You may be wondering what your next steps should be or what this crew of people in Detroit might be able to do for you. Or why not just do everything yourself. Or, how do you refine your idea and take it to completion at a professional level? Or what is the best format for your idea?

You will find a list of Personnel and a Client List after this summary.

Our Development Process

All our productions are set in a 4-step process that we have distilled over many years.

1. Discovery -We will ask you many questions, listen to your biggest concerns and help set a budget

2. Scope of Work – Once we have enough information about the kind of project we are dealing with, your goals and your budget we write a very specific SOW. This outlines what we will do, a timeline and clear deliverables. No production is ever started until this preproduction work is done.

3. Design – We design the solution. This can be done in Phases.

4. Build – We build the solution. Similarly, this can also be done in Phases. Sometimes when there exists a raw idea that is brilliant but could be taken in many directions, the development of the Scope of Work is actually Phase One of the design step. It is critical to determine best direction before work begins. Otherwise you run the risk of building the house starting with the third-floor chimney. What if you get to the bottom and you’ve missed the foundation?

A serious process for preproduction is needed in order to think truly creatively and deliver you the best possible result. We have developed a process addressing just that.

Scope of Work:

1. Start with a Preproduction Brainstorm

Sometimes when there exists a raw idea that is brilliant but could be taken in many directions, the development of the Scope of Work is actually Phase One of the design step. In these cases, the first step is the  ”Preproduction Brainstorm.”

We offer this process in several levels, and for this work we charge a modest fee. For example, a productive result might be obtained from a two day session with a think-tank style group of  approximately 6 people. Some projects require more time.

It is critical to determine best direction before work begins. Otherwise you run the risk of building the house starting with the third-floor chimney. What if you get to the bottom and you’ve missed the foundation?

The end result is the Scope of Work, a carefully-constructed solution that addresses your idea, your biggest concerns and fits your budget. It is delivered as a detailed, written debrief document.

The SOW document contains such elements as:

• Our format recommendations and conclusions on best marketing options
• An outline summary of the show, the hook(s) and the target audience
• Options for alternative platforms and interactivity
• 3-5 main character descriptions
• A description of the environment and the situation
• A one paragraph synopsis of three shows
• An outline of and budget for specific technical options for different levels of sizzle reel
• A profit-sharing proposal: If we move past the Preproduction Brainstorm, we will act as partners, providing cost-level pricing and sharing profits. That is our incentive. If you don’t wish to share any income from your idea, then you can always just pay our full fees up front, as a ‘’work for hire.’’

The value in this process is

1. That your idea is dissected and re-constructed by a handful of critical folks with industry experience

2. That you could actually pitch from this debrief document (though difficult)

3. That you get to know a team with a process and see if we are both a good fit. Then you have the option to continue as partners, with production options at several levels, or to proceed on your own

2. The Sizzle Reel

If the program we have outlined makes sense, we produce, at your expense and with your input, a sizzle reel, outline and other highly developed package elements to be presented to networks and/or agents. We refine and edit client ideas at all levels and there are many steps to completing this process. The experience and attention of our team will guide you through these steps and professionally produce a unique piece that can be put to good use as the centerpiece of a solid pitch for your now-developed idea.

3. Pitching your idea

We direct strategy for and assist with the pitch process to networks or agents. Why do we make this a top priority and work hard to pitch these ideas?

A. We only work with ideas we strongly believe in; the very best ideas presented to us. This since our reputation is on the line as we present them.

B. We have have a financial incentive to promote the property

C. The piece has survived rigorous critiquing at every level and is something we feel strongly about

D. We only handle a limited number of pitches at one time

In all cases, we seek to be the production company on the series or documentary. Should a network insist on a payoff and wish to use their own production company, we will reasonably negotiate in good faith a share of whatever money is made available.

If we agree to take on your project, we require agreed-upon pre-production and sizzle costs to be paid by the owner of the intellectual property. With your input and flexibility,  we will create and package an outline, a sizzle reel and other elements to present and you agree that we will serve as the production company.  In the event that a network wants to produce it themselves, our share would then be derived from funds received for licensing your work.

Business

All creative and business elements must be a good fit for both parties.

Our policy of no surprises includes:

• Email memos of meetings to reflect status of project and intentions of both parties and well as information to be held in confidence
• Non-disclosure agreements that outline what portions of your idea are actually confidential. If you have content posted on a website or it is available to the public, it is not confidential, however the use of it in the application you have specified may well be. In every case, we use our best efforts to respect and protect the intellectual property of our clients and partners. All your work must be protected with the Library of Congress before it can be considered by our team.
• Extensive pre-production ensures that we are working on the correct material in the correct format, aimed at the best possible target.
• Production costs are clearly defined and agreed to
• Profit sharing is clearly defined and agreed to if we agree to work with you past the initial consult/SOW. It is based on percentage shares, with each party fairly compensated according to their contribution
• Data backup, disaster planning and succession plans are all provided for while your project is in progress.

