Z Cam E2 In-Depth Review Part 3

Welcome back to the Z Cam E2 in-depth review.  This is Part III.  If you missed the first two parts, you should check out find Part 1 and Part 2.

In today's post, we're looking at dependability (briefly), and our Conclusion.

Dependability

This is one topic I can’t answer yet, as I’ve only had the Z Cam for a few weeks now.  It’s comforting that the E2 feels like it’s built like a tank, and there have been very few reports of failure among users.  Hopefully, I won’t remember to report back on this topic.

Conclusion

I get the sense that Z Cam is positioning this camera uniquely in the market.  The hardware and software is excellent, but there’s not nearly enough documentation on the camera.  It’s a complicated camera, and the manual covers just the basics.  It took me 3 days to figure out how to get the full ISO range.   There are a lot more features and options than what I’ve covered here… things like a time lapse feature, dual ISO, file splitting, software, audio options, etc.  As I said in the beginning, it's a complex and very capable camera.

So who is it for?  Let's start with who I don't think it's well suited: bloggers and hobbyists.  I don't see the E2 as a great camera for blogger's because of the form factor.  Mirrorless, DSLR, and compact cameras are much easier to manipulate for self-filming.  And it's a too complex and beefy for a hobbyist.  Coming from a Sony a73 and a7s2, I miss the full-frame sensor and I'm overly conscious about how much attention it attracts... and how much slower it is to operate.  It's not a camera that I'd take on vacation, or to hazardous regions (i.e. places with high rates of theft and violence).  When you pick up the E2, you need to be a dedicated cinematographer in that moment-- not a tourist, someone's partner, or a "street videographer."  It takes time and attention to operate.  With the right attachments, the Z Cam can function as a "jog and gun" unit just fine.  It all depends on how you shoot professionally.  The E2 is an excellent camera if you want to upgrade your visual tools from a mirrorless, or enter into the professional filmmaking realm.  I see no shortcomings in the quality when used as a professional tool; I don't believe anyone could distinguish the E2's footage from that of a Red or Alexa.  It may not be on Netflix's "approved" camera list yet, but the specs and the performance are all there.  

Should you buy the E2 instead of the Sony a73? Yes, if you're planning on being a dedicated filmmaker; No, if you're a hybrid user or YouTube creator.  Should you buy it instead of the Blackmagic 4K? That really depends on the workflow experience you prefer and your need for a wider variety of recording options.  They're very similar in terms of image quality; they both have quirks in terms of handling.  Should you buy the Z Cam E2 instead of the Red Komodo? Yes, unless you have buckets of money....

Improvements I’d like to see:  I imagine this list will grow as I become more acquainted with the Z Cam, but there are some things I’d love Z Cam to address.  

• Port covers!  Please, make port covers!  The back is too exposed for working in deserts, mist, high wind, etc. etc.
• Custom file names.  I’ve yet to find a way to change the file naming system, and the current version (which lists the date and time) is ridiculously long and unhelpful.  I also want to see the file name on the preview screen.  Some professionals slate and take notes during their shoot and it helps to have the file name onscreen to confirm.  
• I’d love for proxy files to be available for all of the file types. 
• More documentation on the E2 and a dedicated employee for the Z Cam forum... or a forum created by Z Cam.  Don't rely on Facebook as a primary interface for customers.  Unanswered questions get buried in Facebook's algorithm, and that's no good.  I've created a Resource Page for the E2, with specs, links, mini reviews, and... um, resources, but I don't answer questions and I'm not an expert. 
• Custom cords.  I need a 6 inch LANC cable—not a 9-18inch springy cable.  Same for HDMI.
• Custom Menu page.  I know there's no space for it currently, but there are so many options-- and so many I know I'll never use-- that it would be nice to have a page with just the menu items I access regularly
• This last is really a next gen issue:  the LANC input is on the wrong side of the camera; if controlled by a handle, the cord has to reach across the back to reach the port.  The USB-C port can live on either side, so the two could be switched.  
  

Finally,I think Z Cam should look long and hard at their ZRAW format and decide what they want it to be.  Currently, it feels like an obligatory nod towards Raw file zealots who don’t understand that their obsession rarely produces a better looking image at final print. RAW is often considered the Holy Grail of file types when really it is simply one step up from ProRes HQ. In video, Raw files are never completely raw and almost always compressed. ZRAW subdivides that “one step” image possibility by being focused on detail rather than dynamic range.  

Z Cam has been aggressively improving their cameras, including updated features via firmware for their existing line like the E2.  This is an exciting company to watch, and I think their upcoming 6K and full frame cameras will shake up the landscape as much as the Sony a7 series, Blackmagic, and Panasonic cameras have done.  For me, I’m excited to explore the possibilities of this camera.

Z Cam E2 In-Depth Review

Z Cam has leapt deep into the cinema camera field with the E2.  In many respects, it’s remarkable that this Micro Four Thirds camera is as polished and ready for prime time as it is… after all, the E1 is its only predecessor.  In this review, I’ll be giving my general impressions of the camera, as well as a comparison with mirrorless and DSLR cameras, since many prospective buyers will be coming from this world.  I’m going to look at some of the questions I couldn’t find answers to before I bought the E2, how it might change your workflow, and some of the quirks you should keep in mind before you buy it.  It’s a camera with a ton of features, so we’re going to divide this review into three posts that will appear daily.

There are four basic areas that I believe a video camera should be evaluated:  image quality, flexibility, ease of use, and dependability.  Let’s dive right in.

