FAQs

Q1. Why use video for your organization?

Video is the most powerful communications tool ever developed. It is versatile, it is dynamic, and it evokes an emotional response unlike any other medium. It takes the viewer to places they cannot otherwise easily visit. Couple with music, narration and clips from those in the story, video brings your message to life.

Q2. How do I ensure I get the video I want, even when I don’t know exactly what that is?

Your video will deliver the messages you want to share if you follow a production process that makes you an integral part of the planning, shooting and editing process. All good videos start with an idea and a message that needs to be conveyed. It is the responsibility of the production company to work with you to determine what that story is and to help you develop the plot line in a manner that presents the story in a logical way.

It also helps to have a team that has a combination of seasoned storytellers and young exciting videographers and editors. This mix means you get the latest and most dramatic visual elements coupled with the discipline of a well told story.

- To that end, Oh Boy Productions meets with each of our clients to determine messaging objectives, shooting locations and interview subjects.
- Oh Boy then develops a working script that you sign off on before shooting begins.
- During the shooting process you are welcome to be on site as we get the shots and interviews needed to tell your story.
- Oh Boy Productions produces a rough cut of the video and then posts it to our FTP site so that you and your team can review the cut and then you can send back notes for recommended changes.
- Those changes are made and the video is once again posted to our FTP site for review, this process continues until you are satisfied that you have the video you want.

Q3. What is the difference between High Definition and Standard Definition—and why should I care?

High Definition is the new industry standard. It is a sharper image, it has greater variations of colour, and in particular there are far more grades of black and shading with HD over SD. No matter what your final use for the video is, the image quality will hold up much better if it was shot in HD. If you are showing your video on a large projection screen, there is no doubt the image is superior. At Oh Boy Productions we have four HD edit suites and we have invested in two Sony HDXD cameras that capture the images to Blu-Ray disc. The number of projects we shoot on HD is increasing.

However, not all projects require HD. If your end use is the web only or a Podcast, then HD may be overkill. If you have a limited budget, SD is a perfectly acceptable alternative. There are many reasons for producing your video as a Standard Definition video. We work closely with our clients to determine what the right format is for them and their video.

Q4. What does 16:9 or 4:3 mean?

16:9 is a wide screen format that was introduced in the late 1990s. All HD is shot in 16:9, but SD can also be shot 16:9, and it is the format that we recommend to our clients. However, the older square looking 4:3 box still has a place in video—and in our opinion that place is on the Internet. 4:3 uses less of the available real estate you have on your webpage and it works well especially if your video is an ISpeak or a talking head video.

Q5. Does it matter if a production company has not produced a video for my type of product/service or industry?

The short answer is No. If the company follows the disciplined approach that Oh Boy employs of working closely with you to develop your video, then the subject or business area does not matter. A company with a team approach will have the resources to comprehend and then tell your story in a manner that resonates with your audience.

Q6. What’s the best way to stream video on the Web?

This is a very interesting question and the answer lies in your objective. If you want to reduce the cost of streaming your video and you don’t care who sees it, then the answer is simple, You Tube. Google, who owns You Tube will kindly pay the cost of streaming your video. Oh Boy Productions has perfected the encoding of You Tube videos to ensure you get the best quality.

For corporate videos we recommend streaming your video through Flash. As a format it can be included in any HTML web page and it crosses the Mac, PC platforms.
If you want to Podcast your video, then encode it as a QuickTime and then format it as a Podcast.

However, if you want to sell your video online, then You Tube is out of the question. You will want to stream the video rather than offer it as a download. Sadly there is no guarantee that your video will not be pirated; there are too many screen capture methods to prevent that from happening. Do not let anyone tell you they can protect your video from theft. For a pirate—if all else fails—all they have to do is point a video camera at the screen and hit record.

Q7. What is B-Roll?

B-Roll is a term that originates from the film days. It was a way of identifying images versus interviews or on-camera speaking parts. B-Roll, in other words, are the images that help tell your story.

When it comes to media relations, B-Roll has taken on a bit of a different meaning. It now is a combination of clips and images that have been edited into about a five minute compilation and given to a television station to help them tell your story. The key with B-Roll media packages is to ensure the images and clips on the hand out material are consistent with the message you want to share about your company for that story. We caution our clients against creating a template B-Roll package. We work with them to tailor the images based on the objectives of the story the reporter is about to tell.

We are able to do this because clients that work with Oh Boy on an on-going contract will store their images and clips on a dedicated Hard Drive where the elements are always accessible. This allows us, on a moment’s notice, to select the shots and clips that are relevant to the story the reporter has told us they want to tell.

Q8. How much should I expect to pay for a video?

This question is like asking “how long is a piece of string?” The answer depends on what your objectives are, the format, shooting locations, and much, more. However, a short conversation with a seasoned producer will result in an accurate estimate of the final cost. That said you can expect to pay a minimum of about $150 an hour for most services included in the production of your video.

Q9. What are the components of a video production?

- Producer
- Writer
- Camera & Operator
- Tape or Media
- Edit Suite & Editor
- Narration
- Teleprompter
- Studio
- Music
- Graphics
- Animation
- Mastering
- Duplication
- Assistants (depending on the demands of the project)