Two Dogs Recipe for a Successful Video Shoot: Bramble Berry Soap Making

Ingredients for a Successful Video Project

Start with a forward thinking business owner

The most difficult challenge of operating a small video production company is finding new clients who understand the power and multi-uses of video (dvd, streaming, etc.).  Fortunately, there are those occasions where just such a person crosses my path. 

Anne-Marie Faiola is the brains, the beauty, and the business-owner behind Bramble Berry Soap Making Company.  I met Anne-Marie after I booked her on a pilot for the program 'Maximum Living with Randy Alt.'  From that meeting, the idea of creating a 'Learn to Make...' dvd was born - which you can buy on the Bramble Berry website, or on Amazon.

Mix equal parts: client who knows her product  and
producer who knows her role
Anne-Marie is the Soap Queen. She is ridiculously knowledgeable about her product because she is so passionate about what she does.  The key to our working relationship was the mutual respect we had for each other's knowledge in our respective fields.

Slowly stir together a collaboration of ideas
Anne-Marie knew what she wanted the end result to feel like for her customers.  But, she also was open minded and eager to hear about how, as a producer, I was going to get us there.  In the end, the final project is a balanced mix of both our ideas and vision - as it should be in any video project.

Add a detailed, formulated shooting plan
My job as the director/producer on this project was to make sure that we had a strong plan when we went to shoot.  As a producer, my number one goal is to do all the pre-production work so the actual production will go off seemlessly.  It starts with a strong script, add a great crew, and finish with a second, third, fourth check of all the details.


Blend creative crew with room for new ideas
Hand-picking a crew to suit the particular shoot allows me to bring in the right mix of creative energy to the shoot.  Each member of the crew adds a different perspective based on their own experiences on past shoots and projects.  To allow the crew to have a voice elevates any project.  It is the role of the producer to check the ego at the door and ask for input.

Sprinkle in a dash of humor
Production is hard work.  There's never enough time.  There's rarely a big enough budget to hire enough people.  Every one there knows that every shoot is a learning experience as every shoot is different.  To be successful, both client and producer must find the humor in the moment, roll with the problems and have a positive outlook on finding the solutions.

Thank you Anne-Marie and your staff for a great experience!  Learn more, follow Anne-Marie, here:

supplies: www.brambleberry.com

blog: www.soapqueen.com

retail store: www.otionsoap.com

learn: www.soapqueen.tv

Comments

[Anne-Marie Faiola]

Thanks for the awesome write up of our fabulous DVD shoot. We loved working with you and your team and agree, the sense of humor was definitely the magic dash to make the entire thing work. =)