A proven strategy for maintaining longevity in your business, and in life, is measured by one’s willingness to “go the extra mile”. Research has consistently shown that people (clients, customers, anybody) tend to incorporate hard-to-quantify components into their decision making.

An important decision may come down to intangible qualities such as the likability of a person, or perhaps having some arbitrary connection based on a hobby, or movie, or maybe having friend in common. These intangible benefits can often “seal the deal” in both a metaphorical and a literal sense.

Unknown variables are out of our control, but there is one important personality trait that each of us can intentionally improve, and that is our ability to “go the extra mile”. If you develop the trait of always going the extra mile, it can make the difference between having a profitable business or struggling to survive.

How does a person learn to “go the extra mile”? A wise person once shared this process with us and now we’re going to pass it along to you.

The process begins with intentionality. Start by taking a thought and then think it fully through so that you reach a decision. Once you have your decision, take action to turn that decision into a reality. If you continually take action based on intentional decisions, you’ll begin to form a habit. Finally, once others start to notice your habit, you’ll realize that you’ve just developed a character trait.

The simple version looks like this:

Thought > Decision > Action > Habit > Character

When people know you’re a person who will go the extra mile on their behalf, you will suddenly become known as a dependable person. Dependable people are invaluable in business, since it provides extra assurance that the job will be done right, the first time.

Professional athletes will tell you that when an action is repeated frequently enough, it becomes second nature. As it is in sports, so it is in business. A person who has repeated a winning action often enough has that action ingrained in them, so that it becomes second nature. This allows the individual to transfer the energy that had been used to repeat a task, diverting it elsewhere to further benefit the end result. We’ll call this step “becoming habitual” about an action or activity.

When you become known for “going the extra mile” in all you do, your reputation will precede you and, as a result, business will find you. Relationships will find you. In addition to helping others find you, by going the extra mile in all you do, you will find life-long satisfaction in the profess of becoming the best you can be.

Engage the benefit of always “going the extra mile.” When your company has this as an element in your business strategy, you’ll see that “it” factor will consistently drive success and satisfaction your way.

Today I’m going to show you how to use Adobe Audition to create a seamless music track customized to whatever length you want.

Before I discovered the technique I’m about to show you, I used to waste a lot of time trying to get a seamless loop of music: I’d lay the music track in the time line, cut it in half, drag the ending to the end of the video, then drag the left side back to the cut, add a cross dissolve and hope it sounded seamless.  If not, I would play around with it until it worked. All of that process took a lot of guesswork and time. Thankfully, there’s a much easier way.

In this example, it’s worth pointing out that I subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud so my versions of Premiere Pro and Adobe Audition are up to date.

In the video embedded above, I have a talking-head segment that is 3:49 long, but my music cut is only two minutes thirteen second. If I played the existing music track under that video clip, the music would stop well before the video did, and that’s distracting to the person viewing the video. Let’s make our audio track match the length of our video clip  

First, determine the length of your project.  In my case, my project 3:49 so that’s the length of time I need my music to be but the track I have is only 2:13.  So let’s make a seamless loop timed to 3:49. Next, go to “Edit” and scroll to “Edit in Adobe Audition” and click “Sequence.”  Next, name it what you want.  I’ll name this “Loop Track” then click “OK.”  That opens Adobe Audition and imports the audio tracks from your Premier Pro project.

Next, I’ll create a new multitrack session.  So, go to “file > new > multitrack session” and click.  I’ll name it “music loop track” and click “ok.”  Next, in the “files” section, find the music track and drag it into track one of the multitrack session.  Next, go to the “properties” tab on the left side.  If it’s not visible, go to “Windows” and click “properties.  In the “properties” window is “Remix.”  Click “enable remix” and that will take a few seconds to remix the track.  Now we create the magic.

Here you’re going to change the target duration to whatever you want the new length of your music track to be.  My project is 3:49 minutes long so I will change the duration of the music track to 3:49.  Next, click enter and it will seamlessly loop the track to your desired length.   To see where audition made the cuts, you can zoom in to see the little razor lines.  Beautiful.

Next go to “file > export > export to Adobe Premiere Pro”. Click “export” and next it will open your project, where you will click “ok” for a new audio track and it will bring your seamless, looped audio track into the project for your use.  How easy and convenient is that?!

By the way, if you have other projects you are working on an you want to use the same music track, you can leave Adobe Audition open and change the duration time to meet the needs of the new project.  So there you have it.  I hope this tutorial has been helpful.  Please visit our website to see the type of work we do.  Thanks for watching.  

