Those new habits tend to improve our lives for the better but also, sometimes, for the worse. Probably the number one complain from online consumers is the discrepancy between what they think they are buying, and what they actually receive.

What you see and what you get can often be disappointing…

A whole host of features such as stars, votes, reviews, FAQs or pictures from various angles, try to assess this recurrent and frustrating problem, but don’t necessarily succeed at giving buyers a good sense of what they’re about to invest in. Additionally, with the attention span of the average internet consumer getting shorter and shorter, it is absolutely imperative for sellers to convey this host of information on the product sold in a record time. Having to look around a busy page to find information on a product just does not cut it.

As video production professionals, we’ve witnessed first hand how videos address these issues (here are a few that we have done). Product videos are great to understand what a product is about, what it looks like and how it is going to feel when we actually receive it, but additionally they are a proven way to increase conversion.

Marketers know these numbers and it’s not a surprise that the amount of videos produced to sell products in 2015 has exploded.

But quality video production tends to be expensive. And marketers, with a limited budget to play with, tend to focus their efforts on just a few of their top-seller products, making great and effective videos for those, but resorting to the old ways (photos and extensive descriptions) for the rest of their catalog. The idea behind this strategy being that by growing those top-sellers, a trickle down effect will take place and the rest of the catalogue will benefit from it.

This strategy is great to create brand awareness and recognition, but from a purely growth standpoint may sometime seem counter-intuitive. Why focus all of your marketing efforts on products that you know are already going to be a hit and will just marginally increase their sells thanks to your marketing effort? Why not keep some of your marketing budget for other weaker products, where growth potential or margins are stronger?

Again, the answer is most often cost of video production and delivery, along with the prejudice that producing a video has to be a lengthy creative process that could not match the organic and day-to-day evolution of an entire product line.

Our answer to this is H1 Product Videos, a new service we created specifically to produce premium product videos at a price point that allows brands to afford it for their entire catalog AND with a format that makes it super efficient to produce and deliver.

H1 product videos’ goal is to revolutionize e-commerce by helping consumers truly understand the shapes, material or features of any products, in seconds. Using videos for each of your product will therefore ensure that your customers’ purchase decision is made quickly and without 2^nd thoughts, and will minimize returns and calls to your customer service. Unlike regular photos, ROI is much stronger with videos and will allow you to grow your entire catalog while making the overall buying experience much more pleasant.

The H1 process is simple and designed with e-retailers in mind. Just pick one of our packages then send us your products and specs, so we can bring them to life with premium videos. Once we’ve shot your product, we will send you the video files, and, if you choose our embed option, monthly analytic reports on views, localization, and sales. All of this done in a matter of days.

Not convinced yet? Let’s cut down the reading since we just discussed how video is so much more efficient: here is  H1 presentation video. If you have any question, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, we will be glad to assist you for all your product video projects.

*H1 Product Videos: http://h1productvideos.com/

The post E-Commerce: What’s Missing? appeared first on Helium Films.

We are lucky to be located in Sunny San Diego, the “finest city in America” as they say. From being able to shoot in various locations across town, I can tell you that there is definitely truth to this, and we are very lucky to have such variety as to ambiances that the city offers. From beaches, to urban decors, from cliff falls to desert views, here are a few tips on location scouting for your next local projects.

1. The Beaches

We are in SoCal after all; and the beach is definitely part of our landscape. It’s not rare for our videos to include scenes at the beach so that we can really represent the enjoyable side of Sunny San Diego. But even the beaches vary greatly and offer their own range of diversity.

Sunset on the peer in Ocean Beach

For instance, the boardwalk in Pacific Beach has a lot of activity (people cycling, roller blading, surfing), so if you’re looking for a quiet and empty beach, it’s definitely not the place to go. Further south, the San Diego bay is pretty huge and is definitely a good spot for downtown views. The practical aspect of the bay is the grass: you don’t have to put the equipment in the sand and risk collecting dust everywhere, and you can still have shots on the beach. You can also find some cool beach spots in Ocean Beach with surf shops, thrift stores, and the typical modest beach cottages of Southern California. If you want a beach with more upscale housing in the background, La Jolla is home of the most luxurious houses and stores of the city. And last but not least, there is Black Beach… a nudist beach in Torrey Pines state park. It all depends on what you’re trying to get, maybe you are shooting a nude scene on the beach…

2. The Views

San Diego has various hills and therefore many view points from which you can shoot the cliffs, downtown, or the valley. I think for this category, photos will talk for themselves, but one of my favorite spots is the top of Mount Soledad Veteran Memorial Park that offers a breath taking 360 view of San Diego and suburbs.

