Over the past 20 years I’ve been providing basic video services for family, friends, some non-profit organizations, and my existing tech support clients, as well as through my work at the University of Iowa.
The videos I produce are a mix of instructional videos, product reviews, music videos, and commentaries. You can see them on YouTube in chronological order or listed in order of popularity – including two that have had over 130,000 views each.
Services
Here are some of the video services I provide:
- Conversion Services. I’m able to convert from VHS tape to DVD or create video files from other media for uploading to services like YouTube.
- Editing. If you have some raw unedited video, or any video recording(s) I can do the editing required to create an improved product.
- Hybrid Projects. I’m willing to work with people who want to share the workload of a video project. For example, if someone is able to do their own video recording but would like help with the editing and production, I’m happy to split the work however a person would like. This can save time and money.
- Stock Video. I have a growing library of stock video footage I’ve recorded, and I also subscribe to a stock video service for additional footage if needed. Here’s a video I produced entirely from third-party videos.
- Support. I’ve created technical support videos and product reviews. I’ve also written several technical support articles on best practices for video production as well as reviews of hardware and software products.
- Training. I like to train people so they can do their own video recording and editing. This is helpful for non-profit groups who need event recordings and anyone on a budget who wants to do their own video work but need some training.
Rates and Fees
I provide a variety of services and use a fixed hourly rate rather than billing by the project or estimating projected costs. I’ll sometimes apply a discount or volunteer my time, but generally use the hourly rate as a guideline.
Expectations
I’ve avoided pursuing high-end professional and commercial video production, or weddings, because these require a significant investment in expensive professional equipment that depreciates in value. Also, people have very high expectations of the results. To achieve the results people want, it takes many hours editing – raising the costs beyond what most people want to pay. For the few people who have a big budget, I refer them to some of the professional agencies in our area.
Instead, my focus has been on providing relatively high-quality low-cost video production services. I’d rather people have relatively low expectations and be pleasantly surprised than people have very high expectations and not be satisfied with a commercial project.
Low-Cost Sample
Below is an example of a multi-angle video I recorded using only a smartphone and a point-and-shoot pocket camera in video mode on a $10 pocket sized tripod. I recorded this spontaneously over a lunch break and edited it as a favor to the musician who was really appreciative. Were I to record this again, I’d use a camera stabilizer for the floating shots, and probably a third camera on a tripod moved around for cutaway shots.
There are moments during the video where the audio has some wind noise. The microphones did not have wind shields. With more preparation time, that issue would have been addressed.
You can view other examples on my YouTube channel in chronological order or listed in order of popularity – including two that have had over 130,000 views each.
Contact Me
If you’re interested in having some video work done, let me know. I’ll try to help, or refer you to someone who can.
