Be the Super Hero Producers Seek

21 responses so far ↓

• 1 Corporate Juggler

  That’s a great tip. Thanks.

• 2 Evan Young

  I’m guessing that it was hard to edit the clips together without an overlaid soundtrack because the actual sound in the footage would clash from clip to clip. Clips may have to be longer to avoid becoming an ear sore, making the promo real slower. Putting a continuos track over the top solved the continuity problem, but does hurt the comedy aspect. I can see and understand that it’s funny, but I’m not really laughing.
  That’s my speculation on this video. I don’t think it’s the most terrible choice honestly, and certainly not a glaring example of why you shouldn’t use music over the top tactics.

• 3 admin

  Good points, Evan and I hear with you’re saying.

  Consider this – by thinking outside the box (ie, stylized editing techniques) even a moderately talented editor can find ways around that issue. Slate wipes, screen flashes, cube turns with a sound effect transition… I see laying a piece of music over a variety of clips as a real last resort. Especially if the viewer sees the performer talking… it’s just too disjointed and commits the number one crime of a promo reel – it forces the prospect to think! God forbid we make them do anything (least of all make them think!) but sit and enjoy and feel how great it would be to have this act live.

  I’ve been in meetings and selection breakouts where I’ve seen this technique kill the crowd (and not the good ‘kill’). What a demo reel must do is quickly transport the viewer as close to the live experience as possible. Having an over track is the antithesis of the live experience – unless, of course, that’s what you do.

  A montage can be useful, but I would never condone using it for the entire reel.

• 4 Kenny

  I have had clients ask for a few minutes of unedited footage of my show; in addition to my promo reel. Their reasoning was that great editing can make a bad act look really good. These clients had been burned in the past, when they hired an act based solely on their promo reel and then the act did not deliver live.

• 5 admin

  Yep… good point. Absolutely possible to make a big pile of dung look pretty with enough trimming.

  This brings a whole new conversation about how to edit videos so that clients can see who you are, and not just what you do. There is a certain amount of integrity of the show which must be preserved. Producers are very wary of reels that have a soundtrack and show nothing but short choppy clips. If you are using a video like this, please start over. Don’t send that out as they are turned off almost instantly unless there is something so odd, so perplexing, in the opening 10 seconds.

  Integrity of the show. Put that across and no one who is seriously interested in booking you will ask for raw footage. Keep it ambiguous without giving the look and feel, and you’ll be asked for more. But, do you really have something that will make them feel better? If you do – then put it on your dang demo reel!

  Don’t make clients think! Gigs go to the people that don’t make clients think!

• 6 Keith Leaf

  How can I get my ‘big pile of dung’ looking great.
  Q1) Where is good place to find aforementioned editor?

  In the past I have done all my own editing, to my deficit.
  Also since I perform with fire, in the past I have used outdoor footage.
  Someone then suggested that I was limiting myself.
  Anyway, now have indoor footage of fire and regular juggling.
  Just need editor.

  Q2) Should I have 2 Promo videos; Indoors and Outdoors?
  (i.e. one for corporate and one for street, fairs and festivals)

• 7 Keith

  In addition to echoing question #2 from the Hon. Mr. Leaf above (Hi Keith!) I have a question regarding benefits.

  What are good ways to convey benefits (rather than features) through video?

  KeithShow

• 8 admin

  Keith and Keith (did you two plan this?!?),

  Q1: Look at #3 on this post.

  Q2: Can you still do fire indoors these days? I haven’t done fire in a show in probably 5 years and the last time we had to have the Orlando Fire Department onsite for the show. Not sure about how to pull that off but I can tell you that producers are scared to death of the logistics involved in the fire/hotel ballroom dance. It’s a real liability that would be a hard sell.

  Now outdoors? Get the gas and GO! So yeah, two different videos if you want to show one without fire – although, firejuggler.com sounds kind of like a fire show?!?!

  And benefits in a video… two of the best ways are narrator and on-screen quotes from clients. Also live example would be cool, we do a ton of this in our promo video Features are shown as pop up balloons along with some that are just for fun. Mix it up, keep it from getting boring and you’ll hit gold.

  Great questions, Keith(s).

  Barry

• 9 Corporate Juggler

  I agree that, if you’re able to separate your incoming prospects, you should have separate promo for them. That way you can give them focused messages.

  I don’t agree that narrator and writing on screen are the best way to show benefits. I don’t think “admin” agrees either. The best way to show a benefit is to show it happening. Your video footage should clearly define your benefits. That’s what a producer sees in the first 30 seconds that he likes.
  + if one of your benefits is that you won’t cut into their budget very much, the producer sees a cheap crappy venue
  + if one of your benefits is that the crowd will go nuts, they see an audience completely berserk

  on-screen text can be hard to read on some video players and seeing the real thing happening is much easier to trust than a voice of a stranger or text written by the performer. They’re both helpful to fill in the gaps, but as barry described on day one, the footage tells the best story.

• 10 Atta Boy

  Hey,

  I just took a look at my video and found something possibly alarming.

  Within the first 30 seconds, I have a shot of a kid volunteer on stage. Right now, I am questioning the wisdom of that ( not the kid volunteer, but putting it in the video). Does it cost me work to show of a kid volunteer? Do corporates see that and brand me as a “kids’ show”?

  Steve

• 11 admin

  Hey Steve,

  Not having seen your video, I can’t make an informed call about that.

  It’s not like corporate events never have kids, but it isn’t the norm. I’ve done a few where there were kids in the last decade. If you can easily lose that shot, I don’t think it would hurt. Seeing it in the first 30 seconds does tells me that you want prospects to know that you are good for kids. Now, for the right setting, that could be a huge benefit!

  What do others think? Kids in a promo tape?

