Tag Archive for: video production

6 Advantages of Using a Teleprompter

Holding up cue cards or using a phone or tablet might seem like an easy way to deliver a speech or scripted dialogue on camera, but there’s a better way — a teleprompter. If you’re on the fence about whether to use one for video production, consider these benefits of using a teleprompter.

  1. They make you appear more comfortable reading lines on-screen and make the production process easier on the talent.
  2. Since teleprompters are typically located directly in front of the camera lens, reading from a teleprompter allows you to maintain direct eye contact with the audience
  3. They improve the timing of your delivery and can also make you sound more natural.
  4. You don’t have to spend time memorizing a script. With a teleprompter, your lines are right in front of you.
  5. Teleprompters decrease the number of times you say “um” or “ah.” When your lines are on the prompter, there’s no question about what you’re going to say next.
  6. They’re efficient. You can get more done in a day because the number of re-takes is reduced.

Whether you’re shooting a television commercial or a training video, teleprompters can enhance the quality and overall delivery of your content. For more helpful production hints, check out more blogs from Gefen Productions.

At Gefen Productions, your story matters, and we’d love to help you tell it. View our photography and videography portfolio, or drop us a line for more information on how we can help you reach your video production goals.

Rokinon Cine-DS Lenses Join the Gefen Arsenal!

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Rokinon Cine-DS

We are very excited to have just added the new Rokinon Cine-DS line of cinema prime lenses with color matched optics.  We have 24mm, 35mm, 50mm & 85mm prime lenses.

The Rokinon Cine Primes are excellent for several reasons.  First, image quality is very good.  And they are extremely fast at F1.5.  We can shoot in very low light conditions.  They also allow for very shallow depth of field.  Throwing the background out of focus is very popular today. DS stands for “Dual Scale”, which means there is a scale on each side so an AC can operate the lens from either side of the camera.  They make an awesome package when coupled with our Sony FS7 and Chrosziel matte box.

Check out a few stills we grabbed from a recent project where we used Rokinon lenses.

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Foot Locker Racing Day

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FOOTLOCKER IMAGE

Each year for the past 12 years, we have shot the Southern Regional Foot Locker Cross Country Race for high school students. The top finishers go to San Diego for the Nationals. We used to shoot this Foot Locker cross country race on Betacam back in the day, but of course, now we shoot it in HD. It’s always fun to be at this event (even though it starts early in the morning), which is held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The energy at the event is contagious and I just love it. We edit a short video to go on the Foot Locker website as soon as we get it back to the studio.

Here are the videos from last year’s race:

Surgical Procedures and Blood, Oh My!

Our client, a national medical TV producer, needed a clear shot of a new throat surgical procedure in Charleston, SC.  By mounting the camera on a Jimmy Jib we were able to accomplish this without compromising the sterility of the operating field.  We also recorded the surgeon’s head camera to a Pix240 HD recorder, along with the surgeon’s audio commentary.  This was the 3rd surgery Mark shot in a 2-week period.  The others were open heart surgery in Asheville, NC. Let’s just say he’s had his fill of blood for a while!

Wheelin’ and Dealin’!

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For the last five years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with a local auto dealership on their TV spots. Under the direction of the dealership’s agency, we’ve created several commercials that they’ve been very pleased with. For our last shot, we used our new Sony FS7 4k/HG camera with our Dana dolly.

auto1The camera, when combined with great lighting, makes for a great shoot and phenomenal results. Clients are able to get a lot of bang for their buck while getting some amazing footage, including beautiful selective focus and 14 stops of latitude. This camera can handle some extreme situations and create some sweet, smooth footage. We’re definitely a fan!

Our New Dana Dolly

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We are excited to announce the recent purchase of a Dana Dolly, which is actually a larger slider used in video production. It allows us to give the camera a great deal of movement with easy set up and quick location changes. It also lets us get moving camera shots in difficult situations quite easily. Where it may have taken a crew to set up a dolly track, now a single person can easily set it up with very little efforts. It’s a real shot-making rig!

