Increase your web sites effectiveness with streaming video!

We watch it most every day. It makes us laugh and cry. It educates and informs. It sells and promotes. Television and Video are powerful tools in today’s media and is now available for your web site. At DW Video’s website we use streaming video to promote our products and services. By adding video to a web site it gives the prospect a more detailed look at what is offered and in a media they are used to. Better than a bunch of words on a page and a couple photos.

Streaming video aids in the interactive experience the prospect gets when they visit your web site. Video moves us everyday – why not use that power to move your prospects into customers.

At DW Video & Multimedia we can produce a series of short videos that highlight your business and the products and services you offer and post them on your web site. Contact DW today or call (231) 937-5420 – 800 853-7379 to discuss your business needs and how video can help you sell – train and educate.

Stay tuned next time for a look at our Buy-Local Video Streaming service and how Buy-Local can help direct prospects to your web site thru video and links.

The Production Process - part three

POST PRODUCTION
The Post Production phase includes the actual editing of the production - here is when we mix all the video footage, graphics, titles, animation to the audio soundtrack and create your final production. All this is put together using the final approved script. As mentioned earlier the script is our blue print or road map in producing any video, interactive cd or DVD. (View Editing Video)

At DW Video we will work with you throughout the entire production process from concept to completion to get the results you need from the final program.

Once the program is completed we can handle all your duplication needs from your first copy to your thousandth with our in-house Duplication Service (Video, CD, DVD). (View Duplication Video)

At DW Video & Multimedia we welcome the opportunity to produce a company image, promotional or training video for your business or industry. Contact DW Video today, we are here to help you succeed.

This concludes the three part series on the Production Process. Stay tuned next time and learn how streaming video can increase your web sites effectiveness. Have a great day - God Bless!

The Production Process - part two

In the second of this series 'The Production Process' we are going to cover PRODUCTION.

ON-LOCATION VIDEOTAPING: This includes the actual videotaping - which each scene was determined from the final approved script. - and you'll probably be surprised to find out how much time is required to set up each scene. Many of our clients have remarked on this point, but they've all found that a good production is the direct result of a proper blend of creativity and craftsmanship, and rushing the job usually affects the results. Understanding this will help you bear with us as we set up the equipment, check audio & video levels, adjust lighting and shoot the scene from several angles.

NARRATION & SOUNDTRACK The narration and soundtrack phase is when we pre-record the professional voice-over and mix in the stock music background selections needed for your production. VIEW AUDIO VIDEO

GRAPHICS & ANIMATIONS Any graphics and animations are also being created at this time. These include high quality charts, diagrams, titles, animated logos, objects, or characters - anything to help convey your message. VIEW ANIMATION VIDEO

Stay tuned for the final part of this series 'Post Production'. Have a question, need a quote, feel free to email me.... I am here to help.

The Production Process - part one

Here is an overview covering the production process. The process is similar for Video, DVD's, Interactive CD's, Web Sites and Print Media. Watch Script Video.

It's a little more complicated to produce a video than you might imagine, but we're going to look at the process step-by-step so it doesn't appear so overwhelming. The first thing you should realize is that producing a video consists of just three steps. * Pre-Production * Production * Post-Production Let's look at each of these steps:

PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-Production is the planning and coordination phase. It includes the Preliminary Budget & Bid. Once DW Video & Multimedia, LLC has assessed your project needs - usually after one or two meetings - we can provide you with a proposal outlining the purpose of the video and a cost estimate. This is a "ballpark" figure based on the estimated days of on-location videotaping, any graphics/animations that need to be designed, scriptwriting, music, the number of duplications etc., all have an affect on the production cost.

This phase also includes the Scriptwriting & Consulting. A script includes the talent's lines, the visuals - such as camera shots, graphics, animation - and any other information important to the project. The script is the blue print or road map for the actual video production. This is the most important part of the process - what you say and how you say it.

Scriptwriting for video is quite different from other forms of writing. As opposed to an audiotape or brochure copy, the video message is carried primarily through the visuals - not the words.

