Primitive World Productions

Seeking participants for an educational video on careers in technology

2011-12-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Facebook Friends, LinkedIn Connections, Twitter Followers:

Primitive World Productions, a Philadelphia based video production company, is seeking participants for an educational video on careers in technology. The video series will be distributed to colleges and high schools nationwide. Participants should be employed in the Philadelphia region including NJ and DE, and have either an Associates Degree or Certificate. Filming will take place at the participants place of employment. In addition to interviewing the main subject, we also seek to interview the participants supervisor or co-worker, and an individual in Human Resources.

We are looking for:

An individual working in Information Technology:

Information Technology Specialist
Network System Administrator
Computer Programmer
Telecommunications Technician
Database Administrator

A Science Technician working at:

A Biotechnology or Pharmaceutical Company
City Water Department or Independent Provider
Chemical Company
Government or independent Environmental Agency

We are looking to film in the next month. Please let us know of any suggestions or interest.

Thank you for your time.

Deborah Arnold Brown
Primitive World Productions
215.848.0594 (O)
www.pwpvideo.com

Video Uploading Simplified

2011-07-05T11:41:00.005-04:00

Uploading video does not have to be a difficult task. In fact, most video sites like YouTube and Vimeo make it pretty simple. If your footage is in HD and only a few minutes long export an uncompressed Quicktime movie from your timeline and upload that to YouTube or Vimeo. If your video is longer or the file size too large, than export the footage using the H.264 codec and restrict the bits per second to get the file down to a more manageable size.

When we're dealing with DV footage that is 16x9 we use the following settings:

H.264 codec

854x480 pixels

Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square

Restrict Data Rate to 4000kbps or 4Mbps

Keep the current Frame Rate

Audio 44.1 kHz

AAC Stereo

That takes care of DV's pesky rectangular pixels.

Google leverages your social network

2011-02-27T12:38:00.000-05:00

If you and your organization don't use social media because you don't want to invest them time, you might want to rethink that. Google is now combining search and social media into their results. Here's a short video from Google explaining this:

This means that not participating is going to become a problem if SEO is at all an issue for your organization. And I'm not sure if I know of any organization that is NOT worried about being relevant in search.

I have to congratulate Google on what is a major head slapping aha moment to me. A large part of the power of social media results from trusting one's network. If you can see search results that are from your trusted sources instead only returning from an algorithm, it is obvious this is going to have an impact on what people will click through from their searches.

Watson's appearance on Jeopardy! may not have proven the existence of artificial intelligence, but tying scientific search with human opinion is really at the heart of leveraging large networks and creating a form of artificial intelligence from wide network thinking. The word networking seems to be having its computer and human definitions folding together into a major force for how we as individuals will learn.

If you have an organization, product, mission, or almost anything that you want new people to learn about, it will now be near impossible to not participate in social media. Though this is where the listening to others and encouraging their participation becomes even more critical in the recipe.

Video producers should help clients, not shame them.

2010-12-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

I'm Not Bruce: Clients don't understand Container Formats

Everyone seems pretty excited about this article, but maybe I'm missing something. I was hoping I would click over and have one of my most recurring questions from clients solved when I read this headline at studio daily:

The Best File Format Analogy Yet

I was a bit disappointed. Here was the crux of Bruce's biscuit:

.mov, .mkv, .avi and others are containers which mean they're like sandwiches, I tell clients. ... Not all sandwiches are good, and asking me for "a quicktime" or "an mov" or "an avi" is like asking me for "a sandwich on white bread". You've specified that you want a sandwich (video file), with white bread (container format) but you have yet to tell me what kind of sandwich you want (codec).

A decent start on the way to saying, "I need more information," and possibly an analogy one can follow. But the next paragraph doesn't cut it for kindness and client relations:

This seems to be the only way to get through to some clients. "You're ordering a sandwich with white bread but I don't know what kind of sandwich you want. PB&J? Mustard and Lettuce? Cheese and Anchovies?" "What do you recommend?" is usually their response. I dunno. What kind of sandwich does the thingy that you're going to play it on ask for? In the manual. Yes, that one, the one you didn't read.

The question of how to deliver files for a variety of uses isn't going to change anytime soon. And discussing a sandwich analogy might aid our clients in understanding that we need more information, but it's not going to explain what that information is. Personally, I love a good PB&J or Italian hoagie, and it really depends on my mood. But my edit team has developed a nice set of standard compression settings to output an interim QuickTime that we can deliver to YouTube, Vimeo, etc. Are we creating a different kind of deliverable? Well, we should know enough about what we're creating to ask the right questions. People at sandwich shops know what ingredients they can and can't offer, we should be similarly aware when helping our clients.

If you are a producer and are waiting to find out about delivery requirements until the end of the job, you are doing something very wrong. Don't you produce with final delivery in mind? Wouldn't you shoot more closeups for mobile delivery only vs. a big screen? Our clients are experts at their chosen profession, and it is our job to be the experts in ours. As a Director and Producer, I don't always have those exact tech answers but I have the people on my team who do.

Here's my favorite saying that I use with my clients when the format, codec, and streaming rate questions come up. "Let's have your geeks talk to my geeks." Our clients know they want good results, and when we work with them and not against them they trust us to ask the right questions and help direct them to answers they don't know.

And if you're someone's client and feel like you are being chastised for not knowing enough about video production and web delivery technical specifications, don't feel bad. They change so fast its exciting for professionals to keep up. I just hope you find a professional who helps you and not shames you.

Eco-Libris blog: WWF is presenting a new unprintable PDF format to save trees

2010-12-11T11:25:00.000-05:00

Eco-Libris blog: WWF is presenting a new unprintable PDF format to save trees

A cool concept, but some items still need to be printed. As long as there's a choice.

2010: A Video Odyssey

2010-07-19T16:30:00.001-04:00

Debbie Arnold Brown was invited to be a guest blogger on the blog Pledging for Change. Here is a link to her article:

2010: A Video Odyssey

Michael on the Radio

2010-06-22T14:39:00.001-04:00

I was invited to be a guest on a radio show in early May. The show is called The Marketing of Business, and it aired on WWDB AM 890 on May 8th and 9th. Being that those were Saturday and Sunday evening slots, not many of our friends were able to listen. So, I asked the show for permission to post it online. We have broken the show into 5 clips on YouTube.

