St. Thomas More Capital Campaign
As a creative company, we love working with clients who are excited to incorporate narratives into their messaging. For the past year, Project LEAD, a task force of individuals in the St. Thomas More Catholic community, have been gathering information and starting plans for a capital campaign that will be initiated this year. They invited us to help them craft their messages to the community at large through videos. The historic church and school community in Portland is doing the capital campaign to raise significant funds for major renovations and additions to their school and community center.
Before initiating the big “ask” for donations, we wanted to help Project LEAD remind their community members what makes them all unique-remind them why some of the longest-standing families and individuals have remained active members of the community. We designed a narrative video that told the story of St. Thomas More using a comparison and contrast of the past and present.
We gathered photos from families and individuals who have been active in the St. Thomas More community for generations. The video transforms these old polaroids and washed out photos into active, living memories. Parishioners and parents who raised their children at St. Thomas More tell their own stories-bringing about the realization that their school and church community is and always has been one of the most central ties to their respective life-forming relationships and experiences.
The St. Thomas More “Honoring our past, building our future” video will be out later this spring!
5 Things I Learned at ICON16
Now that life has settled a bit, I’ve had some time to process my last few days. I spent March 2-4 in Phoenix, Arizona, for the ICON conference hosted by Infusionsoft, our automated marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) software. Going to the conference without any compadres from SkEye was a bit daunting and overwhelming. Not knowing what to expect, I armed myself with an extra stack of business cards and full batteries in my Macbook and phone for taking copious amounts of notes.
Soon, I realized that Infusionsoft is more than just a software provider, they’re a tool and small business success agent. The conference was aimed at helping small businesses take themselves to the next level, whether through improved confidence, leadership training, software-usage improvement, management skills, branding, networking, and so many more!
Five things I learned from ICON 2016.
1. Don’t let crazy in the door.
Dave Ramsey gave a breakout session on hiring and firing. One of his key points on hiring was “Don’t let crazy in the door.” He said that it’s harder to get rid of a toxic employee than to not hire him/her in the first place. His hiring process is incredibly lengthy and thorough. It inspired us to go deeper in our internship hiring process and ask non-traditional questions that allow us to better get to know the applicants.
2. The “buyer journey” of a client is like a romantic relationship.
Carey Ballard, director of content marketing at Infusionsoft, shared the analogy of how a sales pipeline should be thought of in a more personal way, like a romantic, dating relationship.
- Awareness (catch a person’s eye)
- Interest (chat a bit, have a connection)
- Learn (get their number)
- Justify (figure out if you like each other)
- Purchase (put a ring on it)
And as silly as it sounds, let’s just be honest, most of us are much more willing to become a loyal customer if we feel like we’re being “wooed.” As consumers, we want to feel like a business wants more than just our money, they want a continued relationship that provides value to both parties. So business owners, I challenge you to examine your process, are you fostering a relationship with customers?
3. Gary Vaynerchuk.
Social media marketing guru. I hadn’t heard much of him before I sat down for his keynote. But now I’m a convert…and then some. Chris and Maggie have even listened to/read his latest book, #AskGaryVee. Entrepreneurs: Look. Him. Up.
4. Sales Pitch Timing.
Oren Klaff, author of Pitch Anything gave a keynote reminding the fundamentals of selling. These days, too many people are spending too much time developing rapport and features, losing attention when it’s the important “ask” happens. By the time that a sales conversation gets around to needing to overcome objectives, you’ve lost the attention and focus.
5. Branding that Sells.
A client-business relationship can be equated to a bank account. Branding is like making deposits into that relational equity account; selling is making withdrawals. It’s not a bad thing to sell, but it needs to be done once enough relational equity has been built. Since we’re creative-minded people, we like to build our relational equity through branding videos and content. The following are a couple methods to build those “bank accounts.”
Make ‘em laugh. If you can make them laugh, they’ll remember you, and it will build relational equity. Question: Can you laugh at yourself? If you’re willing to do it, you can be funny.
Make ‘em cry. This is difficult to do well, but if you can cause someone to have an emotional response, it can be hugely effective.
Make ‘em feel a part of something. Do your customers know what you believe? Do your customers know where you stand?
