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Blue Ribbon Winners

Tori Thompson — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:15:07 +0000

Family & Children’s Place honored Videobred with the Volunteerism Award for continued dedication at the organization’s Blue Ribbon Awards in April–Child Abuse Prevention Month. Jamie Pence, Annie Ratterman and Steve Hurst were in attendance to accept the award.

Family & Children’s Place helps children and families in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area heal from abuse, violence and neglect. A beacon of hope in the community, F&CP promotes safe, healthy and stable families through research-based services and programs. Videobred first partnered with F&CP several years ago and continues to help the organization use video to communicate its message.

“We are very honored by our ongoing relationship with Family & Children’s Place,” said Pence. “There’s no more worthy cause than working to prevent the abuse of the most vulnerable in our society.”

For more information on this great organization go to familyandchildrensplace.org.

Videobred and the Kentucky Derby: A Love Story

Tori Thompson — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:54:51 +0000

It started with a hole in the fence outside Churchill Downs. The teenage versions of Dave Shulhafer and Bob Manning, the eventual founders of Videobred, used this hole to gain free entry into the track on days they didn’t feel like wasting at Manual High School. On Derby Day, an enormous man stood guard in front of their hole. He made them pay $5 to crawl through. That’s how their love for horseracing, especially the Kentucky Derby, developed.

“We would go to the infield and we saw what a big spectacle it was,” Dave said.

The Derby and Videobred have a long history together, dating back to the origins of the company. The name “Videobred” came about as a play on words to “thoroughbred.”

“We named it Videobred because we thought the horse industry could use our images and we could tell stories with these images to promote one of the prettiest industries in Kentucky. And it worked,” Dave said.

In the early days of Videobred, they produced video projects for Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew and Affirmed. They also began to produce annual programs for local stations like WHAS.

As Videobred grew over the years, their relationship with the Derby became even bigger. In the early 1980s, Videobred became notorious for throwing pre-Derby bashes, which Dave says were some of the best parties he had experienced.

For the guys and Videobred, Derby week meant no sleep. They had to be on the backside of Churchill Downs at 4 a.m. most mornings, even after covering the free country concerts at Freedom Hall put on by Videobred client Philip Morris the night before.

Bob and Dave even bought the silks worn by 1992 Derby winner Lil E. Tee at an event celebrating legendary jockey Pat Day’s 7,000^th win. Where are these silks now? Hanging in Jamie Pence’s office.

So, we hope everyone had a fantastic Derby weekend. It’s truly the best time of year to be a Kentuckian.

Article written by Rachel Shulhafer

How Much for That Video? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Tori Thompson — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:26:36 +0000

How much for that video in the window?

Very often one of the first questions we get from potential clients is “How much will it cost to produce a (fill in the blank) video?”

A former associate’s standard reply to this question was–in his salty dog voice–“Well Doc, how much does it cost to build a house? We can build you a nice little three bedroom brick ranch or we can build you a mansion.” Personally I prefer using “how much can you spend on a date?” Dates are much less expensive than houses and there’s exponentially greater rewards for creativity.

The cost of video production and post production is determined by a variety of factors–and yes, just like building a house, how much you can afford is at the top of the list. However there are a number of considerations in determining the cost of production, as well as a steps you can take to control cost.

What is your budget?

Instinctively, this question raises a very simple fear: “If I tell them $15,000, they are going to propose a $15,000 project, even if a $10,000 video will suffice.” Admittedly, it is true that given the option of producing a video with more Jing Tinglers and Flu Floopers than less, most producers prefer to have the largest budget possible to produce the best finished project. However, measurement of the success of a video–or any communication vehicle–is not just in the quality of the end product and its projection of the brand, but in the response it elicits from the intended audience. Internally, answering the questions below makes it easier for you and the producer to determine an appropriate budget.

1. Who is the audience?

Is the audience internal or external? Client or colleagues? Superiors or subordinates? Investors or potential investors? Defining your audience in the most narrow terms gives you the opportunity to craft a message that resonates with these individuals’ most pressing needs. Avoid the tendency to try and reach diverging audiences with the exact same video. Producing a video to recruit new clients and raise investment capital will lead to two watered down messages. However, there are attainable economies of scale by producing videos for two different audiences at the same time.

