A DVD Worth Millions?

There is no question that the economy has been rough for corporate America, but in the non profit world, things have been as tough as I have ever seen them. Corporate investment is down, and personal investment has fallen substantially. Well, enough of the bad news that you already know - now for the good part.

Stonefilms has been involved with the non profit community since our beginnings in the early 90s. From national organizations like the Holocaust Museum and Habitat For Humanity, to local start up non profits, our team of writers and producers work to craft a video message that will make you wipe away a tear, and reach for your wallet. 

We are fortunate to have a fundraising video played almost every month at a non profit event, and those videos will then be posted on-line, emailed at an "email blast", and played off of a flash drive at an office follow up meeting.

In a weak economy, some organizations don't see how they can afford to produce a video message, but with a Stonefilms' partnership, your investment in video will reap huge rewards. 

Targeted Audience. Consistent Message. Multiple Viewing Opportunities. Direct Appeal For Funding.

We can help you with all of these. 

I was behind the stage last year when one of our shows played at a non profit gala in Houston. And yes, watching it from backstage, the image was backwards and very disconcerting!

My client walked up and said to me, "you may have just made us a million dollars". I looked out from behind the screen. The audience was watching intently, and the message was hitting home. 600 guests that night got the same strong message and the same strong appeal. That was a great night.

I can't promise you a million dollar return, but I can promise you that Stonefilms has the right people to make your message stand out, and get results.

Let's fight this economy together!

-Billy

Father's Day

Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 1986. After a very long day shooting standups and b-roll for an educational video, our crew staggered into a motel room for dinner. Ron Stone---Dad---was very hot, very tired, and, like the rest of the crew, ready to bite someone's head off. We were giving Dad such a wide berth that when he insisted that dinner consist of, in his words, "baloney and rat cheese", we readily agreed to such an unappetizing suggestion. So there we were, making sandwiches in the motel room, when I began to have trouble with the condiments. Anyone who even vaguely knows me understands that I often have trouble opening packets of ketchup or jars of mustard. The culprit this evening was a squeeze bottle, and as I labored to extract the mustard, Dad muttered, "Oh, for heaven's sake," and walked toward me.

At that instant the mustard bottle, well, exploded.

My last violent effort to shake it loose had resulted in a volcano of yellow that covered my father's shirt. And as I looked at him, his face beet red, I feared another volcano to follow. What resulted was far different.

Dad looked down at his shirt, looked up at the mangled bottle in my hand, and began to roar....with laughter. The rest of us joined in, and it seemed as if that little motel room in Tahlequah, Oklahoma was shaking. The whole ridiculous thing turned out to be a perfect ending for a rough day. And it's a wonderful example of one of Dad's greatest gifts. All through his life, he had the ability to take a tense situation and turn it around with humor. There are a great many elements that make up a successful production. A sense of humor is definitely one of them.

I hope on this Father's Day that you can take stock of the gifts that your father has given you----not the golf clubs or the toolbenchs---but all those life-affirming gifts of wisdom that only your dad can come up with. Billy and I are lucky. Each day we walk into the Stonefilms office and are, in a very real sense, surrounded by the gifts Dad gave us.

Happy Father's Day!

Internship Lessons

Stonefilms has always enjoyed our summer intern program, and through this program we have met some incredibly creative young men and women. We have been able to mentor students from many Houston colleges, and this year we are lucky to be working with a high school junior from St. John's School in Houston.

He will learn from our team about storytelling, editing, shooting and graphic design. But we will learn from him, as well. Social media communications are a natural for students in high school, and admittedly our learning curve on Facebook and Twitter have been at times, quite steep.

And we will be reminded that there are so many ways to tell a story now. Many years ago, we bought some of the first Avid editing systems in town. We were so proud of our 320 Gig harddrives that were only $9,000 a piece! We would render effects overnight, and share stories with editors around the country about the latest tips and tricks to save time. We called ourselves "PowerUsers". 

Today we looked at the amazing new Hyundai web site, where users can edit a car commercial, complete with a soundtrack by The Smashing Pumpkins, and post the spot for all the world to see. All without ever downloading an application or file set. And as far as overnight renders - a distant memory.

We will learn from each other, and that is what makes the Stonefilms internship such a great program. We will brush up on MySpace and Twitter, and he will see how we light greenscreen sets to make the edit go smoothly. And we will both be reminded that no matter what the technology, even if your Tweets can have only 130 words, or your video can only be 25 Megs to fit onto a server - you have to have compelling content. 

