These days, video is everywhere and is by far and away the most powerful form of content you can put on your website.

My other workshop through The Talk of Manchester: ‘Make your own videos for Social Media’ has been running successfully for over a year and and I’ve empowered lots of people to make their own simple videos using their smartphones. Now people have started to ask me how they can ramp up their videos to the next level.

Because filming and editing more than a simple ‘talking heads’ video on a smartphone can be a complex job.  To make something special, specialist skills and specialist kit are often involved.

Of course you could do it all yourself.  You could start being your own producer (much as some people service their own cars or do their own conveyancing when they buy a house) You could write a script, hire a crew and look after all the post-production yourself.

You could.  But do you have the expertise and the time? How do you set a budget – or more likely, work to a budget someone else has set?  Do you have current knowledge of rates and what kit is available? And how can you tell whether the people you hire are any good?

If you need to commission videos for your Company or Agency where do you start?  How do you sort out the wheat from the chaff … the charlatans from the actual artisans?

How do you find the right video producer?

And more importantly, how do you think they’ll interface with you or your company? 

How do you brief and how much detail should you include? (Hint: you don’t actually need to have much technical knowledge here.)  Then how do you evaluate the quotes, ignore all the flannel and choose the right people to partner with?  Finally, how do you run and administer the project and ensure everything is delivered on time and to budget?

Over the past 25 years I’ve worked both creating and commissioning video and I’ve got a few tales to tell, both from a production company and the commissioning client’s point of view.  Now I reveal all, in my new half day introductory workshop.

Who’s this course for?

• People who work in Advertising, PR and Digital who commission video for their clients;
• Marketers and Buyers in industry, education and local government who commission video for their own websites and for other forms of distribution;
• Training organisations and large-scale commissioners of video.

Packed with useful tips, I’ll single-handedly explode many of the myths about video production and give you a practical grounding in commissioning video - for any subject matter. 

(And if you think that because your company makes left-handed widgets you need a video producer with experience of producing films all about left-handed widgets - you definitely need this workshop because that’s one of the most basic mistakes you can make, and immediately puts you at a disadvantage.)

As a producer, I’ve quoted on many projects and sometimes lost out to other companies quoting ‘suicide’ prices. In some cases, the project subsequently ended in tears (or certainly way over budget) as the client had taken the cheapest quote without considering the consequences and preparing their own internal budgetary guide.

And I know that many people who really should commission video have had their fingers burned in the past and as a result are not very interested in making more – even though they actually should do.

So in my new half day workshop I’m going to show you how to commission and run video productions from your point of view. What the potential pitfalls are, and how to get easy wins.  How to allocate a budget that’s realistic. How to find the right producers and how to pre-qualify them before you even have a single conversation.  How to brief in person as well as write a cohesive brief to send out.

I’ll talk about scripts and how to put one together – even how to brief a script-writer if you’re not confident in writing one yourself.

Then I’ll show you how to run a project (and deal with creative people successfully) to make sure you avoid ‘mission creep’. And on the way we’ll deal with issues of copyright and the legalities of who owns what as well as insurance, suggested payment terms, timescales and a whole lot more – including some sage advice on what to do when things go ‘pear-shaped’.

At the end of the workshop you’ll end up with the basic knowledge to be able to seek out the right producers, brief a production accurately and commission a company to produce your videos on time and to budget – sometimes for less than you imagined.

You’ll save time as well as money with this knowledge and the videos you commission will be more effective and impactful than before!

So book now – and as a bonus attend my ‘Make your own videos for Social Media’ later the same day for half price.

About me

For the last twenty five years I’ve been producing, directing and writing video at SPL Communications. Although based in Cheshire I work all over the UK and have filmed all over the world.

I’ve worked on everything from Network TV to music videos, drama to comedy …from multi-camera productions with massive crews to shooting stuff myself in a tropical jungle! I’ve worked with big stars and ordinary members of the public .... CEOs of Blue Chips, to workers on the factory floor and over the years I’ve gathered a few scary tales and more than a few insights into what makes good video.

I continue to produce and direct video and TV ads. Recent clients have included big names like PZ Cussons, B&Q, Barclays Bank, Amec Foster Wheeler, Bay TV Liverpool and many others. I also teach video techniques and theory to first year degree course students.

So book now and get the knowledge to start commissioning videos that really work!