Incentive

If your idea meets our criteria, we will offer a profit sharing proposition and you will provide us with a share of profits. That is our incentive to partner with you.

Costs

Our costs are calculated at a partner level.  Our major goal is profit from the distribution or direct sponsorship of the content we create- both for series and documentaries. For sizzle reels, as for production, we provide a list of line items included and the total cost to deliver a finished product.

Agreements

A Scope of Work and Media Production Agreement will clearly define all the steps along the way.

Contact:

Randy Leipnik

Semper Media Group

(248) 561-5176

randy@SemperMediaGroup.com

You have a story. We help you tell it.

Development Personnel

B.K.Taylor

Illustrator, writer and performer

has contributed to such varied media as:

● National Lampoon

writer and artist for over ten years, best known for the cartoon strips “The Appletons” and “Timberland Tales”, in addition to various articles and illustrations.

● Walt Disney Feature Animation

character design for “The Legend of Mulan” and new story development.

● Jim Henson Associates

character design for “Dr. Teeth” of the Muppet Band, “Digit” of the NBC “Henson Hour”, various monsters and illustrations for Henson Publishing.

● Sesame Street

illustrations for the “Character Reference Book”, Sesame Street and Electric Company magazines, ABC – 123 Sesame Street book.

● ABC’s “Home Improvement”

staff writer on TV comedy series with Tim Allen for three seasons (Walt Disney Touchstone)

● Nickelodeon

illustrator for Nickelodeon magazine; writer for “Eureka’s Castle”, Nickelodeon Television.

● Creative Director/Producer

Stunt Pilot Productions, film and television development.

● Production Designer

“Moontrap” (feature film, Shapiro/Glickenhaus) also storyboard, character design; “Liquid Red” production design (currently in post production)

● Animation Art

“9 Simple Steps to Prime-Time Health”, featuring award-winning author, Dr. William Sears (winner of the 2011 Silver Telly, produced by Penczner Media

● Illustration

Scholastic Publishing, Doubleday, Random House, McClanahan, St. Martin’s Press, Workman Publishing, Addison-Wesley, MacMillan Jr., Avon and Mad Magazine

● Awards

Inkpot, Gold Brick, Funny Bone, Ace, four Caddies and the 2010 Reed Award for Political Cartooning.

Michael Whitenack

Executive Producer and Director

Upon graduation from Central Michigan University with a degree in broadcasting and film, Michael Whitenack began a sales and marketing sojourn in the music industry that extended over decades, with stops at RCA, Island Records and finally as Director of National Accounts at Walt Disney Records.

Currently reconnected with his passion for motion picture and television creation, his work includes TV commercial production, remote web broadcast, independent films, reality TV series and the 2010 Detroit/Windsor 48-Hour Film Competition.

Most recently, his showcase series on outstanding eateries in the Detroit area “Dining in the D” was aired on PBS and is rumored to have sent many people quite over the edge of the diet precipice.

Wally Szczubialka

Director Of Photography

Wally’s lifelong goal was to become a creative participant in the film/television production business. Filmmaking was his dream, but he found personal and professional satisfaction staying in Michigan and working in the video and television production world.

He loves to have a goal for a client, to create the visual and audio support to reach the intended audience and to achieve that goal. Each project becomes a “film” to send a message and touch people’s lives. He enjoys the challenge of bringing together all the elements needed to complete a project.

Since 1985 Wally’s roles have included:

● Director Of Photography: DP/ Videographer / Camera Operator for video productions

Broadcast shows, (all major networks and all styles of shooting)

Agency and Corporate programs (Sales & Marketing, Internal Communications)

Documentary style production

● Production Manager:

Responsible for equipment and crew for all location and studio productions

● Editor:

Final Cut Pro editor for specific projects / clients

Chris Carden

Project Manager: Animation

Painter, writer, musician, philosopher, 3D generalist, and social extrovert with a passion for helping people realize their highest potentials. I am a firm believer that we all have the ability to create great new works of art and/or utility without having to step on the toes of others. If there aren’t enough slices of pie, we don’t need to take slices away from others, we just need to bake more pies.

Broad experience in software development, 3D (using Maya), writing, illustration, graphic design,

music composition and performance, and sales and marketing. Focus on disarming bad attitudes with a smile, words of genuine encouragement and recognition of personal accomplishments.

Areas of expertise include:

Graphic design, fine art

Writing, storytelling, storyboarding

Composer, instrumentalist, percussionist

Software: Maya, mental ray, MEL, Python, Perl, HTML/javascript, Java, C++

Technical Writing (documentation, proposals, reports)

Project Management

Technical Sales Support

Marketing

Sales Training (Modeling, Animation, Rendering)

Randy Leipnik

Project Manager / Producer / Creative Director

Randy takes great original ideas to the next level and on to a timely completion. This process inevitably starts with many questions, and he has concluded that his primary business is listening. The partial client list below is a profile of his work. He started Semper Media Group in 1984.

For the last 30 years, his roles have included: video producer/director, video editor, sound designer, producer of music and spoken word, arranger, musician and sales.

