite Video
Hot Springs,AR
 
Dear Videographer:
 
I was in my basement the other day and found the master tape of my first movie. Back in 1985 a friend and I borrowed a camera and a VCR deck to make a 25-minute movie titled, “The Adventure.” The story involved a bomb (disguised as a high-tech flashlight) set to blow up the world unless it could be diffused by two musicians who had a concert to play in 24 hours. It was a wacky premise, but it worked. Even wackier was the fact that we had no editing or digital gear, so we had to make do: For example, 1) we had to shoot in sequence; 2) we overdubbed dialog and music at the same time by using the audio dub button on the deck; and 3) we created a still frame for the credits by both of us holding perfectly still for two minutes. As bad as the quality was, (oops...the deck was in lp mode!) I was surprised that it is still entertaining to people.  
 
Here’s why I think my low-tech, low-budget movie, “The Adventure” holds up to this day:
 
The characters were a situation they didn't want to be in.
They contrasted each other.
Every scene counted and meant something to the movie.
The scenes were no longer then they had to be.
There was limited dialog to tell the story, but nothing more.
There was action and pressure (the bomb was set to go off).
It followed standard story/plot form.
The characters matured by the end.
It was short.
 
The funny thing is:
 
Back then we didn’t know what we were doing to make it work,
 
  but...
 
we had watched enough bad movies to know we didn't want to make one.
 
  Two years ago I wrote in this newsletter about the book/audio tapes by Robert McKee called “STORY.” It teaches you in depth what it takes to make a story or screenplay or movie. I loved McKee’s breakdown on how to do make your film something people really want to watch. It’s not about the gear you have; it’s about how to make your story interesting. Now Robert McKee and his book are part of the story of “Adaptation”,the recent movie with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep about a screenwriter having major trouble. Please rent this movie. “Adaptation” works because of the 1-8 things mentioned above. But it also teaches you about two subjects (writing a movie and the world of rare flowers) while you are watching. It also works because it both follows and flexes the rules of creating a movie at the right times to keep you watching. 
 
In the next two months try and make a fun, short movie. You don’t need lots of gear or lots of money. You just need an idea, the knowledge about what makes a bad movie bad, & how to avoid the traps. So...rent “Adaptation”,read “Story”by Robert McKee, and have an “Adventure”of your very own!       
 
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LEARN MORE ABOUT MAKING MOVIES: Project Greenlight on HBO is the behind-the-scenes show on a 1+ million dollar budget movie.  It’s great to watch what to do and what not to do. Last week I noticed the use of 4 ft. by 8 ft. white boards which they use for outdoor close-ups and medium shots. Because they are large, they reflect the light evenly. It is a nice low-budget lighting trick that is even used on studio movies!  
 
CHROMAKEY MAGIC: We have finally released our 70-minute DVD on chroma-key secrets. Called CHROMAKEY MAGIC, it takes you through everything you need to know from lighting to positioning to reducing the chromakey edges and more! It sells for $39 and you can get it at www.elitevideo.com or call 800-468-1996. It has a 90-day money-back guarantee.
 
BEST CHROMAKEY MIXERS AND SOFTWARE: We find that the new Edirol V4 Video mixer (under $1000) has the best quality; followed by the MX-20 by Panasonic with the Videonics’ coming in third. As for software, both the Final Cut and Adobe Premiere work well when you fine tune the edging on them. The mixers have the advantage of aligning your image with the background in real time while software gives you more tweaking capability. VIDEOGEARSHOP carries the Edirol V4 unit phone
866 212-4327
 
CHROMAKEY CLOTHES CAN REALLY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE: Tan and green clothes seem to work best; avoid black pants or a black shirt. If edging around hair is a real problem, consider a tan hat or scarf.
 
UPGRADE YOUR TRIPOD — NEW BOGEN CARBON TRIPODS — ONLY 3.5 lbs!  Half the weight, but twice as strong! Breaks down more compactly, too. You will fall in love with it; it’s much easier to move around, too.  Holds big and small cameras. Tripod only Reg $399 Sale $329 Call and speak to Jeff at The Video Gear Shop (866) 212-4327. 
 