Gadgets at Gefen: The Sony FS7 Camera

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At Gefen Productions, we admittedly like our toys. We’re always looking for the newest and most advanced technology, including fancy gadgets that can make your business look sharper and more relevant for today’s market than ever. Our newest acquisition, the Sony FS7, is a compact powerhouse of a camera with incredible bells and whistles.

What’s so great about the Sony FS7?

First of all, it yields a shallow depth of field, creating a more cinematic look. It can shoot super slow motion, up to 180 frames per second. And it can shoot in 4K…this refers to pixels for the most detailed images available. 4K resolution has horizontal resolution of 4,000 pixels, the same level of crisp imagery used for digital cinema. In other words, it’s ultra-HD. This camera competes with the high end cameras used in Hollywood at a fraction of the cost. It truly is a “game changer” in the industry, and elevates our production value to a new level!

Want to learn more about our fancy gadgets for a video? Contact us.

How To Leverage How-To Videos: YouTube’s Booming Handyman Audience

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If you don’t know how to do something, the most popular go-to move is launching an Internet browser and quickly Googling your inquiry. Within moments, your answer is in hand and you immediately feel you have conquered the world. Google, which owns YouTube, reported that “how-to” searches on YouTube are growing 70 percent year-over-year for mobile users. If you are one of these people, welcome to Google geekdom.

Organizations can leverage the power of consumer habits and behaviors of searching for content on YouTube by creating how-to videos surrounding their product or service.

For example, a furniture retailer may create a how-to vlog (video blog) on how to properly clean microfiber sofas (all the moms with toddlers rejoice!); or an event planner may create a video on how to properly place silverware for a dinner party (because we all know which fork to use, right?).

Consumers are steadily turning to YouTube for videos to deliver information quickly and in an engaging format, especially when it comes to how to do something. Most of us can admit to being visual learners, and would rather be shown how to do something instead of reading. The explosion of YouTube info-centric videos is a testament to our disdain for long instruction pamphlets. Want proof? Just type in ‘Ikea furniture assembly’ on YouTube. Case closed.

If you want to create your own how-to videos, here are some things you need to do to get started:

  1. Keep it short! No superfluous, flowery language. Consumers don’t need the history of a sofa if they just want to know how to clean the cushions.
  2. Ask someone to watch your video to make sure your instructions are clear and understandable. If your test audience doesn’t understand it, you still have time to make important changes or edits to the video before thoroughly humiliating yourself online.
  3. Be sure to include text for those who prefer to read or just want to glance back at one of the instructions. You can do this by text pop ups within the video, or by offering a transcription of the video in the description area of your YouTube video page.
  4. Include keywords and optimization tactics for YouTube. Properly tagging and optimizing the description space can make your video easy to find, as well as allow it to rank higher than other results.

Remember, when creating how-to videos, you are representing your brand and product, so take heed when trying to do your own without the help of a video professional. For more information about how-to videos and Web videos, contact Gefen Productions to get your brand moving.

Aerial Solutions Takes Flight with Innovative Tree Trimming Method

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The president of Aerial Solutions, a North Carolina based company that pioneered the use of helicopter tree trimming, announced that the company will be featured on an upcoming episode of Innovations by Ed Begley, Jr. on the Discovery Channel. We had the opportunity to work with the president, Cleve Cox (seen pictured here with one of his helicopters), on a video project leading up to this exciting debut.

This was a very cool project that we had a lot of fun with…meaning we got to ride in a helicopter and video a thirty foot long chainsaw trimming trees like a knife through butter. Aerial Solutions, Inc. has worked with utility companies across the United States since 1985 by offering a unique, fast, and cost-effective alternative to conventional side-trimming methods, with the ability to provide complete sky-to-ground clearance near power lines. Other methods have been limited by terrain, regulations or environmental restrictions.

The air-to-ground method used by Aerial Solutions reduces lateral vegetation encroachment along power lines, resulting in improved safety and service reliability. In other words, they trim vegetation back so when heavy winds occur, nearby towns don’t lose power due to trees falling on the lines.

You can see our footage here.

Martin Lindstrom and His Virtual Director

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At Gefen Productions, we do whatever it takes to get the job done right. Even if that means phoning a friend, so to speak.

