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"Happily, Even After" Leaves Vienna

Our feature film "Happily, Even After" has finally finished its theatrical run in Vienna, and the film print is on its way back to San Francisco. We played at the oldest theatre in the world, the Breitenseer Lichtspiele.

Hotbed Sees the Future

Hotbed director Patrick Wilkinson wrote, directed and edited this spot for The International Risk Management Institute's Construction Risk Conference.

Valley of the Sun Wrapped

Hotbed's third feature film Valley of the Sun wrapped Arizona Principal Photography on November 5th. The film, directed by Stokes McIntyre and lensed by Jeffrey Kimball, stars Johnny Whitworth, Heather Burns, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant, Peter Jason, Bette Ford, Garrett Morris, Pasha Lychnikoff and Oscar nominated Graham Greene.

Visit the Valley of the Sun Blog - >

Left: Kimball and McIntyre on the set of Valley of the Sun.

Valley of the Sun BTS

Note From the Blacks

Hi Blacks people. Surprise.

We're not back from the dead, but we've been captured for all eternity on the magic of film.
Director Stokes McIntyre's documentary, Meet The Blacks, is an entry in the 2010 Grammy awards for best long-form music video.

If you're a member of the Recording Academy, you can view all entries and vote at http://www.grammy.com.























(photo: Francis Joseph)

Rviews of Tiger Songs are in. Pick it up on iTunes -- the limited run CDs are sold out.

We kiss you hard,
The Bs

http://www.myspace.com/theblacksarehere
http://www.tricycle-records.com
http://www.rcrdlbl.com

"The dark garage rockers depart with an album that’s as compositionally seamless as it is raw, fierce and uncompromising."
--The Owl Mag

"What all rock music should be -- loud, melodic, heavy, and fanatical."
--Reax

More Reviews

Deli Magazine SF: http://www.thedelimagazine.com/sf/index.php?itemId=224326
Heave Media: http://heavemedia.com/review/267/tiger-songs
REAX: http://www.reaxmusic.com/reviews/view/the_blacks_-_tiger_songs-685

School is Good for Everyone

Hotbed's Patrick Wilkinson directed these brand films for EnCorps, an organization founded by Sherry Lansing that assists retired professionals to become math and science teachers.

< - Click pics to view.

Happy Birthday America!

How to Tell a Story

Vacation

Nature Rocks Hotbed

Hotbed Director Stokes McIntyre shot stills for Iron Communications and the Nature Rocks landing page. What? A filmmaker shooting stills? Iron needed to tell a story with a series of images and thought Stokes had the chops do it. Visit the Nature Rocks Website : www.naturerocks.org.

Bigfoot Rolls Out on Youtube

Hotbed Shoots Bigfoot

Watch the Video

Hotbed Swims 4 Life

Team Hotbed will participate in this year's Swim 4 Life Fundraiser organized by SurfAid International. The Hotbed team will swim a relay race to raise money to help the people of Mentawi and Nias battle malaria and other basic life challenges. If you'd like to sponsor team Hotbed with a donation, big or small, we'd be very appreciative. You can make your donations online here: Team Hotbed Donation Page

About Swim 4 Life
SurfAid’s core fundraiser, Swim 4 Life, is an opportunity to support SurfAid International in its effort to better the lives of the people in the Mentawai and Nias. The funds raised by Swim 4 Life will fuel the engine of change, helping 100,000 of the friendliest people on earth live happier, healthier lives.




About SurfAid
In 1999, physician and surfer Dr. Dave Jenkins went on a surf charter to the Mentawai Islands with one goal in mind: to find perfect waves. The surf proved to be everything he had hoped for. What he also found, though, were the Mentawai people---mostly women and children-–-suffering and dying from the ravages of malaria and other preventable diseases. Troubled by the inequity of lifestyles and moved by compassion, Dr. Jenkins went on to establish SurfAid International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs. With the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments, the global surfing community, and most importantly the Mentawai people of the affected areas themselves, SurfAid has come to exemplify the healing power of cross-cultural partnerships.

Together with an impassioned, motivated, and talented team of volunteers, staff, and supporters, the SurfAid journey has begun.

Visit the SurfAid Website

All is Lost Moment

Hotbed Goes to Berlinale

Unsu and Stokes in Berlin

Recently, Stokes and I made a resolution to hit 3 or 4 film festivals this year. We realized that our busy lives often made us forget why we make films in the first place. Going to film festivals is a good way to get out of our routine and immerse ourselves in an environment where films hold an almost supernatural power over people. It’s a good boost for any filmmaker’s ego.

We decided to hit the Berlinale first. Now in its 59th year, it takes place in February every year in the cultural metropolis of Berlin. It has a reputation for having a political slant, and this year was no exception. Some of the Q&A sessions were intense. At times, we felt like we were at a UN tribunal instead of a film festival. One audience member stood up and proclaimed that the film we just watched was “propaganda” and “an insult to my intelligence”. As a result, I have decided that I need to get PhDs in History and Political Science before submitting a political film to the Berlinale.

