We promise, you're going to have a great time shooting video at the Studio! We're going the distance to help you do the best that you can while you're in front of the camera. But to answer your question, there are a few things you can expect and things that you should do before coming in.
First, you have to schedule your shoot. If you plan to read scripts from the teleprompter, and have had your scripts pre-approved by the Gearshift TV team, we will have an edited and prepared version loaded into the teleprompter so it will scroll slowly in front of you on a screen. If you need help with scripts, please contact your sales person for assistance - we'll need at least 72 hours notice.
What should you wear? You should wear clothes clients will see you in when they meet you. you can never go wrong with a nice dark suit, white shirt and various ties. If your design is already done, think about wearing a tie that matches the colors in your design. If you are a doctor, wear your doctor jacket. If you are a contractor, wear your company shirt with your logo. You get the picture. If you need more direction, please ask your sales person for assistance. Feel free to wear a comfortable set of clothes to travel in. We have plenty of space for you to change in.
What do we have in the studio? It may seem silly, but this is important! We have a fridge with bottled water and soda, a bathroom, light make up powder, snacks, clothes rack and Internet access. Next door we have restaurants, Fed-Ex, a movie theater and a grocery store. Yes, we also have some booze if you need to take the edge off - one drink limit!
Once you've changed and freshened up and yo'ure ready to go on screen, you can expect to be filming for at least an hour. Jim, our amazingly talented cinematographer, will place you correctly in front of the green screen and will adjust the lighting and sound. Once you're placed and ready to go, the process will move along fairly quickly. Jim will ask you questions regarding your practice areas or services to get you comfortable and talking. Be sure to answer these questions in complete sentences, because the question itself will not be shown or asked in the video for viewers to see. The purpose of doing this without preparing a script is to have you engage viewers in a conversational and relaxed manner; reading a script could come across sounding rehearsed. People want to work with professionals they feel comfortable with and whom they feel understands their situation, so that's what we're going to give them.
After answering lots and lots of questions, we'll ask you next what else you want to talk about in your videos. Give this some thought before you come: when your clients call you or come in for a consultation, what questions do they ask? Do you know why people are coming to your website? What do your potential clients want to know? If you can answer this while they're visiting your website, you'll prove that you're a knowledgeable source of information and this will get them to pick up the phone and contact you.
That's all! And remember, our clients tend to do very well on camera despite the fact that most of them have never been on screen before. Even if you aren't perfect, your website visitors aren't expecting perfection, they're expecting answers to their questions. The trick is to take a deep breath and to relax.
And finally, you will not like your own videos. You are your worst critic, but so are your spouse and your children. This is marketing, and you are not trying to sell to them. For the most part, everyone that will see these videos will have never met you. The most important thing is to deliver good information relating to how you can help them. Trust us on this!
See you in the studio!
