SmartShoot Producer's Blogg

New & Improved: Job Detail Pages & Custom Job Offers

We just released some new tools and improvements to the marketplace. Many of these changes were inspired by your feedback so please keep the ideas and suggestions coming – what’s working for you and what’s not . . .

The job detail pages have a new look and feel to help you more easily complete projects. The pages more clearly indicate next steps and call out the specifics for the projects. Let us know - how can we make these even easier for you. 

On the custom job front, we improved the geographic matching to better match jobs with local creatives, improved the public comments interface to display the role (customer or creative) of who is talking and made it easier for customers to manage their open job requests, including the sorting and hiding of pitches. 

Lots more improvements in the pipeline so please keep the feedback coming – feedback@smartshoot.com

Thanks

The SmartShoot Team

Share TH Work with Your Social Networks

 

A quick tip for today on getting your content in front of more eyeballs - share your work!

While you cannot host your TurnHere projects on YouTube, Vimeo or other sites (we'll spare you the legalese on why), you're more than welcome to share links to the URL's where your videos are distributed.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

• Once your project has been approved by the client (e.g. it no longer appears in your list of active jobs) locate it online by searching for the client's Yelp listing or checking out TurnHere's YouTube Channel. 

• Share the link to the client's Yelp page on your Facebook or Twitter feed so your friends and followers will see it. 
• Once you've posted the link let us know via the social web (or regular old e-mail to network@turnhere.com) and we'll add Likes or Retweets to your posts.

 

In just few mouse clicks you've seriously pumped up the exposure of your videos.

We don't want to limit this to only TurnHere content so if you've got your own video content online that you want us to promote let us know so we can share it with the TurnHere audience.

 

SMOFTW (Social Media Optimization For The Win)!

 

Bye, Bye Clean Files

Another update to our deliverables policies. Starting 12/14/11 we're removing the Clean Video requirement on standard SMB-Profile project.

This means for any job claimed after 12/14 you'll not be required to upload a Clean copy of the video. The only deliverables you'll need to submit are the Master Video and any associated releases on the project (e.g. Appearance, Location, Acquired Footage, Music, etc.)

We're very excited about further streamlining the production process even more and giving you more flexibility to produce better content.

Kiss Paper Invoices Goodbye

 

We're happy to announce that starting today, you NO LONGER need to upload invoices. TurnHere is moving to electronic invoicing and your payments will be processed automatically.

That means faster, more accurate payment processing for you. Plus, there's no need to submit multiple invoices for multiple projects. 

You will be paid based on the amount you agreed to when you accepted the job - to ensure timely payment, make sure your deliverables are complete and that we have your ACH (e-payment) information on file. 

 

Making the Advertiser Comfortable AND Getting your Video Shot

In a perfect world everyone would want to appear on camera in your videos and give charismatic, articulate soundbites. As we know, this is not always the case. Many advertisers are not comfortable on camera, so you'll want to anticipate this issue and prepare accordingly

Taking 5 minutes to do a little extra prep with the client before rolling can go a long way in getting good interviews so here's a few work-arounds:

 

MAKE SURE THE CLIENT'S IN-THE-KNOW

Take some time to explain how video is made (best soundbites + b-roll). Make a point to mention a couple things (these are obvious to filmmakers but may not to the advertisers):

• Only the best soundbites will be used in the video; their mistakes and flubs get left on the cutting room floor
• Doing multiple takes and/or re-asking questions is common practice in interviews to make sure the soundbites top-notch
• Most of the soundbites will be covered with video; at a minimum the speaker will be seen on camera to be identified (lower-third) and perhaps not much more.

 

LAYOUT ALTERNATIVES TO AN ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW

• Let the subject know they do not have to be seen on camera. Do your interview with the advertiser but point your camera away or at the floor. That should relax most subjects and get them to not worry about the shoot. You are acquiring the soundbites you need, and you'll cover it all with b-roll.
• If it does not make sense for the advertiser to be interviewed either on camera or off, then find an employee and/or client(s) to be interviewed and use their soundbites in the video.
• If the advertiser wants to read a script, that is OK, but make sure they read it well. You may want to wordsmith it a little so it sounds video-ready. Recording multiple read-throughs will lead to more natural readings.

 

There are of course a bevy of other options so never be afraid to think creatively about how to resolve the issue of client comfort. If you need to stray stylisticly from the standard template in order to make a great video don't hesitate to do so.

Get Money, Get Paid! Online That Is...