THE NEW JVC 5000 3-CHIP FULL SIZE CAMERA: We have had it for a few months and like the image quality and the fact that it takes both mini-dv and dvcam tapes plus it has a pull-out viewfinder. With all the accessories it was under $7000 from Armatos in New York. You can see the quality in the Chromakey Magic videos or on the Chromakey Magic demo at www.elitevideo.com.  
 
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR VIDEOGEAR DURING A POWER OUTAGE. Take the 12-volt batteries and battery belts you use for lights and/or camera and hook them up to a power inverter (a 300-watt is now less than $50 at your local discount store). Now you can at least run a tv or some lights. The brick batteries that go on the big cameras also work well, but you have to make or buy a cable that goes from the aux power output on the battery to the inverter (usually cig lighter style).  
 
HIRING TALENT FROM TV SHOWS: The internet now makes it easier to find and contact talent for your videos. About 6 months ago we shot a technical training video for the Canon G3 Digital Still Camera . We hired Kate Botello to be our on-screen talent. Kate had been the co–host for “The Screen Savers” TV show on the Tech TV network for a few years. I loved the way she presented herself and the equipment she talked about. I felt she would be a great fit with our video. A search of the internet and an email to her got the discussion rolling. We agreed on a reasonable fee that worked within our modest budget.  She and I co-hosted the video which took three days to shoot here in Hot Springs, AR. If you plan to hire talent of Kate Botello’s quality, it’s important to be very professional. Every detail was in place days before the shoot — including time of the airport pickup, her favorite snacks, the itinerary of each day’s shooting...down to the lunch breaks and what types of food would be available for her in town. Assign someone as an assistant for the talent during the shoot (does she need coffee, etc.?). Though I had a paid staff person for this position, often you will find someone who will volunteer for this. Kate really enjoyed doing the shoot. One reason was that although we have a low-stress operation, we were organized, efficient and detailed before the shoot started. This made Kate very relaxed because she knew exactly what to expect. She was very professional and the shoot went well. Treating your talent well makes your video the best it can be and your talent will go the extra mile for you.
 
THE LAZY QUICK WAY TO IMPRESS THE CLIENTS
By the time I finished with my last video project, I was creatively burnt. The last thing I wanted to think about was an opening sequence. I had put so much effort into the “meat” of the production, but I still had no beginning. I didn’t want to use white titles on a black background. I wanted something polished, but didn’t want to have to work at it. Enter Generic Show Intros — These amazing, pre-fabricated sequences come ready to go. Top animators and editor shave creatively combined generic footage and animations with music to create 30-second masterpieces for the front (or end if you wish) of your production. You just add your own titles over them and that’s it! There are different themes to use; for example: technology, lifestyle, travel, sports, etc. These are ideal for TV shows; ideal for showing a client a teaser of what you can do for them; ideal for corporate videos and ideal for demos. There is no music to add and no animations to render. With a non-linear system that has motion path capability (Premiere, Final Cut, etc.) you can even move a couple of your shots over the complex openings and you will convince anyone that you did all the work. If you are a one or two person “mom & pop” video shop, you can totally compete with the major production houses with so little effort, it’s not funny. It would cost you upwards of $15,000 to have these 10 generic openings; and you can get them all on mini-dv format, royalty-free, for the sale price of $79— that’s half off our regular price! Even if you only use one, they will pay for themselves right away. To see a video demo or order, go to www.elitevideo.com  
 
MAKE MONEY IN THE SLOW MONTHS: Subsidy Video Kit -Available for only $99! It contains 4 DVDs, full support and a 500-day, money-back guarantee. Allows you to videotape professionals in your area on the day of your choice and set your own schedule. Less stress & more fun. 
1(800) 468-1996 or www.elitevideo.com
 
LIGHTING CHROMAKEY: Keep background evenly lit but not quite as bright as your foreground for best results. Go to www.elitevideo.com to see the virtual sets or chromakey cloth (10’ x 16’) we have on sale. The virtual sets are also available as an instant download.
 