Industry Interview - Abby Rogers - Production Coordinator, Primitive World Productions

2010-05-25T10:35:00.003-04:00

Industry Interview - Abby Rogers - Production Coordinator, Primitive World Productions

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Industry Interview - Abby Rogers - Production Coordinator, Primitive World Productions

2010-05-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

Industry Interview - Abby Rogers - Production Coordinator, Primitive World Productions

Posted using ShareThis

Shakey Review by Pat Ganley

2010-02-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

At nearly 800 pages Shakey, a biography about Neil Young, is bible thick and even biblically epic, covering love, wars, death, and betrayal. And much like the Bible, the task of reading it, cover to cover, might seem to be for true devotees. But even the casual fan will be rewarded by the exciting and knowledgeable account of events in the life of an artist who has sneezed out a 40-year catalogue of money-making hits one week and self-indulgent experiments the next. Devotees, however, will marvel at the tremendous access author Jimmy McDonough had to the reclusive singer-songwriter. After giving McDonough authorization to write the book, Young, in a schizophrenic fashion we learn to be true to the artist, tried to stop its release. McDonough delves deep into Young's internal conflict and Janus-headed persona. One side is the tequila-fueled, play-whatever-the-hell-you-want guy, who released Tonight’s the Night; it’s the Young who pursued that great moment of inspiration within a raw-sounding performance, and not in high fidelity and over-dubbing. While another side is the micro-managing control freak behind the bizarre synthesizer and vocoder-laden Trans.

What makes Shakey an especially fantastic read is the author's tone throughout –McDonough is clearly a fan. He relates the first time he heard the often-described Irish wake of an album, Tonight's the Night as a pivotal moment in his life, and vividly reminds us of those moments in our lives, when a piece of art, music, or film alters our perception of the world. For McDonough, the album was a "lifesaver." But his description of the album is not exhausted by his personal affection for it; he also puts its release into a historical context—a time when "the charts were full of pop confections." McDonough’s description of the album’s simultaneous personal and historical impact characterizes his approach to the book. "For me, the seventies can be summed up by just three things," he writes. "Those grotesque early shopping malls, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Tonight's the Night. Decay, but with a gleam in it’s eye." If the reader didn't already love that album, McDonough's observations about its impact, as well as his rich description of its songs and smoke-filled boozy production will at the very least provoke one to reconsider its place in rock history as one of the greatest albums of 70’s. Frankly, McDonough made me realize that a single book could have been written about this album alone, and I'm surprised no one has jumped at the chance to publish a 33 1/3 on the subject. (What gives Continuum?) Of course writing one in the face of McDonough’s moving and exhaustive prose will undoubtedly intimidate would-be authors.

Just because some of us think that Young’s best work was done in the 70's doesn't mean that McDonough ignores the rest. Shakey is the story of a man’s life, not just his career and not just his creative output—however inextricable those continue to be. We learn about Young's parents in Toronto: his mother, Rassie, a local TV celebrity, and his sports writer father Scott divorced when Young was quite, well, young. We also learn about a childhood spent with a transistor radio under his pillow, blasting the sounds of early rock and roll—thanks to Wolfman Jack—as well as lots of honky tonk and country music. In a way reminiscent of Tonight’s the Night’s later impact on the author, McDonough describes the radical impact that the Marty Robbins’ song, "Don't Worry" had on Young; of the song with "the first Fuzztone guitar," Young would proclaim, "See, that's country music—fu**in’ feedback came from country. Who woulda (sic) even thought. But there it was."

Such interviews comprise much of the content of this book. McDonough not only interviewed Young, but 300 other people, including those who work for Young, are fans of Young, who hate Young, who love or have loved Young. While this many-sided view of a man already thought to exhibit symptoms of a split personality could have resulted in a vertigo-like reading experience, Shakey’s structure is remarkably straightforward. McDonough tells the story more or less chronologically, allowing the varying perspectives to come and go, all the while maintaining the authority won by his well-researched text and meticulous interview transcripts. Most authorized biographies imagine themselves to be “the end all, be all,” the final word on the life of a person—the absolute truth. It’s clear, however, that McDonough doesn't feel that way about his project. The story of a life, perhaps especially the extraordinary life of Neil Young, will never be understood in so straightforward a manner; McDonough’s awareness of this is communicated in one fell swoop by the title alone. Shakey is derived from Neil Young’s film director pseudonym, Bernard Shakey, and this title exhibits our inability to pin Young down – even “Young” as a name is insufficient.

Indeed, this book isn’t a simple story, nor is McDonough’s authorial agenda a simple one. He isn’t out to praise Young unabashedly for his artistic achievements—quite the contrary. His compliments in one paragraph are answered by another paragraph that calls Young out for running away from problems or throwing money at them. He doesn’t use interviews with Young to assert “the way it was.” Young's perspective rarely clarifies things; often, he's downright contradictory. He'll change his mind as often as the wind shifts direction. Did you know that the anti-“W” Young was a supporter of Ronald Reagan? Or that he thought Woodstock—and peace and love, for that matter—was nonsense and that he refused to be on camera for the concert film? Did you know he's obsessed with trains and owned part of the Lionel Company in the 90's? Jimmy McDonough learned all of this after eight years of research and shared it with us in this immensely entertaining book, supplying footnotes to suggest he isn't lying, even when Neil Young might be.

Film Review by Meghan Giglio

2009-12-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Film Review
By Meghan Giglio

I remember years ago my mom telling me of the days she used to go to the chicken market with her mom to buy fresh chicken for dinner. She said the chickens would be in coups and you would pick out your chicken (I imagine similar to lobsters in a tank when dining at a fancy seafood restaurant). When the best looking chicken was picked, my mom said the butcher would grab it, chop the chicken’s head off, clean it, package it and off you went. Yet, my mom’s FAVORITE part was every so often, the chicken, now headless, would sometimes manage to wriggle from the butcher’s grasp and run around. She thought this was hysterical. I on the other hand, was a bit mortified.

