Hello, let's be friends.
First, let's get to know one another.
The best way to get a hold of me is through email at gwen@motionandstill.com. I'm routinely behind a camera, thinking of a concept, or zoned into editing, so email is the best way to get a hold of me. Sometimes its tough for us to call back right away just because its quiet on set when cameras are rolling. If you need a response right away, cc matt@motionandstill.com and he'll poke me. In your email, tell us what you’re working on and your big idea. No need for a lot of detail—just a rough intro, and when you might be free for a chat.
Next, we’ll find out more about each other over a coffee at our studio or your office.
We're a company of millennials, and we specialize in digital media. It's what we're good at, because we're always online, and most of us don't even have cable. For better or worse, we want to know why you want to create your content, why you want people to see it, and why you think people would be excited about it. We’ll set aside some time to talk and we’ll get a sense of what could happen.
Hopefully, our date goes well. We've both had an amazing time and you like our enthusiasm. We’ll then spend some time developing and writing up what’s called a treatment. This usually is a one-pager, where we describe to you a few ideas after thinking obsessively over it for a day or two. We'll describe what your video would look like and the resources we need. You pick your favorite. We sometimes charge some money for this part, which is called the “creative engagement” and means we’re not writing on spec, or “for free”. When we move forward to the project phase, that money gets absorbed into the rest of the cost.
An average video of 1-2 minutes takes us approximately 4 weeks to make, starting from the date of the shoot, up to the finished version with all your changes, and the logos and music thrown in. Of course, this timeline can vary, and if you’re in a super rush and your product is cool and you have a decent budget, then we can probably talk. However, it's always better to spend more time in post-production than it is to rush a shoot, and realize we're 5% short of a good idea.
Speaking of money, how much does a social media video cost? 1 to 10 thousand dollars.
That's as best we can give without knowing details about your project. The price of a video depends on a few things, like the nature of the creative concept, the number of talent or locations, whether you need a script, the length of the final video, and the resources available to you. Sometimes we've got ways to make budgets work, and sometimes we have to be realistic.
We like to get things done efficiently, with the least amount of waiting-around and wastage as possible. We're not flaky film school kids, and we like schedules and planned shotlists. We have two rules on our productions; everyone says Please and Thanks to each other, and lunch arrives on time.
Our clients fall into three categories:
1. Non-profits and startups. We're idealistic by nature, and if you're doing something amazing that helps make the world a better place, we'll pull a few favours, but you'll still have to cover the cost of production and basic wages for our team.
2. Small local business. You're in good company and form the bulk of our clients. You're growing and getting ambitious, starting to have bigger ideas and growing your fan base. You have a small marketing budget for an experimental video, or to launch your new website, Instagram or Youtube Channel. Watch us stretch it.
3. Big corporations. We’re doing more and more of these lately, and from what we've experienced, its the large firms that are sometimes the most agile. It's awesome to have the resources to do things correctly—to make things look amazing, to try new approaches, and to be your social media department's cheer leading team. #squadgoals
Whichever client you are, we can approach it from hoof to tail, and be part of the process from beginning to end. Or, if you just need some technical camera geeks to help make an idea happen fast, we're happy to jump onboard.
When we quote you an amount of money for the work, that amount is all-inclusive. If there are unexpected expenses, we'll let you know before we spend it. Also, we ask for a 50% deposit before the date of the shoot, so we can book our studio dates off and call in our crew.
When we make videos or photos for you, they belong to you, always. However, you must let us know in advance if your media is going to be broadcast on TV or printed on a large billboard. This is because the shooting crew and talent who appear on TV commercials work for different rates vs digital use only, and we have to make sure your creative and acting talent is on board.
It takes a great deal of caring, man hours and skill to do what we do. Regardless of your budget, we will stay up at night clicking away, and tend to aim for high production standards. We believe everyone gets better at everything all the time, so don't be alarmed if we 're a little more detail-oriented than you expect.
Making video and photos so that other people can see and enjoy them is one of the coolest things you could do. Expect to have fun while working with us.
Talk to you soon,
Gwen