BEST WAY TO AVOID COPYING OF YOUR DVDS AND VIDEOTAPES: We have done a lot of research and found that there is no great method of copy guarding your dvds or video when making lots of dvds or vhs . You can get a licensed duplicator that will put in copy protection but that costs more per disk and you need to make 100 or more. The best way if you are videotaping events is to build the price of the duplications into your price. For example, your $1699 package includes 8 dvds . Remember: if your work is good, that is eight advertisements that will be seen by at least 30 other people, getting you more work. You can also let your client know in a fun way that a minimum number of duplications are expected, and that you have them at an excellent price to avoid the temptation of illegal copying by some odd family relative over which they have no control.
 
DUPLICATE YOUR OWN DVDs: We are offering high-quality DVD duplicators (with Pioneer AO6 drives) at the lowest prices in the country. Make 4 at a time for only $1795. Make 6 at a time for only $2450. You just put your master DVD in the top drive and your blanks in the bottom four and push start. The machine checks for errors while duplicating so there is no worrying about making a bad disk (unlike with vhs). The disks are made at 4x speed, so an hour program will get done in15 minutes! You can do audio cds or data disks at16x. For a demo of the unit in action, go to our website at www.elitevideo.com
You can order on-line or call 800-468-1996.
 
MAKING YOURSELF BETTER THAN THE COMPETITION: Let’s face it; now that digital 3-chip camcorders are cheaper and easier to use, seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and calling themselves a videographer. How do you stand apart from the crowd? Great lighting! In the past great lighting called for an expensive kit and lots of knowledge. But now there is a better way —

DIGITAL LIGHTING MAGIC. This 3-DVD set takes you through lighting easy and fast — without making you spend big bucks on lots of lights. All three DVDs for $135. 
 
Most videographers spend under $500 a year on training materials to improve the quality of their product. Now you can spend under $150 and get three of the greatest DVDs in the world on lighting for videos.  You don’t have to go to school for 20 years to learn the secrets of the pros. These are the first instructional videos hosted and created by John Cooksey in several years. They are also the first to come out only on DVD. You don’t need a lot of room or an expensive kit to get great results. These videos have over 60 subjects with over 60 on-camera people. You will see real set-ups and real situations that can be done with little or no cost. Sample shots from the video at www.elitevideo.com  
 
ADOBE PREMIERE 6 USERS & FINAL CUT PRO 3 USERS: Learn about these programs easy and fast. Save your valuable time whether teaching or learning. Premiere 6 Made Easy and Final Cut Pro 3 Made Easy. Both are two tape sets. $89 for each set. Call (800) 468-1996 or order on-line.
 
COOL WEB SITES FOR VALUABLE VIDEO INFO www.videosuccess.com (newsletter and a free reading library); www.fastforward.com; www.2-pop.com (great newsgroups); and the newsletters section of www.elitevideo.com
 
VIDEO SHOT OF THE MONTH: Shadow shots can 1) make for great suspense; 2) be used as a spoof technique in a parody; or 3) used to introduce a second person in a scene. Take a shot of your main character, then a shot of a shadow slowly appearing near or on the main character, then the shot of the second character(s). (Video light required). An example of this is a person lying on a bed awake but resting, looking up at the ceiling, when suddenly a shadow slowly comes across his face. Then cut to the person that is causing the shadow looking down at him. This works because it creates movement in a still shot, along with adding suspense, because you don’t know who is causing the shadow until the shot cuts to the next shot. The main character can even talk to the second character before the cut, adding even more suspense. Look for this in Alfred Hitchcock movies. If you are a wedding videographer, you can use this in a funny way — like when the best men comes to get the groom.  
 
SEE THE TECHNIQUES YOUR COMPETITORS ARE USING: Over 2900 videographers other than you have already gotten the Advanced Broadcast Camera Techniques DVD’s. So most of you don't know about the 120 top techniques (over 700 examples) that your competitors are using to make their work better than yours. The tapes give you a 500-day guarantee on improving even the most experienced cameraman…so what have you got to lose? Get the Advanced Broadcast Camera Techniques video tapes now. Call us at 800.468.1996. You can also go to our website and read the testimonials on these top-selling camera technique DVDs.