After watching Food, Inc., a documentary dispelling where our food comes from, I have learned that presently our food travels on average of about 1,500 miles from place of origin to our table. That’s quite a change. So much in fact one of the first shocking statements Food, Inc., starts with is how the way our food is processed today has changed more in the last 50 years than in the past 10,000 years.

Food, Inc. states early on that even if you’ve made a conscious choice to avoid fast food, an industry debated for years, fast food hasn’t avoided you. The fast food we get in the little window at the drive thru is produced on the same mentality as the ever fresh tomatoes piled high in bins and the stacked meat and poultry lined on the back walls of our grocery stores. Food wasn’t always this similar. As the slogan on the front of the Food, Inc.’s DVD box exclaims, “You’ll never look at dinner the same way again.”

That said, I’m sure there are many people who have heard of Food Inc, but would rather keep his or her head buried in the sand, “So long as it doesn’t kill me, I don’t care.” But that’s the thing, food has killed—many. E. coli, salmonella, obesity and diabetes are all explained consequences within Food, Inc. However, the biggest part to remember when thinking of viewing this film is its intent is not to scare us away from our food, but to make us aware of our food; where it comes from, and how we can change the Food Industry.

Food, Inc. is directed and produced by Robert Kenner. He weaves this story with the help of two well known and knowledgeable subjects, Michael Pollen, author of Omnivores Dilemma and Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation. Each author helps narrate the unveiling of the Food Industry. They explain how the fast food mentality was revolutionized by the McDonald Brothers back in the 1930’s; assembly lines were brought back to the kitchen like a factory. Today, 4 meat distributors control 80% of our meat.

Food, Inc. is a visually stimulating documentary luring you right from the start with alluding image labels on our food, accompanied by sweet, chiming music. These images represent the happy façade the food industry has used to continue the idea that our food comes from a friendly farm in Iowa where pigs roll in mud with glee and cows munch grass until full. A camera winds sedately through our grocery store isles suggesting diversity, selection, and like the calm before the storm, these happy images dissolve. Dark, sinister conveyor belts now move our not so happy livestock toward a place looking more like the mouth of hell; the slaughter factories. Once farms, now factories.

I will warn, this film is not the best candidate for good ol’ fashioned family fun nor would I suggest it on a first date, however as Michael Pollen says early on, “The idea that you would need to write a book telling people where our food comes from is just a sign of how far removed we’ve become.” I first ask, why wouldn’t we want to know? But more importantly, why DON’T we know? Food, Inc. points out, because we’ve never asked, stating, “The industry doesn’t want you to know because if you did you may not want to eat it.”

Now from a film standpoint, of course all films, be it documentaries or narrative fictions are still subjective. One should always keep in mind to take a film’s contents with a grain of salt. Perspectives are held and what the filmmakers want us to know is told through shot selection and edit process.

That said, I don’t believe Food, Inc’s purpose is to just bash the food industry and hope the public doesn’t eat again. The film’s running theme is our right to know as consumers and demanding change. This is important to know because as Food, Inc.’s story unravels with beautiful interweaving shots of corn fields in Iowa to shocking footage of feces filled grow houses throughout the south, we should be demanding change.

As Food, Inc. delivers its questions, it layers its answers successfully. There are plenty of first account interviews given by science experts, grow house farmers and undocumented workers all juxtaposed with shot images and archival footage. For example, Food, Inc. reminds its viewers of past and not so past, food poison outbreaks by showing news anchors covering stories from 1993 to 2007. Remember E. coli outbreaks in our meat and spinach? The salmonella in our tomatoes and peanut butter? Food, Inc. helps to show how one has absolutely EVERYTHING to do with the other.

With all the shocking facts Food, Inc. states about the food industry, it’s always good to question the validity and sources. I did at times wonder where subjects have been getting certain stated facts and numbers, but that doesn’t mean I discredit it. They all make sense. However, an image of a chicken, belly up, panting for breath in an over stuffed, confined grow house is something I don’t have to question. The images are disturbing. The images are real. The images speak volumes of what I thought I knew.

Beyond that, what Food Inc really wants us to realize is that the food industry is powerful, but only as powerful as the consumer dollar makes them. Food, Inc gives more than enough support and reason to purchase organic, wholesome and sustainable foods, free of growth hormones, preservatives and pesticides. Why wouldn’t we want to eat this? Ever wonder why chips cost more than carrots? This film has the answers. Farmer Troy Roush, Vice President of American Corn Grower’s Association says, “People need to start demanding good wholesome food from us and we’ll deliver, we promise. We’re very ingenious people, we’ll deliver.”

Steadicam at PWP

2009-11-09T15:18:00.001-05:00

Long time staffer and PWP Director of Photography Tom MaCoy is no longer just a certified Steadicam Operator, he is now a Steadicam Owner/Operator. This means that PWP and our clients will have even greater access to high quality dynamic video.
For those unfamiliar, Steadicam is a Academy Award Winning invention by Westchester, PA based Garret Brown. Early famous shots include the Rocky Steps sequence and multiple sequences in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
Never ones to be amazed only by the ability of technology, we are looking forward to deploying the Steadicam in future productions where the added storytelling value of moving camera will increase the visual and emotional impact of our shot choices.

Teach. Kids. Science.

2009-09-18T12:37:00.000-04:00

by Dave Lamm

With two Grammys and nearly 25 years of rock experience, the band They Might Be Giants have been steadily recording and performing music. The band has produced such popular song favorites as “Birdhouse In Your Soul,” “Triangle Man” and a cover of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” Over the years They Might Be Giants have continuously evolved, from the original two member band of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, into the full contemporary cadre including Dan Weinkauf, Dan Miller and Marty Beller. A rock band that originally wrote and performed songs for a more adult palate, they eventually began to write and release music for those very same adults’ kids. Starting with the album, “No!”, “Here Come The ABC’s” and “Here Come The 123’s,” it is only appropriate that this evolution should culminate into their latest release, “Here Comes Science.”