Overview

The Z Cam E2 is a budget priced camera that packs a surprising amount of features and capabilities.  It has a MFT sensor with an ASIC chip that’s designed to run cool—an important characteristic in the tiny body of the E2.  The body is indeed very compact, coming in 3.59″ x 3.90″ x 3.50″, and the chip doesn’t need a fan to keep things cool.  It’s a “brick brain” form factor, which means no monitor, no internal battery, and no real place to grip the camera.  All of these need to be built on.  It does come with a 1”x1” preview screen that’s surprisingly useful.  (More on that in a bit.)  The price point is $1999 as of this post.

Form Factor

The camera brain – brick form is something you have to be ready to embrace.  It’s a much different workflow than a mirrorless system or a ENG camera like the FS5.  Unless you’ve got a weird shaped bag to pack it in fully kitted, it’ll take a couple of minutes of setup time.  It’s a pretty quick process, maybe 2 minutes, but that’s a big difference from a mirrorless that is up and running in 5 seconds.  The camera is more challenging to hold while making adjustments; it’s even more difficult to fish it out of your pack without a handle.  And I expect this awkwardness will translate into more scratches on the body.  It has an impressive plethora of ports, though please, Z Cam, make port covers for this thing.  You couldn’t possibly take it out into the desert like this.

The E2 has 4 programmable buttons, and that’s really enough.  You can quickly access the settings you change most frequently.  The menu organization is about average for a camera like this.  In some respects it’s organized more clearly than a DSLR or mirrorless, but there are so many options—some of which are dependent on specific settings— that it’s really a different kind of “lost in the menu” that happens.  For example, proxy files are possible in some resolutions and not others, so if want to have a proxy file you need to adjust the other parameters first.    

People say it, but it bears repeating that the E2 is a dense little brick, weighing in at 1.67 lbs.  It’s surprisingly heavy, and this can affect your gimbal use.  And because it’s not as wide as DSLR, mirrorless, or Blackmagic camera, it makes balancing the tilt angle a challenge.  With the Zhiyune Crane V2, I added a counter weight to make it possible.  A little Velcro makes it easy to take the weight on and off, but it also ads to the overall weight that the gimbal can support.   While I can do most of the basic moves without straining the gimbal motors, I hesitate to push the motors to far.  For smaller gimbal users, this is a definite consideration. 

The E2 can auto-focus native lenses, but, well… all reports so far have been that it’s not useable for continuous focus.  I don’t have any native lenses, so I can’t test for myself.  The short answer is don’t expect to take any selfies.

Image Quality

If you read the user reviews for the E2, people are almost unanimously happy with the build, functionality, and image quality.  There’s always someone who prefers the features or look of another camera, but that’s just people.  And truthfully there are some issues with ZRAW, their proprietary raw format, that I’ll get into, as well as some limitations with the image quality at 240 frames per second.  But if you want an overall assessment, I have to agree the other users. 

Without getting into the specs, I’ll say that it’s both impressive and comforting that the E2 can produce video files that are both higher and lower in bit rate and quality than most cameras, including the Blackmagic 4k. There’s huge amount of flexibility in file types.  You’ve got H.264, H.265, ProRes 422, and ZRAW which Z Cam claims is 12 bit, 4:4:4.  You can drop down to 10 megabytes per second in h.624 if you really want to save space, or push out 300Mbps in ProRes.  It also shoots 160 fps in 4K, and 240 fps in full HD, 10 bit, h.265 format.  There are over 100 fps/codec variations (check them out here) And unlike most cameras, it records audio at every frame rate. 

Out of the box, the 709 colors are quite beautiful.  They’re similar to Nikon DSLRs, which are slightly muted in comparison to Canon, but still true to their original hues and very easy to tweak in post.  Green is a slight exception here—those hues tend to be more saturated. 

Skin tones are exceptional.  By comparison, the colors on the Sony a7 series are a total pain.  I’ve begun to understand that image quality has two major characteristics: color rendition and roll-off.  A beautifully rendered scene can still appear harsh and 2-dimensional if the roll-off in the highlights and shadows is abrupt.  The E2 handles both color and roll-off exceptionally well. The images are sharp, too. You can see the image profiles and dynamic range chart for more info on the E2 setup.

Z Cam also has a 4K Low Noise Resolution option that I’ve yet to explore.  More on that, possibly, later.

ZLOG2 is a solid flat profile that’s easy to grade.   ZRAW is their proprietary raw format.  It’s 10 bit, 4-4-4, with a constant bitrate of 1.2Gps-- which in theory is great.  But Z Cam says it’s tweaked for maximum detail rather than dynamic range, so it’s not great for wide dynamic range scenes with a lot of shadows that need to be pulled up.  You’ll get noise.  This is a bit problematic, because one of the main uses of raw footage is heavy grading.  And being a new file format, none of the software editors can work with the footage. You have to convert it with Z Cam’s software.  This isn’t surprising, and I’m sure it will soon be possible to edit directly in your software as Z Cam develops relationships with Adobe, Davinci Resolve, and Final Cut.  Blackmagic went through the same process with BRAW, after all.  But in general it feels like ZRAW isn’t quite ready for general consumption.  It’s more for a niche use when you’ve got a well balanced scene and you want to get the best quality image.