World renowned branding guru, Martin Lindstrom, recently joined us in the Gefen Productions studio to shoot a video to promote his new book. But before we could get rolling, he had an unusual request. Lindstrom wanted one of his team members to help direct the video. There was one caveat; his colleague was in Vancouver and couldn’t be there in person.

Gefen Productions isn’t one to shy away from unusual requests, so we made it happen!

Skype Director 2 RSArmed with a laptop, Skype and a director’s chair, we set up our virtual director in front of the monitor. The director called the shots from Vancouver, scripts were emailed back and forth for last minute revisions, and the shoot was executed seamlessly.

When there’s a will, there’s a way…and Gefen Productions always likes a challenge.

Tag Archive for: video production

DW, NVIDIA

“I’ve been meaning to tell you that your footage looks great. Thank you for the good work.” – D.W., NVIDIA

JC, Global Views

“Thanks for the good work you did.  Just posted the video and we have had 3300 views already!  Good comments from viewers.” – J.C., Global Views

MB, American Leather

“The video turned out great and will be a valuable sales tool! Appreciation to you and Molly, as you each did the heavy lifting on this project.” – M.B., American Leather

Emily Gray, Greensboro Jewish Federation

“These videos are AWESOME! I feel like I’m watching an episode of Chopped. Thank you SO much” – E.G., Greensboro Jewish Federation

Josh McCutchen, Lowes Foods

“The video was a huge success – I think the store teams really enjoyed it and I know the folks in the office had a great time playing it for them.” – J.M., Lowes Foods

Chelsea Cullen Joslyn, YMCA of NW NC

“The crew at Gefen Productions are true professionals. From day one they understood our vision and over the course of the project brought that vision to life through expert videography and editing.” – C.C.J., YMCA of NW NC

Jaymie A. Eichorn, Goodwill Industries of NW NC

“Thank you, Mark! I saw the finished product today and it was great.” – J.E., Goodwill Industries of NW NC

Home

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Welcome To Gefen Productions

Your source for professional video production.

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Get Your Brand Moving

 

Gefen Production_Promo Card_Becky

 

Gefen Productions has been a leader in video production NC since 1983.  We stay up-to-date with new innovations and production technologies. As a result, the service we offer our clients is unparalleled.

Our experienced crew offers complete video production services, putting your vision into motion.

Our capabilities include video production for web, corporate communications, broadcast, news and entertainment. We can take a project from concept to completion, or provide individual services such as shooting, editing and formatting video for the web.

PROVIDING YOU WITH QUALITY VIDEO SERVICES

 

  • Pre-Production – Scripting, storyboarding, set design, casting
  • Production – Complete location and studio video shooting capabilities
  • Webcasting & Live Streaming – Simultaneous broadcasting live or on demand
  • Still Photography – Professional still photography services
  • Studio – 1600 sq. ft. studio located in High Point, NC
  • Post-Production – Editing, animation, motion graphics and voiceover
  • Compression – We can deliver any format for Web or desktop
  • Duplication – Complete DVD and CD duplication service
  • Equipment Rental – Video cameras, monitors, lights, dolly, teleprompter and more
  • Video Crew For-Hire – We can provide a professional video crew to meet your needs

Watch our Demo!

 

 

Ready to get started? CONTACT US HERE!

About

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WHO WE ARE

Gefen Productions has been the leading video production company local to High Point, North Carolina, but serves clients regionally and nationally since 1983.  We stay up-to-date with new innovations and production technologies. As a result, the service we offer our clients is unparalleled.

Our experienced crew offers complete video production services, putting your vision into motion.

Our capabilities include video production for web, corporate communications, broadcast, news and entertainment. We can take a project from concept to completion, or provide individual services such as shooting, editing and formatting video for the web and social media. Gefen Productions offers

Gefen Productions works as locals within two hours of our office in the Greensboro Triad Area. This includes, but isn’t limited to the Charlotte Metro Area (includes Rock Hill, SC), Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and more.

The crew at Gefen Productions utilizes the latest video production tools like the Sony FS7, Sony FS7 S, Dana Dolly and other high-equipment.