As an Amazon.com exclusive, the album comes as a two-disk set: one music CD and a DVD. The DVD is an animated presentation of the entire album and is hosted by stylized caricatures of band members Linnell and Flansburgh, both members voice their respective characters. The album tackles some very complex scientific subjects, such as cellular DNA, photosynthesis, the periodic chart of the elements, evolution, the solar system and the scientific method. The content from some of these topics would be enough to stump a typically educated adult, but that’s really the point. Instead of taking the repetition approach like the Baby Einstein series, or the Wiggle approach to, well, whatever it is The Wiggles do, “Here Comes Science” dispenses these topics as they would be from a well illustrated science text book. Each subject is dished out with brilliantly animated examples and rich in information that can be gleaned after many, many viewings.

Each song style is as varied and brilliant as is each animation style it represents. From the driving backward bass lines and frenetic colorful style of the title track “Science Is Real,” to the lovely slow ballad round and monochromatic feel of “What Is A Shooting Star?” This disk is also a must see for those who revel in short animation collections. Each piece has been animated by different artists, and as such, employs as many different artistic methods. In today’s consumer animation market, it’s such a pleasure to see a track like “Computer Assisted Design” use both traditional stop motion character animation along side some contemporary CG. “The Ballad of Davy Crocket (In Outer Space)” employs an incredibly fun technique of hand drawn animation using chalk and a traditional slate schoolroom chalkboard.

The ultimate goal of “Here Comes Science,” is not to just be a vehicle for children’s “infotainment,” but to instill an early sense of discovery, problem solving and a passion for finding out why. The project’s very spirit throbs with a beat that is the very nature of science. That is, the conviction to always better oneself, and the world around you, with the acquisition of new information. Consequently, and equally important, is the willingness to prove you were wrong. For example, the juxtaposition of the songs “Why Does the Sun Shine?” and “Why Does the Sun Really Shine?” The former song is a rave-up cover of a 1950’s children’s educational tune, and a fan favorite in They Might Be Giant’s live set list. Scientifically speaking, the song is ridiculously outdated. The latter track makes reference to the previous, as John Flansburgh lements;

The sun is a miasma
 Of incandescent plasma
 The sun's not simply made out of gas
(Plasma!)
 Forget that song 
(Plasma!) 
They got it wrong
 That thesis has been rendered invalid

After all this reflection on science and discovery, I was inspired to prove my own theory. 'What effects does this DVD have on its target audience?' My subject was a bright kindergartener who lives next door. In this equation, we’ll call her “d”. I added to the mixture, one dvd, and multiplied by one week of time. The attention span of the dvd was shared by “d’s” parents. We’ll assign them” J+J”. During the experiment, it was noted that “d “disregarded her toys, as well as her little brother, “c”.

{ ( (d + dvd) x t ) / J+J } – (toys + c)

Following the experiment, “d” reported that her favorite portion was “The Bloodmobile,” a simplified explanation of the human cardiovascular system. “J+J” reported that the music was very enjoyable, and were even more astounded by the fact you can fit the word “Pachycephalosaurus” into a song. “c” was unavailable for comment, he can’t speak yet. There were multiple viewings.

Based on my empirical data, there will be many more.

Blu-ray Waits to Join the PC Party.

2009-09-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

This article copied directly from the Markertek RSS Newsfeed. With no good way to link directly to this article only, I am cutting and pasting. The newsfeed can be found at http://www.markertek.com/rss.asp.

This article is important because it is going to influence how long it will be before we suggest to our clients and colleagues that Blu-ray become a defacto distribution choice.

Blu-ray Waits to Join the PC Party.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Despite the recent rapid rise in the sales of consumer Blu-ray players, a fall in their prices and an increase in the number of high-definition movie titles, Blu-ray Drives (BDs) in PC systems are - for now - being left in the blue. According to iSuppli, By 2013, Blu-ray drives will be found in only 16.3 percent of new PCs shipped, up from the scant 3.6 percent of BDs currently being shipped with new consumer computers. BDs wont be replacing DVDs as the primary optical drive in PC systems through at least the year 2013, said Michael Yang, senior analyst for storage and mobile memory at iSuppli. They eventually will find success, but during the next five years, that success will be limited in the PC segment. According to Yang, the two main reasons hampering the adoption of Blu-ray drives in PCs include costs as well as the lack of a library of movies that justifies the need for consumers to move to a different drive in their PCs. Cost, Yang said, is the primary impediment. Given the high price of the product, consumers are unwilling to pay the extra money in order to obtain a high-definition drive. The cost issue is amplified by the fact that the library of content is so small that there really isnt a reason for users to switch at the moment, Yang added. And while this is changing and studios are rolling out more Blu-ray content every week, there remains a long way to go. However, the struggle to become the standard storage medium in the PC world is nothing new. From a historical perspective, each of the successful storage media in PCs has gained popularity only when content became available and when consumers actually understood that what they were getting was easy to use and worth the cost. For instance, the once-ubiquitous 3.5-inch floppy drive had a life span of 15-plus years, surviving well past its prime. Eventually, it was replaced by CD-ROMs - which, in turn, gave way to DVD drives. A changeover occurred and the floppy disk finally supplanted when it became apparent that CD-ROMs not only offered a distinct advantage but were also the medium being adopted by everything from music to games to movies. According to Yang, the moment has not yet come for Blu-ray. Until cost declines and user awareness and knowledge increases, Blu-ray will have to wait.

HDTVs in More than Half of All U.S. Homes.

