If I am asked what I do for a living it always makes me cringe replying with ‘videographer’ or ‘we make videos’ because it reminds me of working with that awful technology; videotape. But, it’s what people know!
Video was terrible to work with. I’ve shot videos (see, I’m using that word again!) on, SVHS, Digital8 and MiniDV tapes and it was always a nervous moment when rewinding the tapes to import them into the computer. Then, when I was importing the footage there was the thought of “Would we drop frames?” “Would there be a glitch that could never be fixed?”
Today we shoot with a Panasonic GH4 with a 256GB memory card, a Canon 550D with 2x8GB memory cards, a Canon HFS21 with an internal 64GB SSD and record audio with a Zoom H4N with a 16GB memory card. No tape in sight. Which means no problems. I’m proud to call myself a digital filmmaker. I’d rather explain what that is just to avoid using the word ‘video’ in my job title. No, we don’t shoot on film either but I think this is the same rule as using the word Hoover when hoovering the house. The brand/item has become the name of that activity. I call it hoovering even though I’ve never owned a Hoover. I have a Henry and a George if you really need to know!
Why change the job title now? Well, this blog has to do with our website and our new take on our business. We are in the process of re-designing and re-building our website. We are opening ourselves up. We are being honest with what and who we are as a company and ignoring the norm. Our new video(dammit) focuses on this heavily. We shouldn’t be a company that we don’t want to be. We are different, so why not celebrate that fact?
A contact last month said that they had been looking at several other explainer video companies and whilst all the explainers shared the same standards, there was no differentiation between the companies. It dawned on me that people should want to work with us because of who we are. We’re that company that works in the middle of nowhere living their dream, managing their time to bring up their kids and run their business (115 hours per week between the 3 of us) No, we’re not a huge business. But at this stage in our lives, it’s not our aim. I’d much rather spend my spare time with the family than expanding the business. Speak to anybody and they’ll tell you that kids grow up so fast. But really, they don’t, it’s just that they are missing it. With Ailsa and I, we’re not. We don’t miss a thing because we’re always around. That’s a great feeling.
I can’t wait to launch our new website in October 2015. It will be a refreshing look at our small business and why using a small business is the way to go for your services.