Frame rates up to 160fps are consistently beautiful.  At 240fps, however, the image quality becomes inconsistent.  The camera is capable of gorgeous footage, but becomes noisy if under exposed, and it can have difficulty with high-detailed scenes.  Some users blame pixel-binning, but I’m not sure what’s going on.  I plan to do more testing.

Being a heavier camera, you experience less micro jitters when going handheld.  Rolling shutter exists, but its better controlled than my Sony a7 cameras and most DSLRs.

I give the image quality of the Z Cam E2 a 9/10, with the loss of a point being for those challenges at 240fps and ZRAW.  This is a bit unfair, because many similar cameras don’t offer either, so 240 is really a perk.

Tomorrow: Flexibility and Ease of Use.

CLAR Illumi Max 300 Light Review

"Light turns the ordinary into the magical" – Trent Parke

If you haven't noticed, I'm obsessed with lights right now.   Small ones, big ones, portable, cumbersome, hard, soft-- I've got to shape me some light.  I want a light that does everything.  Fit into a backpack, be hugely powerful, be accurate, silent, battery-powered.  Of course, no light can do everything, so you end up with a library of instruments to choose from.

Enter the CHAR Ilumi 300, a two-thousand watt equivalent LED at an amazing price.  This light challenges me in more ways than I’d like.  So let’s get into it.

www.HurricaneImagesInc.com

The CLAR Illumi 300 comes in three parts:  a light, controller unit, and power brick.  It also comes with a case that is, quite frankly, excellent, and a remote control that is cheap but functional.  It uses a Bowens mount for accessories.  You can power it with a V-pack battery, though they have to be huge, and it can be controlled via DMX.

What’s stunning about this light is that you get all these features and 2K watts of power for just $400.  That’s less than half the cost of the competition.  So how does it perform?

First, it’s as powerful as it says.  At one meter, it comes in at roughly 18,000 lumen, putting it on par with the original Aputure’s 300D.  It’s controllable in 10% increments, which is a little crude in theory but finite enough in reality. I don’t have a professional color meter, but my phone app rates it at 5400 Kelvin.  It’s also claims a CRI of greater than 96, but I don’t have a way to accurately test this. I did shoot a white card and analyze the color balance, and I was surprised to find it perfect.  My RGB was 246, 246, 246.    So that CRI is probably spot on, too.  The bottom line is that LED chip technology has been getting better and cheaper, making lights like the CLAR Illumi possible.

Noise is always a big concern with lights.  The CLAR is fairly quiet.  It has fans in both the light and the power brick, and between the two of them it’s audible but not intrusive.  Given that you’ll probably position the CLAR farther away from your subject than other lights, I don’t think fan noise will be a problem in 95% of the situations in which you’d use this bad boy.  For the other five you’ve got noise reduction.  One of the few shortcomings in the design of this unit is that the power cord is long, but the cord from the power brick to the controller is just 6 feet.  That puts the brick’s fan six feet behind the light.  This should be the opposite, with the longer cord being between the two units so you can get the power brick as far away from the mic as possible, preferably in another room altogether.

So those are the positives: great power, color quality, price, and relatively low noise.

Build Quality

The negatives for this light can be summed up in two words:  build quality.  Much of the housing is what they describe as “aircraft grade aluminum” which I think is just a silly marketing name for “aluminum.”  That includes the light housing, knobs, clamp, controller body, and power brick housing. The metal on the light is fine, the controller feels pretty thin.  But where the plastic meets the aluminum really feels flimsy and brittle.  The dial on the controller compresses a bit, and the rotation is a little rough.  This feels like it will break with regular use, so I’m thankful there’s a remote that can also control the light. Overall, the build quality is a little better than the ZUMA 60 I reviewed, and the build is where the budget aspect of the unit really shows.

To add to these worries, there’s some quality control issues at the factory.  The CLAR Illumi appears to have been made specifically for Adorama, and they're aggressively moving it into the market in different formats, including flexible panels.  But with quality control issues like this, it's difficult to predict if they'll grow into even a Neewer level brand.  Though mine arrived perfectly encased in boxes and plastic, it still had a dented reflector and a bit of odd colored dust on it.

These build quality issues would normally disqualify a light for me.  My biggest concern would be showing up on set and not having it function correctly.  But the issue of build quality isn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds, especially when it comes to something with a bargain price.  Drop the Illumi from a foot off the ground and you’ve got a 50-50 percent chance it’ll survive.  Those are bad odds. But if you drop even the best quality light from four feet you’ve only got about the same survival rate.  In reality, there's a big difference between the abuse LED lights can take compared to the old instruments we used to use. Old fashioned lights will break a bulb that you can replace, but LED’s will break a circuit board or fan or something integral.  The Illumi comes with a great case, so it’s protected in transit. It’s only on set that you need to be concerned about blunt trauma.  So if you don’t want to knock over any light, should you be concerned that you can’t knock over this one?

A bigger worry, though, would be that the components aren’t well assembled.  Did they use cheaper parts inside, or cut corners in manufacturing?  At this price point, though, you could ask a roughly similar question of a brand light: would you buy an Aputure 300D used for $400?  The answer is probably yes, but you don’t know what it’s been through—humidity, moisture, dust, stressful vibrations and being bounced around.  Could you really trust it more?

For me, I’d say the big difference between those two scenarios is that after several uses I’d trust the Aputure completely, whereas with the CLAR by the time I trust its internal build quality, I’ll probably start to wonder about it’s longevity.

I’d trust this most in a studio.  Studios are a controlled environment, and you’ve got alternatives right at your fingertips.