2. What do I want the viewer to do?

Drink more Ovaltine? Go to my website? Wait for my call? Think well of our company? Perform better on the job? Vote for me? Invest in our idea? In the simplest terms every communication persuades the viewer to do something. Starting with the end result in mind helps the production team craft a message that leads to the desired results.

3. What is the message?

Once you have determined the audience and the desired result, work with the producer to develop a concept and script that achieves this outcome through the combination of images, words and music.

4. What type of video?

You likely know if you need a commercial, training tool, corporate identity, infomercial, how-to, etc., however, have you identified videos you like that you think would be successful with your audience? Try to come up with several examples. And don’t be hesitant about your desire to emulate a big dollar campaign. Throw it out there and see how the creative team responds. Keep in mind, however, concepts loaded with actors, talent, multiple voiceovers, multiple locations, travel costs, etc. drive up costs.

5. How will we disseminate the video?

There are a multitude of ways to dangle your freshly produced story in front of your target audience. The web, social media, email marketing, DVD, flash drives, commercial television, and more. The combination of traditional outlets and new media, mean greater bang for the Benjamin for a well produced video. How you get your message out is a critical factor in content development, style and length. And don’t spend all your money on production just to have your video play in the background in your booth at trade shows–yes, you’re hearing this from a video production company. Factor in distribution costs upfront. Remember, you measure the success of your video by the intended results of the message delivered, not by the “ohhs” and “ahhs” when you show it senior management. Yes, the “ohhs” and “ahhs” are nice too!

Answering these five questions are a great starting point for developing an affordable video that affectively communicates your message to your target audience and achieves your business goal.

Article written by Tim Sanford.

9 Questions (ish) With: Wayne Shepherd

Tori Thompson — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:48:45 +0000

Videobred has had some pretty fantastic people work under this roof. Frankly, why shouldn’t we brag about it? Every month we are going to feature one of our alums and find out, through a series of 9 (ish) questions, what they have done since their days at Videobred.

This month we had the pleasure of talking with Wayne Shepherd. Even more fortunate is that Wayne is in town for a brief stint. Although Wayne has an office at Videobred, his home base is in Redondo Beach, CA. There he runs At The Post Productions and has done quite well for himself. Wayne has an impressive resume, working on movies like 300, Pleasantville and The Tourist, to name a few. It is always a pleasure to have him around. Below is a photo of Wayne and Dave Krieghauser, from back in the day.

When did you work at Videobred and what did you do here?

May 1985 – Summer 1991. I performed every job at one time or another while at Videobred but I started out making dubs then progressed to a production assistant in the field but ended up as an editor.

What is your job now, and what do you love about it?

I’m the Visual Effects Supervisor for my company At The Post. Even after 25 years I still love what I do, the technical and creative challenges are different of most every project and that keeps the mind fresh.

What is the most important thing you learned while work at Videobred?

This is a tough question, I value so much of my experience at Videobred and tell people constantly. One of biggest things to for me has been how to run a creative business, a company made up of artist. I’ve seen many companies try to force a corporate structure on an industry that in my opinion needs to breathe on it’s own and have room for people to grow. Dave, Bob and Dennis, with their guidance, let us all find our own way. Beyond that, the technical skills of filmmaking have been invaluable to my career.

What is your drink of choice now and what was it then?

Today: Bombay Sapphire and tonic with a lemon. Then: I believe it was Tanqueray & tonic.

What movies have you seen lately?

21 Jump Street, Project X, Safe House and Wanderlust.

Your favorite piece of technology?

AutoDesk Flame, Visual Effects Compositing System.

What is your biggest Louisville guilty pleasure?

It use to be White Castle since I’ve lived west of the Mississippi for 18 years but if I think about what I really miss the most it would have to be the people.

Craziest thing that happened on a shoot or in an edit?

It was the time kkjhoiwennnosi sdfwoinmms, slkdjfoiiier loeik;m,mzj!!!!!! Wow, that was crazy. (censored)

Advice to incoming interns or anyone who wants to work at Videobred?