FREE NEWSLETTERS JUST LIKE THIS ONE  Many tips & tricks– just go to our newsletters section at www.elitevideo.com and click on the newsletters button. Here you will find the issues for the past couple of years. Feel free to print them out and share them.
 
USING COPYRIGHTED MUSIC ON YOUR WEBSITE: The problem really arises if your website is being used to promote your “for profit” business. Sometimes the song you are using on your site is being used by another company that paid mucho bucks to get the exclusive right to use it and understandably, they get really hot under the collar if someone else is using it for free to promote their wedding (or other) video services. Of course there is still the issue of the copyright holder, too. Because your website has a much higher exposure profile (millions of people, rather than the five who have the dvds you dubbed for the bride and groom), it’s a smart idea to shy away from copyrighted material on your website. The Elite Video music library has tunes that are similar in style and pacing to the popular tunes you love to use and they are royalty-free, eliminating the worry about using a copyrighted piece.!
 
But don’t they cost more than popular music? No...actually you can get the set of 800 + tracks on 40 cds for the sale price of $389. That is less than $10 per disk. Some cuts were done with a 60 piece orchestra while others were done with full bands of all styles.  By just using a few cuts, these cds will pay for themselves and protect you from unwanted exposure.  You can hear samples at www.elitevideo.com.
 
WORLD’S BIGGEST STOCK FOOTAGE COLLECTION AT 1/10th THE PRICE!  Four 80-minute mini-dv tapes packed with everything imaginable—fromcityscapes, to medical, time lapse clouds, drive-in movie trailers, historical footage, patriotic, space, monuments, technology, crowds, extreme sports, corporate, industrial, nature, people—You name it, you need it, it’s here! All royalty-free! Over 1400 shots! This is the world’s most complete collection of stock video! Getting something as complete as this anywhere else would be over $4000. Now at Elite it’s only $399! Go to www.elitevideo.com to see all that’s on these four jam-packed videos (upgrade available to current stock footage owners, also).
 
BEWARE OF PHOTO PAPER THAT IS TOO THIN: You see “photo quality” paper in your local office supply or discount store, so you buy it. When you get home, you’re disappointed because it is too thin for your picture needs. To avoid this problem, MAKE SURE THE PHOTO PAPER SAYS 10 ml (or higher) on the package. The thin stuff at 9 mil or less will only disappoint you. 
 
CHROMAKEY USERS GET A HIGH BUDGET LOOK AT A VERY LOW BUDGET. Elite already has the lowest price on virtual sets in the country. Now you get twice as many virtual sets for the same one low price.  Our goal is to get high-end virtual sets like these in the hands of low-budget video producers. Now get over 30 master sets with a total of 110 variations all for the low price of $139. Note: For newbies, virtual sets are backgrounds on mini-dv tape that look like real video sets. You key them in on a green background or green cloth. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a “set”, you just key yourself in front of these highly detailed backgrounds (law office, newsroom, talk show set, kids show, space ship, back alley, etc.) and you get a high production look on a low budget.  Most companies will charge $300-$500 for just one — you get all these at a fraction of the market price. Go to elitevideo.com and see them all! Green cloth and backgrounds available, too.

GETTING PAID WHAT YOU DESERVE: Hear high-end wedding videographers, Art Polin and John Cooksey, reveal their secrets of getting highly paid in the Wedding and Event video business. Use their techniques to do the same thing, no matter where you live in the country.  The 65-minute audio CD is called “Getting Paid What You Deserve.” It’s normally $29 but this month is FREE when you order anything on-line over $100 (put “free cd” in comments box when ordering) at www.elitevideo.com. It is guaranteed to make you more money than you expected in the next 12 months or your money back.
 
EASIEST MOST USED TEMPLATE FOR A COMMERCIAL “THE DOUGHNUT”:(note—these are rough numbers that can be modified slightly to work for you) 

Template #1
7 seconds on the product, 15 seconds with something funny (perhaps an indirect tie-in) and back to 7 seconds on your product (29 total).  Or the reverse with slightly different timing.