In the field, I’ll probably bring a backup light, just in case—at least for the first few uses.  I don’t have anything with the same power, and it’s a pain to bring an extra light, but that’s better than having nothing if it fails.  The truth is, I’ll hold onto this light just because I’m just so curious to see if it will last.  Would I recommend it to others?  With the big caveats I mentioned before.  Buy with your eyes wide open.

 Illumi 300 also provides some highly coveted features for less than half the price of brand lights.  Or maybe I should say “logo’d” lights, since nearly everything is made in a handful of shops in China.

And this brings me to a curious observation I had when testing this light.

I’d never used a light temperature meter before, and what struck me is how many different temperatures exist at once even with natural light.  The idea that 56K is daylight is a bit misleading. By the time the light reaches your subject, surface reflections create a broad spectrum of light on different parts of your face that can vary as much as a thousand degrees. Unless you live in a grayscale world, light is never just 56K. So is it really important that daylight LEDs are 56K plus or minus 200 degrees Kelvin?  I welcome your thoughts on that.

Hurricane Images Interview Demo

In the beginning I thought demo reels were a waste of time-- both as a producer and a viewer.  Showing just the best bits, there's so much more that determines whether a video is good-- story, editing, and performances.  As a photographer, I would post links to the top 20 images from a single wedding, so that couples could get a real sense of that to expect.

But lately I've decided that they do have some purpose.  Yes, there's showing your very best bits quickly and concisely, but more helpful I think is to show "boring" things in interesting ways. 

Unless your interested in the subject matter, interviews are pretty boring.  But they're also the centerpiece of many commercial videos and documentaries.  They're vital to Kickstarter/Indiegogo/MicroVentrues campaigns, tutorials, and company intros.  If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or artists, you should be paying close attention to the quality of the interview technique.

We created our Interview Video Reel so that prospective clients could quickly see what our work, and learn a little bit about what makes an interview stand out from the technical standpoint.

Going Pro: Pro Bono - The Response

Day 45

The Watershed Project responded to my email. They’re excited to work with me. Their 20^th anniversary is coming up, so the timing of my pitch was excellent. It’s a bit of good luck-- but one’s odds improve just by playing the game. Ain’t no luck sitting on the bench.

Day 53

I had coffee with the Executive Director of the Watershed Project. We’ve known each other for years (she was hired on staff when I was on the board of directors), but were never close. We talked concept for the video. For the 20^th anniversary they wanted to emphasize how the organization touched people across the lifespan. We wanted to focus on people’s stories, so the video would consist of quick interviews. And instead of having people introduce themselves by name, we’d have them say how old they were. The questions would be designed to elicit how the Watershed Project had opened their eyes to their community.

Day 61

My first day of shooting. At an elementary school. Whoa, Nelly, that was a handful. I captured some good background footage of the classroom and instructors, but the conditions were a disaster for interviews. I got 12 kids at once. In an outdoor hallway. They were nine. (In the end, only one clip made the final cut.)

After the elementary school I filmed student interviews in a classroom, interviews in the field, three school field trips, five staff on site. As you can imagine, the hours for this pro bono project racked up quickly. What quickly became apparent is that I didn’t have quite the right gear—especially in the audio department—for this type of on the fly, one-man shooting. I needed wireless mics (I ended up purchasing the budget Saramonic), and a faster system for set-up.

What I didn't know was that the creation of this video would take 10 months due to a variety of reasons, some of which included my own distraction.  That taught me a couple of lessons as well:  First, these types of shoots can (and often should) take several months; don't try to rush it in a weekend because it's a freebie.  Second, commit to your pro bono projects with the same integrity that you would for a well-paid gig.  

 And I learned on my feet about the craft of story-telling, the quirks of my camera, how to get better footage on the fly, etc., etc., etc. 

 

Going Pro: Contracts

Okay, the CAME-TV Boltzen 55W review was pretty sexy.  Now the boring stuff.

Contracts and budget proposals.  Obviously, you need them. My approach is to over-engineer them slightly-- I like them to be meaty but not so dense as to overwhelm the client.  Most people won't read a five page proposal or contract and you want them to understand and have appropriate expectations; at the same time you don't want a document so brief that it appears poorly thought-out.  I want my clients to feel like they basically understand it, but the technical aspects make them want to give over control to someone who knows what they're doing.  Three times in the past year I've had my contracts "sent over to legal" for review, and I've never been asked to modify it.  So I feel pretty confident that it passes muster.

My contracts always stay the same, but the budget proposal (which I sometime call the "Spec Sheet") is tailored to each job.  It can be longer depending on the client and the size of the contract.  It's supposed to lay out all of the details of the shoot so that we're all working from the same set of expectations.  We've talked through most of the details by the time I write up the contract and proposal, but never count on them remembering what was said.  Always write it into the contract.

A few bits, pieces, and golden rules:

• Never work without a contract
• Always require a retainer at signing
• Never call it a deposit (deposits should be returned if the job falls through)

Describing contracts and budget proposals isn't very helpful, so I'm including links to draft templates for each.  You can view my budget proposal template and the contract template by clicking on the links. 

Just found us?  You can start at the beginning of the Going Pro Series here.

CAME-TV Boltzen 55w Fresnel Review

Light.  You can't have too much of it.  Of course, when you really think about it a good video light is a technical marvel.  It needs to produce a lot of light, silently, with excellent color rendition, and no flicker.  I was hopeful when I heard about the CAME-TV Boltzen 55w focusable LED Fresnel.  I wanted a powerful light, and Boltzen came with some add bonuses (which I'll get to in a moment).  So how'd it stand up in real life?