Selected Clients

Semper Media Group and its partners are proud to count the following networks and companies among past and present clients.

Network

Network broadcast services (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) also cable networks including ESPN, A&E, MTV, Nickelodeon, HGTV

● ABC “Crash Course”

principal footage – sold to ABC television as a six show summer series

● FSN “Gatorade Replay the Series”

principal footage – Trenton v Catholic Central

● PBS “Dining in the D”

complete season of episodes on Detroit area eateries

● A&E “Family Jewels” with Gene Simmons

principal footage for Detroit show

● MTV “Mix Masters”

principal footage, Detroit

● MLB.com

handle feed from all Tigers games (every year)

● MTV “Celebrity Death Match”

voiceovers for The Undertaker

● HGTV-“My First Place” High Noon Entertainment

voiceovers for host Jill Cordes

● The Public Benefit Corporation

broadcast TV documentary on slavery: “The Hidden Treasure of Gorée Island”

● Hardcore Racing Inc.

sizzle reel & reality TV show pilot on drag racing crew

Corporate/Agency

● People Magazine/People.com

green screen shoot “Who Looked Hot This Week” w/ Carrie Millbank

● Sports Illustrated

green screen shoot: 2009 Final Four-Seth Davis commentary

● The Associated Press

green screen shoot for Motown retrospective

● The Oscars

voiceover for Mauro Fiore clip as he won for cinematography “Avatar”

● Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton

live switch of concert

● Best Buy Mobile/The Grammy Foundation

Kid Rock returns to Romeo High School

● DARPA/Aptima

extensive US military project: classified

● United States Coast Guard

tabletop exercises & multi-agency war games for first responders to terrorist attacks

● Detroit Red Wings/Rovion Inc.

green screen shoot of Detroit Red Wing, Pavel Datsyuk

● Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez Children’s Foundation

fundraiser event for former Detroit Tiger

● Daimler-Chrysler Financial

2 years of voiceovers for online training program

● General Motors and G.M.A.C.

executive video interviews, facility tour

● Cadillac

executive video interviews

● Ford Motor Company

interviews with Bill Ford

● Detroit Lions

player interviews

● Kcraft/Rapido Media of France

video interview with noted author Elmore Leonard

● Subway

green screen shoot with Subway personality Jared

● Marie Inc. – Marie Osmond

live concert video

● Glaxo Smith Kline

physician reviews of medical products

● The “D Show” Awards

Detroit agency awards – live switch

Additional clients at SemperMediaGroup.com/clients

There is no doubt that traditional broadcast television still successfully distributes advertising to certain targets. However, the rise of video content delivered on the web cannot be ignored.

Sponsoring content or placing your brand into content delivered online is a powerful way to gain advertising “impressions” without the substantial ongoing expense of media buys to support it.

You could just shoot some video with your home video camera and post it to YouTube with your logo planted on it. However, real success in this strategy starts with a truly creative idea, professionally refined into a unique and effective piece. This will help to self-propel it across the web for a long time. And you will not pay a fortune to buy air time.

Viewing Habits
How do we get our video these days?

Well, folks still watch sitcoms, documentaries and series television, purchased with cable or dish delivery packages. Now the choices have reached into the hundreds of channels. All this network programming has traditionally been funded by advertising dollars. This doe not show signs of changing any time soon. Someone has to pay for the cost of producing all that content to fill the ever-expanding pipeline.

People have widely varying attitudes to commercials. Some sit through every advertisement, absorbing the content and considering the commercial as part of their viewing experience. They appreciate hearing about a mind-numbing array of new products and services. They help to keep the consumer discovering and purchasing these products. This of course is the intent.

There are many people, however, who have grown tired of the immense volume of commercial messages in 30, 60 second or infomercial form. However, the sponsor still must reach out to their market.

Video On Demand
The history of video on demand is relatively brief but gathering momentum in epic proportions.

Faced with ever-busier schedules, viewing content at the convenience of the viewer has become increasingly a priority. First people found they could buy movies on a VHS tape and watch them whenever they wanted. Quite a convenience. Then came automated VCRs that could be set to record a program broadcast while you were away. Many people never mastered getting the clock on the VCR to stop flashing 12:00 so this did not quite attain 100% acceptance. Then followed DVDs for purchase and finally different forms of the DVR or Digital Video Recorder. Currently, DVRs are common offerings built right into cable boxes from your cable provider.

What does all that mean?
1. Many people prefer to watch content when they choose, not on a network schedule
2. Many people like to bypass commercials when possible

Recently, widespread use of DVRs to bypass commercials is beginning to water down the penetration of traditional broadcast models for delivery of advertisements. Viewers accomplish this by placing the DVR in record at the start of the program and then as the program progresses, simply watching from the DVR. This allows them to fast-forward through groups of commercials as they appear. While advertisers have begun making logos large and prominently included so that they at least get their brand across as the DVR scrubs through the commercial break, that is a less than perfect solution.