We watched 10 films over four days, chosen from a vast programme by dint of curiosity, chance, and instinct. This comfortable schedule left us enough time to drink lots of beer in between films (absolutely necessary for our emotions to recover and reset), and to discover some interesting things about Berlin, which we’ll cover in a future blog post.

The 10 films were:

[*] Mammoth (Sweden, Germany, Denmark)
[*] The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (USA)
[*] Beeswax (USA)
[*] Defamation (Israel, Austria, USA, Denmark)
Little Soldier (Denmark)
My Dear Enemy (South Korea)
Aguas Verdes (Argentina)
The Shock Doctrine (UK)
Rachel (France, Belgium)
[x] Absolute Evil (USA, Germany)

[*] Worth going out of your way to see
[x] Stay as far away from this film as you possibly can

Here are some non-professional reviews to give you a taste of the current direction of cinema.

MAMMOTH directed by Lucas Moodysson
A film about a family living in New York who have a Philippino nanny. Stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams. The film intercuts between New York, Bangkok (where the husband has to go to work), and the Philippines. It forces us to stop thinking about globalisation in abstract terms, and deals with its social impact at the level of the individual family. This film feels representative of our globe-trotting generation.The director’s Swedish background can be felt in the choice of music, and I could be imagining it, but the film was definitely moody. The characters could be going through the most ordinary, everyday ordeals, but it felt like it was going to be the end of the world. Cinema at its manipulative best.

PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE directed by Rebecca Miller
Huge cast that includes Robin Penn Wright as the lead, Julianne Moore, Maria Bello, Monica Belluci, Keanu Reeves, Alan Arkin and Winona Ryder. Rebecca Miller also wrote the screenplay, and she lives up to her pedigree as playwright Arthur Miller's daughter. It’s a really well-told story about a woman, Pippa Lee, who is married to an older man and trying to deal with her wild and crazy past. It's hard to pin down the one thing that makes the film seem fresh. It has lots of great dialogue, both witty and profound. There are some sexy scenes involving Pippa in her younger days. And there are fascinating revelations about her character, whose story arc goes from a disturbing childhood to a drug-ridden teenage existence to her present-day attempts at being the best mom and wife in the world.

BEESWAX directed by Andrew Bujalski
It may not be for everyone, but it’s worth checking out because it’s part of a new film movement called ‘mumblecore’. Beeswax has very naturalistic dialogue and doesn't really have an ending. It just kinda trails off. It’s set in Texas, and according to Stokes, the characters are very representative of people he grew up with. You feel like you’re just spending some time in the company of real people. The director was very articulate and poised during the Q&A. The funny thing was that a lot of the people asking questions rambled on and on, just like the film itself. The director refused to explain the meaning of the title.

DEFAMATION directed by Yoav Shamir
This is a documentary about anti-semitism. The filmmaker had incredible access to the Anti-Defamation League, which raises awareness about anti-semitism around the world, with questionable consequences. The filmmaker, who is from Israel, wants to know if anti-semitism is a real threat to his people, or if it’s possible that the threat has been overblown by various interest groups. He narrates and does all the interviews himself. He comes across as a fair-minded inquisitor wading into a sea of entrenched opinions. There wasn’t a dull moment in this film. The interviews were incredible, including a hilarious one with the filmmaker’s grandmother. The Israeli Ambassador was in the audience, and Stokes was worried we were going to get bombed.

ABSOLUTE EVIL directed by Ulli Lommel
Stokes and I walked out of this one, the only film we saw in the festival that justified such an extreme reaction. 40 years ago, the director appeared in Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s first film, Love is Cold Than Death. This film was framed as a homage to that award-winning film. It was even shown in the same theatre as Fassbinder’s film. There the comparison ends. It was terribly shot on video, with a bad script and bad acting. I’ve seen better student films. It’s a shock that the Berlinale was presenting it. You know a film is bad when you can’t even learn from it’s mistakes. The title is the only appropriate thing about this film.

Burning Man Released on iTunes

Hotbed's Confessions of a Burning Man is now available for download on iTunes. The film follows a wealthy heiress, a starving actress, an African American filmmaker Straight Outta Hunters Point and a rancorous New York-style cab driver as they attend the famed Burning Man Festival for the first time. The film was directed and produced by Hotbed's Unsu Lee and Paul Barnett. Go to iTunes - >

Hotbed is an Environment of Belief

What is belief? It is all around us. It is the software that drives our brains. We have seen what happens when people believe in different things. We have witnessed religious wars, political gridlock, and man-made catastrophes. Yet despite all the negative effects of belief, we cannot choose not to believe. We all MUST believe in SOMETHING. At Hotbed, we embrace belief. It is the engine that runs the human species.