CAME-TV Boltzen 55W Fresnel - It's tiny!

CAME-TV:  CAME-TV doesn't play with the big boys in high end gear like Wescott, but they are a name you can trust.  They produce quality gear at a relatively reasonable prices, and typically aren't considered innovators. The Boltzen is something of a bargain in the their line up, and is surprisingly innovative in design.

Size:  The first thing that surprised me was how small it is.  The Boltzen is about the size of an extra large travel mug.  It would be easy to pack six of these in a carry-on suitcase, making it great for traveling.  Light stands are now the burden for the mobile videographer.  Extra bonus:  built in barn doors.  Some folks expect they will give sharp defined edges to the light, but that's just not how Fresnels work (that's the job of an Ellipsoidal).  This is more gentle shaping.

CAME-TV Boltzen 55W Fresnel

Construction and set up:  They feel very sturdy.  You never want to throw a light around, but I don't get the sense I'll have to coddle it.  It has separate On/Off and light level knobs, which is nice because you don't have to guess the level if you turn it off to conserve power.  Some buyers have complained that you have to disassemble the light from bracket to fit it into the carrying case.  It's true, but honestly it took me 60 seconds to set up the first time.  Slightly more troublesome, though, is that the bracket nobs come complete off, leaving the possibility they'll get lost.  I may try and find a way to attach them.

Locking mini XLR power cable

Another very slight downside is that the length of the power cord to the brick is fairly short, leaving it dangle in mid air.  I tied my to the light stand with one of the wire twisties that came with the packaging.  The cord locks into the light, which makes some folks happy about the solid connection and others nervous about kicking the whole thing over.

"The big question is power"

But the big question is power.  I haven't seen any reliable specs on lumen, but I'm more of a practical application person anyway.  I set it up against my RPS Studio 100w LED for a real world comparison.  The RPS is a very good light for the price (about $280), though it suffers from light fan noise (I've yet to swap out my fan, which is recommended).  At distance of six feet, a shutter speed of 1/60th, and an ISO of 500, my meter reads f/8 for a perfect exposure with the RPS on full.  In the same conditions, the Boltzen gave a reading of f/5.6 wide open and f/8 with the narrow beam.  Which is impressive, given it's just 55 watts.  Housed in the reflector, the RPS produces a wider spread of light than the Boltzen, so that's where the additional wattage is going.  But if you don't need the spread, the smaller Boltzen provides just a stop less light wide open.  The narrow setting on the Boltzen is really quite narrow.  I'll be interested to see what happens in a softbox or reflective umbrella, because it's very small and hard otherwise. I haven't done a direct comparison yet, but the CAME-TV seems to be about as powerful as my Apurture 672 panel, with slightly better color rendition.

The color of the light between the RPS and the Boltzen seems quite similar.  I don't have a way to test for color accuracy, but I don't see a tint as yet.  And daylight temperature is a bonus-- you don't find that in real Fresnels which are traditionally tungsten. 

The fan is very quite.  In fact, I thought they had sent me the 33 watt unit without a fan.  I had to go back and listen for it. The fan will probably be noticeable if you have three lights going in a small room, but I don't think you can do better without going fan-less. Mic well and you'll have nothing to eliminate in post.

Wifi.  There's a mysterious reference to Wifi (and a micro USB plug) on the unit.  I've downloaded the app (which appears to be new as of March), but there are no instructions and it doesn't auto connect.  UPDATE:  I emailed the folks at Came-TV and they said they are working on a wifi module that will attach the the Boltzen.  Shame that it's not built in, but even so it has the potential to be very useful.  The app appears to be able to control six separate lights, and it would be great to be about to adjust levels while looking at your monitor.  I imagine future versions of the Boltzen will have wifi built in.

Those bonuses:  Smaller than I thought.  Barn doors help shape the light.  Separate Power and Level knobs.  It can run off a Sony NP-F960 battery, but you need to get the larger capacity version.  My 8700mAh only lasted about 40 minutes at full power, but that's still great in a pinch.  Oddly, my battery barely fit and I really had to wedge it in the slot.

Though a full stop weaker, the Boltzen is a smaller, quieter, and more adaptable light than 100W studio lights like the RPS.  At the moment, light in the $300-$400 range will generally be 55-100 watts, which is only the difference of one stop of light.  The difference between your choices are all about build quality, color quality, and features.  In that respect, the Boltzen does very well. 

CAME-TV has a solid reputation, and they get a lot right here.  It's a solid, professional instrument, and I could see owning two of them at Hurricane Images.  They make a Bowen adapter so you can attach it to softboxes, reflectors and grids, though I'm more likely to shoot through a scrim since the Fresnel-style Boltzen can "grid" itself. 

The CAME-TV Boltzen 55W Fresnel review:  worth the money, especially if you like the form factor.

Going Pro: Website Part Deux

For the past dozen posts I've been chronicling my 40-week journey toward starting my own production company.  The first trimester of the journey has really been about setting up the "back end" of the business.  Today I launched my video production web pages. This is a big milestone for me; even though it’s not “finished” or complete, I now have someplace to refer people to see my work. 

