Things To Consider When Casting Talent From A Talent Agency!

                               


When working in video production you will find the need to hire talent. For us, we hire voice over actors and on-camera talent all the time for a variety of different videos and broadcast spots.

It's crucial to have the right sound and look. A lot goes into searching for the perfect person and/or voice.

For example, if you're creating a video for a child's learning tutorial you will want a voice to be easy to understand with a positive tone. You would typically want to hire a female voice actor, but not in all cases.

Most of the time your client will have a distinct direction of how they want their video to sound which makes the process much easier.

Things to consider when you're hiring talent:

*Do you need a female or male actor?
*Is this a voice-actor or on-camera talent?
*Age range?
*Ethnicity?
*Union or Non-Union?
*If on-camera, are there speaking lines?
*What's the usage? How long will this video be used and from which outlets, radio, TV, online?
*What is the demographic? Who will be seeing this video?
*Budget and pricing?
*Do you need local talent or can they come from out of town, if so what are their travel expenses?

These are just a few questions you will want to ask. As you can see, there's a lot that goes into finding that perfect person for your video or broadcast spot.

If you have any questions about working with talent agencies or how to hire talent, feel free to contact me. 

Best, 

Shyla Bohrer
Office Manager
Vital Companies
shylab@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306

m. 724.986.4788

3 Factors That Will Help Bring More Film Production To Columbus!

Greater Columbus Film Commission

Executive Director

John Daugherty

 

As the newly appointed Executive Director of the Greater Columbus Film Commission I am thrilled with the task of growing the film industry in Columbus. Over the past few years the Columbus city administration has acknowledged that film can truly be a viable industry in Columbus. But we have some hurdles. And that’s why I feel one of the most important aspects of my job right now is to raise awareness for the film commission and what it is we do. The biggest hurdle we face right now is our crew base. It isn’t as robust as it should be. We’ve been stuck in the chicken/egg scenario for some time now…productions won’t come to Columbus because crew isn’t here, and crew isn’t here because productions aren’t frequent enough. Over the past few months we’ve identified three-steps that we think will help grow our crew base and industry:

1) Continue to promote and maintain our state incentives as well as lobby for a city incentive. If we can implement some type of city incentive Columbus will have a huge advantage over other Ohio cities.

2) Collaborate with and support LOCAL indie productions. There’s no better way to grow our crew base than to make it a grass roots effort.

3) Finally, I feel this may be the most important: CREATE A CULTURE OF SUPPORT. Columbus prides itself on being an arts city. As an arts city though, we need to embrace film in a bigger way. If we’re able to do that I think the city becomes aware of the importance of film as a real industry here. That leads to a more efficient permitting process, small businesses being open to the filmmakers and the filmmaking process, and locations becoming more welcoming to both film and corporate work. 

I’m an impatient person. And unfortunately this is going to take some time. So this process goes against my nature. We ARE taking the steps to grow film. And I hope you will spread the word about what we’re trying to do. More importantly, I hope you help create that culture of support. That support includes financial support. My job is supposed to be a part-time job. The hours are most definitely NOT part-time. I would love to be able to make this my only job. And hire a small staff. Cleveland has it. Why don’t we? The film commission will be debuting our membership program in the coming months. I’d love to add you to our mailing list so I can let you know first when we do that. Email me to be added to the list: john@filmcolumbus.com.

This coming Wednesday, September 2, I am honored to be part of the Mayor’s Small Business Conference to speak about the film industry in Columbus. I’ll be a guest on the “Business Unusual: March Madness, Movie Stars and Brunch” panel. This panel will explore a few very different but also closely related rising industries in Central Ohio. Hospitality, sports and film have continued to provide many opportunities for our local small business community. I will offer some thoughts on local economics and business opportunities associated with the business of film. If you will be attending the MSBC the panel will take place 11:00-11:50am. For more information on the conference go here: https://columbus.gov/msbc/

I welcome your input and your comments. Feel free to reach out to me via email at john@filmcolumbus.com.