Back when we were in film school, Stokes and I came up with the name Hotbed, because it captured a lot of what we felt about the nature of creativity. That it thrives in certain environments, much like a plant, and that we had to figure out what these environments were. Throughout all the various mutations of Hotbed, this philosophy has remained intact. We got some things right, and other things wrong.

Today, we want to take what we learned about creativity, and apply it to belief. In fact, the two are very similar. What works for creativity often works for belief. There is a way to believe in things without becoming too dogmatic, without having to insist that the other person is wrong. This is the essence of creativity. We can take two things that normally don’t go well together, and create something new and exciting.

This is uncharted territory for us. As filmmakers, we have been driven by many passions – for images, structure, characters, drama, music, design, action and, of course, stories. Film gives us a vehicle to explore all these things. But ultimately, film should also be an environment in which to explore belief. To make a good film, one has to be able to see the world from each character’s perspective, even the villains. Otherwise, the film will not resonate with audiences. For all of us recognize that the world simply does not revolve around us. Each and every person on this planet is the main character of his or her own movie.

Our goal is to create films of such depth and power that they can somehow capture this new understanding of ourselves. We are an incredibly versatile species, and it would be a shame if we let this very strength be our downfall. Right now, our species needs to develop the ability to step back from what we are doing, and evaluate all beliefs on an equal basis, just as we do during a creative brainstorming session. And we must also be able to honestly speak out about what works for us, and what doesn’t, without worrying about hurting the other person’s feelings. That is the mark of a professional creator.

You might be surprised at hearing such sentiments coming from a tiny production company. But Stokes and I have always dreamed big, and we’ve always known that it’s not enough just to build a huge megaphone to speak to the world through. It’s what is said through that megaphone that’s really important. We don’t have the huge megaphone yet. We’re still working on that. But in the meantime, we think our time would be more productively spent on the ideas we want to use that megaphone for.

We’d like your help. We’d like to establish a dialogue about ideas that connect deeply to the world. Nothing could be more important during these troubled times. This is a start. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess.

You can email either one of us at stokesmcintyre@hotbed.com and unsu@hotbed.com.

On Set

Hotbed's Stokes McIntyre (left) directs for Eveo.

Ken Garcia Mentions Tony's Money

Writer Ken Garcia includes Tony's Money in a SF Examiner column he wrote about the legendary Sam's Grill in San Francisco. Tony's Money will be directed by Hotbed's Stokes McIntyre and produced by Table 21's Peter Quartaroli. Read the article - >

A portion of Tony's Money has already been shot. View a clip - >

IP phones for Film Production

We've switched to Voice over IP phones. We were on the old fashioned AT&T lines and the bill was outrageous. Now, our phones are IP and our bill is 50% cheaper. This is very important because the more money we save, the more money we can apply towards our feature film Valley of the Sun, which we intend to (mostly) self finance. Since 2003, we've run a lean shop to build our cash reserves. Our intention is to invest in our own work. For us, its all about the work. And while running a lean shop is a major part of building the capital necessary to produce our feature work, it wouldn't be possible without our clients. Our clients are our heroes. Our clients are making our feature work possible and as a result we strive to deliver the best work we can for our clients. We hope that our feature work will pay off in spades for our clients when we approach their work with the honed story and production skills that our feature work has taught us. So, forgive us if our phone sounds a little choppy. With the money we save, we can buy our starring role a really nice looking wig.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hotbed wishes you the best in 2009.

Battle on the Fresh Coast

Former Hotbed intern Kyle Gray has completed his feature length documentary debut Fresh Coast, a documentary covering one of the most competitive battle scenes, the west coast. While Kyle isn't producing, directing and editing docs, he's creating "ill" motion graphics and visual effects for major motion pictures.

Check Fresh Coast
Check Kyle's work

Remember

Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like no one is watching.
Love like your heart has never been broken.

Google Your Video

It's looking like Google is adjusting their algorithm to take into account what is called "engagement objects" such as video, music and images to determine if a site is not only relevant, but engaging. When Google turns on this engagement object variable, websites that have more relevant video could rank higher and therefore be found more often by potential stakeholders. Ed Reese, Hotbed's SEO and business development consultant wrote this marketing article about it.

In this video clip SEO Pioneer Bruce Clay speaks about the importance of engagement objects in a website.

In the Mood for a Chopper

Dear Clients, Agencies and People who want to sell stuff using motion picture,

I am in the mood for a chopper ride. We can do it for $60K all in. I'll write the concept and get the chopper. You just show up with your scarf on. We'll fly. Give me a call 415-227-0380.

Thanks,
Stokes

Hotbed Voted

Voting is a good thing.

Let's get photovoltaic and stuff

GreenVolts - Utility-Scale Solar from GreenVolts on Vimeo.

Hotbed created and produced this brand film for GreenVolts, a concentrating CPV technology producer who could possibly help save mankind. That's hot.