  First day of snow here near Lake Tahoe! Yippee! Heading out make a snowman with my 6-year old.

• 12 paulm

  I draw Great Big Faces at special events across the country.

  Here is the URL of my Youtube video that I send to whoever wants to see my act:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zo7Pe0HTOU

  I think this video is effective because agents and event planners have called and hired me while they are actually watching it. I no longer send out DVDs because videos on Youtube are faster. I have often been on the phone with a potential client, told them to go to my website – http://www.greatbigfaces.com – and told them to click on the Videos link. And they hire me before the video is over.

  My question is: How can my next video be more effective than this one?

  Thanks!

• 13 Barry

  Hey Paul,

  Nice gig, man! I was at an event in Chicago recently with a few people doing caricatures of couples and the line was insane… people love this kind of thing and I think it’s one of the best gigs going.

  Let’s see… you get booked WHILE people are watching the video and you want your next one to be more effective… man, we all need to have your goals!

  Seriously, what you might want to do on your next one is to get some better production. Sound and video is sub-par but it shows what you do well-enough that if a client wants what you do, it doesn’t matter.

  Collect some video footage – Pick up a Flip Cam and the second someone tells you how great your work is – or better yet, a person next to their Great Big Face- whip out your Flip Cam and get it on video.

  There is a lot more that you can do, Paul, to dress up your reel but if you are getting the results you state, don’t sweat it! We should all be so lucky to have producers calling us during our reel.

  Barry

• 14 paulm

  Thanks for the reply. I have another short clip being edited, and I will put it on YouTube asap.

  I promote my show to festivals, schools, colleges, libraries, trade shows and corporate events. Here’s my next question:

  What specific quality or benefit are corporate producers looking for/concerned about that the other markets I mentioned are not?

  ( I’ve asked this question to other performers I meet on the road, and the answer is usually: Play it safe. Do not deviate from the script. During your show, never mention or allude to sex, politics, religion, drugs or anything not PC. The exception to this rule, of course, is that you can say anything you want as long as its funny. )

• 15 Barry

  That last line will kill ya, Paul! Tales abound of getting laughs from 99.9% of the audience but one person being offended… guaranteed that one person speaks many times louder than the ones who laugh. Truly, don’t go for the laugh in a corporate setting if it has the chance to offend anyone. Play it WAY safe… you should be able to do your job – and exceed expectations – without ever having to risk insulting someone’s sensibilities.

  Sometimes it means letting go of a line that you KNOW will kill… but that’s the cost of the market. You don’t get the be the raw, uncensored, spontaneous performer in a corporate setting… it’s just not part of the gig. If you can’t handle that restriction then get out before you get in. You will have to find another venue for anything having to do with sex, drugs, religion, or for the most part, politics.

  The worst feeling in the world of corporate entertainment is thinking that you killed only to have a producer come back and tell you there were comments about some of your material. That not only reflects badly on you, but much more serious a problem is that it reflects poorly on the person who hired you.

• 16 Peter G

  Barry,
  My big question is about the WIIFM (what’s in it for me). How would you summarize the ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ of a client who is organizing a mid to high budget event? I work cruises all the time, and on a cruise you want to entertain because the only goal is for the guests to enjoy themselves, but with a corporate show, I find it a bit harder to define what the customer is looking for.

  In these days of shrinking budgets I find that I am often being judged against acts that have a bit more content. Recently I heard from an agent it was me or a regional sports figure. Barry (and others), how would you define the ‘benefits’ of an act where the content is almost exclusively comedy? Do we need to start ‘themizing’ our acts and claiming the act is about teamwork, or personal commitment or WHATEVER?!

• 17 Barry

  Trying to figure out what the client wants is a killer, isn’t it? Is there anyway to actually FIND OUT? Can you get a potential client on the phone (remember Day 6?!), or can you have the producer give you even more detail about:
  1. The audience – who are they?
  2. Who they had last year?
  3. What are the goals of the meeting/event
  4. Answers to any of a dozen other questions that tell you what they are looking for?

  Can you go onto the company’s website and find out a bit about them?

  This is the 21st century and, as you mentioned, times are tight right now. It’s the service provider that makes their offer just a tad sweeter than all the others who will get the attention – and quite possibly the gig.

  And claiming your act is suddenly about teamwork, personal commitment, or whatever isn’t worth the time it’ll take. The smell of BS from doing that will be more obvious to a buyer than it is to you. Never claim to be something you’re not. But, never sell yourself short on what you can deliver, either. Customizing a program isn’t very hard. Striking a balance between total entertainment that is void of any content, and total entertainment with some customization is essential for success. Don’t try to teach an audience something about their work. Speak about how what they do relates to YOUR work… draw them in with stories, but don’t try to teach them anything.

  This went way off topic… we’ll get into this real deeply in the months to come. But for now – be real. Put in some effort to show that you are worthy of the contract. And if you don’t want to bend a little to earn the trust of producers and clients, be on the dock for embarkation at 5:00 PM. Cruises certainly don’t want or expect any customization.

  Corporate Entertainment means entertaining a corporate audience. Remember, you are visiting their house so bring a gift.

• 18 Alex

  Just watched this video and thought this was a great place to put it.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvED7El8t5Y

  I hope that he is not trying to get work with this video. I’m not even sure what it is that he’s doing. I couldn’t make it past a minute or two.

• 19 Peter

  Hey lads,

  Peter Carroll here from Ireland, Hope your all very well! Just arrived here from signing on the 7 day free trial. Below Im going to post my showreel. Already from listening to Barry I’ve noticed that my reel is a bit too long so I think I will deff shorten it Any other suggestions?

  Peter Carroll Mindreader :

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeokJjrt7Es

  Thanks!

  Pete

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