This blog will offer a time-management tip that I picked up many years ago which has transformed my most arduous and foreboding tasks into manageable segments and beacons of accomplishment.

How is it that some people can accomplish mounds of meaningful work when others seem to procrastinate themselves into a depression? As a partner in a video production company, I know that when we embark on complex projects, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the details. This is likely the case for many people reading this blog post as well.

The solution to many time-management problems is to create a proper To-Do List. 

The Power of Writing Things Down

My To-Do lists often begin as simple streams of consciousness that are then put to paper or the computer screen, itemizing things that must get done. These actions may be small and relatively unimportant, or they may be major events to accomplish a larger, specific goal.

By documenting your stream of consciousness in writing, you’ll be able to better visualize your tasks and goals. It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll remember everything you need to do, so keep this list as a working document, and freely add to it when other items or thoughts come to mind.

Your First List

To start out, and to give you a manageable starting point, begin with a list of the items that you hope accomplish within a single day or two.

Once you have this “to-do-list-in-progress” document, you are ready to get into the organizational mode. We’ll be using a numbering and lettering system to help you.

First, review your list to get a “lay of the land,” and acquire an overview of everything that you have annotated. This may inspire a few more line items and help formulate “next steps.”

Next, look over your list and identify the “important-but-easy” tasks that you can accomplish relatively quickly. Assign these important-but-easy tasks with the letter “A.” For any “not-as-important-but-easy“ tasks, assign the letter “B.” Continue down your list until all the easy tasks are assigned a letter.

Optionally, you can choose to further prioritize these simple tasks by assigning a number beside the letter. “A1” would be the most important-but-easy task that you have to do, and so forth.

Finally, identify any “important-and-high-priority” tasks for the day and assign them numbers: #1 is the most important task, #2 is the second most important, etc. These tasks that are given a number may not be easy and they’ll likely take longer than the tasks you assigned a letter.

Reviewing Your List

As you review your list, you may realize that relatively simple tasks have stolen much of your valuable time in the past, which prevented you from working on the really important stuff. This technique should help put an end to that.

As you begin working with this system, you will quickly come to understand how many of these big projects you can realistically tackle in an 8, 9, or 10 hour day. As a rule of thumb, I find that I can realistically accomplish around seven or eight of these high priority tasks in a given 8 hour day.

It can be demoralizing when your daily expectations are set beyond what you can realistically achieve. This does you no good and will often give you a bad attitude which will slow the entire progress of every item on your list.

One other thought: if you find that you have far more “filler tasks” in a given day than you can accommodate, try amassing several “filler tasks” together and make them collectively another higher priority item.

As you become comfortable with the system, you may soon discover that you are actually accomplishing more than you ever thought you could. In reflection, you will come to realize how majoring in the minors has cost you dearly in the past.

As an author of several books, a broadcaster and videographer, I can tell you from experience that orchestrating your days in the manner outlined will allow you to accomplish your dreams, giving them the priority that they deserve.

As a videographer and communications guy, I am always on the lookout for ways to streamline activities and cause the teams with whom I work to function fluidly and effectively.

Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to work with a couple of groups from around the nation and I would like to share some of my observations about unity and teamwork.

24/7 Artisan teamwork (BizVid’s Caz Taylor, Billie Alexander, Josh and Luke LaRoya) in Washington DC

In one instance, I was at an outdoor venue in Washington D.C. where I was working on a 24 hour, non-stop, live worship and praise music gathering. Musicians and artists sometimes are known for pride issues or other idiosyncrasies which can make them hard to work with. I’m happy to report that this recent Washington D.C. experience was the complete opposite.

Even though each of the roughly 70 participants were excellent in their fields of art, music and administration, it took additional components to make the the long days flow smoothly.

California/DC Artisan teamwork at 24/7 David’s Tent in the DC National Mall. Tent founder Jason Hershey (l) receiving Kingdom Kajon as gift from California team (l to r) Michael, Dan, Kerah, Mary and Daniel

When someone needed to fill-in, they did. When a microphone needed to be moved they did. When administration needed to be accommodated, they did. A person’s skill level or status became irrelevant when everybody shared a common goal. It was a remarkable experience of having a single mind vested into by numerous people.

I experienced a similar phenomenon a few days later in San Diego when a beauty-product client named Japonesque brought BizVid Communications in to produce an instructional video series.