2009-08-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

From the Markertek News Feed, August 13, 2009:

A recent Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) tracking Pulse report shows strong growth over the past year in HDTV ownership. In 2009, 53 percent of total U.S. households report owning a high definition television, an 18 percentage point increase in ownership over 2008, when 35 percent of households reported owning an HDTV (23 percent in 2007). Among HDTV set owners, 69 percent now subscribe to high definition service, compared to 56 percent a year ago. Ownership of large screen televisions –32 inches and larger – has also seen solid growth. In 2009, 59 percent of households owned one, up from 52 percent in 2008 (44 percent in 2007). The CTAM tracking study also took a look at recent movers and which technologies they are likely to purchase and services they’re likely to subscribe to over the next year. Movers are more likely than non-movers to buy an HDTV set (26 percent vs. 15 percent), a laptop (24 percent vs. 16 percent), and a video game system (23 percent vs. 7 percent); as well as subscribe to HD programming service (15 percent vs. 8 percent) and DVR service (17 percent vs. 7 percent). The CTAM research is based on a telephone survey conducted by CENTRIS as part of the CENTRIS omnibus survey conducted from June 5 through 14, 2009. The sample includes 1,144 randomly selected adult consumers age 18+. The study has a +/- 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

What does this mean for our clients? Even if you're not planning on producing in full HD yet, switching from the old 4x3 screen aspect ratio to the more pleasing 16x9 aspect ratio is no longer a tough decision. More than half of the TVs that will be playing your videos will be in a wide screen aspect. This ratio is more attractive, makes for pleasing compositions, and is just expected.

We would have to look for another report, but smart money would bet that the 50% line has also been crossed for wide screen laptop and computer screens as well. YouTube and most other streaming sites support 16x9, and DVD players have always automatically letterboxed images based on user selection. Unless there is a very specific reason, it is time to abandon 4x3 and go wide screen!

Seattle Crew Photos

2009-08-04T19:59:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to our Facebook album of crew shots from Seattle when we were out there earlier this summer shooting Green Careers: Sustainable Futures.

PRIMITIVE WORLD PRODUCTIONS OFFERS SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DISCOUNT

2009-08-03T20:07:00.000-04:00

Press Release

PRIMITIVE WORLD PRODUCTIONS
OFFERS SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DISCOUNT

Philadelphia, PA, July 30, 2009: Philadelphia based video production company, Primitive World Productions, announces the addition of a new discount program for green and sustainable businesses. In the process of creating an educational video for national distribution entitled “Green Careers: Sustainable Futures,” the principals of Primitive World realized that they wanted to make video more accessible to green and sustainable businesses. They are introducing a sliding scale discount based on number of employees and commitment to sustainability as demonstrated by membership in green business organizations.

Full details of the discount program are available at www.pwpvideo.com/green.

Primitive World Productions is approaching their tenth year in business in 2010. Their work has focused on nonprofit organizations and educational programming. The company was started as a sole proprietorship and now employs a full-time staff of seven and multiple part-time and freelance employees.

Contact: Michael Schweisheimer
Primitive World Productions
(Office) 215.848.0594
(Cell) 215.837.0999

What does our office building look like?

2009-07-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

Coming to PWP for the first time? Not sure what the house we work out of looks like? Check out this TV commercial for a preview.
Created and directed for Galluci Music for the 2007 Christmas season by former PWP Editor Ryan Cannava, we utilized the most accessible location we had, our new building.
Enjoy.

Build a Portable USB Power Device | Studio Daily

2009-07-22T10:46:00.001-04:00

Build a Portable USB Power Device | Studio Daily

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We've been blogged...

2009-05-31T10:55:00.000-04:00

If you ever interview a blogger, expect to have a blog post written about you. Here's the posting from Zachary D. Lyons, whom we interviewed at the Ballard Farmer's Market in Seattle.

Camera Crews, Canine Class & Crying Confectioners
By Zachary D. Lyons

Green Careers Shoot under way with first week of shooting completed in Seattle

2009-05-28T00:55:00.000-04:00

Jule Schultz from the Washington State DOH checks a water sample from the Puget Sound.

This is being written on the plane from Seattle to Denver. PWP’s Debbie Arnold, Andy Wenrich, Dave Lamm, Pat Ganley, and Michael Schweisheimer just wrapped a glorious week one of shooting “Green Careers” for Films Media Group. Green Careers is a project that has been almost a year in the making, beginning with an original pitch to the largest educational distributor to the secondary and post secondary markets. The concept is to create a video to be used to encourage young people considering their career choices to look at careers that can make a difference to the environment.

So far we have visited with the Washington State Department of Health, Taylor Shellfish Farms in Sammish Bay, People for the Puget Sound, and KCTS which is the Seattle PBS affiliate. All of the jobs we focused on were around the concept of combating water pollution, specifically in the Puget Sound.

Now we are off to Denver to look at work being done there around the theme of Energy Efficiency in the Home.

Webcast Group adds PWP to their Authorized Partners List

2009-05-16T18:09:00.000-04:00

The Webcast Group has added PWP to their Authorized Partners Page. We've been working with the Webcast Group for well over a year as the distributor of live webcast events for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. We are honored that they find the quality of our work high enough that they approached us to work as one of their production partners for their clients.

PWP Webcasts Former President Clinton for the National Constitution Center

2009-05-10T20:30:00.001-04:00

It was an honor for us to webcast Former President Bill Clinton for the National Constitution Center on April 28, 2009.

Better than sitting on a shelf

2009-04-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

This post is more of an excuse to post a link to one of our videos as sold by Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
A few years ago we created a video for the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board's Pennsylvania Career Link Centers. It is an introduction to a day long orientation about the restaurant industry. Through our relationship with Films Media Group and its subsidiary Films for the Humanities and Sciences, the video is not only working in the Career Link Centers, but is also being purchased by other educational outlets around the country. You can see that page here.
Through this arrangement the video is generating revenue while simultaneously serving its original purpose.

PWP Sponsors the 2009 AFP Franklin Forum

2009-04-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

We are proud to be a silver sponsor for the second year running of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Philadelphia Chapter's Franklin Forum. We will be exhibiting at the event and unveiling our new company wide branding. This includes a reworking of everything from our newly reworked logo to our new Demo Reel :

We hope to see you at the Franklin Forum.

