eTown Videos Blog

Archive for the ‘Video Production’ Category

Beautiful time lapse video of Western Massachusetts sky and clouds

Beautiful time lapse video of Western Massachusetts sky and clouds

We created this time lapse video on May 10th, 2013 looking at the Western Massachusetts sky. Hope you enjoy it.

Is Video Production Quality Important?

Online videos come in many varieties – from dogs on surfboards and people dancing. I watch them because many are indeed fun and entertaining, you could also become an unexpected star on YouTube Many online videos are shot with low res phones or smart phones. Interestingly though, per Mashable, 9 out of the top 10 YouTube videos in 2012 were produced professionally. If you are a business considering a marketing video then quality plays an important role. High quality video builds trust and reflects on your companies or organization’s vision. As a business owner you take pride in offering the best service and products possible, therefore, your marketing video should reflect that commitment to quality and service. It is critical that your first impression is a good one. Someone discovering your business online for the first time wants to be impressed. Put your best foot forward, be original, authentic, and showcase your business with a high quality marketing video. I am not saying that you need to spend tens of thousands of dollars, a high quality marketing video can be produced even with a limited online marketing budget.

If you are a business located in Springfield, Northampton, MA or any of the Western Massachusetts communities, feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to provide you with a complimentary video marketing consultation.

How much should I spend on our marketing video?

Even the most casual Internet user is realizing that the online experience is increasingly driven by web videos and video marketing. comScore, an Internet analytics and research company, estimates that the online video audience has reached approximately 85% of the entire US Internet audience.
Some time ago, Forrester Research found that a webpage which has a video included, is 50 times more likely to make a first page appearance during a Google search.
Well, what does this mean for local and regional clients based in Northampton, Springfield, Massachusetts or any of the surrounding business communities? It simply means if you  are utilizing online marketing strategies to attract new customers then some of your marketing dollars must be spent on video marketing. If you’re wondering how much of an investment is necessary to have a marketing video produced, perhaps this blog post can be of assistance in your decision making process. Keep in mind that video marketing production means different things to different people in Springfield, Northampton, Massachusetts (or any place else for that matter).

Here are the web video marketing costs:

We produce basic marketing videos for our clients for  as low as $500-$800 per video. Typically these are small businesses with 1-5 employees. The video includes interviews, background music, basic text and title animation, some logo motion graphics, as well as B-roll footage, and of course video marketing editing services. Many times businesses use these web videos for months or even years, nonstop 24/7, in other words,  you can get a lot of online marketing mileage out of a single video marketing production. Here’s video marketing example from one of our Northampton, MA clients.

Other businesses have also requested storyboard development, script writing, professional voice-over narration, in addition to the above mentioned services and prices can be as low as $1800-$2000 but in many cases these larger web video marketing productions range between $3000 to $5000. Keep in mind, marketing videos typically require a significant amount of on-location production times as well as post production editing services. Developing a concept, telling your story to reflect your company’s vision and brand and then creating a marketing video that is consistent with your vision is indeed time-consuming. But quality matters and your potential customers to do appreciate the well produced video with relevant content.

Marketing videos are not the only type of videos which our clients in the Western Mass region have been using. Consequently, the pricing structure for video production could have a different cost range. As an example, we recently completed a marketing video production for an attorney in Springfield, Massachusetts who will be using his videos within his blogs. The videos have an average run time of two minutes, and consist of basic informational videos during which the client talks straight into the camera, more or less uninterrupted, providing useful information and advice to his audience. These two minute informational web videos may require a script which is prepared by the client. These types of videos require less post production and editing time. Much of the cost for video production lies in both the concept development, pre-production planning, and post production services.

Therefore, to be clear on what type of web video or marketing video your business or organization requires will determine how much production time, resources, and cost is required.

If it were at all possible, we would bring our little springer spaniel to the set. I can assure you she’ll take your mind off any fears that you may encounter during the video shoot. She LOVES people.

Southampton, Easthampton video production company explains what to expect during a video shoot

Clearly the most important part with respect to client expectations is the final video production result. In other words, what will the video look and feel like once it has been completed.

However, one of the other main areas of concern for web video clients is the video shoot. Clients are sometimes worried about what they will have to do on camera. It’s sort of like the fear of public speaking which is a common fear among most people.

Therefore, as professional videographers, one of the main objectives of our video production team when working with New England businesses  on  a video shoot is to make the client feel as comfortable as possible. I completely understand that once the camera and lights go on,  raw nerves can override any plans and interview preparations.  But we are experienced in helping clients overcome any discomfort.

OK, let’s get started: Read the rest of this entry »

Get a chance to win a $25 AmEx Gift Certificate. Answer the following question:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a one minute web video worth?

A. 14,000?
B. 120,000?
C. 1,800,000?

Watch the video to get the answer.

 


LIKE eTown Videos on Facebook and write your answer in the comments on eTown Videos’ Facebook page.
We will have a random drawing on Saturday, April 20th, 2013, and the winner of the drawing with the correct answer will receive a $25.00 AmEx Gift Certificate. (You must “like” eTown Videos to be eligible for contest prize, in other words become a “Fan”)

Good luck and please “Share”

Web video is a game changer!

Brief overview of cost considerations for a videographer in Western Massachusetts

Quite frequently I receive a quote request which sounds something like this: “How much does a 2-3 minute web video cost?” Unfortunately, the question is too broad and almost impossible to answer. If I were to answer that questions – it’ll be $500-$20,000, clearly, that would be a ridiculous response and entirely useless to you. The reason a general question such as the one above in difficult to answer is because a 2-3 minute video production comes in many shapes and forms. But if you have a rough idea of what type of video you need then we can be of tremendous help during your budgeting processes.

Here’s a general overview of different types of video productions that a small to mid-sized business may purchase:

Read the rest of this entry »

As a video producer and video production instructor, it is sad to see that the Pioneer Valley movie house destination will close on June 8th. Read the rest of this entry »

eTown Videos now offers HD filming, animation and special effects for web and TV video commercial productions

As some of you may have noticed, there has been an unexpected hiatus from the eTown blog, my apologies to those who were looking for fresh blog posts. If I may elaborate on my absence since last fall – in addition to my responsibilities at eTown Videos,  I have also been teaching a video production course at a local digital media training center here in Western Massachusetts. In fact, I shared some of my experiences as video production instructor in a new blog post yesterday.

I have also been spending much time upgrading our video production studio to accommodate the need to add full HD video production and 3D motion graphics for our customers. At the risk of sounding too self promotional – I would like to mention that the video production enhancements have been met with much fanfare from our client base throughout Western Massachusetts and beyond. We have also produced a brand new video commercial which features some of our clients – I would like to invite you to take a peek at our new web and TV commercial.

Look for new blog posts in the coming weeks on video marketing, editing, and industry news.

If you enjoyed watching our new video ad then we’d love it if you could “Like” or “Share” the video. Thank you!

Reprinted with permission from the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

“Great New Easthampton Chamber News Member Benefit!”

The Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce is proud to introduce a great new Chamber member benefit, the VIDEO MEMBER SPOTLIGHT!

Along with a written article introducing you to a fellow Chamber member, we now offer the additional benefit of a 90 second video shot at the member’s place of business which highlights the operation, services and what you need to know that makes your fellow member an integral part of the Greater Easthampton business community. As an added benefit, the video will also be posted on the Chamber’s YouTube channel to further expand the reach of your business and you can always share each issue of the Chamber News on Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »