foxyfilm - Blog

Photography - the foundation of every video production

Wed, 17 Feb 2016 14:11:00 +0000

If you’re an aspiring video producer, you have to have skill to create a video that will draw the audience to the screen. But having some basic knowledge of video production techniques and talent are usually not enough! As video was born out of technical achievements of still photography, a good video producer always comes back to the basics before he decides to do something more advanced. Thus, knowing the ins and outs of photography is a must for every good filmmaker. There is no better school than that – the knowledge you get from still photo is simply invaluable and you can transfer the knowledge and skills you have gained to video productions very easily.

No matter what you try to do and what is your field of expertise - be it a video production, aerial footage using drones or wedding videos, you have to gain some skill in photography to be a true expert in your trade.

Best commercials from the UK

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:43:44 +0000

Brit-Cinema made a great summary of the best commercials produced in britain. Check it out!

Creation of commercials

Mon, 30 Mar 2015 12:25:44 +0000

Those who are interested in commercial video production should constantly expand their knowledge. There is formal education, of course, but nowadays you can also gain new information quickly yourself and try to create something, so go ahead! There are a lot of job opportunities in this business, so learning seems like a great idea and the best investment in your future. New marketing companies show up every day and they have their own clients, so you don’t have to worry that you will be left unemployed. Of course, commercial videos are not easy to produce, but with a bit of effort you can manage to create something that will be noticeable both by your clients and their potential customers.

Some people choose their path very early and decide to study PR and marketing on an university, but often it is not enough and many would-be creators are jobless. Why? It’s simple – aside from education, you need talent. Of course, formal courses can give you a lot of info on theory of filmmaking and ins and outs of the production process, but you cannot learn true creativity – you have to be born with it!

One of the most beautiful fashion videos I've ever seen

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 10:46:58 +0000

I like fashion videos. They are short art forms that not only showcase the beauty of clothes and accessories presented, but give video producers an ability to create something unique every time, as they are in most cases not bound by standard rules of scripting and can use their imagination a lot more. Here's a good example of expertly made fashion clip:

What do you think? In my opinion it is one of the best videos of this kind.

What is the main purpose of a corporate video?

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 12:50:16 +0000

Although corporate videos are not usually directed to the wide audience and are used as a business2business promos or showcases for the clients, it doesn’t mean they cannot be creative, engaging and well produced.

High-quality corporate video will be a content much better remembered than a boring, run-of-the-mill movie like hundreds business promos produced every year. And remembering the content of your video is the most important factor – even when you talk about statistics, sale figures and all the strictly work-related stuff, you want to get your message across and doing it differently than your competition gives you an edge.

Thus, you should find a video production company that has all the means to make a corporate video that will be well received. Such enterprise should have the tools needed for the job, especially technologically advanced software to animate and enhance parts of the video you wish to see. A good video production company is also able to devise an entertaining concept.

Short film that puts blockbusters to shame

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 12:51:11 +0000

A couple years ago I've encountered awesome short movie by Ruairi Robinson called "Silent City". Unfortunately, it was the time when HD movies on the internet were rare. But now Robinson made it available in glorious 1080p on the official channel and it still looks amazing.

Everything, from the simple, yet moving script, to unbelievable aerial photos of a destroyed city (made with 3D animation software) makes this little piece of movie production an art comparable to the biggest sci-fi titles out there. I reccomend checking it out, especiall if you are an aspiring director or producer to get a glimpse at really great production values and ideas.

Some tips for begginers

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:53:16 +0000

If you've just started a video production business or you're in a planning stage, you should now the basics before you start anything. So here's a good video with some tips for total begginers in video production. You can expand your knowledge only if you watch a couple of such videos.

Simple and Quick video production tips:

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 10:46:09 +0000

You would not believe how many ways there is to produce a video. By the use of cinematography, editing, directing, performance, production design, mise en scene and many more you get a huge opportunity to experiment with your film production.

These are the tips that can help you in the future:

You may want to plan as much as you can as you can save so much time by being organised and prepared for a filming.
You can experiment with your camera by simply changing your auto focus to manual focus as it will then allow you to play around with your focuses the way you want them.
You do not want your whites to be yellow or grey (just like your washing) so make sure that you always set up your white balance when moving from an external to and internal location and vice versa.
You also don’t want your main subject to be this black blob on the screen so make sure that the sun is behind you and the subject is nicely lit up.
Use a tripod or some kind of stabilizing device because nothing is more annoying than watch a shaky video.
However, if you do want to film using your hands then use a rig or something that will give you a steady control of the camera.
To make sure that your subject is properly focused then zoom in as much as you can so that you can see the fine details being in focus.
Another great tip is to plan out all your shots on a storyboard so that if you ever want to make a cool editing effect but you need a certain type of shots then voilà, you have it.
5 to 10 seconds is enough for an average shot duration. However, you can also film some long take to create a unique look and represent a certain feeling or mood (e.g. 12 years of slave hanging scene).
However, do not experiment too much. By this I mean don’t film all of your footage in pans and close ups as when you get down to editing you will have no static shots and it will look too jumbled.
When working with sound you definitely should invest in an external microphone. That is because it will eliminate all the unwanted sounds and your video will sound much more professional.
Also using headphones is a great idea as it will allow you to concentrate on the sounds more and also let you eliminate the sounds.

If you are trying to film a video that may be seen by a wide audience then you may want to go to a professional video production company, who can then produce that video for you depending on what your budget is. An example of a very good video production company in London is Good Vibe Films. I have had my video produced by them before and It turned out great.

Don't forget to do your research and see what company are out there so look through some film blogs and choose the right company for you.

How is a film marketed and distributed ?

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:35:50 +0000

So I have always wondered what the process is of Film marketing and distribution.. After doing some reading I have found some very interesting techniques that a film company does to reach their target audience. So if you ever create a film, a short film, a music video or any kind of a video, this can give a clear guideline on how you can reach a wider audience and get your video seen.
I do many short movies and this defiantly has taught me many interesting facts which you have to consider when releasing a film or a video.
I hope this helps not to just film makers but also to any business, as some of these marketing techniques can also help you awareness of different types of products.

After spending a very enormous budget on film production, the distribution companies such as The Universal need to make sure that the Exhibition also becomes a success. To do that the film company will have to work hard on the films marketing and distribution stages, which hugely relies on the intended audience for the film . There are many ways a film could be marketed; firstly, Advertising in different Media sources such as the radio, magazine, TV, internet and outdoor advertisement. Another source is an advanced screenings, which is set up to build a wider understanding of the audience expectations and feedback. Publicity could also be arranged such as interviews on TV or radios to extend the audience awareness of the film. And lastly, the most important film marketing feature is ‘word of mouth’ that is spread, as the feedback of the film can most intensely persuade the audience to visit the cinemas, and make the exhibition a success.

1#

One of the most important stages of marketing is having a marketing plan. A marketing plan outlines the aims and objectives of the films marketing; making it easier to plan more efficiently and beneficially. The plan normally contains different techniques that the film has to use to be marketed and also futures on how they have to be developed. For example it could contain the information of when and where the free advertisement from the press is going to take place. Also there are also more expensive techniques such as advertisement on outdoor billboards, which would also be included in the plan, containing the information on the design and contacts.

2#

Understanding the Target Audience of the film can hugely rely on the success of the film. To do get this understanding the film company will have to precede an extensive research using industry data. The reason why this is so important to know, is because it will help when deciding what contents can be included and which can not. This means that the company has to be confident of understanding the films target audience i.e. what film genres they like, type of film styles, editing styles etc. This also means that film makers and marketing directors do not have to worry and spend money as they don't have to appealing to a wider group of tastes.

3#

By getting a deeper understanding of the target audience of the film, it will be easier for the film company to promote the film using billboards and advertisement. For example the advertisement such as billboards, bus posters, ads in newspapers, ads on the internet websites, are ways the film can build different target audience’s awareness. By the wide range of advertisement sources, different range of audiences can be reached. An example of this could be an older audience that may watch the TV later on in the day, the trailer that can reach this audience will be purposely aired at the time that it is most viewed by its target audience.

4#

Technological convergence’s and Synergy are also very popular film marketing techniques when marketing a film. That is because this could allow different Media sources to cross promote each other, providing the film with promoting benefits. This can also involve two companies working together to increase profit for both. Technological convergences can also involve different technologies combining together in one device. A great example of this is a film such as Johnny English Reborn as this film provided their audience with an app available for IPhone and android mobile phones, containing games and ‘skying’ tools. It also created a website containing the information about the film, which is open to any person to view, reaching a wider audience. This could be a great way to advertise a film and get to create a greater diversity of audiences, as many people use mobile phones and internet .Synergy is used in film marketing as it aims to cross promote different media sources. For example, again the film Johnny English Reborn used Synergy to connect with a social networks such as Facebook.. But they also linked a Facebook page on their official website so that both of the companies get rewarded profit and ability to grow awareness.

5#

Another factor within the marketing of a film that has a huge influence on the audiences choice of watching a film is ‘Word of mouth’. Word of mouth is a social recommendation that could be one of the most influential triggers when choosing to visit the cinema. That is because you trust the recommendations of somebody that you know like a family member or a friend, more than something that you hear or see from an advertisement source such as the magazine that isn't as trust worthy. A positive ‘word of mouth’ brings high level of awareness and strong interests. However if the ‘word of mouth’ was negative it could very quickly influence the films success and be very difficult to defeat. This is why many films are post-released in a test screening so that the film company could get informed if the film fulfils the audience's expectations but also it could hopefully also provide the company with a good ‘word of mouth’ which could increase the films likeness of success.

6#

Digital (viral) Marketing is an online source such as a video or a quiz , which could be sent to different audiences. This is feedback could be spread virally and could reach new audiences in different countries. An example of this is a link of a review or a link of the trailer on Twitter or Facebook, which could influence someone's interest into watching this film.

7#

The film could also be scheduled for the release at a certain time of the year as it it could reach its target audience more. The date of the release is carefully considered as a target audience that was clearly identified may visit the cinema at a certain time or a day of the week. An example of this is, ‘Wild Child’ distributed by Universal as this film was released in August 2008 and the end of summer as the film was aimed at young teenager girls.

short films

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:33:08 +0000

5 great Short films you have to see !

I really love watching some short films in my spare time, so why not share the ones that I love with you ! It would be great if you could also comment with what short film is your favourite, I'm always up for watching them.

#1 SIGNS

I first watched this short film while stumbling through You-tube and I fell straight in love with it. The cinematography is great and the performances really do make you laugh at certain points. The story is very cleaver, and certainly is a feel-good short film. I think the music suited it very well as well, as it matched the editing; which was also very well structured. Patrick Hughues did a very great job and I’m excited to see more of his work. Its a 10/10 I recommend it a lot.