Creating Angela Perley's New Music Video- Electric Flame

Click here to watch the video

We are lucky to be doing what we love to do for a living. Creating sound and imagery for the purpose of sharing it with other people is pretty awesome! You know what else is awesome? Angela Perley & the Howlin' Moons' new video "Electric Flame" from her upcoming second full length CD "Homemade Vision". 

We have been producing videos for Angela and the crew for over 6 years now. It's always been a great collaborative process.  Angela usually paints her vision for how the video should look visually - sort of like her own mood board. From there, we get together for a pre production/brainstorm session. We hash out the details until there is a consensus of how we want the final product to represent Angela. 

This year we would like to thank The Grandview Chamber, Rumba Cafe, Strongwater, Park of Roses and our lovely local talent, Cate Owens aka "Button".

I would personally like to thank the Vital team for their hard work!!! 

Fred Blitzer- Executive Producer

Chris Kost- Co-Director / Creative Direction (Columbus)

John Thorne- Co-Director / Director of Photography (Columbus)

John Chapel- Editor

Kerry Henderson- Director of Photography (L.A.)

Katie Moorehead- Producer

Laura Leggett- Production Assistant

Shyla Bohrer- Production Assistant

Justin Gassman- Album Cover Design

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  Click here to see more of Angela's videos. 

Best, 

Jason Clayton

Chief Marketing Officer
Vital Companies
jclayton@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306
m. 614.270.1500

Subscribe to our weekly email The Vital News

Question & Answer with Angela Perley

1. How has your experience been working with Vital? 

Vital has been like family to me with my music. I’ve been working with Fred since 2008 and he was friends with Chris and Billy long before that so there has been a rich history between all of us. If it wasn’t for Fred there wouldn’t be The Howlin’ Moons as we know it today, because Fred introduced me to Chris and Billy and he believed in my songs, and that’s how this whole band started. I feel like both the band and Vital have helped each other grow over the years in our art and it has been such a rewarding experience and partnership. 

2. How does Homemade Vision differ from Hey Kid?

I think that Homemade Vision takes off where Hey Kid ended. It is more of a dreamy/reflective record and it showcases how much the band has evolved in the past year.  The songs came together really fast on this record and for the first time in the recording process we hashed out most of the arrangements in the studio. 

3. What are you most excited about with your upcoming tour? 

We are slowing down a bit this fall and winter to prepare for the record release but we have some great OH, IL, WV, PA, and TN shows and festivals coming up. First one we are looking forward to is Bubbly-Q-Fest at City Winery in Chicago on Sept. 7th with Junior Brown. We haven’t been to Chicago since last summer so we are itching to be back. 

4. What's your favorite venue to perform at? 

My all-time favorite venue we have performed at is The Brooklyn Bowl in New York. We’ve opened up for a couple bands there several times now and I am in love with everything about it.  

5. What influences your style? 

I love mixing a lot of different styles together but I definitely get a lot of inspiration from 50s, 60s, and 70s fashion. My style changes day to day depending on how I am feeling, but I generally wear a lot of dresses because they are the most comfortable to me. Hats, boots, sunnies, and florals are my staples. 

6. What's your favorite song to perform?

My favorite song to perform  is always changing and usually is whatever song is the most “new” in the band. Right now it is a song of ours called “Your Love” that will be on Homemade Vision. It’s a very laid back swampy- song but is has a super heavy guitar solo and the beat makes me happy.  

7. What's something you want your fans to know about you and/or the band? 

I would like them to know how much their support means to us. It’s what keeps us going and we wouldn’t be able to play music and make music without them actually caring about what we do and spreading the word to others about our music. The fans are like an extended family to us so we can’t thank them enough! 

8. What's the last concert you went to?

Last concert I went to (where I bought a ticket and it wasn’t a fest we were playing at etc.) was to see Kevin Gordon at Natalie’s. It was on a Sunday night and it blew my mind. He is such an amazing songwriter and his band was killer. 