There are several steps in developing a script.
1. Research: This includes gathering and using printed information, on-site visits, and interviews with technical advisors, employees and even customers.
2. First Draft will explain in detail, the look and feel of the finished project. This version is subject to approval.
3. Once all the additions and/or revisions have been made from the first draft, you are presented with a Final Draft for approval - and we're ready to begin production!

The pre-production phase is very important - the time spent pre-planning will save time, money and eliminate hassles further down the road.

Have a project you need produced contact DW today. In my next post I will cover the production process..... stay tuned!

“The Benefits of Video”

At DW Video & Multimedia,LLC, we have the opportunity to work with many different types of businesses. We often see that companies fail to look at their product/services from the customer's point of view.

A common marketing mistake is to focus on details and features about your product or business that do not support the goal of making the sale. In the tool & die industry for instance, many shops have a very similar equipment list. The fact is, any shop can purchase these machines. Simply providing an equipment list to a potential customer does not demonstrate a true benefit.

The benefit is what a shop does with a machine that other shops can't, or don't do. Business or product features must be associated with a tangible benefit to make the greatest impact on the prospective customer.

At DW Video & Multimedia,LLC all our features combined provide major benefits:

Increased Sales
Increased Productivity
Increased Profits

Video MEANS Business for you! Call today: 800 853-7379 or email dw. For over twenty years I have been helping businesses grow.

P.S. Check back in this coming week when I will take you through the production process - stay tuned!

note: video means: VHS, DVD, Interactive CD's, Streaming Video on your web site, TV commercials and yes even for your power point presentations. At DW Video we are using today's media to market your business.

Video to DVD - from multiple masters

The question has been ask: "I have tapes that are not full, do these have to be put on a seperate DVD?" The answer is no. Our price for direct to DVD transfers includes coming from two original tapes. Then only $5.00 per tape after that until your 2 hour DVD is full.

For example you have three tapes ~ one has 30 minutes on it, the second has an hour and the third has 20 minutes. This is 1 hour and 50 minutes. Since we only put up to two hours on one DVD this will fit fine. The rate $25.00 to make the master (includes taking from two original tapes) and then taking from a third tape $5.00 = $30.00 for this transfer example.

I know that not all tapes are full and this way we are helping you by combining them onto one.... and it saves you money.

I should note that some original tapes were recorded in the SLP mode and may have up to six hours on one tape. In this case we would have to make three master DVD's - each having two hours on them.

Need copies of the final transfer or have a DVD you need to share with your family, friends or business associates.... At DW Video we can handle one copy to thousands. Go to our CD/DVD page on our website.

NOTE: Do you have a lot of videotapes to transfer to DVD? If so email me and I will be happy to provide a custom quote based on volume. I am here to help..... email me today!

Stock Footage Used to Make a Point

Tim Y. from Sandyland Farms, Howard City, a large potato grower for the chip market was ask to be a presenter at a national seminar regarding agro-terrorism. Tim decided to use video to capture his audience.

What images in the American mind show terrorism more than September 11, 2001? “Using the Internet I began searching for resources for this footage states Duane. My search led me to CNN ImageSource. They walked us through the steps in acquiring the footage and the fees needed per second. This is not a cheap venture but when someone has footage and you need it, it boils down to supply and demand.

The video entitled ‘God Bless American Agriculture’ dealt with how American farmers should take care to protect their products from acts of terrorism. The video was put on DVD for showing at the conference and over 100 3” CD’s were duplicated for those that attend to conference to take back with them. (Video-CD-DVD Duplication is available at DW Video)

No matter what image you need for your promotional, sales or training needs, if we don't have it we can find it through the use of stock footage ~ Video or Photo. Whatever it takes to make your program a success is our goal”

To view the video ‘God Bless American Agriculture’, contact DW today for your own private showing. We’ll even make the popcorn!

Transfer Film and Slides to Videotape

VIDEO ALBUMS A HIT!

For over 20 years DW Video has been producing ‘Video Albums’ for individuals, organizations and businesses. These unique productions are great for weddings, special events, retirements, history, births, funerals, graduations and the list goes on.

These productions utilize photos, newspaper clippings and video clips to create a one of a kind; you can’t find it in stores production.

