This area will not answer all your questions. It's main purpose is to give you a little food for thought. For specific answers to your questions, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
The most commonly asked question is also the only question we simply can't answer without a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve. Once we fully understand your requirements there are two approaches we can take. If you have an idea of how much you hope to spend, we can work on a treatment to meet your budget. Alternatively, if you haven't allocated a budget and want to know how much it will cost to meet your aspirations, we can work on budget options for you.
Like most things, you get what you pay for but only up to up to a point. If we think you can achieve your desired result for less than your allocated budget, we will tell you. Similarly, if we think you are under budgetting, we will also tell you. Generally, in these circumstances the options are to amend either the budget or your aspirations. We will not promise something we do not believe can be delivered.
Where a script is necessary, we all have input. Generally, once we have the information we need and a clear idea of where script may be required between interviews, we will write it in a language which works for TV. We will then seek your approval and make any necessary changes prior to recording. There are many ways to approach scripting. Some films have no script and are led entirely by a sequence of interview clips. Others start with a script and stick to it rigidly throughout the filming process.
Again, the answer to this question can only be based on your specific needs. However, we are used to tight deadlines and can offer solutions which will meet any reasonable deadline. See the film making page for more information on the production process.
The use of any music or copyright protected material in a film is subject to obtaining the permission of the copyright owner. If permission is granted, it is done so by the issueing of a restricted license which incurs a negotiated fee. Copyright owners will want to know in what way the music will be used and how widely it will be heard. It is fair to say that this can often be an expensive process. The alternative is to use high quality 'Production Music'. We have access to the best production music libraries in the world. This music can be used for a fixed fee per 30 second unit based on the number of copies being duplicated. The quality of production music has increased beyond all recognition in recent years so, unless you have a very compelling reason to use commercial music, you may be prefer to stick to 'production music'.
We said watch this space and our answer to this has changed recently to a resounding YES! Blu-ray won the format war over HDDVD allowing us to see a little further into the future and make the crucial leap to an HD workflow. We have invested in the state of the art tapeless XDCAM EX format which allows us to capture in full HD (not vastly inferior HDV) and work in full HD through to the point of delivery. We have been waiting for broadcasters to lead the way here but sadly, they seem unwilling to do so at present, so we decided to wait no longer.
The benefits are enormous. Stunning picture quality and a tapeless workflow reduces time spent digitising tape.
Security of the captured images is crucial and we spent considerable time testing the process before rolling it out to our customers. We ensure we have two copies of all material stored on separate external hard drives made by different manufacturers. We feel this gives good security and while you can't prevent all misfortune - we've had tapes fail on us in the past - we are content we have a belt and braces approach to archiving, equally as secure as physical tape.
The only real drawback is that very few people yet have Blu-ray DVD players so we anticipate continuing to downscale our products to deliver SD DVDs for some time to come. The cost of players is falling rapidly but take-up is the next big issue. When will people with their HD Ready TVs begin to make the most of them?
However, here's a guess at the future. We believe that while there will always be a place for physical delivery on DVD, delivery via the web will soon take over. We are already experimenting at providing HD Content for one client's website and full length feature films, in pretty good quality, can now be downloaded from iTunes. Also, look at the BBC iPlayer. in doing so, you might be looking at the slow demise of the physical disc. Again watch this space!
As a general rule, we now film all material in high definition on Sony cameras in a format called XDCAM - The TV industry has been in a state of flux for many years about camera formats. Options used to be very limited but new technology has changed all that. Traditional tape is still in use but many, including ourselves, have opted for a tapless workflow shooting onto directly digital media
As a company, we favour Apple Computers which we use for all our editing, graphics and DVD authoring. In our opinion they out-perform PCs in terms of their funtionality, ease of use and reliability. (Oh, and they look fantastic!) We have desktop systems in our edit suites and mobile systems should editing be required on location.
As well as mastering to DVD, we are able to produce material in any computer format such as Windows Media, Quicktime, Real, Flash and MPEG 2 and 4.