 

Making sure our Creatives are paid in a timely manner is something we take great pride in at TurnHere. We know you do hard work so that last thing we want is for you to wonder where your payment is.

If you're new to TurnHere or haven't opted in for Direct Deposit then rest easy knowing your payments follow our standard net-30 schedule (e.g. you'll receive payment no later than 30 days after your project is approved by the client).

If you haven't already done so we highly recommend signing up for Direct Deposit payments and cut your wait time in half . Instead of getting a paper check we'll process your payments digitally so your funds get automatically wired to the account of your choice; since these transactions are paperless you'll typically receive payments 2 weeks ahead of the normal net-30 schedule.

Get enrolled in Direct Deposit by filling out this form and e-mailing to thprivate@turnhere.com or go old fashion and fax it to 415.820.1820

Ca-Ching!

Changes coming to the Collaboration UI

 

Big exciting news for filmmakers today. We're adding some new enhancements to the Collaboration UI (e.g. the page you go look at to review client revisions). Our goal is to continually improve your user experience to make the production process a breeze.

Here's some of the new features you'll be seeing:

 

VIDEO ANNOTATION

You'll see markers appear in the video player's timeline. These denote where a client has requested a revision. Click on the marker to navigate to that portion of the video and view the annotation containing the request. You'll also be able to view all requests simultaneously in the pane to the right.

 

TIMECODE + THUMBNAIL NOTATION

With the new interface you'll see all requests tagged with an individual timecode and thumbnail. This way you'll know exactly where the client wants an edit to be made.

 

INDIVIDUAL QUESTION PROMPTS

Since edit requests will be divided by individual timecodes you'll now be able to attach your specific questions to each individual comment rather than input them in a single message.

 

This new UI will be going living starting Wednesday 11/9 on all TurnHere projects so you'll get to access these new tools right away. We hope you enjoy these improvements in the workflow and thanks again to all the filmmakers who took the time to send us feedback on the production process.

 

Questions, Comments, Ideas about the new features? Shoot us a comment and let us know!

 

 

Dealing with Clients - Remember Wheaton's Law

Will Wheaton (AKA Ensign Wesley Crusher for the non-Trekkies)

 

What is Wheaton's Law? It's really quite simple: Don't be a... let 's just say say "jerk".  Sounds simple right? It may, but sometimes Wheaton's Law can come into conflict with bringing out the best in your client and their project.

Here's some of our top tips to help you in envoking Wheaton's Law:

 

REPRESENT, REPRESENT

When you're out on a shoot you're not only representing yourself and Turnhere, but also our partners (e.g. Yelp, LIM Berry, Career Builder, Lexis Nexis, the list goes on...). Being prompt, polite and dressing professionally make a huge impact on your first impression with the client and how you're relationship with them proceeds.

 

GUIDE THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Some clients will have a very specific vision for the visuals, message, etc. to be presented in their project. Since not all of us have film or photography degrees there may be a logistical gap between what the client wants and what is possible to accomplish. Don't be afraid to flex some creative muscle and advise them on best practices for setting up shots, soundbites or whatever else. If the client wants to shoot a backlit interview against a picture window tell them (or even show them) how that will negatively impact exposure. At the end of the day the you own the quality of the final product so if you think the client's wants may jeopardize that gently recommend a proper course of action. A little coaching goes a long way

 

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

Great communication skills can go a long ways towards remedying or even completely circumventing all kinds of problems that may pop up in production. When you take on a TurnHere project there's a few phone calls you'll definitely want to make:  

•  Call the client 24-48 hours before the shoot. Take some time to introduce yourself and see if they have any questions about the shoot. This is also a great opportunity to do a little pre-shoot location scouting. Ask the client about the lighting and sound conditions at their location and prepare accordingly.

 

• Call TurnHere if there's ever a problem you can't resolve. We're here to support your creative process so whether you have trouble reaching the client, need advice on production or just want to ask us something you can always reach us at 877.559.9898 or shoot an e-mail to network@turnhere.com

 

We love to hear about some of your experiences in the field (working with TurnHere or otherwise). What tips and tricks to you use to facilitate a more successful production?

 

 

 

In Case You Missed It - New Production Release and Deliverables Requirement are in Action Now

Quick repost today. In case you've not had a chance to check out the blog lately we just want to make sure everyone's in the know on these critical updates to our deliverables requirements:

• NEW PRODUCTION RELEASE = MULTI-SIGNER RELEASE:

Use the new Production Release on your next shoot. It's been reformatted to accomdate multiple signers, this means less paperwork and less uploading for you.