Day 30:

For the time being my video pages are a section of my photography website.  This may change in the future, but while I have limited examples of my video work I am showing my photography as supporting imagery.  You might notice that I’m immediately contradicting myself:  my advice is to super niche, and only list what is important to my videography clients (photography is obviously not it).  Obviously, it’s difficult to follow any advice to the letter—real life gets in the way.  In this case, I’m hoping to create a media production company that combines still and motion.  But I’ll be watching to see if my “muddied” message gets in the way of any clients.
     

The video section has three pages: an introductory page with my portfolio, a process page that explains how I work with clients, and a contact page.  I have just six videos in my portfolio.   In other words, the bare minimum all around.  But it’s enough to say, hey, I am a videographer.  Until my portfolio includes really top-notch work, I can only expect companies with limited budgets to hire me.  People who can’t afford top-notch.  As a photographer I learned that the way to grow my business was to always deliver higher quality content than what I was being paid to produce.  This not only made for happy customers, it allowed me to pitch my services to bigger companies each time.  Yet again, I’m contradicting myself with the choice of videos.  I don’t have six videos in one niche, so I’m making do with what’s available.

The goal for today was to launch an introductory “website” (in my case, web pages) that would convey competence, accessibility, and creativity.  Most filmmakers aren’t great writers.  Luckily, I am.  I don’t say that lightly-- I’m an award-winning playwright and I write copy for my company.  One of the first things you learn as a copy writer is not to rely on your own creativity.  Being good with words doesn’t mean you know what to say.  My advice is to look at other websites to understand what you should communicate; if you’re good with words, you can decide how you communicate that message.

Keeping my niche clients in mind, I reviewed several websites from other video companies.  I chose companies that were not in my geographic area.  I looked for content categories (like testimonials, process, etc.); and I looked for language I thought was powerful.   I copied content I liked into a Word document-- several pages of content, actually-- and then edited and wordsmithed it until the language was specific to my clients and my strengths.    

My client database has doubled since Day 13.  But I’m not ready to contact any of them.  First impressions are important, even when you expect to make several pitches over several months to close the deal.  If I came to my website I wouldn’t hire me just yet, not if I had the resources to hire someone else.  From working in photography I know these pages aren’t competitive, and neither is my pitch.  One tenth of the way into my 180 day challenge, I still have a long road ahead.     

Just joining us?  You can read about the beginning of the journey here.

  

  

Going Pro: Website Ju Jitsu

Location, location, location. That used to be the motto of every new business (and the reason I said 2017 is going to be a Why 2017 is going to be a great year for videographers). You want foot traffic, accessibility, and to be surrounded by complementary businesses. Nowadays, though, your most important location is in the virtual world.  Your storefront is your website.

Today is all about maximizing and honing your website.  It’s not about SEO; search engine optimization is about getting people to your website—this is about moving customers who visit your website to hire you.

We’ve already talked about the three main concepts:  sharpening your target consumer population to a fine point (super niching), identifying the unique qualities that make up your competitive edge, and translating those qualities into customer-centric language.  Now we need to apply that to your web page.  Two things to remember: first, your should revise and update your website is something at least every six months.  It’s not a one-time deal.  You need to be continually sharpening your website language, and it will change as your sample videos change and as your company grows.  Second, whatever it is you want to say about your company is probably the ball and chain that will drag you down into the murky, trash-filled depths of the lagoon of bankruptcy and leave your family destitute.  Cuz it’s not about you.  It’s about your customer.

Reverse the lens: we’ve talked about this before. What does your customer want?  That’s the only thing that matters.  Your experience is only as relevant as your customer’s desire to know.  Most people explain way too much.  Be brief and let your samples talk for you.  The equipment you use is meaningless.  As is your schooling.  Everything that appears on your web page has to meet three criteria:

1. Speaks to your niche.  Wedding clients aren’t interested in your corporate clients, your branding experience, or crowdfunding success.
2. Highlights how it will fulfill their needs.  The lens has to be pointed at them, not you.
3. Positions your competitive advantages in terms of how it meets their needs and desires.

This is what marketers mean when they say the customer comes first.

It’s often easier to understand a concept by studying “bad examples” rather than good ones. Let’s look at some examples of video production websites that don’t follow these rules.  All of the companies and websites are real, but since they haven’t asked for my critique I’m going to make them as anonymous as possible.

Example 1

Bad example 1 - D Productions (the names have been changed to protect the guilty):   the home page is a “splash page” with their logo, a quote about overcoming difficulties, and an enter button.  None of that is important to their customers.  Their real homepage has a featured video (good), two sample videos (skimpy), a “Now in Production” statement (who cares unless it’s for a major company like BMW?), “We Specialize In…” such and such videos (good), and “Now Seeking Angel Investors” (are you kidding me?). So little of this page tells the customer that they will fill their needs.  What’s do they shoot?  Who is their client population? It’s almost impossible to tell, except their History page lists a lot of sports games.  So maybe the clients are sports teams and the need is to “capture the excitement of the game.”  But that’s not what is on their page.

Example 2:

Bad example 2 - W Productions:  the Homepage is all text—no images or video.  Their tag line is “Illuminating life through video.”  What need does that fill?  No one wants a video to “illuminate life?”  Unless, maybe, if they specialized in video retrospectives for senior citizens.  But they don’t.  The next block of text declares:

“All THAT YOU NEED CAN BE FOUND HERE.  W Productions has been providing high-quality video production since we opened our doors in 2008.  Every day, we strive to provide you with friendly service and the best experience in Blank City.”  Again, how does this relate to their customer’s needs and concerns?