Interactivity
Traditional television is a one-way street. They played it. We watched it. And perhaps we were sufficiently moved by an ad for a product or service that we will go out and make a purchase. That’s it. To be fair, we also got brand impressions along the way as well.

Online delivery can provide interactivity in a way that is craved by the next generation of viewers.

Constant connectivity is has become an integral part of life for those for whom texting is a significant form of communication with their peers. Interactivity with peers and technology, from web to laptop to mobile via video and text satisfies this urge to be connected.

Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power.
Technology is not power. The intelligent application of technology is power.

Intelligent, creative application of technology can place your brand right in the middle of this mix.
If you create and structure a campaign correctly, when people are searching for content they already want, they will come upon your brand or product. It should be presented in such a way as to not encounter the same resistance to being “advertised to” that has developed in the traditional broadcast model.

No one likes to be sold. But everyone likes to buy.

So….we help people to deliver their product, service and brand in ways that delivers the impression with minimal resistance.

Data Tracking
Data is only valuable if you can track it. TV does not provide that ability. Trackable data may include number of views, time they viewed, how long they viewed, at what point the viewer left the page and what geographical area the viewer was from.
Traditional Model – Television spot and Media Buy
1. Produce a spot for television broadcast
2. Spend a great deal of money buying airtime (media buy)
3. Data available on exactly who watched and information about them: an estimate

Online Sponsored Content
1. Produce a spot for delivery online
2. Spend no money buying airtime
3. Data available on precisely who watched and information about them: a lot

You may pay per click or sponsor unique content that will amass hits for years, sending your brand much further than the distance from screen to couch. Of course, we still make TV spots if they are part of your strategy.

Product Placement
A time-honored and often abused form of impression delivery. Ever since movie stars raised a glass of Coke or lit a Camel, the public has listened, watched, emulated and purchased. Why not make it subtle and minimize any resistance to it or interference with the creative content?

Film maker Morgan Spurlock created a film called “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” in a witty presentation reviling the abuse of this advertising device. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1743720/
Rest assured, you should go about product placement with style.

What about Viral?
The most misused and abused word around the web. It is the elusive dazzle of pop culture, flavored with emotion and topped with a dollop of the extraordinary.

Regardless of how you want to classify it, it involves content that does two things:

It must be content that will:
1. Strike an emotional chord with the viewer. It must make them shed a tear, get a huge laugh, an “Aww” or a “Wow! moment. And fast.
2. Make the viewer feel compelled to forward it to their circle of influence.

Some Examples
State Farm From the band OK GO Viewed countless times, you gotta love State Farm for sponsoring this one. Here is a note from Digital Music News noting that monitored views had exceeded 3.4 million in 2010. Also ponder that embedding was enabled; millions more views.

Honda The Cog Honda’s extraordinary video made from all Honda parts. 1.6 million views at just the Youtube site alone. It is linked all over the web.

Semper Media A video we shot for Mr. Duey, a talented rapping math teacher in support of his album, reached 2.2 million views on TeacherTube before being inadvertently pulled. We would be happy to show you a screen-shot from when it had reached 1.6 million views. Lots of people told other people about it and away it went.

Questions you may want to ask before planning a site redesign/build:

1. Do you really need to re-do your site?
2. Does your company have a site that has been up for a few years
3. because everyone said it was the thing to do?
4. Has it really done anything for you or has it just been dormant?
5. What have you expected from your site?
6. Has it lived up to your expectations?
7. What do you wish it would do?
8. Does your web presence encourage any interactive response from the visitor or is it a one-way street?
9. Would it make any sense to see if your web presence could really become a positive contributor to your bottom line?
10. Can you afford to ignore any possible source of positive results to your bottom line?
11. Have you thought about what range of budget would make sense for you?
12. Would placing audio or video clips make the experience any richer for your visitor?
13. Is your site sticky?

Website strategy for planning for new site design/build:

Some things you may want to think about:

1. Who are you aiming to reach?
2. What do you want your visitors to feel and think and do when they get to your home page?
3. What keywords/metatags best represent what you do?
4. Ease of navigation. Does your site invite people to dig deeper?
5. E-commerce. Do you need it? Do you sell many different products?
6. Content. How much? What structure?
7. Search. Do you “get found” on the web? Do you wonder about the people that tell you you can be the top listing in 3 months?
8. Tracking. Do you have a process in place to track where and when your visitors come from, where they land, and what they looked at?
9. Security. Why worry? What is https, SSL?
10. Terms of use & Privacy Policy. Why have it?

If you are asking these questions, you are on the right path. Maybe we can ask a few more and help you to make sense of the answers you get.

If this approach feels like a good fit, call us. You must be here for a reason.
(248) 593-6037

Perhaps we should be talking. There are ways we can help you by helping you to prioritize just the items you really need. You probably don’t need all the people listed below. But some are critical. Pick who you think you need from the list below and call us. Choosing the right team that works well together is a great stress-reducer.

