CompuServe Messages

Harry, Geez, I can't believe it actually took me almost a month to reply to your questions. I've been working a lot lately (gotta pay this darn CIS bill you know). I have found a market in small to medium sized manufacturing firms. Firms who can see the advantages of video marketing but ordinarily could not consider it due to the high cost. I find them in the Yellow Pages! I write them a letter. I send a brochure along with the letter. I call them in a few days. I send a demo tape to those who are interested. I close a few sales. I make some money (which makes my wife happy). I pay for some gear. I do it all over again! What a way to make a living. Actually, I'm just getting started myself. I spent a lot of time last year building a studio in a 100 year old carriage house behind my home. (No you don't need to do this and No I don't recommend it as a good way to start. But I was leaving a 10 year commercial bank job and it was therapeutic for me. Besides, I've got a real neat studio now!). Still, in all, the business is growing and it basically works as above! I also produce and market special interest videos, tape an occasional special event and produce a photo/movie/slide transfer. (Made $5,000.00 in December doing transfers!). I get leads from newspaper articles and give the subjects a call. Then we work out a 50/50 deal on the profits. This way the video production doesn't cost them anything, and we both can make a lot of money. Or we both make very little money. It's risky but there's this risk/reward thing that attracts me. Regarding your second question; 3rd and 4th generation VHS dubs are not of adequate quality for industrial videos. IMHO. If you must work with VHS to begin your business, use a high quality camera, light your shots correctly, use pro-grade edit decks with TBCs and hand the client the edited master. (Keep a dub for your files). If your client wants several copies, you really should consider using at least SVHS or HI8mm throughout the acquisition and editing steps. I use SVHS. I use an Panasonic AG460 camera (which is for sale along with a Panasonic edit system btw.). I edit on the JVC Edit Desk system and dub from the edited master to VHS. Thus, my clients get a 3rd generation dub. The image quality of a 3rd generation dub for this use is o.k. Occasionally, for certain shots or effects you might (underscored and bold) get away with a 4th generation segment, but you'd really want a tuned up system to pull it off. 4th generation stuff is pretty ragged. Oh, btw, I usually interview several persons to gather info about whatever widget the client builds, then write a rough draft script myself. (I'm no Hemmingway but I can usually write a fairly clear technical treatise.) After the client hacks away a couple of times a usable script appears. After the client signs off on the script, I create a shot list from it and video happens! Good luck with your new venture, let me know how you do! Martin