From the talent, to the makeup artist, to the production team, to even the clients themselves, everybody was working together for a common goal. What could have otherwise been a very challenging production, became a very pleasant and effective one.

A recent videotaping, showcasing teamwork by BizVid crew with model and makeup artist

The common denominators in both instances were selflessness, a willingness to be in harmony with one another, and high senses of camaraderie and purpose. Add to these the unifying goal of accomplishing a specific task, and you have a winner.

For those of you ramrodding multifaceted, multi-person projects, the best solution will be found around the caliber and selflessness of the people with whom you work. A single negative attitude can abort the entire effort.

Choose teams and join your teams wisely. Allow for and encourage plenty of freedom and interaction amongst teammates. Deferring to and uplifting one another play big parts in all this. You will be surprised at the excellence of your outcome, and how many times each person will look for opportunities to work with you again.

Today I’m going to show you how to create animated mattes (and text mattes) in Adobe Premiere Pro.  First, you’ll see an animated matte I got from Rampant Designs. We’ll also introduce a text matte… the text was created in Essential Graphics. Let’s begin with the animating the matte.

The first item of business is to place a video clip on video track 1.  Next, place the matte clip on video track two.  Many royalty-free, purchasable mattes are created in 4k but your project may be 2k.  If so, right click the matte clip and check the “scale to frame size” option. This will resize your matte to fit your project’s resolution.

Next, go to the “Effects” panel in Premiere and type in the search the word, “Track.”  That will bring up the effect we want: “Track Matte Key.” Next, I will click and drag the effect onto the video clip on video track one.  When I do, you will see that the effect appears in the “Effects Controls” panel where I can assign the effect to the video track that I want it placed.  In this case, you can see that the matte is on video track two so that means I want the “Track Matte Key” assigned to video track two.  I’ll click the dropdown arrow and then make the assignment.  Notice the black all around the matte; that’s actually a hole that can be filed with another video clip or a color background.

Let’s try adding a color to fill in the hole that our matte has left.  I will click on the “new item” icon and select “color matte.”  The dialogue box that appears will default to the project size so I will click “ok.”  Next, I have a choice of colors so I think I will use the eyedropper to clone the sand color on the beach.  When I click “ok” the color matte is ready to use.  In order to use it, I need to create the space so I am going to move the matte clip up to video track 3 and the video clip up to video track 2.  Next, I will place the color matte on video track 1.  Now, I’ll need to go back to the “effects control” panel and change the track assignment of the matte to video track 3. 

Now let’s create video inside of text.  I’ve already typed out my title, “water” and will place it on the timeline in video track 3.  For this effect, it’s best to use a bold font and make it as large on the screen as you can.  Underneath it, I will place my video clip on video track 2.  Next, I will go to the “effects” panel and type in “track” to get the “track matte key” which I will then drop onto the video clip.  Then, I will go to the “effects control panel” and assign the effect to video track 3.  Next, I’ll drop in the background. 

Now let’s say that we want to animate the text and add a drop shadow.  To do that, I will need to nest the video and matte tracks…but not the background track.  So I’ll right click, select “nest,” name the nest and click okay.  Now I can go to “effects” type in “drop,” add the effect then go to “effects controls” and manipulate. To animate the text, I go to “motion” and work with “scale” and “position.”  Adjust the parameters to your liking and have fun!

I hope this tutorial has been a help to you.  Be sure to explore our blog further and check out some of our video examples.  Happy editing and thanks for watching.

In this video I will show you an easy way to make a panoramic picture in Photoshop.  We’ve all been on vacation and come across that spectacular view that a single picture just couldn’t capture.  The example you see here isn’t what I would consider to be a spectacular view, but it was wide enough that one picture wasn’t enough.  

In order to make a panoramic print, you have to start with at least two individual pictures. I have three individual pictures for this example. So what’s the best way to take each of the three pictures?  First, you hold the camera level and click the first shot.  Then, staying on the same level plane, you take the next shot with about a 1/3^rd overlap of the first shot.  Then, for the third shot…again staying on the same level plane, you take the final shot with the same approximate 1/3^rd overlap. Once done, you have three good sources for your pano print.  It’s been my personal experience that any more or less than three pictures doesn’t work very well. 

Now it’s time to stitch them together.  To do that, go to “File” and click.  In the dropdown, navigate to “Automate” then over to “Photomerge.”  You will notice in the window that just opened, the “layout” is defaulted to “Auto.”  Leave it here.  I have found that Photoshop has a better idea what my pano should look like then if I should mess with the settings. 