1st AD
1st AD & Script Supervisor
1st Assistant Director
2D Compositor
3D Animation
3D Animation Design
3D Animator
3D Artist
3D designer/animator/modeler
Administrative Assistant
After Effects Artist
Agent Assistant
Journalist/Anchor
Animation Instructor
Animator
Art Director
Set Dressers
Artificial Intelligence Programmer
Artist
Assistant
Assistant Art Director
Assistant Editor
Assistant to Director of Photography
Assistant to Executive Producer
Assistant to Producer
Associate Producer
Video Editors
VideoTech
Camera Operator
Camera Operator / DP
Camera Operator/Editor
Sound & Lighting Crew
Casting Director/Producer
Choreographer
Cinematographer
Client Relations
Commercial Producer
Composer
Computer Graphic Artist
Construction Crew
Coordinating Producer
Wardrobe Designer
Hair Designer
Craft Service
Creative Animator
Crew Call
Design Artist
Design Director
Designer/Developer
Development Assistant
Development Director
Digital Artist/Producer
Digital Assistant Coordinator
Digital Linear Editor
Digital Production Artist
Director
Director & Choreographer
Director of Photography
Director/Editor
Documentary Filmmaker
Documentary Producer
Driver
DVD Editor
Editor
Editor (Non-Linear)
Editor/Producer
Editors & Post Production Supervisor
Engineering Support
Executive Assistant
Motion Graphics Designer
Film Composer
First Assistant Camera
Flash Animator
Gaffer
Key Grip
Graphic Artist
Graphic Designer
Graphic Designer/Art Director
Grip
Hair and Makeup
Illustrator/panel designer
Image Designer
Information Manager
Internal/External Client Relations
Junior Designer / Animators
Junior Designer/Animator
Lead Engineer
Lead Systems Administrator
Lighting Director
Line Producer
Linear / Online Editor
Location Sound
Location Sound Mixer
Location Sound Recordist
Maya Technical Director
Musical Groups for Songs
Musicians/Composer
News Producer
News Writer / Producer
Colorist
Office Assistant
Online Avid Editor
P.A./broadcasting operator
Panasonic 24p Operator
Panasonic 24p Owner-Operator
PAs & Sound Recorder
Photographer-Production Stills
Photography Crew
Post Production Associate Producer
Post Production Coordinator
Post Production Manager
Post Production Supervisor
Post Production Technician
Producer
Associate Producer & PA
Producer/Assistant
Producer/Camera/Editor
Producer/Editor
Producer/Line Producer
Producer/Studio Manager
Production Assistant
Production Assistant/Runner
Production Coordinator
Production Designer/Art Director
Production Intern
Production Manager
Production Coordinator
Production Sound Mixer
Program Coordinator
Project Coordinator
Project Supervisor
Prop Master, Assistant Props, On Set Dresser
Props & Set Dresser
Publicist / Public Relations
Receptionist
Recording Studio and Audio Engineer
Researcher/ Writer
Screen Writer
Screenwriter
Script Supervisor
Continuity Coordinator
Script Writer
Senior Video Engineer
Set Designer
Sketch Comedy Writer
Smoke Editor
Sound Designer
Stage Manager
Sound Editor
Sound Recordist
Boom Operator
Special Effects Animation
Stage Manager
Storyboard Artist
Studio Assistant
Stunt Coordinator
Subtitle Editors (Foreigns)
Talent/Models for Infomercials
Technical Director
Television Studio Manager
Theater Manager
TV Host & Crew
Voiceover Talent
VFX Production/Post Production
Video Journalist
Visual Effects Supervisor
Wardrobe Stylist

Never mind that music seems to help our egos quite early in life to figure out who we will be. Forget that our favorite music will, in later years, magically transport us back to those particular times, events and people that we associate with it.

Remember your parents telling you to “Turn that down!”? Well, your music just didn’t sound like theirs did. Now, of course, It is my turn to wonder what is the music that our kids will find sentimental as they rock on the veranda of the assisted living place 50 years from now. Will the whoomp of the subwoofer paralyze the caregivers as high volume rap favorites waft through the halls?

Why do people create music in the first place? In my case, improvisation, albeit usually over some kind of structural form, was always more interesting, rather than reproducing music that had already been written.

In the liner notes for the Miles Davis record “Kind of Blue” pianist Bill Evans wrote about the art of improvisation.

Bill said about those who would improvise that they “… must practice a particular discipline, that of allowing the idea to express itself in communication with their hands in such a direct way that deliberation cannot interfere.” The full quote may be found here www.billevanswebpages.com/kindblue.html

In my own life, music has been much like breathing, it is just something that came in and out of me from a very early age. I cannot take any special credit for it, it is just a gift that was given. But why did it seem like such a good fit and change the shape of my life so drastically?