My advice is to work hard, absorb every bit of information in as many areas of the business as possible and take advantage of each opportunity that crosses your path. An advantage I realized later was my wide range of experience at Videobred became extremely valuable, today people tend to be more specialized, an editor just edits, a 3D animator just animates, etc. If you’re trying to light a visual effects scene in the computer, the practical lighting experience on-set becomes a valuable asset and that carries over to many other positions.

Great advise, thank you. To find out more or contact Wayne check out these links.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791891/

http://www.atthepost.net/

Army Brat, Eric Stemen, lands at Videobred!

Tori Thompson — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:15:44 +0000

They say that the only constant, is change. Sometimes it’s for the good, other times it’s for the great. And with our newest editor/shooter, I believe Videobred has once again upped the ante.

Eric Stemen comes to us from a land down under. Well, he was born there anyway. A son of an Army officer, Eric has spent time in Australia, Portugal, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama. After relocating for the last time to Kentucky, Eric began getting his feet wet shooting wedding videos with Jamie’s (Pence) father in Elizabethtown. “He was definitely a mentor to me. I watched him and learned a lot, and knew that’s what I wanted to do.” With a deep interest for cars however, he originally received a degree in Automotive Technology. After working as a mechanic for a year but still taking classes in television production, he realized that he could marry his love of cars and love of shooting and editing together.

Eric went on to Western Kentucky University where he received his degree in Television Production. After graduating in 2009, he interned on Ft Knox shooting video for their ROTC program. It was there that he was able to put Final Cut to good use and really start to get deep into editing. Eric joined Kertis Creative shortly after where he headed projects for Desert Sun Auto Group and Mavia. You can check out some of his animation work here: http://mavizon.com/ or his documentary for Desert Sun here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmgAtBUmbyA

After 2 years with Kertis, he was approached by Jamie to join our team. Eric had met Jamie and was eager to get behind Jamie’s belief and vision in the video industry. He was excited about the opportunity to stretch his creative legs.

In his spare time, Eric puts his love of shooting and editing together creating videos for Auto and BMX crosses. He is also mountain bike enthusiast so chances are good you can catch him in his favorite spot, Cherokee Park. What you won’t catch him doing however is rooting for UK or UL basketball. Because, and I’m not kidding, he doesn’t watch sports. Sigh.

That’s okay, Eric. We’re still thrilled to have you here. Welcome!!

-Rebecca

Bowling for Kid’s Sake

Tori Thompson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:51:56 +0000

Members of the the Videobred Bowling and Cholesterol Awareness Team joined Big Brothers and Big Sisters at the Sports and Social Club to Bowl for Kids Sake–and pizza and beer, but mostly for the kids. The pins hardly stood a chance as team VB raised more than $500 competing against a conclave of Greater Louisville’s advertising elite. Team individual honors for most ducks tagged goes to motion graphics editor Tobias (Toby) Van Kleeck who nearly bagged the coveted turkey in the final frame. Toby proved once again that in any sport that encourages beer and fast food consumption while participating, post-production rules.

The Business Case: Video on the Web

Tori Thompson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:03:46 +0000

There is an old Far Side cartoon that depicts hundreds of indistinguishable penguins packed together while a single bird wails above the fray “Oh, I gotta to be me, I just gotta be me.” This crooning nonconformist is video on the web.

Make no doubt about it, the web is the first, second and third stop for anyone trying to find a product or service, or gather further information about a particular business. An organization’s website is like a vacuum sucking in prospects. The difference between the best and worst sites are as disparate as comparing a space age infomercial vac to a 1970s-era machine clogged with cat hair.

Updating a site from text and images to include video allows a business to do more than just provide information. Video helps tell a story, breathes life into the staff, and visually demonstrates a competitive advantage. And hosting sites such as Youtube and Vimeo make it easy to link from a home page without taking up precious server space.

Research demonstrates that the strategic addition of video to an organization’s website leads to more visitors, longer interaction, greater conversion rates and an increased return on investment.

Web Video Numbers:

New search algorithms weigh video heavily. Web pages with video have a 50 times greater chance of garnering a first page rank on Google. –Forrester Research

When compared to websites with plain text and images, viewers are more active after watching a video with clicks for further information increasing by 30-40% and phone calls by 16-20%. –BIA Kelsey Group

The Average Internet user watches 186 videos a month including entertainment clips, personal videos, advertising videos, etc. –comSocre Inc, a global digital market measurement service.