Next, we need to populate the center window with the three images I showed you at the beginning of the tutorial.  To do that, go find your files.  I’ll click “browse” go to my folder titled “Photoshop Tute” and select the three images I want to import.  Be sure that the “Blend Images Together” box is checked since we want Photoshop to just that.  As you can see in the video, Images 1, 2 & 3 are ready to go so I’ll click “Ok” and let Photoshop begin its magic. 

As you can see, all three images have been stitched together seamlessly.  The next item of business it to clean up this image.  It looks pretty ragged around the edges. To do that, I’ll use the crop tool and set the parameters to the standard aspect ratio of a panoramic print which is 12-inches wide and 4-inches high.

But let’s say I wanted to work on it a little more like adjust the levels or color. Since the pano is still in layer form, I will want to flatten it by going to “layer” and “Flatten Image.”  Once it is flattened, I can do what I need to do.  Okay, now it is ready to be exported out of Photoshop so I will go to “File” then “Save As” then save it as a jpeg.  So there you have it: you can now convey the panoramic majesty of any location you encounter! 

Let’s chat about the hidden promotional opportunities you and your business have as a result of your day to day interactions with clients and others. Many say that word of mouth is your best advertising. If so, perhaps the second best is being able to utilize existing relationships to cross-promote who you are, and what you do.

Allow me to offer two examples using BizVid Communications, the production company which I co-own with partner and ten-time Emmy winner, Bill Gruber.

First example. We have worked with the Small Business Administration in San Diego and Imperial Counties for a number of years. Our recurring video project for SBA is to interview the award-winners and record their insights as the selected winners of the SBA’s various awards (small business owner of the year, veteran-owned business of the year, minority business person of the year and so forth). We then play back those interviews on a giant screen during the annual awards banquet. Of course, we provide very reasonable pricing for our services for this prestigious client.

In return for our “above and beyond the call of duty efforts” the SBA offered us a full page ad in their printed awards program as a “Gold Sponsor.” We accept that offer, of course. As a result, we receive free advertising about our services and benefits in a publication that is distributed to a banquet hall full of attendees comprising the leading businesses and executives throughout the small business community. Not bad for a free cross-promotion.

This is the cross-promotional “Gold Sponsor” ad that the SBA gives us in appreciation for our video production efforts on behalf of their annual “Best of the Year” awards ceremony.

Second example. Because of my interest in broadcasting and my love for Judeo-Christian topics, I volunteer to host a weekly radio show on a prominent Salem Media Group station, KPRZ Radio. The show is called Come Together San Diego. In exchange for my weekly volunteer efforts, the station gives my company and me free advertising time within the weekly broadcast. As the show’s popularity grows, so does our company’s exposure. Again, not bad for a free cross-promotion.

Here it is, in case you are interested: https://youtu.be/E1SG-Qz0nCo

Ask yourself, “what opportunities might there be, hiding just under the surface of your business and personal interactions, where your company can be presented and your success enhanced?” I know that you can come up with some. So, go for it and enjoy the additional business exposure!

Bluetooth is a great technological advancement that adds a ton of convenience to our way of life.  If you recall before Bluetooth, it was cables, cables and more cables.  Cables connected the DVD player to the TV; the printer to the computer; telephone extensions throughout the house and my favorite, the keyboard and mouse to the computer.  Thankfully that archaic form is safely tucked away in the books of history.

Like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is a way of linking electronic gadgets together by using wireless technology. It sends and receives radio waves in a band of 79 different frequencies centered on 2.45 GHz and is set apart from radio, television and cellphones.  This frequency is also reserved for use by industrial, scientific and medical gadgets.  However, your use of Bluetooth does not interfere with any of these because Bluetooth is low power and the signals do not travel very far.  In fact, they use virtually no power and are more secure than wireless networks.

So how does Bluetooth differ from Wi-Fi?  Well, Wi-Fi is designed to transfer much larger amounts of data between computers and the internet and over much greater distances. This is a task that Bluetooth cannot handle.  Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are complementary technologies, not rivals, and you can easily use both together to make your electronic gadgets work more conveniently for you.

We often take such inventions for granted.  In those instances, simply think back to the way it used to be and then give thanks to the “nerds” who have made our lives so much easier.  Back in the 1800’s there was a movement by many in government arguing that the US Patent office should be shut down.  The reason  cited was that “there is nothing left to be invented.”   Thankfully the office was not shut down and the wiser  voices prevailed.