Perks

Hotbed Director Stokes McIntyre shot a series of spots for The Lavidge Company and the Phoenix Zoo. The work provided him the opportunity to see how Krispy Kreme donuts are made and pet the neck of a very large tortoise. View Spots : Otter : Meerkats :Tortoise

Barking Cats

Hotbed Director, Stokes McIntyre, works with his talent. "It was a tough day," says McIntyre. "Her reads were really flat, she didn't take direction very well and the client was asking for more. I can't make a cat bark. It's all in the casting."

It's Good to Stumble

An inspiring image I stumbled upon.

The Internet web is vast and deep, but a lot of times I get stuck swimming on the surface and going to my standard destinations like yahoo and or other sites that I shouldn't mention... ahem. 

It's easy to get pigeon-holed and hard to, as they used to say, "surf the web" and find obscure sites that are inspiring. Then I found stumbleupon.com. Now I can plug in some attributes like "filmmaking" or "photography" and then aimlessly wander through cool sites that I never would have found otherwise. I've even caught myself drooling a couple of times. You should try it. Go Stumble

Rogin Kim Wins ACLU StandUp Contest

Now in its 3rd year, the ACLU StandUp Contest challenges young filmmakers to defend their rights against the abuse of power in America.

Rogin, a former Hotbed staffer, is completing his Directing MFA program at Columbia University's School of the Arts Film Division.

Here are some shorts he has directed, including the film that won the contest:

Hard to Swallow - Contest Winner!
Don't Look at the Camera
The Rooftop Lesson

Tubemogul

Tubemogul is a great tool to launch videos across a lot of different video platforms. It also allows us to track our viewership. Watch Hotbed's videos on youtube.

Light Fixture

Filmmaking in the Internet Age

A few months ago I moved my family from San Francisco to Spokane, Washington. Our son was almost a year old and the idea of living in a home with a big yard and extended family nearby sounded pretty darn nice. I'd been in San Francisco about five years and my wife for almost ten. Needless to say, this was a pretty big decision for us on many fronts. One of my biggest concerns, however, was how this was going to impact my future at Hotbed. Things were going really well and I didn't want to mess with the mix. But, the country was a callin' (That's my dog Niko above and a moose family we encountered on a hike by our new house). I had many talks with Stokes about how this was going to work. We had a plan in place, a logistical workflow set-up, and we were ready to roll. Stokes was incredibly supportive and I honestly can't thank him enough. But now that I've been up here a few months I've come to a realization: nothing has really changed. Sure, I miss Stokes, Britt, and the rest of the Hotbed crew. We can't talk about a new project over coffee in the morning or head out for a beer at the end of a long day. I miss that. But from a work perspective it really hasn't changed much at all.

Of course this is all thanks to Al Gore and his wonderful Internet. This little invention has enabled us to produce films all over the world. We've produced films in Phoenix, Buffalo, Dallas, Miami, New York, Gold Beach, Denver, Seattle, Paris, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Rome, Dusseldorf, and most recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina for Cahan & Associates/ALDO Shoes. But this is the first time I've been on the other side looking in. So, I thought it would be helpful to explain a bit about about the process of working with a production company from afar.

1) You find us/We find you. Maybe you heard about Hotbed from a friend or colleague. Maybe an agency, company, or even another production company. Or possibly a Google search. Our work is posted on our website for all to see (I'd like to point out that only about 1/4 of our work is on our website. If you have specific type of work you'd like to see just let us know).

2) You request a reel, email us, or call. These are all routed to me (Ed Reese). I'll either send a reel or call/email back with answers to your questions. People typically have questions about their project and I do my best to educate them about the production process, questions they should be asking, and think about which samples of work best match their project. I'll then send QuickTime web links and a custom reel.

3) At that point people have a pretty good idea if we're a good fit for their project. But personality, vision, and individual creative style are also very important factors. That's when I involve Stokes, our Founding Director/Creative Director. We'll schedule a call and talk about the creative and get to know a bit more about you as well as your business.

4) Stokes then works with our producers to create a budget. Sometimes we fire off straight numbers, sometimes we include a treatment and additional details. It depends on the project and how much information is desired by the client.

5) We hope you've chosen us, and if you have, here's where I step back and watch the magic happen. Stokes and the team develops concepts and treatments. The Hotbed team has taken to communicating their ideas in blogs. Here are a few: Amgen - ITP, Focalin XR, Riverbed - Dusan, Baci Mirrors, Amgen - Epogen So even if you are in Philly, D-town or NYC, you can follow the creative process closely. We recently produced a project in Spain. Skype was our friend.

6) When shooting, there is nothing like being there. It's the real deal. So, we encourage you to show up for that if at all possible.

7) When its time for post, clients are starting to come into the office less and less. Especially with short form work, its a simple process to load up a cut onto the Internet for you to review. Sure, it's fun to hang in the editing suite and eat M&M's, but these days clients seem busier than ever. So, no matter if you are in San Francisco, Atlanta or Shanghai, its all the same. When we produced Picture Life for Sony, Brian Beaver, our Sony counterpart was in Hong Kong for much of post. We'd load up a cut and go home. We'd wake up in the morning with Brian's comments in our inbox. There was never downtime waiting for feedback.