 
Template #2
9 seconds on something funny (first part of a short story), then 14 seconds on your product and 6 seconds (the end of the funny short story) :29 total  Double these numbers for :59 second commercials.
Watch TV tonight and you will be shocked at how many product commercials fit this format. They work because the “selling” is mixed in with entertainment! Try this with your production company and you can give your commercials a pro-look.
 
FIREWIRE DISTRIBUTION AMPS & LONG 100 FT. FIREWIRE CABLES ON SALE Call Jeff at The Video Gear Shop.  (866) 212-4327.
 
GET ANY AREA CODE WITH FREE LONG DISTANCE: What’s the catch? It’s 40 bucks a month, but that’s it — no fees no matter how much long distance you use. It’s not in all markets yet, including mine. It is also a great way to have a more prestigious area code and have potential clients feel they are calling a local company. I have a friend that uses it and the voice quality is great and has saved his business a lot of money. Go to www.vonage.com
 
HEAVY DUTY SHOTGUN MIC: 12 inch Samson (SP) model $199. Go to www.videogearshop.com or call (866) 212-4327. They also carry the Sennheisers which are more expensive shotgun mics ($400-$500), but ideal when you want top-of-the-line. Keep in mind a shotgun mic is great for when your wireless mic goes bad on the job. They also work well for pretty close mic use such as sit-down interviews.  For the best quality, it’s a good idea to grab a volunteer to hold and point the mic in the direction needed. 
 
FREE VIDEO PROMPTER: Good video prompter software can cost upwards of $1000 or more, but here is a great version that is absolutely free for videographers. Go to www.movieclip.biz/prompt.html
 
GETTING INTO WEDDINGS? Check out the Wedding and Event Video Association www.weva.com. Good info and magazine, plus great conventions and seminars around the country. 
 
HALF PRICE SOFTBOX LIGHTS: Jeff at The Video Gear Shop has softboxes starting below $250! Normally lights like this cost $600 or more. He also has good deals on 6.2 inch LCD MONITORS, DUAL SVHS MINIDV DECKS & MINI DV and DVCAM TAPE HOLDERS www.videogearshop.com
 
GETTING VIDEOGRAPHY JOBS ON EBAY: I went to ELANCE (part of ebay.com that allows people to bid on projects they have for freelancers) on 8/20/03 and typed in videography.  To my surprise no one came up...not one at all! There were 18 matches for photographer and just 7 for video production. No videographer put the words “videography” as part of their description.  So my advice to the freelancers out there is: Go now and post yourself on ELANCE and use the word “ videography” as well as “video production” for your key words! If you are reading this the day it came in the mail and post soon, chances are you can be the first person (or maybe second or third) in the world to advertise videography services on the world’s largest freelance posting site! If I see you up there, I’ll email you to say hi!
 
FULL LIVE ORCHESTRA BUY-OUT MUSIC: Why pay thousands of dollars for a 60-piece orchestra? Check out the Film Scores cd, one of the most recent royalty-free MovieMania disks.     
 
THROWING THE BACKGROUND OUT-OF-FOCUS: This is easier with more expensive cameras. Why? Because the more expensive cameras have bigger pickup chips.  A Sony PD150 or Canon XL-1 has 1/3 inch chips — the JVC 500 has 1/2 inch chips. The $15,000 cameras (the Sony 570) have 2/3 inch chips. The bigger the pickup device, the easier it is to get a lower depth of field.  Note: A 35mm film camera has 35mm of pickup, giving it even more of a range of depth-of-field and is the easiest for out-of-focus backgrounds.
 
FREE TEST PATTERN GENERATOR: Go to this website and get a high resolution pattern generator that gives you a variety of outputs. http://www.echofire.com/products/tpm/
 
WIRELESS MIC PROBLEM: Using just standard grade batteries or rechargeables in a wireless mic lowers the power output because they have slightly less voltage. Make sure you use alkaline batteries; they definitely do make a difference in performance and will spare you a bad audio headache later in post production.
 
 
 
Happy Videomaking!
John Cooksey
Elite Video
 
P.S.     You can get previous editions of this newsletter on-line at www.elitevideo.com.  Go to the newsletters section to check out the other cool tips and tricks.