For more information and pricing go to www dwvideo.com and click on Film Transfers & Video Albums. Give me a call (231) 937-5420. I will be happy to help you with this one of a kind gift.
dw

Grand Prix of Grattan

DW Video & Multimedia teams up with Grand X-Ray to produce an exciting DVD promoting the West Michigan Region Porsche Club of America's Drivers Education event at Grattan Speedway.

The main purpose of the DVD is to promote the West Michigan Porsche Club's annual Drivers Ed event. This video does that with no problems.

From walking you through tech inspection and how to register to driving classes and actual driving the track. With the climax of the weekend 'The Sunday Time Trails'. Experienced drivers only get to go against the clock. What fun!

The DVD consists of three parts: Part 1: A 7 minute promotional video on the event.

Part 2: A 7 minute highlight video put to music showing Porsche's driving fast, people having fun and enjoying the weekend.

Part 3: A 13 minute in car view narrated by Rick Riley. Rick navigates you through many laps at Grattan. A great tool for anyone driving or wanting to drive at Grattan Raceway.

In the photo above producer DW having some fun on the track. The car a Porsche 1987 924S.

To order a copy of the video click here: Grattan Video

Yankee's Five Categories of Marketing

An easy way to understand the definitions of marketing from our Scriptwriter and Master Marketer Steve Yankee.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm fantastic in bed. That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's fantastic in bed." That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed." That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed." That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed." That's Brand Recognition.

At DW Video we provide solutions to your marketing and training needs.

Contact me today at duane@dwvideo.com for a no obligation - see what we can do for you discussion.

Save your Videos by Transferring to DVD

With the changes in technology and VHS and other videotape formats not having a long shelf life, now is time to transfer your precious videos to DVD. Videotape degrades faster than what most people realize. The VCR tape heads wear on the surface of the videotape during every viewing and chemical processes are at work destroying your tape even while sits on the shelf. Transferring your videos to DVD before they loose their quality and video image is a permanent and cost effective way to guarantee a future for those irreplaceable memories.

DW Video & Multimedia is providing this high tech service to consumers and businesses alike. By transferring your videos from: VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, HI-8, Betamax and Digital formats to DVD, is the best media for archiving in 2005. Archiving your wedding, your child’s first steps, graduations, birthdays, vacations, old 8mm/super 8mm film, business projects can all be transferred.

According to owner Duane, "For best results we transfer at a two hour bit rate mode and don't advise putting more than two hours on a single DVD, because it lessens the quality. I highly recommended that those VHS tapes that were recorded in the SLP or six-hour mode be transferred to three DVD's. Once the master DVD is authored copies can then be made. Your master is labeled as the original and is recommended to be put away in your safety deposit box and only be used to make copies." Duane continues, "DVD's however can also be damaged so care needs to taken - scratches, extreme heat, fingerprints all can affect the performance of a DVD. This is also true with purchased DVD's from the store".

Here is a few tips when preparing your videos for transfer and some general DVD tips:

1) Know the length of the tape and write it on the label or a post-it note. This lets you know if it will take more than one DVD or if there is room for another tape. To check the length rewind the tape to beginning, zero your counter (a counter with hours, minutes, seconds is what is needed here - older machines with the four digit counters don't help) fast-forward your tape to the end of the recorded video - make note the length. The VHS-C (the smaller VHS style tapes that take the adapter) are 20-30 minutes if recorded in the SP mode, in the SLP these can have up to 90 minutes on them. If you are unsure how to check the length DW Video will do this for you before a project is started.

2) We print to the face of the DVD – we do not use labels. Labels tend to affect the balance and could damage the DVD.

3) Provide a photo that can be added to the face of the DVD to personalize it and share with family, friends and business associates.

4) Once a DVD has been finalized nothing else can be added. Until the project is finalized it won't play in a player.

5) Not all DVD players are created equal. Meaning some DVD's won't play in some players. 99.9% of the time it is the player. With over 60 variations of the one DVD standard it is hard for all players to comply. This was really true three or four years ago. Today the players are more in line with the market.

6) The same holds true with computers. Not all players in computers are equal. At DW Video we have found that WinDVD makes a good compatible player.

7) There is a difference in blank media. Like in most cases in life you pay for quality - the same holds true with DVD's. Use the best media - Verbatim and Fugi make good blank DVD media.

