What’s New at the PVNB?

Upcoming Meeting Announcements:
  • May, 13, 2010
  • Keeping the Fun of Video Production Alive
  • Most of us entered the video production business because of its fun and creative aspects. How do we keep the fun alive when it becomes our means for making a living? Are there benefits to nurturing fun projects without a need to make a profit? When work is slow, are we devoting time to non-paying projects that are creative and fun? At this meeting our roundtable discussion will focus on members’ video production activities that that aren’t required to make a profit. We will share our experiences and show examples of non-paying projects that have nurtured the fun and creative reasons we entered the business. Are there opportunities for PVNB members to work together on non-paying projects for shear enjoyment? Do members have examples of non-paying video projects ultimately resulting in paying business? You are invited to bring examples of you fun nonpaying videos to share. Location: Alan Fitch’s Studio at 135 McBrown Rd, Petaluma, CA., (707) 762-5300.
  • June 10, 2010
  • New Business Opportunities in a “Disruptive Technology” Marketplace.
  • Video production technology is changing at light-speed. The economic barriers to producing videos have plunged. Uncle Charlie is putting on the squeeze. Schools are cranking out many new media students proficient with complex animation and editing software. The economy is emerging from a recession. Meanwhile, the appetite for and consumption of video is exploding! Almost every serious business has a web site. Many web sites don’t have videos yet, but will need them soon! Web videos are one of the least expensive and effective ways to demonstrate the value of a product, and how to use it effectively. How do we, as professionals, fit into this marketplace? Should we hire new media students as apprentices? Should we dumb-down the quality of our work, find or create new markets that will pay for professional quality, or leave the business? What are you doing to current market conditions in an environment that is becoming cluttered with poor quality shaky videos? Location to be announced.
  • July 8, 2010
  • CYA and protecting our work and rights of our clients.
  • Are your legal bases covered? This meeting will have two discussions. The first one will be to come up with a generic list of key topics that should be in our standard contracts.? The second part of the meeting will focus on the responsibilities we have to our clients regarding onsite and offsite backups. How long should we maintain project archives What are the latest techniques, workflow and software available for archiving? Are there benefits of providing the client with back-up project files when the project is over? How do we safely make the transition from tape to tapeless media? Location to be announced.
PVNB Meeting topics will vary from among the following categories:
  • Business: sales, marketing, networking ( physical & social web networking), adapting to a changing economy, reducing costs of doing business, pricing, etc.
  • Techniques: pre-production planning, capture (video & audio), professionalism, post production, creative techniques, etc.
  • Emerging Trends: formats for acquisition and distribution (h.264, avchd, mpeg4, html5, etc.), distribution opportunities, new gear (including HD camcorders, hybrid cameras such as the Canon 5D and 7D, LED lighting), etc.
  • Troubleshooting: equipment, software.
Every meeting:
  • Quick check-in by attendees. (How’s business? Any recent challenges or breakthroughs?)
  • Roundtable discussion of a topic. PVNB members (with expertise/interest in the night’s topic will have an opportunity to lead the discussion and, if they want, to kick off the discussion with a presentation and possibly prepare a handout listing web resources and links pertinent to the topic. Let a Steering Committee member know if you would like to lead a topic. If no one volunteers, a steering committee member will lead the discussion.
  • Tips, tricks, & traps. Attendees to share recent discoveries and learning experiences that may be of benefit to others.
  • Show and tell: share any recently optained gadgets, software, resources, etc. that may benefit the group. Share examples of your recent production work with the group.