Hello there!*
My wife would tell me I need to shamelessly promote myself. It’s a challenge, I was raised to be humble. My parents were strict about it. “Let your work speak for you!” My work does represent my skillset well, but in this day and age, you have to be obnoxious about promoting yourself, and more importantly, WHY people should hire you.
Now, I’m going to cover some topics in this post that might ruffle some feathers. If it does, well, maybe you should consider why it upsets you.
Look - I’m really good at what I do. Boastful much? At my age, I’m starting to feel less and less like I need to be modest. I’ve been in my industry for over two decades, and my field has changed dramatically. When I started, we still filmed and edited on video cassette tape. If you have NO idea what that is, Google that crap. Essentially, we copied from one tape to another. Adding graphics, NIGHTMARE. Adding music, NIGHTMARE. Tape snaps when you are almost done, you get to start ALL OVER. NIGHTMARE.
Next, if you could afford it, you got to upgrade to digital media. Mind you, we still filmed in standard definition. No idea what that means, Google it.
Then the transition to HD. First 720, and if you were lucky, 1080. Lost again, Google it.
Now, we live in the glorious world of 4K. I’m sure I don’t have to explain that, right? Although, do yourself a favor and be sure you know the difference between UHD and true 4k.
“Basil, what does it all mean”* Well, it means I’ve evolved over the years. Not just technically, but also in understanding how to tell a story. When I began, tape was expensive, cameras were outrageous, and a computer editing system, well, you had loans friends. Most production companies failed because they had tens of thousands of dollars in loans to cover equipment. A couple slow months and it was game over, man.*
What that taught us was how to plan a video. Script it out, storyboard the every living crap out of it, direct the production team and talent, organize everything. It made our generation good, really good.
At this point, I’m sure you are wondering where this is heading. I’ll get to the point. If you need a video, and let’s be honest, you really do need video content as part of your advertising strategy, you need to hire a pro. And I’m not talking about someone who just got out of school, uses an iPhone and iMovie, and can put it together for a couple hundred bucks. Told you, this might trigger some folks. You need someone who can plan a video. Can ask the right questions, like, what are your goals? What do you want people to think/feel while watching, and what do you want them to do when the video is over. We all watch loads of content. Hell, I’m guilty of losing hours watching TikTok. It is entertaining, but that is about all. If you are investing capital into a video, you want it to achieve something. Get viewers to buy your product, visit your website, engage in your organization, etc.
Not only am I great at asking you the right questions, but more importantly, I can take your answers and apply them to your video. I can script what you should say, I can create the visuals to capture what you are trying to explain, and the finished project will deliver your goals.
Now when you start looking for estimates for videos, you’ll be appalled by the pricing. I get it, but here is what you are paying for: skill. It is a skill to provide what our industry does. Ask my clients, why is Troy good at what he does, and each of them will tell you the same thing, “We told him what we wanted to make, and he did it. He gave us a timeline, wrote a script, explained everything we needed to film, and then we got a wonderful video at the end. He makes it so simple.”
If you look at the samples on my main page, I wrote 90% of that content. I filmed it, I edited it, all those graphics, mine. That takes talent and experience. Knowing how to compose a picture, knowing when to switch from a wide shot to a close up, use cut-away footage, when a graphic needs to be full screen or a lower third, that is all hands on knowledge.
If you hire and electrician or a plumber, you are paying for knowledge and experience. They will come in and install or fix your project. They are typically fast, and it’s done correctly. I am no different. You want a video. You want it to produce results. You are paying for my knowledge and experience as well. Added benefit, I’m a very pleasant person to be around. You might not be able to tell from this post, but I’m very humble, have a great sense of humor, and I love to work with my clients. I want your ideas, your suggestions, but I hope you will trust me when I give you ideas of how to incorporate them.
Friends, if you have read this far, I am grateful for you. If you need a video, reach out. As a good friend once told me, it costs nothing to have a conversation. And if this video insulted you, I understand. But I just worked a national convention with a large group of video professionals, and as I was told by many, you should never feel compelled to apologize for being great at what you do.
I always end my blogs with a film quote, enjoy:
“Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.” 10 Things I Hate About You
*denotes a film quote as well