Moon Seed
At SkEye, we’re incredibly passionate about projects that push us to create awesome things. In fact, we make a point to ensure that if we have an idea of a new technique or great story, we find ways to get our hands dirty and put it into action.
In mid-February, we took a weekend to film “Moon Seed,” an emotional, narrative short about a space-loving boy whose dreams take shape through his imagination. This passion-project was written and directed by Margaret.
We partnered with Justin Alpern and MEE, LLC. from California. Justin and Margaret were classmates in film school at Chapman University. Justin was our director of photography for the weekend. He not only brought his talent as a cinematographer, but he also brought an extensive amount of equipment for us to use to get the best quality shots possible. One of my favorite pieces of equipment he brought was a single light that mimicked the sun. Worth $10,000, it was used in a variety of ways on set to give us the most clean light possible. My favorite was when he set it up to mimic the moonlight flooding through the window. Ironically, higher in the sky, the real moon shone bright and clear as well.
Passion projects require a special group of people. We are forever grateful and indebted and to our good friends Mark and Julee who opened their home to us. It couldn’t have been more picturesque-not only was there plenty of space for all our gear and sets, but the white-picket fence and perpetual green of Western Oregon put Margaret’s vision over the top.
Our fearless actor, Rylie, was the best kid for the job! Being “Tommy” for the production looked natural. He took direction like a champ! In the course of the weekend, we learned that he has always loved outer space, and he and his father even made their own space video once!
The first day of shooting included a green screen, a LOT of dirt to create the best version of the moon, “moon” rocks, and the coolest astronaut costume you’ve ever seen. The second day was our first day on-site at Mark and Julee’s charming home. Located in the Pacific Northwest, we’re used to early spring rain…however this was the one day we were praying for clear skies. Luckily, the universe cooperated and we had clear shots for the times that we were shooting outdoors! Finally, the last day began shooting later to use the waning light of the afternoon and evening. We brought the neighborhood outside their homes to gawk at the “moon”light we created.
Post-production of the short is projected to be completed mid-April. Custom graphics-including a rocket ship for the green screen and a custom score are currently being created.
How To: Lighting a Video Interview
Introduction
Videos require stories, stories require story-telling, and story-telling, well, it requires lighting. Wait? What? Let us explain, at SkEye Studios we ask a lot of questions: How do you make an interview stand out? What is the most important part of an on-camera interview with a subject? Does three-point lighting really matter? What is three-point lighting?
The Experiment
Who doesn’t like experiments? Besides, why take the advice from experienced greats like Errol Morris? He has only won several Academy Awards and Best Documentary Film a couple times 😉 Prior to the production of our latest project with iTech Painting (Lead Paint PSA), we decided to spend a few hours in the studio experimenting with lighting an interview. We asked ourselves, is three-point lighting really necessary? And, is one of the lights more important than another?
Key Light
-
the main source of light in a photograph or film.
Arguably one of the most important lights on an interview, this is the main source of light in an interview. If you don’t have a key light you probably won’t see too much of the subject. If you only have one light, this would be the place to use it.
Fill Light
-
a supplementary light used in photography or filming that does not change the character of the main light and is used chiefly to lighten shadows.
The fill light is more optional than the key light. It is used to reduce the amount of contrast on the subject’s face. It is typically set up directly opposite of the key light and farther away from the subject to evenly spread the light across the scene.
Hair Light (also known as back light)
-
illumination from behind.
The hair light (which is nearly synonymous with the term back light) is placed behind the subject around 3 feet above their head. It is arguably one of the coolest and most interesting lights on the set. It has the ability to make you look like an angel, but if it is not used properly it can cause an unwanted lens flare. It is also the light you would use if you are trying to keep someone’s identity secret…as you can see from our screenshot.
All of this aside, the hair light, when used in conjunction with the other lighting, provides a very nice silhouette around the subject and makes them pop off the background. This is a very nice added touch to an interview as it adds depth to the shot.
Hair light
Using only a hair light might seem a little humorous, but it is quite useful if you are trying to protect someone’s identity.
No Hair light with Key Light
You can see in this picture that the set does not look as deep. The lack of light on the shoulders and hair makes the subject blend into the background more of the set.
Back Drop
-
a painted cloth hung at the back of a theater stage as part of the scenery.