77% of marketers reported plans to increase their use of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area marketers will invest in for 2011. –Socialmediaexaminer.com

45 percent of respondents said they viewed an online video during a 24-hour period, with 57 percent noting that they are likely to watch a video when it is placed next to an article. –Yahoo!/Interpret

In May, 2011, 15 billion videos were viewed online, up 2% from April’s record. –Nielsen

Facebook experienced a 1,500 percent increase in video watching in one year. –Facebook

Estore.com reports up to a 10-30% increase in conversion rates since adding video tutorials to its site. –Smartcompany.com

82% of those surveyed reported that online video usage DOES NOT reduce television watching. –Advertising.com

Most online video viewers are between the ages of 25-44. –Reelseo.com

The business case for video on the web is strong, so come on penguins let’s march–and sing.

Furniture Assembly Made Easy

Tori Thompson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:30:02 +0000

Furniture assembly can be a tricky task! All those pieces and cryptic instructions can make one want to avoid it all together. Having spent many a night putting together birthday or Christmas presents for his kids, Tim Sanford saw the need for online assembly videos. This vision came to life with our new client Brown Jordan (http://www.brownjordan.com/).

Brown Jordan is a locally based furniture company. They sought a way to show their customers tips for assembly of the Lazy Boy Outdoor Furniture line, using QR codes. The product QR codes directed the customer to a video on Brown Jordan’s YouTube page, which demonstrated proper assembly technique.

Alan Manias and Tim Sanford teamed up to produce the video. The piece was shot in one impressive day at the Videobred studio. Crew consisted of Brian Cunningham as DP, Ben Newkirk and Will Cravens as grips and Ben Bishop edited the piece.

The video was a great success and there will be more like it. Great work everyone! Follow the link below to see the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dShX9VEw4Eg

Saving Sunny Days

Tori Thompson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:45:57 +0000

Sixty degrees in January: that’s the best. Sun shining down on your face – providing warmth, a need for sunglasses, and Vitamin D. Yes please. We’ll take that with the health, wealth, and happiness we celebrated just a month ago. January is over! WooHoo! Here’s hoping everyone’s 2012 is abundant, and Kleenex free.

If you’ve walked through the doors of Videobred, chances are there’s been at least one four legged companion roaming the halls. Steve’s dog Archie literally just walked up to my desk. We’re dog people here at the ‘Bred. We love our dogs and we love bringing them to work. That’s why I was so excited when I met Sunny for the first time. She came in the lobby just as excited and happy to meet us as we were to meet her. Sunny, as some might recall, was the pit bull that was thrown off the Clark Memorial Bridge in July 2009. Kelsey Westbrook rescued and adopted sweet Sunny. Saving Sunny Inc, a non-profit organization founded by Westbrook, rescues, shelters, and finds new homes for abused and neglected dogs. Saving Sunny Inc. also dedicates their time to promoting “public education about responsible dog ownership, spay/neuter, and reporting animal abuse, neglect, and dog fighting.”

Our team could not be happier to help Westbrook, and her tireless crew, promote their message and mission to the community. In December, we followed them to Crestwood Elementary where Westbrook spoke to the students about the dangers of stereotyping, what you should do if you see animal abuse, and how these sweet and loving dogs need a good home just like any breed. As you can see in the above picture, the kids loved Sunny and she loved them right back.

We are excited to document this organization’s journey, through a video mission statement that will live on the Saving Sunny website. Stay tuned for the final project. My hope is that by seeing the story of Saving Sunny, you will be inspired by their strength, dedication, and most importantly their fight to save these voiceless victims. Please check out SavingSunnyInc.org to learn more about Sunny’s story, and Westbrook’s blog about the “Unsaveable Six.” Learn how you can help in their efforts to give love to dogs who some said did not deserve it.

http://www.savingsunnyinc.org/

USB Duplication Now Available!

Tori Thompson — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:03:55 +0000

Videobred is excited to announce we now offer USB Duplication services. USB Duplication is as simple as it sounds, the transfer of information/files from one USB master to multiple USBs. We are able to provide exact replicas of USB drives for your personal or business purposes; whether that be distribution, backups, or other uses. Call us for a quote today!