9. What is one of your favorite musical moments?

Recently, it has been this week when we got our final masters for the new record! We think it is the best recording we have done so far, so it feels very surreal that it is complete. 

10. Do you have a favorite song off the new album? 

Oh boy.. that one is tough. I really love how they all turned out and although they go together they are all vastly different from each other.  I think right now it’s a song called White Doves, because it was an underdog track that came together last minute in the studio. We didn’t think it would make it but it might be kicking off our record, so that is pretty cool. 

11. Creative process behind Electric Flame video?

The idea behind the "Electric Flame" music video began with me thinking it would be cool to work with projections and to  capture a mysterious vibe in the video. Through bouncing off ideas with the Vital team in several meetings we all collaborated, bounced a bunch of ideas off each other, and created the current storyline which has a little twist at the end that is open to interpretation. Was really fun to film and the video came together very quickly and naturally. 

**BONUS QUESTION**

12. Any behind the scenes secrets or tricks you've learned along the way?

Always bring backup gear to gigs in case disaster strikes.  I’ve learned over the years to always have a backup guitar that is tuned up and ready to go, a backup amp, and recently discovered that I need to carry a back up bow for my musical saw as well. Be proactive people, be proactive…. also waterproof makeup in everything is amazing..  ;) 

What is Craft Services?

Anyone will tell you it's truly the social hub of any film shoot. At the craft table you'll find talent bumping elbows with producers and an unlimited supply of snacks sure to please any and all dietary restrictions. A quality craft table will keep any crew happy throughout the day. 

I've been the head of craft services for Vital over 2 years now and I love getting to keep the clients and crew fed and happy! Here are a few tricks and tips I've learned along the way. 

1. Always be on set early. It takes time to make the perfect breakfast craft table (with pride). Most importantly, the coffee! Have enough coffee to keep everyone caffeinated until mid-afternoon. A nice supply of sugars and chilled creamer is a must. The fancy "to-go" cups are a plus too! Breakfast bars, bananas and easy-to-grab morning snacks will be your best bet. 

2. Keep back ups of EVERYTHING. When you're on set, you never really know which snacks or drinks will be a hit that day. It could be the pre-packaged apple slices or the double chocolate chip soft bake cookies. Either way, make sure you have enough of a stash to keep your crew happy. 

3. Choose your snacks wisely. Always make sure to do a little research on who you're serving and pay attention to dietary restrictions. Do you have 17 vegans on set? Maybe don't bring the cheese and meat tray. 

4. Avoid heavy lunches. The last thing you want to do is give your crew a food coma before 2pm. Select a variety of deli sandwiches, wraps and spend the additional cost on the jumbo side salad; it's always a hit and a nice option for anyone. 

5. Kid friendly options. Keep in mind that if you have talent under the age of 5, make sure to keep a small supply of healthy snacks, juices and smaller water bottles to keep the kiddos happy. And whatever you do, don't forget the fruit snacks for bribes by late afternoon. 

6. The presentation. Make sure to always have the space you need for your clients and crew to gather and eat. If you don't have enough tables or chairs, rent them. If you don't have nice linens, buy some. It's important to always make sure the space is clean and fully stocked. Purchase serving trays to display your snack items. Even if you're serving a small group, the presentation is everything! Make it count. 

For more information on Craft Services feel free to contact me.


Shyla Bohrer
Office Manager
Vital Companies
shylab@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306

m. 724.986.4788

Subscribe to our weekly email The Vital News

Infomercial Video Campaign? It Worked for Credit Union of Ohio

Click here to view the campaign

Here's a solution we created for the Credit Union of Ohio to advertise for the Film Festival of Columbus. 

"Credit Union of Ohio came to Vital looking for a way to approach the film-festival demographic with a theater preroll 15 second spot. CUOO wanted to get the word out that their services can "take you from a no-namer, to an A-lister". I felt the best way to show the concept of excelling to an indie-film crowd, would be for an infomercial actor selling a ridiculous product to then become an academy award winner. Easy enough concept. Toughest part was the talent. Lucky for us, Nathan Neorr auditioned." says Chief Creative Director, Chris Kost. 