8) Store your master DVD in a safety deposit box and only use it for making duplicates. This way in the next decade or two when there is a better archival method your original is still in great shape and in a safe place.

Duane is happy to announce the addition of new robotic DVD duplicator and printer that allows them to handle large CD and DVD copy projects in-house. “This past week we did a 500 DVD duplication project for Algoma Christian School out of Kent City. Having the in-house ability to do this project our turn-around time is quicker and that makes the client happy. It doesn’t matter if you need one copy or thousands, we can handle it all.” For more information on transferring videotapes and old film to DVD call Duane (231) 937-5420 or check out their web site http://www.dwvideo.com.

DW Video TV Commercial - Watch it Now!

Click here to watch my TV Spot.
This commercial is a general overview on
the services we offer.

I will be posting more video in the future.

Video Means Business!

An Introduction To Interactive Media

Here is an article I wrote about Interactive Media and how a business/organization can utilize media as part of their marketing mix and some tips.

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In recent years, following the rapid advancements in both video and multimedia technology, Duane (DW) and his Creative Services Team have worked diligently to bring new and exciting capabilities to clients.

Building on a foundation of traditional experience, the company now offers the very latest in Digital Video, DVD, CDROM, and Website Development - as well as production of all the collateral materials that you need to maximize the results of your marketing.

Interactive Media is one of those new technologies. As Duane explains, “We take video programs, still images, Website pages and PowerPoint presentations, and turn them into highly effective interactive communication tools.

More and more of the video programs we are producing today are being put on Interactive CD’s. This is an idea tool for salespeople who use their laptops for presentations, simply because it’s so easy to use and cost-effective to reproduce.

"Using today’s technology, you can enjoy the benefits of Interactive Media while getting the benefits of synergy AND additional mileage from your current print and video Programs."

For more on this story go to read the next post: How An Interactive Project Is Created

Have a project you need produced on video, CD or DVD please email me - I will be happy to help. duane@dwvideo.com

Go to DW Video & Multimedia for more information on all our products and services.

Video Means Business

Welcome to my world. That of a media producer. Lets go behind the scenes on some of our productions and see how our clients are using video and today's media to market their business.


All work and no play is boring. However when you can combine both thats great. This image is on-location in Canada videotaping a promotional video for a summer camp. What is great about this project is the beauty of Canada. In between shoots a quick dip in the cool Canadian waters refreshes you as you hustle to get all the shots for the production.

Camp Bil-O-Wood is located just north of Blind River in Ontario Canada. For the past 17 years I have produced a video for camp. The videos are given out to each camp family at the end of camp. The kids take the video - now a DVD - home and share with their family and friends. This is a great marketing tool when little Johnny shares his experiences and can show the video. Now that's great word of mouth advertising - combined with modern media. The video becomes the media to brings back that camp experience, highlights friends and works as a sales tool for Camp and they weren't even there.

For more on Camp Bil-O-Wood go to http://www.bil-o-wood.com/

For more info on producing a video, CD or DVD for your business, organization or family contact me today at duane@dwvideo.com. Have a great day and God Bless!

dw

Introduction to Interactive Media part 2

How An Interactive Project Is Created:

Our first step is to carefully outline the expectations and goals of the Interactive Media project. * What’s it supposed to do and how?
*What reaction do we wish to solicit from the viewer?
*What tactics are we going to employ to ensure that all this happens?
*How can this project be a real relationship-builder, not merely just a “throwaway?”
*How will the program be promoted, produced, packaged and delivered, and how will we structure follow up programs?

Once we know what we’re out to accomplish, we gather all the content - words, pictures, video, audio, forms and functions. We create an outline and flow chart of the project to be sure we stay on target, and that the information is presented logically, so the user’s experience will be a great one.

We also need to be sure that we retain the image of your organization, so that the Interactive project will be graphically appropriate and fit in with the other marketing you do.

We then “get creative” and come back to you with a proposal. As we move forward, review cycles and testing will continue as well to ensure that we’re on course.

When everything is in place - design, graphics, words, pictures, navigation, special programming & information content - we’ll present a “beta test” version that will be your final review cycle before production.

Don't forget to visit my web site for more information on all the media production services we offer. Have a great day and God Bless!