We didn't leave anything in Vegas

2009-04-22T23:42:00.000-04:00

Michael, Pat, and Dave are just back from the National Association of Broadcaster's convention (NAB) in Las Vegas, and boy are they tired. We attended the conference to look in the latest in technology for production, post production, and distribution for our clients. Though an exhausting few days involving miles upon miles of walking on the show floor of the Las Vegas convention center, we learned a tremendous amount that we are already implementing. But if we learned nothing else it is that there is no such thing as a perfect pair of walking shoes.

New Highlight Reel

2009-04-17T21:00:00.001-04:00

Highlight Reel from primitiveworld on Vimeo.

PWP Participates in Our 2nd MLK Day of Service

2009-04-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

If you tried to call us at the office on January 19th, you probably noticed that no one was in to take your call. But we weren't on holiday. For the second
year in a row the staff had the option of being at the office or participating in a day of service. The entire staff and many of their family members
participated in mural painting and beautification at the Eleanor Emlen Elementary School a few blocks from our office in Mt. Airy. Besides painting, we
also documented the entire event for the participating organizations, including; Mt. Airy USA, EducationWorks, Global Citizen, and the Mt. Airy Leadership
Council. All of the photos can be seen at the Flickr page we put up for the event.

PWP Captures a Client's Story for State Agency

2009-04-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

A video project we completed in cooperation with JEVS Human Services for The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) of Pennsylvania has been added to their website on the personal stories page. Titled “Inviting the Day,” Janine’s story can be viewed here. Janine and this project touched everyone who worked on it. We are proud to help Janine to share her story with so many others in her efforts to support peers struggling with mental illness.

Internet Video Distribution

2009-03-29T18:40:00.001-04:00

Everyone’s talking about it, and many organizations are doing it, but most people don’t have all the information to execute online video distribution. Does it mean we put our video on our front page? Does it play automatically? How do we get people to see it? Will they watch online? What are the technical requirements to distribute video online? Do we have to keep making new videos all the time? What does it mean to “go viral,” and how do we do that?

Here’s the truth of the matter. Nobody has all of the answers to all of the questions regarding online distribution. At least no single person has them all yet. And by the time the answers seem to be more apparent, the questions will change. Everything was on YouTube for a while, and that continues to be a central focal point, but then Facebook and social networking seemed to become the lynchpin of any attempt to “go viral.” Media players and their technology keep changing. Several years ago Real Player was in the lead, then Windows Media, and now Flash delivery.

I think we’re all learning the positives and negatives of the rapidly evolving world of maintaining an online presence and trying to keep up with viewer expectations. The pitfalls of implementation are many, but the issues of never implementing are greater. Gone are the days when non profit organizations could be two to three years behind the corporate world in the adoption of technology. Two or three months can cause viewer and supporter fatigue. But how can an organization with limited funds for marketing and outreach keep up? Video production is frequently out of the price range entirely, let alone ongoing production.

We are constantly exploring new distribution outlets and learning new ways to implement them and simplify their workflow for our clients and ourselves. The goal line is constantly moving in online content delivery, but we continue to follow that progress so our clients don’t have too. But frequently our clients teach us new outlets and workflows. Its this collaborative conversation that is keeping the world of online video exciting for us.

There will be future posts that outline how we have overcome some of the problems and questions raised in this article. Many of you will help us write the proposed solutions, and we look forward to that exchange.

We won't cry at this funeral...

2008-12-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

Well, its official. VHS Tape is on its deathbed. And this is one funeral the staff at Primitive World Productions won't be sad to attend. Don't get us wrong. VHS killed Betamax. It created the home video market. It made inexpensive video distribution to homes everywhere possible. But, in the light of DVD and other newer formats, it was awful. The colors drift and bleed, the audio doesn't always hold on forever, and basically the format just doesn't age that well. It's heavy and bulky and not random access. It needs real time to duplicate. It takes more room in to keep on stock. We're just not going to miss it. Maybe the headline for the New York Times Obituary will be kinder than this one.
There was discussion in the office about the halting of production of Polaroid film. Now that's a tragedy. That's a look that can only be achieved one way. Visual storytelling is just that, and the tools available are the brushes to our palettes. Maybe one day we'll long for that VHS look and try to replicate it with a digital process. As a matter of fact, we can be relatively certain of that occurring. But, until then, this is one brush we can put down for a good long while.
Here is the article that announced the impending doom as sent to us by the NAB newsletter:
Cue tape for VHS format's final moments
The VHS era is coming to an end, as the last major supplier of the format's tapes stopped shipping them to retailers in October. "It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Ryan J. Kugler, president and co-owner of Distribution Video Audio Inc. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away." Los Angeles Times (12/22)

Leveraging Your Video Assets

2008-07-23T06:39:00.000-04:00

Video is expensive. This is an inescapable fact in the creation of quality video productions. The hard work and talents of many creative people are involved in the acquisition and editing of even the shortest video productions. There is a mantra that can be borrowed from the environmental movement that can be utilized to reduce the long term costs of video acquisition and creation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. There could be some poor applications of this phrase that could damage a single stand alone video production. But, if video is part of the long term communications and marketing strategy for an organization it can be utilized very effectively.

A great case study would be Primitive World’s work with Kristen Rantanen, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for JEVS Human Services. Our work with JEVS and Kristen is an excellent example of leveraging a library of video assets for long term production value. There are two primary examples that come to mind in our work with Kristen.

JEVS recently opened a new campus for the vocational and technical school in Northeast Philadelphia, the Orleans Technical Institute. Kristen had the foresight to ask Primitive World to capture a time lapse of the construction process that took place over the course of a year. That video can be seen at http://www.jevshumanservices.org/helpothers/capital-campaign.html. That time lapse footage became the basis of an opening celebration video, part of a school program marketing video, as well as an asset used directly on the web page above in the completion of their successful capital campaign. By not letting a strong visual opportunity go by, JEVS has a precious video asset that can add production value to many of their videos for years to come. Not to mention the organizational history that was prevented from slipping through the cracks.

JEVS holds an annual luncheon fundraiser called Strictly Business, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary year in 2008. Each year up to four awards are given recognizing success stories in the Greater Philadelphia business community for outstanding Business Leadership, and Inspiration Awards for individuals who have overcome great obstacles to join that business community. For the event a video is created to tell the story of each award winner. Primitive World spends a full day interviewing people involved with the award winners to tell each story. On average we collect three hours of raw footage to create each four minute video.