Lighting the back drop is probably one of the most overlooked aspects when lighting an interview. This is because it is a very subtle addition to set. However, you will notice that it definitely adds another interesting element to the set of an interview. One common mistake when lighting the backdrop is letting some of the light spill onto the subject. It is very important that you use barn doors or flanges to focus the light onto only what you want to light.
Star Wars to Small Business
Three Things Star Wars Can Teach You About Your Small Business Video
When one goes about planning the video they want to represent their small business, their first thought is most likely not to reference the high-budget and widely popular Star Wars blockbuster franchise for inspiration. For what can Wookies, lightsabers, and the Millennium Falcon really have to do with creating a dynamic and interesting small business video? More than you may think. And with over 96% of consumers finding video helpful when making purchase decisions, having a stellar video for your small business is a must. So hit the hyperdrive, use the force, and follow me through three Jedi-approved lessons you can learn for your next small business video.
A New World
There is no denying that a huge reason the Star Wars movies are so popular is that George Lucas (and the creative minds behind him) introduced a new world that moviegoers hadn’t seen before. It was a vast, complex, and awe-inducing world full of new sights, ideas, and Death Stars.
So how can your business create their own exciting galaxy far far away? By showing your customers the specific, intricate, and unique “world” of your business. Use your video as a way of taking your customers behind the scenes into a part of your business that they’ve never seen before.
Does your business build bicycle parts? Shoot an engaging tour, not of your showroom, but of your workshop. Does your business sell cars? Move past the car lot to highlight the inner relationships and personality of one of your top salespeople. 77% of consumers consider companies that create online video as more engaged with customers. Every business has their own unique world, with their own unique characters, and if you can highlight that, you’ll be showing your customers what they’ve never seen before-leading them to be engaged, interested, and connected to your business in a new way.
Color Matters
The average person has no trouble remembering that all the baddies in Star Wars (Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and the teenage mini-Vader in the latest movie) have red lightsabers. Why did the filmmakers choose this color? Because the color red symbolizes many traits of the Dark Side: anger, strength, power, passion. This symbolism hits most of us subconsciously, but it is undeniable that different colors can make us feel different things. Don’t believe me? Think how different it would feel if Darth Vader’s lightsaber was not red but pink. Suddenly the big old baddie doesn’t seem so bad.
Chances are that as a business owner you know the colors of your business and use them often in your branding, newsletters, and print materials. Don’t forget them in your video! The impact of your video will be more than the text of your newsletter or the copy on your website. Research shows that using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65%. So it’s imperative that the mood, personality, and colors of your video match the rest of your marketing.
So, ask yourself: what color is my logo? What color are my uniforms? What color are the walls of my business? What colors or backgrounds will convey the emotions I want my customers to feel? If you’re a family-friendly business that wants to convey warmth and approachability, you shouldn’t show up to the shoot in a black polo shirt and shoot in front of a black chalkboard. If you’re an environmentally friendly tech company, you’d want to highlight the associations people have between the colors green and blue with the environment and technology. Color can be an easy way to influence how your customers feel when they watch your video.
Moments
When you ask someone what their favorite thing about the Star Wars movies are, they don’t usually say something like “I thought the story as a whole was cohesive and impressive and I liked how the scenes fit together to form the big picture.” Instead they say: “I loved it when the Millennium Falcon escaped from Tatooine,” or I laughed so hard when Solo said, “Let the Wookie win.” What people love about Star Wars, and all good films, are moments. Though you need good story structure and a cohesive plot to tell a good story, what people remember are the moments that stood out to them.
The same applies to videos on any scale. You want a customer watching the video to walk away with a strong moment that they’ll not just remember an hour later but a week or month later. Video is shared 1200% more times than links and text combined. What moment can you create that would prompt people to click that share button? You most likely won’t have an Ewok or Imperial Star Destroyer in your video, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make a lasting moment.
In the homepage video SkEye created last year for iTech Painting (see below), a certain shot/moment has stayed in the mind of consumers and is talked about by those that watch the video. It is of owner Ryan Whipple watching his daughter laughing on a playground slide as he talks about being a family man. And because that moment stays with consumers, it instantly associates iTech Painting with a family friendly business. The most shared video content is 89% Educational, 91% Heartwarming, and 94% Humorous. So when you think through the video you want to make for your business, highlight what images and moments can move beyond just an advertisement of your business but what can be educational, heartwarming, or humorous.
