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SHOOTING YOUR INFOMERCIAL
You can write your own script and direct the actual shooting
of your info-mercial, but you should never shoot and edit your own
informercial unless you
have all the necessary equipment and knowhow. Home systems
simply do not
work. Never shoot your infomercial with a camcorder. It will
never get
aired!
PRODUCTION TAKES PLACE IN TWO STAGES: THE ACTUAL SHOOT AND POST- PRODUCTION.
During the actual shoot stage, all the footage that will form
part of your
infomercial is shot. Your responsibilities should focus on
selecting and
hiring the camera crew.
After all the footage is shot, you enter the post-production
phase. It is
time to edit your infomercial, taking out the bad cuts and
putting all the
good shots into one coherent presentation, adding music and
special effects,
and more. During this stage, you will be responsible for
selecting and
hiring a post-production facility with the right editing
system and a
competent editor.
Hire the same company to shoot your infomercial and then do
all the editing
and post-production work makes sense for three reasons: - The post-
production people are already familiar with your project and
how it was
shot;
- Rates are usually cheaper for a packaged deal;
- If you worry
about confidentiality, you'll only have one supplier to worry
about.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT FORMAT
HDTV - BlueRay
17. FINISHED LENGTH
From the first frame to the last, your infomercial should be
28 minutes and
30 seconds long. Your first frame should actually be the
standard disclaimer
stating that "this is a paid program" from your
company. Your last frame
should state that "the preceding was a paid program"
presented by your
company.
18. POST-PRODUCTION
This isthe part ofthe production process where you create the
tone of your
infomcercial, so we'll review what's involved.
This portion of the production process is usually considered
the editing
stage, although it involves much more than just editing your
footage. Text,
graphics, background music, and video and audio effects are
all added during post-production.
How you cut, fade-in, fade-out, insert, roll, and merge one
scene with the
next lends to the overall tempo of your show. This is where
you can run
wild with animation, 3-D graphics, split screen, multi-screen,
and much
more. With today's technology, your infomercial's ultimate
look is
limited only by your imagination and your budget.
DESKTOP LEVEL
For rock-bottom, basic post-production work,
you can use a
studio with a system built around a desktop video system.
Popular desktop
brands like Video Toasters and Matrox will give you basic
broadcast quality.
(Average rate - $75 per hour.)
integrated simultaneously in a variety of ways, using a wide
assortment
of effects. Although some companies using desktop-level video
editing
systems have A-B roll capability, most post-production houses
with this
capability use more sophisticated, top-of-the line editing
systems.
(Average rate - $125 per hour.)
NON-LINEARThis is the future of post-production. It is
called non-linear
because your program is edited without using a tape. Instead,
the hard
drives of a computer store and manipulate the images you've
shot. The system
is highly digital and usually comes loaded with effects. And
since it edits
at the speed of a digital hard drive, your work is finished
faster and with
more creative flare. (Average rate - $250 per hour.)
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