Let me share a favorite verse of mine, crafted by the great jazz lyricist, Gene Lees. Here he describes what he thinks is real about the madness that causes some of us to live and breathe the alchemy of music. This is a man who reportedly took a year or more to write the exquisite lyric to the jazz chestnut “Waltz for Debby”

For years I had lost two lines in the middle of this wonderful verse. I emailed Gene and, after searching, he couldn’t find them either. Finally I came upon my original note, written with my music calligraphy pen from decades ago, and here it is. A tiny fragment of exquisite verse encased in a poetic form from another age.

This may not explain why people create music, but it is certainly a most eloquent expression of appreciation for the phenomenon.

Sonnet

Music is a strange and useless thing.
It doesn’t offer cover from the storm.
It doesn’t (really) ease the sting
of living; nor nourish us, nor keep us warm.
And men expend their lives in search of sound,
learning how to juggle bits of noise,
and by their swift illusions to confound
the heart with fleeting and evasive joys.
Yet I am full of quaking gratitude
that this exalted folly still exists,
that in an age of cold computer mood,
a piper still can whistle in the mists.
His notes are pebbles falling into time.
How sweetly mad it is, and how sublime.

Gene Lees

Not used with permission.
Gene, I hope that’s OK. If not, please call.

Randy

There seems to be a chasm of infinite depth between the true spirituality of the seeker and the organized politics of what has come to be known as religion.

In any event, two exceptional men of my acquaintance have developed a really fine project called Song and Spirit.

It is a humble jaunt into the ether of the interfaith.

A Franciscan monk and a Jewish Maggid (storyteller), hanging out, singing songs and telling stories. Pretty darned peaceful. Some Tibetan bowls set the mood nicely.

Their site is SongandSpirit.org You may find it quite interesting.

Sign up for their email list or invite them to open some hearts at a place near you.

If you’ve never heard The Lord’s Prayer sung in Hebrew or a Muslim prayer sung by a Catholic and Jewish duet, this is your chance. I think it’s such a fine idea. That’s why I play keyboards with them.

I found tears on my face through much of their first performance a few weeks ago and I really can’t say why. Good tears, though.

Peace
Randy

Software to Consider
• Video- Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, After Effects, etc.)
Check out Student Discounts- $350
• Audio- Reaper Audio http://www.cockos.com/reaper/ A great way to do pro level audio inexpensively $50 and a decent audio card gets you going
• Web Design- Dream Weaver – $185 and
• WordPress as a site building app, not just a blog (free)

General
• Be a salesman!
• You are “YOU” Incorporated, sell your product.
• Start your own business. Lots of pitfalls, but jobs are scarce.
• Learn to listen
• Let your vision exceed your grasp
• “Always be the weakest link”
• Be nice to clients
• Develop People Skills

Future
• Do you want to do this for Business or Hobby?
o Business – Start a business
 Get a DBA (Doing Business As) $10

o Hobby – Get a “Day Job” and do Freelancing

Business
• Be Unique
• Read books about marketing!
Think for yourself (Hack around problems to find a solution)
• In an interview:
• Ask questions (then shut up!)
• Networking
o Facebook-for business
o Twitter
o Linkedin.com
o ImDB.com – Put all visual work on this site

Media
(Books, Magazines, Websites)

• The E-Myth Revisited (Book) by Michael Gerber (A must-read about running your own business)
The Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. Find out where you want to be. E, S, B or I
• Millimeter (Magazine)

• DigitalContentProducer.com (Website)

• Reel-Exchange.com (Website)

• Check out the Sandler Selling System
Ongoing marketing/business classes
Because you are actually in sales.

And don’t forget the 3 Food Groups of Media Production
1. Caffeine
2. Ibuprofen
3. Maalox

YOUR AREAS OF STUDY
• Your performance: find your own voice
• Write original material
• Acquire new material-attend concerts
• The elements of music: melody / harmony / rhythm / form / soul
• Vocal technique – including pitch, interval study, breath control, vibrato, vary your releases
• Listening is everything- how to listen specifically within a recording, to all styles, all ethnicities, all artists, to your own breath

MUSIC THEORY
• Notation-transposition
• Write your own lead sheets – transcribe others
• Instrumental technique – style, facility, practice, learn guitar tuning
• Improve relative pitch
• Ear training – interval study is the key to all pitch
• Set your individual keys for your songs
• Time – must have sense for absolute time, THE POCKET
• Keyboard technique
• Independence-right/left
• Develop ability to harmonize –sight reading-play/sing
• Mic technique
• Music history
• Musical form – arrangement
• Lyric syntax
• Collect verses, novelty songs-new ways to sing
• Learn other instruments
• Your instrument – diet, vitamins/herbs, regimen, exercise. if you don’t take care of your body, where you going to live?

