Helicopters & Cameras

Helicopters are fun! We were recently hired in to do some filming for a helicopter promo at Turweston airfield and managed to capture a few stills on our trusty canon 5D mk2 and 70-200mm IS L lens. It's such a different world from high up. 

Video testimonials, how and why?

No one can deny the power of a good testimonial. These are great for showing potential customers an honest and personal view of a previous customer. We believe video testimonials are very powerful as the viewer can see and hear the person , making them feel that it is much more personal and genuine. 

Coming up with the right questions to ask the testimonial 'star' is key. Think about what you are trying to extract from them and make the question to suit, this is vital. Try not to script the answers, as this can often create a very robotic response and they will struggle to get the words out. 

Some examples could be...

• Please introduce yourself? - This is so the viewer instantly knows who they watching, this is great if the testimonial star is a high profile.

• What made you pick 'company'?

• What was your experience like from 'company'?

• What did you like most about 'company'?

• What made 'company' an exceptional service?

• Would you recommend 'company'?

Don't be scared to ask a question in a different way, this can sometimes create a very different answer.

It always great when making a video testimonial to get someone from the outside of the company to come up with the questions, this provides a outsider's perspective and what they would want to know.

Often when we film a testimonial, we will listen and ask them to re-say certain parts, this way it's straight to the point without the jargon. Time is valuable especially in video. 

What makes a good video? An introduction

So you're ready to make a video, great! But making a good video can be tricky. There are many types of videos that can be created and many factors that can define your video such as your budget, time factor and involvement. We have listed 14 types of video and each can tell your story/idea depending on what it is your trying to get across. 

• Explainer Videos 

• A short film

• Documentary Videos

• Corporate Videos

• Montage Videos

• Presentation Videos

• Interview Videos

• On-Line Marketing Videos

• Video Commercials

• Promotional Videos

• Video-Journalism

• Event Recording

• Video Training Modules/How-To Videos

• Ceremonial Videos

A simple start to help you decide this is ask your self the following questions - 

• Why are you commissioning this video?

• What are your objectives? 

• What is the impact you want to have?

• Who is your audience for the video?

• What sort of feel do you want the video to have?

• What are the key messages that MUST be conveyed?

• What is your budget?

• What are your deadlines?

Once you have these answers nailed, this will be a great start to identify what you are trying to achieve...

If you're looking for a videographer in Cambridge or the UK, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Should You Use Video For Your Business?

How many times have you clicked the 'play' button over reading text on a website? I know we do, all the time, but I suppose you could say we're biased towards video and because of this, we've put together a short video on why you should use video. We've also pulled together a loads of facts and figures to give you an idea of how effective video can be.

1. 59% of viewers will watch a video to completion that is less than one minute. – Wistia

2. 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with others. – Invodo

3. 65% of executives have visited a vendor’s site after watching a video. – Forbes
   (39% have called a vendor after watching a video)

4. 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium. – MarketingProfs

5. When marketers included a video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% – 300% – Forrester

6. The average internet user spends 88% more time on a website with video. – Mist Media

7. 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. – YouTube
   (That’s a lot of cat videos!)

8. 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it. – comScore

9. Visitors who view videos stay on web sites an average of 2 minutes longer than those who don’t view videos – comScore

10. 59% of senior executives prefer to watch video instead of reading text, if both are available on the same page. – Forbes Insight

11. Homepage videos are shown to increase conversion rates by 20% or more. – ReelSEO

12. Using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80% – Unbounce

13. Mobile makes up almost 40% of global watch time on YouTube. – YouTube
    (6 billion hours of video are watched monthly on YouTube)

14. 1.8 Million Words is the value of one minute of video. – Dr. James McQuivey, Forrester

15. Only 24% of brands are using online video to market to consumers. – Kantar Media

The Crystal Piano - Case Study

Goldfinch, a British luxury piano company wanted the whole process of the crystal piano being made from the keys being cut all the way to the last crystal being applied. It was a 5 month project overall from start to finish.

Once the piano was finished, we had two days in the Junction Eleven studio. One and a half days were spent photographing the piano and the other half day was spent filming for the finale shot in the main video. 

You can see the Crystal pianos shots here 

You can see the final video here 

Some of the equipment used in final video

• Canon 1DC, 5D MK2, 60D

• Various canon lenses

• Freefly Movi M5

• Boom arm

• Phillip Bloom Pocket Dolly

• Syrp Genie 

• Junction Eleven Studio

Isle of Skye

We recently went on a trip to the Isle of Skye with some friends. We were lucky enough to have some amazing sunsets and see some exceptional wildlife. Here are some of my favourites from the trip...Enjoy.