So there you have it. Three lessons you can learn from Star Wars to create an engaging and exciting video for your small business. And as you venture into the video creating world, we say sincerely from our SkEye family to yours…may the force be with you!
Film and Video Internships and the Law
This summer, SkEye Studios will be starting an internship program. As we look forward to bringing in students to mentor-and let’s be honest, teach us-we’ve been researching the legalities of all that we’re hoping to do. I came across this blog by another production company. It helps break down the legalities of offering unpaid internships. Granted, at SkEye Studios, we want to work with our interns’ colleges or universities to ensure that they’ll be able to receive some form of academic credit for all the learning and experience they’ll gain!
Peter Mavrick, attorney for management and employers, was recently asked to render advice to a client in the film and video industry regarding its unpaid internships. A film and video business can teach valuable career lessons to novice career entrants. However, the structure of the unpaid internship opportunity matters from a legal perspective. As explained in further detail below, the most conservative approach is to link the internship to a bona fide school program for credit. Even in the absence of a school program, wages do not necessarily need to be paid to the intern. The main problem with internships, however, is that they expose the business to potential meritless claims where current or former interns contend they were exploited and deserve wages. In addition, the structure of the unpaid internship can fall within a gray area where the facts can lend themselves to different interpretations, with one possible interpretation supporting a valid claim for unpaid wages. In this article, attorney Peter Mavrick discusses, from a management attorney’s perspective, the law surrounding unpaid internships and federal wage law requirements.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that “employees” be paid a minimum wage and overtime wage for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. The FLSA’s definition of “employee” is quite broad and could include workers whom the employer classified as “volunteers” or “unpaid interns.” Whether an individual in an “employee” under the FLSA does not depend on labels, titles, or agreements between the employer and the individual. Consequently, employers sometimes are surprised to learn that an individual who agreed to work as an unpaid intern might have a viable claim for unpaid wages under the FLSA. Generally, courts will find that an unpaid intern is not an “employee” if the following six factors are satisfied: (1) the internship is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school; (2) the internship experience is for the benefit of the intern; (3) the intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision; (4) the employer providing the training derives no immediate advantage from the intern’s activities and on occasion the employer’s operations may be impeded; (5) the intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and (6) the employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. No one factor is dispositive, nor are the factors applied mechanically. Instead, courts generally use those six factors to guide their analysis. Recently, a federal court in Florida applied the above six factors and held that certain student interns were not “employees” under the FLSA. In Schumann v. Collier Anesthesia, P.A., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 71152 (M.D. Fla. May 23, 2014), student registered nurse anesthetists (“student interns”) participated in an internship program supervised by an employer. The internship was a requirement for graduation, and the student interns understood they would not be paid. Nonetheless, 25 student interns sued the employer for unpaid wages for work performed during the internship.
This blog is from NYC video production company, Indigo Productions. To learn how the six factors can swing (toward the employer or toward the student), see the full blog here.
Goals, Resolutions, and Wishes
Entering into 2016, the SkEye team has formed goals, resolutions, and wishes that we’d like to achieve this year. This morning, I was at a Toastmasters meeting, and we discussed steps that people can take to help make their goals become realities. One of the proposed solutions was to make them public: Shout from rooftops. Tell your friends. Write them down! That being said, the five of us have compiled a list of some of our individual and collective goals for 2016.
- I want to be known as the premier video production company on the West Side (of the Portland metro area), if not the whole metro area.
- I wish to have an intern or two to learn from and nurture in their development as professionals.
- I wish that Beat Feet will find a large audience in a successful film festival run and distribution.
- I want to create one creative project next year that is not client-based, but only from the minds and talents of SkEye Studios individuals.
- I wish that our internship program is a huge success, and that our interns are able to complete videos with 3 different non-profits on their own.
- I hope we at SkEye Studios are able to astound and encourage our community of loyal friends and followers with films and media that are increasingly beautiful, powerful, and genuine.
- I hope we set goals that aren’t too lofty… But… Eh who cares, I hope we make the next Schindler’s List.