When we were creating the Orleans Technical Institute program marketing video, we were able to go to the library of footage created over the years to use clips and interviews related to award winners who either attended or hired from Orleans. We already had campus B-Roll on the shelf from shooting these other stories. We had interviews with people who hire Orleans graduates discussing the high quality of their students. We had footage of former students working in the field, as well as discussing their experience at the school. Using previously acquired footage, we managed to create the new program marketing video with only one new day of shooting. Without the library, we would have needed three or four days of shooting to create the same piece.

There are some possible pitfalls to this method. Additional editing time is required to cull through older footage. An interview from years ago might be a little long in the tooth to match the styles and fashions of a subject today, and therefore might not cut in with new footage well. The technical ways older footage was acquired might not mesh with a new production. A VHS copy of an old video will definitely not intercut with newly acquired High Definition video, etc. and so forth.

But, there are many instances of pleasant happenstance where the library can save investment in new shooting or can greatly extend the budget of a single production. But instead of leaving everything to chance, we prefer to look ahead. If an organization is going to produce multiple videos over the course of a year are there any overlaps that can be found? If we are going to come interview your executive director about one program can we stay an extra half hour and also do the interview for that other video? The crew is already hired and the lights are already set up.

As video production becomes an expected form of organizational communication, keep your eyes open for places to extend your production dollar by creating a library of video assets that you can leverage to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

The General Use Video or Case Statement Video

2008-02-05T12:17:00.001-05:00

There are many different uses for video productions for non profit organizations. They can be used internally, externally, for furthering of one’s mission, for fundraising, and beyond. But where is a good place to start entering into the world of moving images for a non profit organization? Obviously, there are as many different answers as there are non profits, but a good point to get started, especially for medium to smaller groups is with what I like to call a General Use Video, also referred to as a Case Statement Video.

This type of video is fairly well defined by its title, but there are many details that help to clarify the multitudinous uses of this type of project. The first thing to understand is that unlike a video created for a single one time event or capital campaign, a General Use Video (let’s call it a GU video), has no specific call to action at the end. It encapsulates a non profit and its mission into one four to seven minute piece that ends on a high note as the story is wrapped up, but doesn’t ask for donations, volunteers, or community support. This allows the video to be used in many contexts and with many different calls to action given alongside the piece.

Some uses I have seen for a GU video include; fundraising, new employee orientation, use at events, presentation to government officials, as part of community outreach, as a video news release or VNR, board cultivation, and to accompany grant proposals. There are a few granting organizations that will not accept videos with submissions due to the theory that organizations with a video will have an unfair advantage during proposal evaluation. But it is actually becoming more common that granting organizations are requesting a copy of a group’s video. This list really scratches the surface, as a well crafted GU video will serve an organization well in many scenarios for approximately five to seven years.

It is possible for a video to be given a longer shelf life than five to seven years, but due to people entering and exiting organizations, increases in success and capacity, and the simple fact of changing fashions of both clothes and storytelling styles, I’d imagine that attempting to use a video for longer than ten years would become self defeating. If this seems too short on first consideration, ponder videos you have seen that were obviously outdated and the impact that has on your opinion. Even though fashions are cycling around faster than ever, an organization presenting itself with a face that is more of a flashback piece than a motivating and compelling story will stop using their videos sooner than they expect. A few poorly timed giggles from an audience due to a hair style reminiscent of the movie 9 to 5 will cause one to throw out that old VHS and start looking for a way to get a new DVD rather quickly.

The reason that GU videos are so flexible is that very few videos are shown or seen with no context at all. Frequently a person is setting up the video, and then continuing to speak after it is shown. The video works as a brief way to not only summarize all of the work the team has put into a case statement or strategic plan, but it provides an opportunity to tell the story of an organization in a compelling and emotionally bonding way. I personally believe that a video is never a substitute for printed, web based, or other text materials, but it is a supplement to them that increases their impact and solidifies the bond between the viewer and the non profit. Video has an immediacy and psychological pull that even the best constructed text can only give when the reader is giving their full attention or is already sympathetic to the cause. Reading a testimonial from a client whose life has been changed by your organization is very compelling, but seeing them say it with the full force of feeling, in the context of their story as told by the client and those who made their change possible, that is something that only video can achieve.

The reason that I think that video can only supplement the written word is due to a variety of factors. Tradition, expectation, and time are the main elements of the explanation. Traditionally, organizations are expected to have printed materials to encapsulate their story for interested parties, and more recently that is being replaced and supplemented by websites. This expectation is logical and does need to be met first. Different people will be looking for different information, as to whether they want to volunteer or financially support a group, or a family decides if they want their loved ones to receive their services. Different people can scan printed materials for the headlines they need at the pace they want. They can ingest every word, or only the headings. Skipping around is easy, and the time commitment is up to the reader. Also, printed materials are generally less expensive to create and distribute than is video, though the internet is changing the price structure for delivery of both.

But, if you create a four to seven minute video it will always last that same amount of time. Sure one can fast forward, but its difficult for a viewer to know when they are reaching the section they want. It is possible and simple to design DVDs that contain short pieces on many different topics, but that generally disrupts the flow and impact of the piece if you are only creating a total of four minutes of video total. Video just takes time. But, that time can communicate so very much. And, when coupled with a groups well designed printed materials, it can become a huge value add.

We all know the strategies surrounding inclusions in direct mail pieces. Potential donors are more likely to open and read those pieces of mail, and more likely to support the organization. Adding a video to printed materials can work that way as well. It’s much easier to add a brochure to the recycling pile with nothing in it, but wouldn’t a DVD stuck in the inside cover give you pause? Might you not throw it next to the TV to watch later, before throwing it away? Not to mention the increase in people who prefer to get their information from video and audio instead of reading. We all know people who can work away at their computers with news streaming in the background. And YouTube is an obvious example of the prevalent place that video media is taking in our modern communication milieu.