Find out more about our work and how our video campaigns can help you and your company. 

Best,

Jason Clayton
Chief Marketing Officer
Vital Companies
jclayton@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306
m.614.270.1500

Subscribe to our weekly email The Vital News

Nationwide Business Builder Case Study

Click here to view the campaign 

We created a Motion Graphics Campaign to help Nationwide Financial inform their existing financial advisors on the ability to grow their business by offering their clients a new opportunity to plan for retirement through their Business Builder Program. 

"The major challenge and success of this project for Nationwide Financial was that the messaging and the visuals align make a clear, clean, and concise campaign." says Animator/Editor, Justin Gassman.

Find out more about our work and how our video campaigns can help you and your company.

Best,

Jason Clayton
Chief Marketing Officer
Vital Companies
jclayton@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306
m.614.270.1500

Subscribe to our weekly email The Vital News

7 Quick Tips To Help Your Next Video Production

1. Take Advantage of Preproduction
Preproduction is the most important investment in video production. Collaborate with a production partner to determine the best way to approach the production process and establish a strategic plan to make the project a success. 

2. Let The Professionals Do Their Job
When working with a video production partner take advantage of their expertise during the early stages of the creative and storyboarding process. Most creatives are not video producers, so rely on the production partner's knowledge to align the creative ideas with production costs to stay within the budget. 

3. Cut Through The Digital Clutter
Everyday more and more video content is being published on the internet and the new challenge for companies is how to cut through the clutter and be noticed. It's important to spend more time on the messaging and the creative process because consumers don't want to be sold to, they want to engage and identify with a brand that provides valuable information in a creative and authentic way. 

4. Maximize Your Production Time
The cost of producing a professional video can be expensive and there is a lot of effort that goes into the actual production. Most production companies bill by half day or full day rates, so have a plan to capture additional interviews or b-roll footage if time permits. 

5. Have A Distribution Strategy
If you are producing videos without a distribution strategy, you might as well light your money on fire. Uploading videos to Youtube or Vimeo and putting them on your website doesn't cut it anymore.  Yes it's definitely part of the plan but not the only part of the plan. Think strategically and utilize all of your resources to increase your viewership.  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Email Campaigns, Influencers, etc. 

6. Pick The Video Platform That Fits Your Needs
Youtube and Vimeo are great platforms to promote and silo produced videos. Both have built in analytics to measure video statistics. Always link or embed videos from Youtube/Vimeo to other digital platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc.  This will assist with better SEO rankings and become the primary source for analyzing video traffic. 

7. Pay To Archive Your Footage 
It's less expensive to pay for archiving then it is to reshoot an entire production because of video/data that is lost or misplaced. Most production companies will archive raw footage and projects files for a fee. This keeps all video data in one location and allows a production partner to have immediate access to edit content as needed and don't forget to keep a backup off site just in case!



Best,

Jason Clayton
Chief Marketing Officer
Vital Companies
jclayton@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306
m.614.270.1500

Subscribe to our weekly email The Vital News

The Rebrand- New Website & New Vision

We have changed so much as a company since our last website update and rebrand about three years ago. We no longer see ourselves as just an audio & video production company. We have become an extension of our client's marketing department. A creative partner that has a seat at the table during the initial brainstorming session of a client's campaign. We collaborate on creative direction and bring our knowledge and experience of video production to our partnerships. We create stories that consumers want to be a part of, share and ingest. We have also learned the best practices of building a strategy around the promotion and distribution of the video content we create.  I invite you to visit our new website to find out more about our work and how our video campaigns can help you and your company.  Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Best,

Jason Clayton
Chief Marketing Officer
Vital Companies
jclayton@vitalcompanies.com
o. 614.294.1306
m.614.270.1500