We love working closely with our clients, hanging out, massaging the cut, grabbing lunch and sipping coffee, but we also love working with clients from all over the world. The Internet makes that possible. That's filmmaking in the Internet age.

Authenticity and the Testimonial Interview

Testimonial interviews get a bum rap. I'm pretty sure it's from all of those 2am get-rich-quick real estate ads people see when they can't get to sleep. "Why,... I just read Mr. Real Estate Guru's book and made $280,000 in my first month." Of course it's always followed by a half second disclaimer of "these results may vary." This negative perception (while deserved in many cases) is really too bad. Because in our experience, testimonial interviews done well are one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use to grow your business. You just have to use the right approach. Here's how we walk into a project:

1) Uncover the real story. Interview subjects are often too clouded by the corporate kool-aid. It's tough to hear marketing buzzwords and industry jargon all day and then give a natural response to the camera. We are experts at drawing out those natural responses that will resonate with audiences.

2) No script. You are not an actor. Even very good actors have a tough time giving an authentic read for testimonials. It's just tough. We want the real deal. We want to hear how whatever you do, sell, or provide somehow helps people in very real world terms. We recently filmed interviews with a company called Riverbed. Their appliance makes Internet traffic smokin' fast (up to 100X faster). We could've just gone into the bytes and bits, but instead, we asked the IT professionals how it changed their lives from a day-to-day standpoint. One guy said that with Riverbed, their server backups are done on Friday afternoon, not Sunday. That means he can now go to his kid's baseball games. Let's see that in bold print.

"I can go to my son's baseball games on the weekends because of Riverbed's Steelhead appliance. My server back-ups are done by 5pm every Friday. It used to take all weekend!"

How's that for a testimonial? Their product greatly enhanced his quality of life. People dig that. To find these little nuggets takes a lot of hard work and skill. It's way more than just interviewing someone. It's getting people to let down their guard long enough for us to find these little gems that tell a compelling story.

3) Be honest. It's pretty simple, really. Don't lie to people. If your product or service sucks, then testimonial interview style videos probably aren't for you. If you rock, then the customers will come calling once they see how other people say how great you are.

4) Let them into your world. People love stories and experiences. Put them in the frame.
Paint a picture of what it would be like to work with you. We filmed a personality profile video for photographer Jaime Kripke during a photo shoot of a 2008 Olympic BMX competitor. True, I wouldn't really call this a testimonial. But, you can see how a real client enjoyed the experience. Now prospective clients can see what it's like to work with Jaime. We get people talking, laughing, and thinking back to how great the company, service, or conference was.

Speaking of conferences, we just back heard from Paul Murray, Vice President of Marketing & Sales at the International Risk Management Institute in Dallas, Texas. We interviewed risk management professionals about the value of the IRMI conference series. Apparently, they had good things to say.

"The testimonial interview videos you produced for us is already paying off! In fact, they were instrumental in helping us re-acquire a major account. We've also noticed expanded participation in our product awareness and training webinars. We'll be using them to promote our online reference library and annual conference as well. Our prospects are responding to these well (in my opinion) because the video clips are short, to the point, and sincere. These industry leaders said things about us and our products that went far beyond anything we could've scripted for them ourselves. The skill of Stokes McIntyre at drawing out earnest and meaningful statements from these folks was incredible."

That's what we like to see,.. happy customers. We're extremely excited to hear how great these videos are working for IRMI. If you have a question about how they could work for your company, just let us know. In the meantime, I found a really good article about video testimonials from Jeffrey Gitmer that talks about their power to increase sales. In fact, here's what he had to say about how they increased his business:

I made my first sales video two years ago. It cost more money than I had. Over the last 24 months it has helped me make more sales than I can count. This year I’m making a new one, and spending four times more than I spent on the first one, the one I couldn’t afford. Thanks to my first video, this year I can afford it.

Wow.

Catching The Big Fish - Required Reading

If you make films, want to make films, hire people that make films,
or just like films, you need to read this book by David Lynch entitled
Catching the Big Fish. Lynch is an inspiration of ours and an Eagle Scout.

How Much for a Video?

Video is blowing up. We've known it for a while, but its in full-blow-up-mode right now. At Hotbed, we are receiving calls from all sorts of businesses, people, whoever, saying, "I want a video. How much?!" It's the video revolution and I think its great. Video killed the radio star and now web video is killing the TV star. Video is a powerful tool to communicate and finally its available to the masses, well, at least distribution is. Check this out.
Anyone can buy TV media using Google Adwords. Crazy. Media buying is a nuanced relationship business. That probably won't change. But the fact that Joe Blow can by media on TV and put an ad up on his favorite TV channel is mind bending. Hell, when I saw this, I wanted to start making short films and filling ad space with whatever. For some reason it feels liberating as hell. If I have a message, I can put it on TV. Sure, it may air only once at two AM but who cares! Its on TV! The walls between me and audiences are crumbling. 

