{"id":991,"date":"2020-06-19T12:42:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T19:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/?p=991"},"modified":"2020-07-03T14:35:33","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T21:35:33","slug":"stage-performers-guide-to-selling-video-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scot.fun\/damentals\/stage-performers-guide-to-selling-video-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Stage performers’ guide to selling video content"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I’m going to get specific about one scenario for performers who have been primarily live trying to make a change-over. You have a potential client who wants to hire you to make a custom video.<\/strong> If you’d like me to give you a guide for a different scenario, you could email me, I’d be glad to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have worked in a lot of different sitches for a bunch of different companies. This is a stripped-down freelancer’s version of how to make a pitch for a video and understand the stages of the production process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hopefully, if this world is alien to you, you will see how to give more value to your clients and how to make a smooth process so you can create something everyone’s pumped about!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main difference is the timing of everything and the scope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When someone’s hiring you for a live show, they are booking you based on your track record, what you provide, and what they think they need. They decide based on past work whether you’ll be right for the job. When the job happens, it’s over. No chance to refine it. It’s not concrete. It was an experience. Although there are definable and objective parts of it, it’s hard to debate whether the job was done. The gig itself happens instantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scope is usually set pretty easily. You will do a 45 minute show on a stage. Although there are a lot of factors that go into that, you probably aren’t defining them before you get booked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This video is custom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You are not sending this company just another copy of the same thing. When you do a live show, every performance is special because it’s exclusively happening for that one crowd at that place at that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recorded video is made before the viewing and can be shown to as many people as you want. Your client needs you to make it special and exclusive by making it custom to their needs. Every moment they hear about how it’s special to them is poking some value into their brains!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re in control of more aspects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a stage show, you probably aren’t in control of the lights, sound, stage set, pacing, context, branding, fonts, some of the music, etc. These aspects include lots of creative decisions. These aspects are extra value, but also a lot of extra communication and a lot of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First contact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Note to yourself: communication about creative works is super hard and you won’t get it 100% right. If people can’t agree on what to call a shade of blue, how do you think they’ll agree on how to describe a brand<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On first contact with the client here are some things to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. what problem are they trying to solve with this video?<\/li>
  2. have they commissioned videos like this before?<\/li>
  3. try to get an idea of the budget for past projects as similar to this as you can get.<\/li>
  4. how important is it that they get this right?<\/li>
  5. how long of a video? <\/li>
  6. who is the video for?<\/li>
  7. how will they be showing it to them?<\/li>
  8. get examples of what is similar in the look, feel, pacing, objective, and whatever else you can think of.<\/li>
  9. when do they want the video delivered?<\/li>
  10. are they the decision maker, or is there some other process for making the decisions?<\/li>
  11. does the video tie into other parts of their brand, their company, other videos they’ve put out?<\/li>
  12. how do they want the video to affect the audience (get them to buy something, entertain them for 5 minutes during a zoom meeting, get them motivated to take a pay cut)?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Your goal is to understand the scope of the project and start to clearly visualize every single part of the gap this video is filling. You don’t want to completely visualize the video too quickly, but understand what need it’s serving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You also want to understand the cost of the problems you’re solving. If they don’t really care about whether the video’s good or bad and they are considering just using some video they have lying around instead, it might not be worth it to them to hire you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Define the scope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When you feel like you know what they want ( it may take more conversations ), you will determine what the scope of the project is (how long will it take, what defines the finished project, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then, you can talk to the client about your pricing. Make sure you talk them thru what the scope of the project is and remind them how you’ll solve all their problems and give them more value than they might have already considered. This can be in the form of documents, a video of you talking to camera and showing what kind of thing they can expect, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Get a contract signed or an agreement thru email if you don’t mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This seems like a lot of work upfront for free because it is. It’s a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Line Items<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It’s tricky to list each part of the process that costs money. The upside is that it can give the client more of an idea how big the project is and how much you provide as well as giving them things they can cut out for negotiation purposes. The downside is that it can bring cost-based pricing into the project instead of value-based<\/a> and it takes a lot of thoughtfulness up front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of similar work must get granular<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When you and the client talk about examples of similar work, this is a great way to really understand the job. If you have examples of your own work, this is super because you know exactly goes into creating that work. No matter what, you have to be specific about what you’re agreeing is the part of the example that is duplicatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The client is a Lexus dealership. They say, “we want it to be kinda like Fight Club.” That means something real to them, but what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n