STUDIO EXPERIENCE
• Understand / operate sound systems – theory & applied
• Recording skills – as an artist, engineer, producer, sideman (or woman)
• Creating bed tracks, beats, any accompanying tracks.
• Record and listen to yourself; listen and play it back. Hear the difference in the real sound and your perceived sound. Re-record the same passage and listen again. Repeat as needed. This is your most useful tool to shape/control your vocal sound. Do the same with video.
• Experiment with different recording styles, record audio samples for your albums – ie: ambience like nature or conversation soundbytes
• Organize your material: Date everything.
• Protect your data. Get a sensible process to back it up or risk losing it. Digital data does not exist until it lives in two completely separate places. Trust me on this.
• Play percussion instruments. Practice with a digital click, drum machine or drum pattern on an inexpensive keyboard.
• Video skills: Practice lip synch,

YOUR BAND
• A lyric writer might get a composer to supply music
• Hiring a band, rehearsing; kicking your brother out of the band. Being in another band
• Cueing and leading a band
• Stage presence-owning an audience – attitude, flow, creating a show. Listen to the great ones. Dealing with hecklers.
• Choreograph yourself; or get help. Use video to learn.
• Study/develop humor
• Accompany another vocalist
• Commitment.

MARKETING ISSUES
• Your art, once completed, is a product. Develop your demo package (writer or artist) a killer e-commerce website and ongoing video content to create the buzz.
• Preparing a resume; presenting yourself
• Database for list of your songs
• Great 8×10 B&W photo. http://www.abcpictures.com/
• A great recording. You want a demo? The only “demo” should be an unsigned master. Make all your recordings master quality for shopping and a saleable product at shows
• Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise

BUSINESS ISSUES
• Copyright issues. File unpublished collections. The process. File online. Ask us for our step by step helper form. http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
• There is no such thing as “poor man’s copyright” (mailing content to yourself)
• Licensing your songs
• The business of music: copyright, contracts, a business plan, understand how record labels work. Why you can retail your own music and what it takes.
• Gigging must-dos – being prepared, gear, checklist, your ride.
• Online distribution and promotion.
• A distribution deal. What is a good one?
• The duplication process: costs, areas of expense. Graphics: a basic understanding of the whole process.
• Cost/time management and effective job
• You as the CEO of your own business
• Cash flow, networking, client relations, business plan
• Take business courses if you plan to make this your profession. Talent is not enough.

REFERENCE BOOKS
Buy (and read) books about music business online:
• All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Donald S. Passman (good start)
• Music Publishing: A Songwriter’s Guide
Randy Poe (very practical)
• This Business of Music
Shemel & Krasilovsky (a huge reference text)
• Hitmen
Fredric Dannen (The story of the power brokers & payola in the music business)
• Interval Study Method
Joe Messina (The definitive ear-training workout)
• The E-Myth Revisited
Michael Gerber (How to start a small business and not lose your perspective or your mental health. Easy to read and a serious reality check on making your passion into your business)

Set goals.
Plan strategy.
Apply resources.

You may find some of these folks on YouTube. They have been some wonderful inspiration.
Other inspirations follow the Listening List below

World Music
King Sunny Ade –juju music
Salif Keita
Ladysmith Black Mambazo –other-worldly acappella

Jazz
Bill Evans
Miles Davis-trumpet
Kind of Blue- Miles Davis’ seminal offering
Miles Davis with Gil Evans—Gil was an amazing arranger
John Coltrane- tenor- see “A Love Supreme”,
Keith Jarrett –pianist – solo or with bands
Chick Corea-pianist

American folk music
Joni Mitchell
John Prine- lyricist extraordinaire
Utah Phillips-likewise
Utah’s son, Brendan
Dr. John- funk, New Orleans style
Tom Waits -a great poet

Blues
W.C. Handy
Son House
Bessie Smith
Robert Johnson
B.B. King
T-Bone Walker
Muddy Waters
Little Walter
Lonnie Johnson
John Lee Hooker
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Elmore James
Willie Dixon
Freddie King
Billie Holiday
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Charlie Patton
Ma Rainey
Leadbelly
Howlin’ Wolf
Louis Jordan
and many more continue.
Keb Mo is a good example of a modern incarnation of this huge tradition.

Funk
James Brown
George Clinton-Parliament Funkadelic
Earth,Wind & Fire

Classical
Aarvo Paart – An Estonian national treasure
Shostakovich- Symphony # 5- “A Soviet Artist’s Reply to Just Criticism” (banned for years for not being patriotic)
Here is one movement with Mr. Bernstein at the wheel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogJFXqYEYd8

Mstislav Rostropovich playing Bach cello sonatas

Debussy

Reading List

Philosophy
By Osho:`
The Spiritual Path – oddly hard to find- 300pp, try online. I first found this in Costco, the center of all spirituality.
Meditation: the First and Last Freedom –Borders, Amazon
The Book of Secrets- a large and lifelong read: it consists of112 methods to meditate- one or more will work for every person on the earth-all based on the 112 tiny stories in the little book: “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones”

Food
By Nina Planck – Real Food The industrialization of food in our society & why we should eat clean food.

Business
Michael Gerber The E-Myth Revisited an intro for those considering entrepreneurial adventure

Other:
For you folks that are considering a life in film:
Find some re-runs of Project Greenlight with Ben Affleck or catch excerpts on YouTube. This is the reality of movie-making. Pressure and budgets.

Treat everyone as you would be treated. Love is the answer.