We are often asked about the video production process and how a video gets produced.  In this blog, I will outline the steps that BizVid follows on its’ productions.

Meeting

Our initial meeting will determine the video’s message, target audience, locations, talent requirements and other elements to be included in the production. These decisions will drive all aspects of the project from scripting through the final edit and will give us the information we need to present a proposed budget.

Budgeting

Armed with information from our initial meeting, we formulate a project budget.  The budget is our best estimate of what we feel the project requires. Once client-approved, the budget is used to establish guidelines for us to work within.

Scripting

We meet with clients to determine the specific content of the video, which we turn into a written script. After a few revision processes, a client typically provides their final script approval. This revision process is accounted for in the budget.

Logistics

Shot sheets and location sheets are made, to indicate which shots to get and at which locations to get them. Together, these technical sheets provide a real-world timeline for the client and all crew members. This “heads up” minimizes interruptions to the client workflow.

Video Recording

Production is where cameras, lighting, sound, and actors come together to record the scenes. A typical “shoot day” is up to ten hours. BizVid Communications uses the techniques previously listed to ensure that the production day can run smoothly and according to plan.

Reviewing Footage

After production days have concluded, the director and editor will review the shot footage and create logs according to the script. Client involvement is not required during this phase.

“Review Cut”

BizVid edits video into a “review cut” which is, in essence, the completed video (includes music, text, voice over, etc).  This video is sent to the client for review, and to check for any errors. Review Cuts provide an opportunity for company associates to comment, should the client desire. Script changes at this stage would incur additional cost.

“Final Cut”

After the “review cut” has been seen and noted by the appropriate parties, BizVid uses their notes to make any required changes and will produce a perfect, final cut edit. Client reviews final cut and provides final approval.

Finished Product

BizVid Communications delivers the completed video in a format of client’s choosing. Typical turn-around for a finished video is approximately two weeks from last day of production (shoot day). This can be shortened to 1-week, provided the client review notes are returned to BizVid in a timely fashion.

In every project we undertake, we strive to make the process as easy as possible for our clients.  Apparently it is working as we have been in business for over 18 years.

If you venture into any electronics section, the first thing you are likely to see are massive TV screens playing clear, realistic video images. It can be an amazing thing to behold. These magic portals range in price from $500 to several thousand dollars, depending upon screen size.

How did HD video start?

HD (high definition) was introduced to the consumer world in 1998.  With that introduction, TV screens went from a 4:3 aspect ratio (square) to a 16:9 aspect ratio (rectangle).  It was felt that 16:9 more closely matched our natural vision.

The HD TV picture was noticeably better than the TV picture we had been watching up to that point in time.  4:3 screens had a pixel configuration of 720 wide x 480 high (standard definition).  16:9 screens introduced a pixel configuration of 1920 wide x 1080 high (high definition).

More simply: more pixels means a more realistic-looking image.

To see this effect for yourself, look closely at an image in a newspaper or magazine. With careful attention, you’ll likely start to notice that newspaper images are made up of colorful, little dots. The further away you move from the newspaper image, the fewer dots you see and the more realistic the image appears to be.

If that same newspaper image had been composed of even-smaller, colorful dots, then the image would appear realistic even when the viewer is physically close to it.  It’s the same with TV. More pixels mean that the image will still appear sharp and realistic, even when viewed up close and/or on enlarged 100″+ screens.

High definition (as well as 2k) catapulted TV picture quality into something quite spectacular compared to standard definition.  And, for several years, it was loved and appreciated by the TV-watching public.  All the while, engineers were working on the next generation of TV’s and in 2016, Ultra HD sets were introduced to the market.  

What is UHD?

Ultra HD sets (UHD) doubled the pixel count from 2k to 4k or 1920 x 1080 to 3840 x 2160 for a great viewing experience. If you stand next to a UHD TV you will notice that the picture is very clear. Comparatively, an HD TV requires a viewer to be at least six feet away from the screen to see clarity. Again, more pixels make for a better picture and the potential for larger screens.

Should I get an UHD tv?

If you haven’t’ already guessed, work is being done to improve our TV-viewing experience even further.  We are about to see 8k sets come to market.  One can only imagine how nice that picture quality will be. Do you hold off buying a new set until that time?

The best advice for any high-technology purchase is this: find what you like, buy it, and don’t concern yourself with the next best thing.

Unless you are an avid early adopter with a lot of money to spare, what you have now will serve you just fine.