Let's go back to the days before the Internet. To have a video seen by a lot of people you had two choices, deal with the media buyers and spend tons of money on TV media or duplicating VHS tapes. When I first got into this business in '97, we had clients that spent more on duplicating VHS tapes than they did on the actual video production. To mail ten thousand tapes cost roughly $40K. Now you just throw your video up on Youtube or your website and send out a link. You can reach a lot people with a really powerful medium for very cheap.

Here's the catch. Distribution has gotten cheaper, but production hasn't...at least good production. The mindset of low cost, immediate video distribution has some how spilled over into video production. It has people asking, "I can post it for free, why can't I make it for free?" The people want video and they want it cheap and they want it good. Correction. They want good video, but have no idea how much video production costs and they have no guidelines. So, that's when our phone rings and we get the question, "I want a video. How much?"

Back in the day, there were channels. Clients called agencies, agencies called production companies. Production companies produced video for agencies who sold it to clients. While the big ad game is still played in those channels, lurking just below the big game is a video free-for-all. The only calls we used to get were from moderate to big ad agencies and marketing departments of large corporate clients. Now we are getting calls from all sorts businesses, businesses that have never produced video, businesses big and small saying, "WE WANT A VIDEO. HOW MUCH?!"

Every time we get one of these calls I say, "Heck Yeah!" I get super excited. I am excited to be a part of the democratization of video. I want to help people put their ideas on video (or ideally film) and get them out there. I want to see clients get results. I want to see the videos work for our clients. Collectively we are forging new ground, but with that, comes challenges.

When work comes through traditional channels, most of those clients have worked with video and they typically understand the process and cost associated with video production. But, in this new environment, production companies are faced with the challenge of educating new clients who've never worked with video, don't understand the production process or the cost of production. Nor do they understand the process with which production companies arrive at their production budgets. That's okay. I have no idea how to build a house or how housing construction is bid out. Not knowing is not bad a thing. But, the result is that the process of bidding video projects can be very frustrating for both the production company and the client. That frustration usually begins with the question. "how much for a video?"

Why the frustration? For the most part, even the most simple video productions are unique. There are many decisions to make: What format should we shoot on? Does the concept require shooting on a stage or on location? How many locations? How many talent? How long does the piece need to be? Does it need production design? The video budget is the sum of all the answers to these questions. A video budget is the matrix to the video world.

I've spent some time pondering this and have come up with a single piece of advice that should smooth out the bidding process. Here it is:

When clients approach production companies they need to have one of two things figured out:

Their creative concept   or   How much they can spend

If clients have one of these two things figured out, a production company can either attach a number to the clients' concepts or tell them what they can get for their money. Boom. Communication lines are immediately open.

If clients don't have a concept or know how much they have to spend, then clients just need to call up a production company and tell them exactly that, "I want a video / TV spot, brand film, I don't have a concept and I don't know what I want to spend." They will be able to walk clients through the next steps. Clients will be much further down the path more quickly than if they simply ask "How much for a video?"

How about a million dollars.

Financing Film with Internet Advertising

If you are trying to finance an independent film, there are two places to go for money: Hollywood or your next door neighbor. We are trying something a little different. In the effort to finance our independent feature Valley of the Sun we are asking companies to sponsor our film by purchasing ad space on our website www.valleyofthesunthemovie.com. All we need is ten thousand sponsors (at the most). Seems like a lot but if you combine the $1.04 billion spent on sponsorships last year and the $27 billion1 spent on Internet advertising, we only need to grab 0.00535% of those dollars to fully finance our feature. At $150 per sponsorship, it's not a big deal for brands to get involved. So far, so good for our current sponsors. Since January 1, 2008, 410 unique visitors have visited the website and clicked on our sponsors' links 2393 times. On average, each sponsor has received 27 clicks per month and each unique visitor clicked on 5 different sponsor links. We've only just begun. In the end, it's great to see that our sponsors' belief in this advertising model is already working for them. 

Stokes McIntyre talks about Valley of the Sun and Hotbed's approach to financing.

Music

This is a pretty cool Itunes app. Let's you share your taste in music. Here is Hotbed's.

Chaos Crypt

Hotbed Director Stokes McIntyre shoots album art for death metal band Chaos Crypt



Stokes (the guy not wearing all black) hangs with Chaos Crypt.

Video search is here. Well,... almost.

OK, so video search has been here for a while now. I'm just of the opinion that the offerings haven't been very useful as of yet. However, I was at SMX (Search Marketing Expo) 2008 in San Jose last week to learn how video search has evolved and what we can expect in the future. While it still has a long way to go, there was some encouraging news and a few surprises. The first big surprise was that everyone (Google, Yahoo, MSN/Live, and Ask) all agreed that Microsoft Live has the best video search capabilities. Yes, Microsoft. I couldn't believe it either (I mean, it's all about YouTube, right?).But how could Microsoft possibly have the best video search capabilities? Oh, let me count the ways...