Example 3:

Okay, you’re saying you’d never create a website as bad as that.  Let’s examine a good website with more minor flaws:  N Productions:  They describe themselves as “A full-service media company located in the heart of Blank City, N Productions is a team of passionate individuals who believe in the power of storytelling to entertain, inspire, and inform. Please feel free to contact us with inquiries, budget requests, or just to connect.” Friendly. Then they describe each of their services with a short blurb for Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production.  This is followed by logos of big name clients they’ve worked for.  The website is elegant, lively, and clean.  But the only thing that separates them from their competition is the list of previous clients.  I know more about who they are from their client list than anything else.  Consider their company description:  “A full service media company….” That’s the only relevant bit of info in the sentence.  Passionate individuals, storytelling, inspiring, entertaining, these adjectives are a dime a dozen, and entirely predictable.  If they said, “N Productions is a scrappy team who tell stories that tickle the imagination and inspire engagement” you’d have a better sense of who they are.  Not because the sentence means something vastly different, but because the description surprises.

You’ll notice in none of the examples have I talked about the quality of their videos.  While that may be the single biggest factor in getting hired, that’s not the focus here.  Nor am I discussing whether their page is "attractive" or not-- I'm focused simply on the content.

Example 4:

Now a good example from the folks at Empire Video.  The name of their company is missing from their Homepage (which is inexplicably weird), but look: we know they service young companies, giving them a “boost,” helping with fund raising and branding.  And since the companies are new, they’ve outlined the process—a completely info-free 3-step description—for what will happen.  And they’ve got 9 samples to view.  We can identify their niche (young businesses), the need (raise money and/or awareness), and their competitive edge is… (simplicity, ease of use).  Is it perfect?  You tell me.

Just joining us?  You can read about the beginning of the "Going Pro" journey here.

Going Pro: Mastering the Marketing Language

I am not a master of marketing language.  I am an ardent student with a few powerful tools.  Plenty-o-folks have done this for longer, better, and more quickly than me.  But there aren't a lot of marketing resources that are written specifically for videographers and photographers.  Sure, the basic principles apply, but it's a difficult skill to learn, especially if you have to translate from one industry to another.  It's easy to understand the marketing concept that "Tide laundry detergent doesn't sell soap, they sell clean fresh clothes," but how does that translate to me?  I don't sell pictures I sell memories?  I think I just threw up in my mouth a little-- and I expect the reader has as well.

This post is a look at how to transliterate your unique characteristics (identified earlier) into compelling marketing language.  It builds off of the foundation of things that we've already discussed: identifying your client population (or niche), and identifying those unique characteristics.  Those characteristics, however, are about you. Marketing language is about them.  And that's the most important key to mastering the language.  The goal is to speak to their needs, their goals, and their concerns.  Visit their website:  Tide doesn't just sell bright-fresh-clean clothes, they sell convenience, they sell environmental responsibility.  Those are the needs, desires, and concerns of their buyers.

Brand Profile

A common marketer's tool for creating a brand profile is a three-step spreadsheet that goes from product characteristic to brand tone to brand language.  Brand Language, in this case, isn't just the words but the concepts and structure.  By concept and structure I'm referring to things like testimonials, statistics, bullet points, and images.  Since we're selling a combined product/service, I've tweaked my categories to be Brand Attribute, Brand Tone, and Looks Like.  (Just to be 100% clear, "brand attributes" are your unique characteristics.) For example, you want to project an image of your company as "vibrant."  What does does vibrant feel like?  What's the tone?  It can feel like many things, but you want customers to see you as positive, motivated, and inclusive.  That's your brand tone.  But you don't want to say, "we're a positive, motivated, and inclusive team."  You want them to feel those attributes when they visit your website.  So what do they look like?  Fun, original adjectives.  International examples.

There's how the model looks in action:

So let's go back to that sickly idea of "selling memories."  Tide doesn't just say that they sell fresh clothes, they use words and concepts to convey that idea without having to be so direct.  You can convey the idea of selling memories by "capturing that special day" (weddings) or "documenting the moment" (events) or "they change so quickly" (baby).  Or more broadly-- "pictures you'll cherish for a lifetime."

Next post:  Put these skills to use on your website.

Just joining us?  You can read about the beginning of the journey here. 

Going Pro: Delete the Distractions

Day 24

Started rehearsals for Second Wind’s next production, Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth.  I’m both a producer and an actor in the show. This means 18 hours a week dedicated to rehearsals and another 10 to production logistics.  On top of my 28 hour a week day job, this 56 hour work-week poses more obstacles to getting the company up and running.  Luckily, I don’t have kids (yet... seven months and counting down).  

How do I make time?  Well, for one I watch very little TV.  We don’t own one.  When I find myself surfing the net aimlessly, I re-direct myself towards accomplishing something, anything towards my goal.  And I’m drinking less.  Anyone frightened off?

Seriously, studies show that the “average” American spends 4.5 hours a day watching TV and 5 hours a day online or staring at their cell phone.  Over the course of 7 days we’ll devote almost a full work-week to our televisions, and another full work-week  to the internet for entertainment.  That’s two full time jobs we could devote to our production company without jeopardizing a meal, a date, or a conversation.