• PRODUCTION OUTLINE UPLOAD NOT REQUIRED:

You'll still want to make sure to get this form filled out and signed at the start of the shoot. This way you'll have a record of the client's original expectations for the video when doing revisions 

 

• MUSIC TRACK UPLOAD NOT REQUIRED:

Regardless of whether or not you use a cut from the TurnHere Library you won't have to upload your track. If you do use a non-TurnHere track we'll still need a signed Master-Use License and Master Sync License

 

UPDATE TO DELIVERABLE REQUIREMENTS - No More Music or Production Outline Uploads

A mini update for today but one that filmmakers should be excited about - Starting today we've removed the upload requirement for a couple deliverables on all SMB profile video projects. Here's the lowdown:

 

• PRODUCTION OUTLINE UPLOAD NOT REQUIRED - You'll still want to make sure to get this form filled out and signed at the start of the shoot. This way you'll have a record of the client's original expectations for the video when doing revisions

 

• MUSIC TRACK UPLOAD NOT REQUIRED - Regardless of whether or not you use a cut from the TurnHere Library you won't have to upload your track. If you do use a non-TurnHere track we'll still need a signed Master-Use License and Master Sync License

 

We've also got some additional bonuses in the works like Digital Invoicing and Releases - so keep your eyes peeled for those.

 

As always we want to be consistently improving workflows for our Creatives so if you have other suggestions feel free to comment here or shoot an e-mail to network@turnhere.com

 

Huzzah!

 

 

 

Be Green(er), Use the New TH Production Release

Big announcement today - we've officially updated the TurnHer Production Release (i.e. the combined location/appearance release).

WHY'S THIS A BIG DEAL?

All the standard language on the form is same as before but you'll notice one new feature - Multiple Lines for Separate Signatures.

Interviewing or shooting more than one person for your project? No sweat - have everyone sign on the same release form. Not only do you save paper you'll also save time uploading (for most shoots you'll be able to fit every signature on a single release). We really want you to focus on creative work not paperwork.

Thanks to the several Creatives (too many to list here) who gave us their feedback on this. Keep the thoughts coming!

 

Work of Art or Our New Sign-In Page?

 

 

If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, cruise on over to the new Creative Network Sign-In page. It's been lovingly assembled by our own Adrian Rapp and includes such features as TurnHere Statistics and quips from some of our favorite Creatives.

Already signed up with TurnHere? Make sure to add abookmark so you can pull up your account on the fly; keep in mind that you'll not be able to log into your Creative Network account from www.turnhere.com

Got friends interested in working with TurnHere? Have them cruise on over and sign up.

Huzzah!

 

Transitioning to Collaboration

Limited Release: for Intercontinental, Williams Sonoma, and CareerBuilder jobs and ALL California jobs.

(If you are not in this group, collaboration has not been released for your jobs yet.)

The first wave of collaboration started June 23rd for all of our filmmakers doing Intercontinental, Williams Sonoma, and CareerBuilder projects as well as all filmmakers in our lovely state of California (where we had unbelievable weather this past weekend, right!).

June 23rd marks the date when all new orders placed include collaboration. Any project ordered prior to June 23 is not a collaboration project.

If your job includes collaboration (we realize it may be a little unclear during this transitioning period), it will be listed as "shoot & edit + client revisions" in your jobs list.

 

For collaboration projects, you do not need to upload the music, b-roll and soundbites files.

***For those of you who do not have collaboration jobs yet, please be sure to continue uploading all files as you have in the past. We've had a few bugs along the way, so be sure to upload the raw, music and production outline, even if the Upload page doesn't put a red dot next to those items.

 

For more details, check out the page in our Resource Center: Collaboration Platform

New Data Rate Validation on Upload Page

Our new upload page is now validating data rate on video files. This means you will probably have to increase your data rate encoding settings.

You may have noticed that even with the data rate set to 3000 kbps, it is often variable, and dips belows 3000 kbps, prompting the Upload page to send an error message.

To resolve this, simply change your encoding settings to a higher data rate. We've found that 3500 kbps is pretty reliable, and only increases file size a bit.

 

Site maintenance this Saturday, June 25, 5pm-10pm Pacific Time

We wanted to let you know that our site filmmaker.turnhere.com will be down for some routine maintenance for a few hours this Saturday night. We chose that time because it is one of the lowest periods of usage during the week. 