1) Roll-over coolness. Simply roll-over the video and you'll see a 30 second preview without having to click on the video. You'll hear it as well. You can even rate the video without clicking the page. Very cool.

2) Finally, a choice. I am so tired of Google video searches. For the most part, all you see are YouTube and Google video searches. Live actually searches outside of their network for video content from the sources themselves. Thank you!

2a) Why care about this choice? Well, it's a huge benefit to the user experience. Let's take a look at a few video searches on Google and Live to see the difference.

Google Video Search: Ford Mustang
Live Video Search: Ford Mustang

Don't get me wrong, burn-outs are cool. But, if I want to see more than user generated content of Mustang burnouts, it's nice to have the option of seeing crash tests, reviews, other video content. This differnce also extends to topical information like politics.

Google Video Search: Democratic Primary Results
Live Video Search: Democratic Primary Results

Again, it's nice to have the choice. Sure, everyone uploads to YouTube (including us). But it's nice to go directly to the source and be on the content providers website for more information. It also helps to know the source. Is my video from a 15 year old kid or the folks over at CNN?

3) Number of choices/page. Upon opening YouTube, I can see five videos without scrolling. With Microsoft Live video search that jumps to 15. Very nice. I can easily scan the page to find what I want, roll-over the content to see/hear a preview, and know the original origin of the video. Yes, yes, and more yes. Nice work!

4) Universal/Blended search results. Live seems to do a better job right now of providing universal/blended results. These blended search results (for video, photo, and local) are a great way to see exactly what you want in that top portion of the search window without having to go to the video, image, or map portion of the search engine. Expect these advancements to continue. What does this mean for your searches? If you upload a video, for example, it could now be seen on page one of the search window for a general web search without having to go to the photo, video, or local search tabs. You can stay right in the same search area and receive a variety of resulty. Pretty cool. Here's what it looks like.
Sorry, Britney Spears just happens to be a really easy example to use. Take a look at how many search options I have using Live Search. I can see news, images, albums, etc. I don't need to scroll down all of the text links to find what I'm looking for. It's all right there. Pretty darn cool. Look for Google to catch up quickly in terms of functionality. But as of today, that same search for Britney Spears on Google looks pretty old school.

What does this mean for companies looking to maximize online exposure? A lot, actually. Your options are increasing by the day in terms of how you connect with your audience. But the complexity is increasing as well. I'll delve into the nitty gritty details in my next post of how to get your videos indexed and ranked by the search engines as well as they types of online video that are generating huge results.

Dave Grohl knows his audience. Do you?

As far as I'm concerned Dave Grohl is freakin' brilliant. The Foo Fighters have accomplished the amazing task of selling over 30 million albums by essentially re-releasing the same three songs.

The fast one.
The slow one.
The one that starts slow, then gets fast, then slow, then fast, then slow, then fast, and ends slow.

Dave and company have mastered the art of giving their audience exactly what they want. It extends to their live shows and music videos as well. Their live shows flat out rock. And their music videos are always funny. Who doen't like to laugh and rock? The Foo Fighters have fun doing their thing. It shows. They also work very hard to connect with their audience. Here's their live show philosophy from the man himself.

"Imagine having a keg party and inviting eight thousand of your best friends. You have to make sure everything is right--the grill's hot, the tap is working. No foam. And as the host, you have to do shots with everyone in the room."

Why bring this up? Well, sometimes you don't need to create a new concept or crazy idea. Sometimes it's best just to keep it simple and show em' what you've got. Sure, there's a time and a place for getting crazy and completely original. We're all for it. In fact, our success as filmmakers is based in large part on our ability to produce truly original content. But, it's also important to step back and look at the simple stories. Use them to connect with your customers. Find out what they need. And sometimes,... give them exactly what they want. Oh yeah, and it probably wouldn't hurt to do some shots with them as well.

ALDO Kicks Off It's Shoes with Cahan and Hotbed

Hotbed completes a fresh set of videos for Aldo's new website. Cahan & Associates brought in Hotbed for the video work. I love when clients ask for videos with jacked up aspect ratios like 760 X 310 or 600 X 30. In the old days it was just 720 X 486. Now we are all over the map. There are no more boundaries. Its crazy and fun. It makes me want to party.

Visit ALDO's website < -

Bang-for-the-buck, Riverbed style

The many aspects required to produce film and video can add up fast: research, creative development, writing, scouting, casting, production crew, etc. However, once those pieces are in place, creating additional content is actually a pretty nominal cost. That's how you can really maximize the budget for your shoot. Here's how we helped our client Riverbed create a huge bang-for-the-buck.

Riverbed approached us to produce a short film documenting an all-company march from their old office to their new high-rise digs. It was a coming of age film of sorts. But, as this was a live march, it required a full crew. That's tough to justify for a non revenue generating event. So we asked what they really needed?