You can work two full-time jobs

in the amount of time you spend

on entertaining yourself

So how do you cut back on the consumption of all that sugary time-wasting?  Bit by bit.  Make a To-Do list and put it off to one side where it won't annoy you. That way you'll never "forget" what needs to be done when you've got a free moment.  Then look at your schedule. Take an hour of "open" time that would most likely be spent watching TV or surfing the net and dedicate it to one specific task on the list.  After a couple of days, add a second hour from your open schedule.  Practice clearing your desk of items-- unopened letters/bills, clutter-- at the end of each day.  Advice on how to use your time better can sound preachy real fast, I know, but your time is one of the greatest resources at your disposal. And you only get to use it once.

A quick summary of the other production activities over the past 24 days:

• Joined Professional Photographers of America.  In truth, I should have done this six months ago when my workload as a photographer started to become consistent.  My primary interest was the insurance really—you’re constantly putting your equipment at risk.  Moreover, if you work on location, the routine is constantly changing, making accidents more likely.  I can’t say I’m thrilled with the high deduction for claims—making any single piece of equipment under $800 basically uninsured—but I hope it will be a good investment?
• Continued to expand my database of potential clients.  To do this I looked at client list of a local consulting firm for strategic planning.  I identified non-profits on their list who’s activities were similar to my target group, and prioritized those organizations that had a prominent “Donate” button on their websites.  My video service, remember, is designed to help increase donations, so my best clients will have that as a priority.  Many non-profits also post their annual report in their About Us pages.  This often contains information on both their general budget and their fundraising budget.  Knowing this information makes it clear that I understand something about their needs, and gives me a sense of what I should charge.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Launched my video production web pages.  This is a big milestone for me:  even though it's not "finished," I can now respond to Craigslist and Thumbtack postings because I can refer them to my work.  For the time being, my video pages are a section of my photography website.  This may change in the future, but as long as I have limited examples of my video work I feel it's important to show my photography as supporting imagery.  The video section has three pages: a Home page with my examples; a Process page that explains how I work with clients; and a Contact page.  There are just six videos in my portfolio-- in other words, the bare minimum.   
  Next post: Mastering the marketing language

Branded Content Videos

Branded content is a bit of an umbrella terms for the merger of brand marketing with other content-- either educational or entertainment.  Imagine a tutorial on a subjected related to your product, or short film that features your product, and you've found an example of content marketing.  It works because it either fulfills an immediate need (tutorial) or touches the viewer emotionally (film).

Branded content has taken off in the video world as digital media has become richer and technology has allowed viewers to circumnavigate traditional ads. In today's environment your audience has to want to watch your ad.  Gone our the days when ads are forced on them every 12 minutes.  If your business isn't doing content marketing-- or your video company producing it-- you are waay behind the curve.  Delve deeper, see examples, and learn more on Hurricane Images' company blog. 

Going Pro: Back to Front

We've been talking a lot about your "identity"-- as defined by your niche and the qualities that make up your competitive edge-- and that's fine. In this definition, Identity is both who you are and what you mean to your customers, so it's logical to refine those before exploring the basics of starting a company.  This post (which I'll keep as brief as possible) deals with what most artists find to be painful drudgery. But you can't get around it.

"You want a flawless experience 

for your customers"

Twenty-five years of producing theatre taught me how manage the craziness of opening night.  Regardless of how well you plan, how much lead time you invest, or how competent your team, the final hours before curtain are controlled chaos.  You want the first experience for that first audience to be flawless-- not just the performances but the flow from doorstep to "lights up."  The mistakes that catch most new producers by surprise is the face that so many things are being done for the first time on Opening Night (or Preview, if you're lucky enough to have one):  the first time you put out the sign, the first box office, the first petty cash, first refreshments, seating, curtain speech.   Opening a business isn't so different.  You want a flawless business experience for your customers.

The technique I learned for managing those final hours before the first customer is to work from back to front.  The front is your doorstep... or the customer's first "awareness" of you.  In the theatre this was putting out the street sign that says OPEN.  But there's no point in having customers walk in the door unless you've cleaned the lobby, stocked the box office, etc.  So I would start with the back of the business and work forward.  In theater, the "back" is the seating area.  Then you've got the lobby.  Then the refreshment bar, the box office, the elevator, the street.

For a production company, the "front" might be your website (or maybe your contract).  Before worrying about those, you need to set up your back end. So what's back there?

1. Business license
2. Bank account
3. Book keeping system
4. "Office"
5. Phone system
6. Marketing Plan
7. Video gear
8. Contracts & paperwork
9. Website

Have I forgotten anything?  Chime in?

Many of these items I'll discuss in depth later.  In the mean time, I'll dispatch the first two items quickly. You know what a business license and a bank account are, get them. The US Small Business Adminstration can link you to all the info we need to know about setting up a business in your county (most states require county-level registration).  Hopefully you can find your bank.  You'll need forms from your county to set up a business bank account.

Now, since I'm being completely truthful on this blog, I'll confess that I didn't get either of these in the first two years of working as a part-time photographer.  Or the first six months of working as a part-time videographer.  Even though I used the name Hurricane Images, I considered myself a private consultant (not a company) and used PayPal for processing credit cards and my own bank account for checks. (I'm not fond of PayPal's politics, so that may change in the future.)  Since I wasn't a "company" I skipped the business license.  My income started around $150 a month and grew over time to a whopping $500 a month as a part-timer, so I really didn't think it merited a license and an account.  I'm sure my county government sees it differently.  My strong recommendation to you is to knuckle down and get the tedious stuff out of the way immediately.  Two years ago when I started part-time, I wasn't committed to becoming a professional.  You are.
 
Just joining us?  You can read about the beginning of the "Going Pro" journey here.