- I wish to find a client whose needs give us the opportunity to travel to somewhere exotic.
- I wish that The Rock responds to my emails, letters, and phone calls with an enthusiastic agreement to be the starring spokesperson in SkEye’s next commercial.
- I want to make a friend. Like a real one, not one that sits in a pot by the window all day and requires watering.
- I hope to learn how to leave the office by 5pm.
Have you made goals yet? New Year resolutions? What are your tips for keeping and/or achieving them? As we check things off this list, we’ll be keeping you posted. I can’t say too much yet, but there are a few projects in the works that you’ll be pretty excited about. I’m thrilled because I can already see that we’ll be able to reach and surpass some of these goals!
Christmas Comes to SkEye Studios
MERRY CHRISTMAS from all of us at SkEye Studios. We’ve had a big past year, and we have even bigger plans for the year to come.
Last week, during our office Christmas party, we ate lots of food, played games (Pictionary is even better on our massive white boards!), and we set up some new equipment and had some fun behind and in front of the camera. We think we’re hilarious…
What do you think?
Beat Feet Documentary Premiere - Spokane, Wash.
As many of you know, our company decided to begin following Scotty Smiley on his journey to becoming an Ironman last March. But what some of you didn’t know is that last week we premiered our first documentary, Beat Feet: Scotty Smiley’s Blind Journey to the Ironman, to a packed house at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, Washington. We had 550 people join us for the first private screening of the film. The most popular question of the night was “When can we see it again?” The answer to that depends on where you live. However, our goal is to have it available to people all over the world as soon as possible.
The evening featured appetizers by Black Tie Catering, craft beers by River City Brewing, photos by our own Patrick and Jacob, and impeccable hosting by the Bing Theater staff.
Showing several months of intense work is a bag of mixed feelings. Proud, nervous, excited, anticipation, crazy, whirlwind, fulfilling, and relief are all words that describe how the SkEye team felt before, during, and after that evening.
This documentary has found a home in our hearts and the hearts of many who have had the opportunity to see it. You can’t help but feel inspired by Scotty and Andy’s accomplishment and the unwavering support of their friends and family. Finding the strength to “beat feet” and to go the extra mile is a challenge that has energized us, individually and as a team. It is evidenced in the long hours spent organizing footage, meticulously melding sound to shots and antagonizing over crafting Scotty’s story into something that resonates with many.
Beat Feet is a not-for-profit project. Rather, it was the fulfillment of a dream and the start of what we hope to be a long-standing tradition of telling stories that inspire and speak to the soul. The evening of the premiere, we raised over $6,000 alone. We are still accepting donations that will fund the post-production and additional screenings of the documentary. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Beat Feet Foundation, the sponsor of this project. Online donations are possible through the crowd-funding platform, Generosity. We also check our mailbox regularly and love finding checks!
SkEye Studios Turns Two Years Old!
SkEye Studios turns two years old! We were established in 2013 on 11/12/13 (1, 2, 3!). The day came and went quietly since most of us were traveling back from the premiere of Beat Feet: Scotty Smiley’s Blind Journey to the Ironman in Spokane, Washington.
It is incredibly humbling to realize how far we have come in just two years. We are so grateful for all of the people and clients we have had the opportunity to work with along the way.
Each new project has brought the opportunity to try new techniques, hone our skills, and think outside-the-box in ways like never before. In the past several months, we more than doubled our company… Not that five team members is that many, but it’s a big step up!
Our birthday gift to ourselves has been a re-branding. Those of you who have been with us since the beginning will notice that we have a bit of a new look. We’ve had lots of fun being creative and finding our collective personality that represents us as a unit. In the beginning our specialty was stunning aerial videography. Now, we don’t just want to fly by… but we aim to soar.
One of the biggest aspects of the re-branding is our new logo, a seed. We like to think our videos are like well-nurtured seeds. Anyone can make and edit a video, but we take time to get to know our clients, their needs, their values, and their purpose. Our purpose is to plant seeds in fertile soil and tend to them over time, ensuring that they grow all the way to the “skeye”-the way they were intended to.
We don’t just create a video; we offer a cutting edge experience that doesn’t disappoint.
SkEye’s the Limit - SkEye Studios Blog