The End Use
This last question is really the first question. Where is this footage to be used in its final edited form? Will it be for broadcast? Is it for DVD or web use only? The answers to these questions will help you to determine many of the choices that are to be made concerning production.

Timeline
What is it? Is this an emergency or does it allow reasonable time for us to help you set up a smooth and flawless shoot that will get you everything you need? If this is an emergency (one week or less) please click here and we will do our utmost to expedite a solution for you. If you cannot reach us by phone, please send an email with the words ‘production emergency’ in the subject line

Camera Format
The end use as well as any existing client infrastructure will help to make this choice. You may have a particular format for which you are already set up. We have shot in almost every format that exists today and can usually accommodate whatever you and your editor are set up for.

Green Screen
If you are shooting in green screen, the camera format must be of suitable resolution. Mini DV or most consumer cameras, even those labeled as “High Definition” are not appropriate. Though inexpensive, they do not provide the resolution to allow a clean compositing of the subject. So you will need a format with enough resolution and lens quality to allow good quality keying.

Script
Do you really, really have the final edit of the script or is there anything you can do before the shoot to ensure that no last-minute script changes are needed?

Popular sources of problems include:
a. Grammatical or typographical errors that are discovered on set resulting in wasted time, increasing pressure to finish on schedule, increased fatigue for the subject and potential cost overruns if it all takes longer because of lack of preparation in this area.
b. Acquiring authority to make final script changes prior to the shoot. This will eliminate delays making phone calls to get permission.
c. Legal permission for the subject to read the final version of your script. We have seen occasions where entire shoots were cut short with frustrating results because no one had discovered that the subject had a conflict of interest until most of the way through the shoot.

Prompter
Is your script long enough to require a teleprompter? If so, you probably know that a great operator can save many headaches and expedite the entire flow of the shoot. Not to mention, make your subject very happy with intuitive cuing of re-takes. In order to ensure a smooth start, it is also helpful to email the script ahead of time, in order to be placed into the prompter software so it is ready to go when you are. Check with the production company to ensure that the format you are sending is acceptable.

Audio
Not many great video shoots work well without good quality audio. Be specific about your needs and whether you will be using a voiceover or the talent’s voice will be recorded. How many people will be speaking at once? A good audio tech can make the most of any recording environment. Using only the microphone on the camera or going home with distorted audio can be disastrous. A professional with professional gear is definitely required here.

Workflow
A solid workflow for raw video files must be in place. If you are shooting to tape, this is not an immediate issue, but will be addressed in post-production. However, at the time of this writing, card-based systems or systems that record directly to hard drives are rapidly becoming mainstream. These systems eliminate the considerable time required to load a tape of raw footage into an editing system in real time. (On a retrospective note, “back in the day”, the real-time load-in process was often useful to editors unfamiliar with the footage who would watch it as it loaded into their editing system. They would take this time to make notes and become familiar with the content, eyeballing preliminary edit points, identifying lighting or audio issues etc. Things move a little faster these days, though the editor now just scrubs the data to identify such issues in a much more cursory fashion.) No pun intended.

With card-based systems, files must be off-loaded as you shoot and ingested into a compatible system (properly tested and configured to take the files in their digital wrappers) in such a way as not to interfere with the flow of the shoot. For example, without sufficient cards for a camera such as Panasonic HVX200 (P2 cards) or Sony PMW-EX3, you may find yourself stopping the subject in the middle of a nice productive flow in order to dump raw footage into an ingest device.

So it may be best to allow for ample cards to permit swapping them on the fly for the shoot. This process also requires a laptop with the correct software loaded and operating correctly, an external drive for portability. A crew member who is familiar with the process and perhaps able to double-check color and lighting issues is also required.

Secure Document Transfer
An intuitive system should be in place to allow secure file transfer of sensitive documents, such as last minute script changes or contract revisions directly into the email of the client while on location. The client must be able to retrieve these documents from their own email system to avoid sending them through third-party email accounts where the security of such information could be at risk. Thus, a fast wireless connection is a very good idea.

Expedited Delivery via FTP
For your finished files, you may require expedited file delivery globally via a backbone web service. This is the fastest file transfer available and serves to get time-sensitive material including very large amounts of data, such as raw footage, delivered to an ftp site immediately following your shoot. From there, the files can be downloaded for editing anywhere in the world. Your production company should be able to take care of this.

Rentals
Upon occasion, your project may require specific pieces of gear that are less than common. Find a company with a large inventory of their own gear for studio and location production, but with long-standing relationships with the best rental houses in the area.

Crew
Depending on the scope of your shoot, you may be able to cover several of these tasks with one person, if the workload makes sense.
Some of the crew you may need includes:

Producer
Director
Camera Operator
Lighting Director
Video Assist
Audio Tech
Production Assistant
Teleprompter Operator
Makeup Artist
Wardrobe Supervisor
Set Design
Script Supervisor
Jib Operator
A host of other crew may be called for. Your production company should be able to supply them for you.