What this means is that on June 25 from 5pm-10pm Pacific Time you won't have access to log in to your profile, view your dashboard, claim jobs, or upload videos. For those of you with active projects, we'll add more time to your deadlines to make up for this downtime. 

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

 

TurnHere's New Address!

A couple important bits of information that we wanted to share. We're happy to announce that TurnHere will be moving to a new address in San Francisco next month.

Starting April 4th, 2011 you'll want to use this shipping address and phone number for TurnHere:

TurnHere Inc.

121 2nd Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94105

1-877-559-9898

 

Help! The Client Doesn't Want to Do an Interview, What Now?

 

Sometimes when you show up for a shoot you might encounter a client who's a bit camera shy and doesn't want to do an on-camera interview. Thomas Pynchon types can pop up sometimes on jobs so here's some work-arounds you can use to get your project in the can:

 

Shoot an Off-Camera Interview:

If the client doesn't want their image to appear in the video the best 2nd option is to at least feature their voice. Just point your camera away from them and record all your audio as usual with your lav. Make sure to shoot ample b-roll - you'll need to cover all 45-75 seconds of the video since you'll only be working with a VO essentially.

Record your Own VO:

If the client obliges you can prepare a script with them and record your own VO once you've wrapped the shoot. You'll want to make sure the client is 100% comfortable going this route before you pursue it. Make sure to use the script as your shooting guide for B-Roll.

 

Offer Client to Convert the Interview Video to a VO Video:

Some clients may have had a change of heart prior to their shoot and not want to do an interview or been seen or heard in the video at all. In these cases just have them contact TurnHere immediately while on the shoot and we'll set them up with a professional script and VO package. Make sure you still focus your b-roll on their key points so you've got material to match the script. When it comes time to edit you'll have the VO track available in the Project Media link on your job details page.

 

REMEMBER - Put Details on Your Production Outline

Very important point here. If you're going on an interview shoot and wind up with one of the above VO combinations you should always include info on what went down on the shoot in your Production Outline. This will clue our QA team in on everything so your project is approved quicker.

 

New Look for the Filmmaker Resource Center

If you happened be poking around the Filmmaker Resource Center today you'll see that things got shaken up a bit.

We've done a revamp of the site to improve it's organization and make it a breeze to access the TurnHere knowledge-base, get your questions answered and get back to making great videos. If you've ever had a quandary about producing a TurnHere video the answer is in the Resource Center.

Whether your a first-timer or TurnHere vet we highly recommend giving the Resource Center a careful review so you've got all the info you need to help you along with your productions.

 

Some new features that are coming soon:

• FAQ/How-To Videos - We'll be producing a series of vids for the Resource Center to answer some of your most common questions about shooting, editing and whatever other technical questions come up

•  Filmmaking Forums - The internet's got a ton of information so we'll be recommending some of our favorites sites for staying in the loop on the latest news, cameras, equipment & techniques in the filmmaking world

 

 

Hope you enjoy the new site!

Quick Tip for Uploading Releases - Make a PDF

 

We've gotten a lot of questions from Filmmakers on how to quickly get your releases ready for upload. One easy trick is to combine your releases into a single PDF file so you don't have to upload individual pieces of paperwork. Here's the quick rundown:

 

1. Digitize your releases: either scan them into your computer or snap a digital photo (make sure all the releases are legible though)
2. Create a multi-page PDF file: here's some simple instructions on using CutePDF. Other programs that work well are Microsoft Word and Google Docs. It's as simple as importing each release into your preferred program and then choosing to save as a PDF. We suggest organizing releases by type (e.g. one PDF for all Appearance Releases)
3. Upload: Now you've got 1 file with all your paperwork that you can upload to TurnHere. You'll still need to upload a file to each individual deliverables category in order to successfully submit the project.

 

This can be a real time saver if your working on a project where you have several people in the video and thus several Appearance Releases.

If you've got other tips you find work well feel free to shoot us a comment and share

 

New Look Music Library

 

Another small update today. If you've checked out the TurnHere Music Library lately you'll see a fresh new look. We'll spare you a walk through the UI since it's pretty straightforward.

To access the new interface just log into your profile and click on the Resources Tab and click the link at the top of the list.

 

What's Better?

1) No more need to enter a second set of login info - once you're in your profile you've got access to TurnHere's tracks

2) We've added a drop-down menu for genre selection to make navigating and finding your tracks a breeze

 

Enjoy the new digs!