View from the top of Mount Cowles

3. The Cliffs

We’re lucky to have beautiful cliffs in San Diego, and even though future married couples often use these locations for their engagement photos, it’s not only for weddings! La Jolla has amazing cliffs that allow for gorgeous views all the way up to Torrey Pines golf course. Be careful though because it’s a very touristic point so getting a quiet and isolated set is tough. Your shooting might be disturbed by many locals or tourists walking around the area. You can go down to the rocks and have your feet in the water while shooting. This allows filmmakers and photographers to find many more angles. Another nice spot in Ocean Beach is Sunset cliffs. Sunset or not, this is a beautiful location for various obvious esthetic reasons. This spot can be used for romantic shots, but also athletic scenes if your talents can jump from the cliffs or climb them. Finally, Torrey Pines’ famous cliffs aren’t popular for nothing. Either on the golf course, or in the state park, you can find beautiful views that will be stunning for your photos and videos.

4. Balboa Park

It’s always nice to have a park in the city that allows for nature shots without going out of town, but Balboa is especially nice! With its spanish inspired architecture, but also beautiful botanic gardens and various grass spaces, this park is often a go-to location for local projects. Bonus point: there is a great view of downtown San Diego on the Cabrillo bridge!

BalBoa park in the heart of San Diego

5. The Border

Not many cities haves access to a border, so we definitely count this as a shooting location. Various documentary filmmakers have documented the tragic image of the wall between Tijuana and San Diego* (link to The Walls of Shame?). But it’s also very convenient if your film needs to have a different cultural ambiance because you’re within driving distance from Mexico. If your character needs to escape, or if the story is about traffic at the border, or just about two lovers that have a long distance relationship, San Diego and Tijuana are THE place to shoot. You have to see it for yourself, the contrast between the two cities, only a few miles away is frankly breathtaking. (Link to the series The Bridge).

Border between San Diego and Tijuana

6. The Different Urban Vibes

Even though most picture San Diego as a beach town, we’re still talking about the 7th biggest city in the country. San Diego has various urban vibes and here are a few key neighborhoods. The Gaslamp Quarter is very cute and classy. This historical neighborhood includes a series of buildings constructed in the Victorian Era and are now active businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs and theaters. Although you will need a special authorization for shooting, you have plenty of really cool landmarks there, such as the beautiful San Diego Padres baseball stadium, Petco Park. Or, if you feel like this is too upscale, South Park, Hillcrest, or North Park will work great for a more low key, laid back urban environment.

Obviously, scouting for locations is a personal process. You choose specific locations for your own reasons and esthetic sensibility. This quick guide is just meant to give you an overall vision of San Diego. It’s important to mention that if you have more time, San Diego is less than 2 hours away from the desert (Borrego Springs/Coachella area and Joshua Tree), the mountains/forests (Julian/Cuyamaca, Idyllwild-Pine Cove), the sand dunes (Imperial Valley), and even the snow (Big Bear) !

Photo credits: I found these pictures through Google search, and unfortunately I couldn’t find the authors’ names, but I definitely thank them for these very nice shots of our beautiful city!

The post Scouting San Diego appeared first on Helium Films.

By Shaan.

This time of the year is often associated with resolutions, so here we are with a few tips about video making and things to do in 2015:

1. Focus on quality

There are many options to make videos, from shooting your next company event with your smart phone, to hiring a full crew with tons of fancy equipment for a commercial. No matter what you choose, always prioritize quality over quantity, whether in terms of production value (the fancy commercial) or storyline/concept (the fun smartphone clip). It’s not about making as many videos as possible, but about making the right ones. Consumers will appreciate well-done or well-thought videos, and will keep in mind a positive image of your brand. Cheap video services will hurt your image, your business and your sales.

2. Think globally…

No matter what your business is, video is the best way to communicate with the world, and one that will get you noticed, drive traffic to your platform, and create brand recognition and increase sales.

The numbers are clear:

–       100 million: number of Internet user who watch online video each day.

–       80%: Internet users who recall a website where they saw a video.

–       90%: online shoppers who find video helpful in making buying decisions.

–       75%: executives that watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.

Etc etc, and the list goes on … If video isn’t already a part of your marketing strategy, you should at least do a test run in 2015, and measure how it tremendously affects you bottom line.