"We are growing like crazy and need to attract top quality employees."
"Our partner channel is small, but successful. We need to grow it effectively."
"We need to convey very technical information in a clear, concise fashion."

No problemo Riverbed amigos. Here's what we produced from one day of filming:

-The Riverbed March Documentary
-Technical product "Chalk Talks" that describe their solution in real world detail
-Nine true to life, unscripted employee testimonials (the vibe of the company)
-Two reseller testimonials (how and why they succeed selling Riverbed)
-Two customer testimonials (why they love Riverbed so darn much)

These videos are seen on Riverbed's website, used in tradeshows, shown at partner recruitment meetings, and sent to prospective employees. Let me tell you, Riverbed knows how to maximize their almighty dollar! We were happy to help them create additional content that helped accomplish multiple business goals. Oh yeah, our videos also gets them dates. We heard through the grapevine that one of their employees has gotten several dates based on her online testimonial video. We're happy to help :)

Hoosier's for Science Geeks

Rainy Saturday mornings are just made for formulatic, small town, against-all-odds, heart-string-pulling, father/son movies. October Sky was exactly what I was looking for on this drizzly day. Thanks USA network. As a former science geek (Radio Shack 150-in-1 kit, Chemistry Set, Rocket Building Kit, etc.) and current tech geek, I'm putting a stake in the ground that October Sky is the best of the "Hoosiers for Science Geeks" genre. It should be noted that as a new Dad (the little guy is 9 months old now) I am particulary susceptible to formulatic feel good movies. This movie followed all the rules for the genre.

1) Strained father/son relationship. Check.
2) Father that just doesn't understand son's dream (come on kid, we're coal miners, here). Check.
3) Hometown featured in Bruce Springsteen song (Youngstown aka Coalwood, WV). Check.
4) Inspirational teacher that gets deathly ill. Check.
5) Million-to-one shot to escape small town (National Science Fair). Check.
6) Huge Adversity that delays and nearly derails dream (mine explosion/cave-in). Check.
7) Against all odds victory with the help of his small town (even Dad). Check.
8) Closing sequence showing that the real rocketboys all graduated from college. Check.
9) Extra heartstring tug showing how main character ends up working for NASA, inspirational teach dies too yound, and father dies of black lung disease. Double check. Come on, Hollywood. That wasn't even fair.

It really doesn't get more formulatic that this, folks. But, sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered. The links to the movie above discuss the movie as well as the story it's based on. It's interesting to see where the movie veered from reality and where it towed the line. It's a nice little family flick.

Useability Testing Works

I was part of a useability study last night at Frogdesign studios. It reminded me of the importance of putting down the corporate Kool-Aid, setting aside ego, and asking, "How does this work outside of our four walls?" If last nights study was any indication, the folks over at Frogdesign do a fine job of orchestrating this process for their clients. Hotbed conducted useability testing and a website re-design last Summer with our good friends over at The Milk Farm that yielded our new website (we hope you like it). We wanted to make our films the star of the show, rather than us, our client list, or how super awesome we'd like to think we are. Let the work speak for itself, we hailed. The results have been staggaring! The number of videos viewed on our website has increased by 281% in just six months. That's the power of stepping back. Another powerful tool of discovery is the use of film itself. We work directly with agencies to film focus groups, useability testing, and product release evaluations. While interviews and testing are powerful tools, nothing conveys emotion like film. Hotbed has filmed and edited two research projects for Witness that have been invaluable in conveying real thoughts and emotions directly to company leaders in a clear, concise fashion. Take a look at our films for Freebord and Zwack to see how the medium can be incorporated into your research project.

Celebration at City Hall

Director of Business Development Ed Reese, Writer/Director Patrick Wilkinson, and his wife Kathy Wallerstein celebrate at San Francisco's City Hall after the Full Circle Fund Forum event. Hotbed was proud to produce the film that kicked off the event and help their cause. Patrick was finally able to relax after a lot of hard work and have a much deserved glass of wine. The film rocked City Hall. In fact, it was so powerful that Full Circle Fund decided to use it on their home page as well. Nice work, Patrick! Take a look for yourself.

Forget Being Great

In the creative field, as in all fields, we all seek to do great work, have it seen, have some influence, be recognized and get a pat on the back. It's a part of what drives us, possibly more than money. But, sometimes the desire to do great work can stand in our way. We can get so caught up in trying to do great work that we can lose touch with what actually allows us to do great work, our soul. We stop listening to what moves us to be truthful in our expression and faithful to our personal perspectives that make our work unique. The pursuit of greatness can stall us out, give us writers block and paralyze us in fear of failure. I was reminded of this by an article in the Wall Street Journal called Importantitis, Enemy of Art. Download the article < -

Web Video

So many of our clients are calling us into their office and saying, "It's time. We want to create some videos for the web." We're excited to hear that. Here's a good write-up we found on the subject. READ IT - >