producing Archives - Steve Stockman

Steve Stockman In Tips and Tricks, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Help! I Need an On-Set Checklist!

Is there a checklist or cheat sheet you go over before you start shooting to make sure production goes smoothly?

I’m shooting my first short in 12 days, and I’ve been stressing that I’m going to mess something up. The last thing I want is to delay the shooting process and rack up unnecessary expenses.

–Carrie, Charlotte NC

I’ve been directing a long time, and in the long nights before that first shooting day, it’s still hard to sleep. Even though I’ve planned my shots (see how to make detailed shot lists), there are a lot of things I

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Steve Stockman In Tips and Tricks, If you’re new to video, Video Marketing, Feature Film, Television, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Shooting like the Pros

I am a professional videographer, and your advice to “shoot short shots” is totally misguided. Pros shoot more than they need so they can make their video perfect in the editing room. Turning the camera on and off is an amateur move. How have you made a living in this business?

–Chris F., New York

Watch any film or TV show and you’ll see a series of very short shots (read why here). I argue that most people should get out of the habit of running the camera non-stop when shooting. And every so often I get a letter … Read the rest

Steve Stockman In Video Marketing, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

Limited Resources for Shooting Video

I am an absolute video newbie and am now filming my Church’s small service on Sundays.

I have a basic camcorder, but our resources are few. There is lots of movement and many things/events happening unexpectedly that are important to capture. I can’t position my self centrally in front of the speaker due to the arrangement of the chairs, so I have been filming him from the side.

I want to do a good job of this. Any advice?

–Susan

Limited resources. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a filmmaker whine about limited resources, I still … Read the rest

Steve Stockman In Video Marketing, For Pros, Your Questions Answered

5 Tips for Growing Your Video Production Business

Hey Steve,

Do you have any insights on marketing for production services?

I am struggling with approaching people saying “Hey this is what we do, we are awesome at it, let’s work together.” I don’t want to push things on people, I want people to come to us for what we do, what we can offer and how we do it.

We have been very lucky in our first year that we haven’t have to do ANY marketing, but we are at a point where we should be bringing in more sales!

Jesse

The dream of any artist is to … Read the rest