3. … But also internally

Video production can be a great tool to communicate among your company and employees . Either for sharing some specific information like new acquisition or change in business policy, but also to strengthen team bonding and the overall culture of your brand. Brand culture is very important to ensure consistency over the different levels of your business, and videos can be a great tool to maintain this internal consistency. Research have shown that emails with a video are being read twice as much than those without one. What about dropping a quick video in your next address to your teams? This will definitely ensure a greater attention to your message.

4. Define your goals

Get your marketing horses in line. For better efficiency in communicating a message, your videos must have a clear objective, and a specific storyline that comes with it. Considering that you’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes, you will have better results by targeting your videos to one specific audience at a time rather than trying to make one that says it all.

A few questions can help determine which videos represent a better investment. What do you exactly need? What do you already have? Instructional videos? Brand promotion? Product videos? Where do you first need to invest your money?

5. Develop strong partnerships

Choose partners that provide added value for you and run with them. The more your video partners know you and your brand, the more they can create customized and efficient content that will WOW your audience. Creating video is a craft. It takes a deep understanding of your marketing goals, and needs to transform a brief into moving images and sound that resonate with your audience.

The more the craftsmen you hired know you, the better their creation will be.

IN BRIEF:

The post 5 Good Video Marketing Resolutions for 2015 appeared first on Helium Films.

By Shaan.

For many of us – video professionals or clients – what makes filmmaking a fun and entertaining job is the shooting part. Cameras ready, actors prepared, light equipment in place, and action! Suddenly a whole new world is created, filled with amazing stories. Most of our clients understand the process of shooting but not necessarily what comes before or after.

Scriptwriting and the development of a relevant and intelligent story often does not happen in a day (even though we often have to charge it that way). With experience and practice we created writing recipes and methods depending on the type of videos, however, each story, each brand, and each client have their own specificities that need to be well thought from the beginning.

• Brand identity

There are a few things that can make the script writing process more efficient, and prevent bad surprises. First, does the client already have a brand identity? If yes, it will direct the look, style, and overall feeling of the video. We all recognize and remember brands like Apple, McDonald’s, Disney or Louis Vuitton because they established a strong and consistent identity. Colors, typography, and message, all of these components build the story of a brand that people can relate and identify to. But when PepsiCo’s Tropicana launched their new design for Pure Premium line, their sales dropped by 20% in only two months. They were forced to go back to their original branding design, which made their consumers happy (or at least less confused). We will see how the green bottle Coca Cola Life does… Establishing a clear identity with a specific visual branding and messaging is key for the company’s growth. And when it comes to videos, this identity must translate.

Having a background in advertising and strategic planning, we always enjoy creating new branding and visual identity for some of our clients who do not already have a clear one (often start ups, but also small to medium size companies). Although this process requires time and the strong involvement of both parties, it always pays off at the end and sets the company off to a good start where brand recognition can grow.

 “For a truly effective social campaign, a brand needs to embrace the first principles of marketing, which involves brand definition and consistent storytelling.”, by award-winning branding consultant Simon Mainwaring.

• Setting a goal

The second important component for writing a good script is its intended goal. A video needs to aim at a specific objective to be successful. Is it for your current customers or new targets? Is it educational or promotional? Is it for the web or TV? Is it for a Kickstarter campaign or for social media platforms? Is it supposed to be funny, scary, emotional… All of these questions will lead the direction of the scriptwriting as well as the style of the production: casting, lighting, type of shots, music, etc… Having clear goals for your videos will ensure you get the most bang for your buck: something that is on point, powerful, and produce great return on investment. (if you need more on the subject, here is a bunch of powerful TED talks on “setting goals”).

• A good example

Recently, we had an international client that wanted to make a corporate video. They were on a verge of an IPO, and needed to share their philosophy and services with prospective investors, and the general public. The challenge was to make a 6-min documentary style video introducing all the top management as well as clients and retailers. We had to shoot a mix of interviews and b-roll in 6 different countries, with 6 different languages. All this in less than 1 month! When back in San Diego for the post-production, even though we had hours and hours of footage to sort, we were able to send the first edit in only 4 days, and the final product just a few days later. How were we able to pull that off? Because we had a very detailed script that was approved by both parties before starting to shoot. With this script, we were able to streamline the shooting and editing process. We knew all along where we were going and everything ran smoothly. At the end of the day, the client was very happy and our job made easier. All this thanks to a well thought script.