Now, when you are thinking about ways to improve and modernize your organization’s communications items, don’t forget that a General Use Video can become one of the strongest tools in the arsenal of people at many levels in a non profit organization. I do strongly believe that the cost of video is not justified for every group, but I will discuss cost issues in future articles. But if you do decide that this is a good path for you, please remember that as with any other creative services vendors that proper vetting is so imperative, and you truly will get what you pay for in video production. There are many fantastic professionals throughout the world in video production, but your board member’s cousin may or may not be the right fit for your group, even if it is at a price that you think you can’t refuse. But a well made and well told General Use Video will work strongly for your organization for years to come as it shows the world the best face you can show, in full color and emotion.

What does a video cost?

2008-02-05T12:15:00.000-05:00

The first question on everyone’s mind when considering creating or using a video for the non profit organization is what does a video cost? Well, to have fun with a cliché, this is the million dollar question.

No, a video doesn’t cost a million dollars, but it will cost whatever you are willing to spend on it. My favorite example is that of television commercials. Everyone has seen thousands of television commercials, and whether we know exactly what they cost, we can tell the difference between a $500 local cable commercial for the local car dealer and a $1,000,000 or more commercial shown during the Superbowl. Both commercials last exactly 30 seconds, and both commercials can be effective, but the costs vary widely.

As a video producer, my reply to that question is always “what do you want to spend?” If I know that someone wants to create a 4-7 minute video about their organization to be distributed via DVD and the web, and they were only planning on spending $18-20,000 I already have a tremendous amount of information for my proposal. If someone asks me to just bid for the job and tell them what I think it will cost, I’m lost in a sea of questions.

Should I bid the job as film or video tape? Will I plan on using expensive camera equipment like a crane or Steadicam? How big a crew can I have? How experienced, and therefore expensive, a cameraman can I chose? Can I afford to have a professional make up person? In my work over the past seven years, I have worked on projects ranging from $8,000 to $40,000 on projects of this length. And on each and every one of those, I could have used significantly more money to “put on screen.”

Just like running a non profits budget, creating a video budget is a series of compromises. I have used Steadicam on several projects. Steadicam is a very unique piece of equipment that allows a camera to float on an articulated arm, just away from the operators body. It allows for fluid movements that can have great impact. It was actually invented in the Philadelphia area by a man named Garrett Brown, and first used to much acclaim in the famous “Rocky” steps sequence, where the camera was able to fluidly run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum with Sylvester Stallone. Most recently I took advantage of the Steadicam in a capital campaign video for the University of Pennsylvania Library System. The speed with which we can work out moving camera shots to make a static library much more visually dynamic had a tremendous impact on what could have been a very visually flat video. But, the Steadicam and a good operator and a good assistant are expensive. It probably added $2-3000 to our one day of B-Roll shooting. B-Roll is secondary footage that one uses to cut away to for variety and editing choices within interviews. But without that additional expense, the video would have been far less effective and engaging, and the much larger total budget for the project could have been spent with far less potential for return on investment.

Many of these numbers might sound like they are higher than most people expect. I tend to find that people envision that a video might cost $5-10,000 for a short piece about their organization. My common examples are what I refer to as General Use Videos, which are pieces that can be used in a multitude of situations and describe an organization but don’t include a specific call to action. This makes them the main video brochure for many organizations, and they are often distributed via DVD and the web, amongst other methods. I know that there are people and companies who will work with less funding than mine, but I also know that most video production companies charge at least 2 to 3 times what I do for the same work, and frequently even more. For a 4-7 minute general use video for an organization based in one general geographic area, i.e. no nationwide travel necessary, that the budgets tend to range from $15-25,000 on average, but can easily reach $40 or $50,000. Based on my television commercial example, one can obviously spend much more than that if they choose to, but these are solid sample ranges.

I plan to write an additional article on choosing a video production company and the bidding and proposal process, but I will summarize some main points here. Higher price doesn’t always mean a higher quality, but beware of bargain basement producers. Video in particular is being democratized by the wide availability of inexpensive digital cameras and desktop editing software. There are many very capable producers working with this type of equipment. This is how I started myself, and I still use these tools for projects with greater budget pressures. But, a kid still in film school is like a lottery ticket, and its rare to get a winner. They might be the next Scorcese, but do you really want Goodfellas as a representation of your non profit? This is possibly a bit of hyperbole, but unfortunately in my experience organizations do get what they pay for. How can you expect someone with a full course load and a lack of experience to truly find and tell your story in the most compelling way using college equipment, spare time, and lessons from a book. Professional companies are the way to go. It is possible to find professionals who are willing to work pro bono, or at cost (which may still surprise you if they are used to large corporate budgets), and I always encourage organizations to take advantage of these opportunities. But, again, pro bono work will never be first priority in a for profit shop.

There is an axiom in my industry that I am very fond of, called the rule of thirds. Good, fast, and cheap, choose any two. You can have something produced that will be good and cheap, but it will take a long time to get done. You can have something fast and cheap, but it will definitely not be good. I tend to work on the good, medium speed, and medium budget mode. We take more time to get more from our budgets, but always make certain that we are pleased with the quality.

So, when you are interviewing a potential producer, look at their body of work. Have an idea of what you want to see. But most importantly, have an idea of what you are willing to spend. It doesn’t have to be an exact number, but a range is greatly helpful. If after a meeting I know that an organization was hoping to spend $15,000, but absolutely won’t spend more than $19,000, I’ll usually return a proposal with options. I’ll explain how my $15,000 proposal will get the job done well, but what exactly I would do with one or two higher priced options within that raise. Then the organization’s staff and board can truly evaluate what they are going to get and why.
I like to think that flexibility of that nature demonstrates that my company is dedicated to the project and putting the budget on screen, and not just in our pockets. But don’t misunderstand, most video production is done on a for profit basis, and even when done by non profits it is still expensive. The equipment is expensive, the time is expensive, but mostly talented and skilled artisans and creative people’s time is valuable just like anyone else’s. And talented people with a desire to truly help an organization communicate well can only result in videos that everyone will be proud to show and watch themselves.