And that's a great lesson to learn.

R.O.I.

When looking at allocating budgets for marketing, you will always hear about R.O.I. - return on investment. With video, that return is always higher than print advertising, and Stonefilms producers work with every client to make sure that every project yields the maximum R.O.I.

How? The same core message video can be produced with several endings, appealing to a specific audience. For fundraising videos that are shown at large galas, the videos often end with, "Tonight we honor Mrs. Jane Doe.." The very next day, you will find the video on the organization's web site, ending with "And with your support, we can make a difference".

Later that week, at a civic organization meeting, the video will be played to a much smaller audience, but will end with "Thank you to the Rotary Club of Dallas for being a part of our mission".

So the core message has remained constant, and the ending appeal has become specialized. We often produce fundraising videos that have five different endings; appeals to corporations, appeals to the general public, or appeals to specific people.

Where? To achieve the proper R.O.I., we have to make sure our marketing efforts are seen by the right people. Today, videos can be sent in many different flavors, ensuring maximum exposure. Content is sent via DVD, Flash, WMV, Quicktime, through a jump drive or an email blast. We can compress video for an iPhone or a Blackberry. We will get your message to where it needs to go!

So, in the current economy, every marketing effort will be scrutinized for its effectiveness, and it's R.O.I. - and at Stonefilms, we'll make sure the video sends a powerful message to the audience - and to the folks in accounting.

Does Online Video Marketing Really Work?

In the movie business, films that go straight to video are usually cut-rate fare staring the 3rd lead from an early 90s cop show and Miss October 2002. But in the world of marketing, videos that go straight to the internet have a much more impressive cachet. Here's what a recent marketing survey found:

57% of those surveyed said yes, they were satisfied with their video marketing efforts.

29% weren't sure, but said they would continue to use video marketing.

9% felt results were mixed; but despite their concerns, this group, too, indicated it would continue using video marketing.

5% said they weren't satisfied.

This survey, conducted by Marketing Sherpa in November 2008, concludes that an overwhelming 95% of those surveyed would continue to use video marketing in the future. Those results were echoed by another survey, done in December of 2008 by PermissionTV, which showed that more than 2/3 of the senior marketing executives participating planned to use online video as a "primary focus" of their 2009 digital marketing campaigns.

So if you're wondering, does online video marketing really work?----the answer is a reassuring, yes.

Blogs and Beginnings

When we opened our first cramped office, no one at Stonefilms of Texas knew what a blog was. We were lucky we didn't misplace our floppy disks. It was 1991, a world of Beta tapes and VHS, with the office computers handy as word processors. Stonefilms' founder, Ron Stone, was still holding down the anchor desk at Houston's KPRC-TV, but would retire the following year as he and his son Billy grew their business.

In 2009 we have, I am happy to say, a much larger office. Our once proud tower of VHS machines is dusty from neglect. The Avid Master Editors at Stonefilms use a high definition canvas. And our clients are demanding an ever-widening array of delivery options, from web content to broadcast television.

To help document what has become the most exciting time in the history of our company, Stonefilms is creating this blog. Here we'll explore our latest projects, take a look at the creative process, and tell a few stories from the field.

From floppy disks to blogs, we've had one constant over the years, and that is client loyalty. Stonefilms President Billy Stone is producing a new video for an old favorite of ours, BP. Our business relationship with the petroleum industry giant dates back to the mid-90s. Billy's latest project will result in an in-house production that codifies standards and practices for BP.

Another longtime client is MHMRA, the Mental Health Mental Retardation Association of Harris County. Several years ago we created an online virtual provider fair for MHMRA. Now Ron Stone Jr. is producing a series of pieces for the client's website, all designed to give a brief overview of programs offered by MHMRA. These pieces will be available in English and Spanish, and allow the agency to broaden its reach in the community.

Last year we began a partnership with Comcast Cable that continues to grow. Stonefilms Executive Producer Katharine O'Brien works with client producers in Philadelphia to create content for Comcast On Demand programming. These programs range from "Police Blotter" to "Pets on Demand"; but the most challenging assignment always seems to be "Dating on Demand", shot on location at various watering holes across Houston. Combine Saturday night, a few cocktails, and some embarrasing questions about modern romance, and you have some of the most memorable shoots in Stonefilms history.

There's much more to discuss, from our history to the here-and-now, and we'll bring it to you on this blog. You can read more about us at our website, http://www.stonefilms.com .