Check the behind the scenes photos of our shooting.

Sometimes for the sake of fitting into the budget, preproduction takes a hit. Because most clients undervalue this part of the process, most production companies tend to minimize it and pass the costs of it in other lines of the budget. But remember that even if you have small or big production means, the story and concept is what people will remember.

The post Scriptwriting: A Project’s Backbone appeared first on Helium Films.

 
Every time we go to a networking event or simply meet new people, one question always comes back: why aren’t you in L.A.? Why, as producers and filmmakers, would you be in San Diego rather than Los Angeles?

From a client’s perspective, the doubt and questioning of our location (a.k.a. San Diego) is understandable and legitimate. It’s nothing new that Hollywood is the capital of the film industry, alongside with New York City. Not like in San Diego, one can find thousands of actors, producers, directors, technicians, studios, and everything else one needs to “make a film”. So, again, why San Diego?

From a video production point of view, we have two answers, or maybe we should call them “reasons”. First, Los Angeles is a crowded place, especially if you aren’t deeply connected (yet) or fortuned. The competition is fierce, and the number of clients proportionally reduced. From a one-man show guy that can do it all, to the biggest production companies with all the means, clients face an incredible number of options. Adepts of any levels from skilled students to well-known professionals, from low-cost to million-dollar budget, from creative to conservative companies, everybody is fighting for clients as well as crew members. In L.A., like American psychologist Barry Schwartz would explain in his book “Why More Is Less”, when you have too many choices, too many decisions, and too little time, well you will often feel unsatisfied (I really recommend his TED Talk). Let’s not forget that in a city of abundance like LA, it also comes down to the budget, if you’re not Coca-Cola or Walmart, you might just get the lower end of the bargain. And as a production company, it’s pretty clear that the more we are, the hardest it is to standout.

In San Diego, there’s a lot to create, but not that many creators.

In San Diego, if you do it well, there’s a real opportunity. As a very entrepreneurial city, new clients appear everyday. As a matter of fact, in March 2014, Forbes named San Diego “the best place in the country to launch a startup.” Coming from San Diego State University, we’ve witnessed how they lead one of the best entrepreneurial programs of the country (Forbes again), from where originated big brands such as Rubio’s Grill , Jack in the Box, and Volcom, but also promising ones like Solo Eyewear and ShakeSmart. Considered the Silicon Valley of BioTech, San Diego is also home to many successful technology companies. Who wouldn’t start a business in “the finest city”? It’s sunny all year long, the landscape is beautiful, and we don’t suffer the infernal traffic that Los Angeles endures everyday…

From a client’s perspective, San Diego tends to offer lower prices for the same quality of work thanks to an overall lower cost of living. Startups that want to invest in their marketing strategy can do it with a more reasonable budget, and usually build a better, more long-lasting relationship with their video production partners. In the various industries we’ve been involved in: new technologies, retail, health, arts, or education, to name a few, we’ve managed to create win-win situations. Navigating through all these different industries expended our knowledge and technique, and allowed us to grow at a much faster pace.

Unlike L.A., where everybody constantly bath in a cinematographic environment, San Diego’s entrepreneurs are not always used to video production. Explaining the processes and benefits is sometimes necessary, but once they embark the boat, they quickly become “aficionados”.

So, in a way, comparing Los Angeles and San Diego is like comparing the choice between a fountain drink or a bottle, crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego or from San Diego to Tijuana, choosing between “the shortest way” or the “fastest way” on your GPS… Sometimes the obvious option turns out to be the hardest.

The post Why aren’t you in L.A.? appeared first on Helium Films.

In October, among various projects, we produced two videos for Robot America who asked us to create innovative marketing material to promote their incredible new product: the air cleaner and vacuum Robot Platinum. This company, known for over 60 years for their innovative products, has come up with the latest version of their Robot.

Built with Nano silver technology, the Robot Platinum serves a wide range of utility. It cleans and aromatizes the air, it vacuums dust and liquid, it can be used on all surfaces, and is very user friendly. Robot America believes in maintaining a very personal customer-service relationship because humans are at the center of their business.

The shooting took place in two locations, one in a beautiful house in La Jolla, and the other one in our studio. The two videos were shot in a very friendly environment, where everybody was having fun. The atmosphere was great to inspire the production of high quality videos.

The post Robot America, naturally wise appeared first on Helium Films.