Pre Production: Multi-Purposing Your Footage
A lot of people are familiar with the saying “use it or lose it.” More often than not, it’s associated with items that have a distinct shelf-life, such as your company vacation time or annual budgeted dollars. In most cases, people tend to follow the directions and use it, so they don’t have to deal with the guilt or remorse of losing it.
In the current economy, companies have become even more cautious and tentative with their respective budgets, knowing that there may be a greater chance of “losing it” than “using it.” In regards to video production, one way to effectively use your marketing dollars and increase the longevity of your video programs is through multi-purposing your video footage.
Most of us realize that footage is shot to meet the objectives of a program. Thinking beyond the current program is a great way to begin developing a library of images that can be utilized for other projects, such as web-based videos or other digital marketing opportunities. Shots of the facility, employee interviews, or capturing a new piece of equipment in action can be taken advantage of when you have a video crew on location. At PentaVision, we strive to not only meet your current program objectives, but look at opportunities for future projects or uses in other media platforms.
Consider the following when planning your next video project, or if you have recently completed one:
• Future needs: Are there other opportunities to utilize the footage you have or are currently capturing? If so – USE IT.
• Shelf Life: Do you know when you may shoot again? Is there footage that you can re-purpose to freshen the look of a program or your website? If so – USE IT.
• Cost Savings: It’s less time consuming and expensive to edit what you currently have in your library than to pay for new footage. Effectively shot b-roll and other footage can be re-purposed and effective for your program and for your budget.
The economy is dictating how companies, organizations and people are managing their budgets. It’s now a matter of maximizing your resources and your video footage is a valuable resource. If there is the opportunity to re-purpose it, to use it in another program, or to develop a new project, don’t lose the opportunity – use it.
