I am a long time admirer of your deeni promo videos. Mashallah they’re just wonderful. I also want to learn video, graphic design and post-production but there’s so much info and I don’t know where to start and would like your expert advice. I have a few questions and if you can sort of guide me, I’d be ever so grateful Belal.

1. Did you go to a film or post production school for the trailers? any DVD or online courses? Any course or school you recommend?
2. What software program do you use to create the Al Maghrib promo trailers? After Effects?
3. How long did it take you before you started making polished promo trailers?
4. What is the learning curve like for post-production video trailer creation?

Jazakallah Khair for taking the time to help! May Allah SWT Bless you and your family Belal.

Abdul Hadi, thanks for your email and kind words.

Before I answer your questions, I want you to be aware of a course I offer online on mastering the processes of making kick-butt videos. The online course can be find here: Secrets of Video Production

And now to answer your questions:

RE Question 1

There’s no school specifically for trailers that I know of. I’ve taken classes on film theory and history  at my university’s film school while I was getting my marketing degree. I’ve also attended seminars on film and entertainment marketing where some of the instructors were professional movie trailer producers. What I’ve learned in that time is: the principles and skills of producing a trailer are similar to that of producing a film.

I have a course online called “Secrets of Video Production” that can help you get started. In the course I cover the different phases of video production and give you the knowledge necessary to make your own video, whether it be a trailer, narrative, documentary of promotional video. The course covers the four phases of video production which include: (1) Development / Pre-production, (2) Production, (3) Post-Production and (4) Marketing / Distribution.

More information on that can be found here:
http://messagemastery.com/vidpundit

RE Question 2

I use several programs to produce videos. What program I use depends on what sort of video I’m making.

• Audio: I use Sound Forge for audio editing. I also work with a professional sound designer at times who I believe uses Avid Pro Tools.
• Video editing: I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. I started off with iMovie on the Mac back in 2003 and then later progressed to Premiere.
• Motion graphics: I use Adobe After Effects. I also use templates made by professionals and modify them as needed for clients.
• Planning motion graphics: I use Adobe Illustrator to plan out my “scenes”, especially when doing kinetic typography videos.

To start off, I recommend looking at what you have available to you. Almost all computers come equipped with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Start there and then you can progress forward.

RE Question 3

Depends on what you define as “polished.” The following videos give a snapshot of my progress for the past eight years. Based on what you define as “polished” you can see how long it took me.

Macbeth (2003) -
Shot in one day. Edited in two weeks.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Young Muslims Promo (2004) -
Shot interviews over a period of about two months and edited archival footage from client. Final video took six months to complete.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Islam Invulnerable Trailer (2005) -
All “footage” was comprised of stock photos I found online that transitioned to the rhythm of a nasheed. The video itself took a few days to make. This was mainly a post-production job.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tufaan Trailer (2007) -
This is from a documentary I never finished. I shot most of that footage and I put the trailer together in about a day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

AlMaghrib RIS Trailer (2008) -
I began playing around with mixing beat-box rhythms with nasheed and overlaying that with stock footage.

Click here to view the embedded video.

AlMaghrib Promo (2009) -
I learned the basics of Adobe After Effects so I could alter professionally made templates to suit the needs of the client. I continued to used beat-box rhythms mixed with nasheed vocals to underlay the video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ottawa Snow (2010) -
Applying elements of deliberate narrative story telling to documentary film making.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Abdullah Puppet (2010) -
I began experimenting with green screen and voice acting, while also hiring a professional to produce the sound score.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jannah Poem by Ammar (2011) -
This was my second attempt at a video in kinetic typography.

Click here to view the embedded video.

RE Question 4

The learning curve for producing any form of video – whether it be a trailer, documentary, promo video or narrative – lies in mastering the tools. The source content for trailers can be made either using motion graphics and/or recorded footage. However, the key is knowing how to put it all together in a manner that is emotionally appealing, is grounded in the craft of editing.

Mastering the tools depends on how much you practice with it. Making videos is time consuming and can be frustrating if you’re always governed by deadlines. To be successful at it, you must enjoy the process of working on videos. You may or may not be successful at completing a video, but each time you’ll move on with a focus on the process and improving yourself.

I cover the process of editing in depth over at Secrets of Video Production.

You need content to engage people, give value and build a relationship with them. In the process you need to convert those people into clients and customers. This is what’s going to drive the business and results. Whether your working on a for-profit or nonprofit system, the principles and disciplines required are the same.

One of the most valuable forms of content that people consume is video. For this reason it’s very important that we all produce quality content to drive those metrics we have in place.

I understand that producing good quality video requires getting a bit technical, and if you don’t know what you’re doing could cost you a good chunk of change.

I work for Higher Achievement, a nonprofit based out of DC that works on closing the opportunity gap for middle school kids through out-of-school time (after-school and summer programs) academic enrichment. Yesterday we had a professional film crew come into the national office to film interviews of stakeholders (students, parents, board members, etc) and Michelle Rhee (she was featured in “Waiting for Superman“) that we can use for our digital marketing efforts.

Fortunately for us one of our board members, a marketing professional, has a relationship with a professional film crew in DC.

Not everyone has this asset, thus wouldn’t be able to have the kind of setup you see below.

To some it might be amazing to know that the elaborate setup above results in the picture which looks great.

If you like most people are on a budget, you probably don’t have the budget have this setup.

So then how do you go about producing quality video to augment your digital marketing or social media efforts? Be resourceful. It’s not necessarily the equipment that makes the picture. It’s the principles applied.

The equipment above costs well over $50,000. However you can produce a similar image with equipment costing less than $1000. See the following videos for an example of what I mean.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video above used:

• Two consumer HD cameras costing ~$250 each (eBay)
• Two tripods ~$30 each (BestBuy)
• Boom Microphone ~$150 (Amazon.com)
• Sunlight – free (nearby window)

If you happen to be shooting at night or indoors, here’s a video showing how to use the lights you have in your home or office to get an acceptable picture.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have a course online “Secrets of Video Production” which lays out the entire process of how to produce video for the web. It covers:

• Planning, writing, scripting
• What equipment to use in terms of camera, mics and lights
• How to edit, the processes involved to do things fast
• How to get yo video seen by others.

If you want to know more about it, click the image below:

Click the image below to go straight to the video.

As a marketer having the ability to tell stories effectively is very important. Understanding character, plot, setting and themes are only the foundation of the process. Stories are well sell ideas and they are what communicate messages effectively. For this reason I’m committing myself to reading 40 screenplays for the next 40 days.

Below are my reflections from having read my first script, Memento by Jonathan Nolan.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the tweet that introduced me to this challenge:

Imagine having $20 million dollars to make the movie you want to make with total control. That’s kind of what happened with director Spike Lee and producer Jon Kilik.

In the past I’ve blogged about meeting Batman producer Mike Uslan and Walden Media’s post production vice president Jonas Thaler at Montclair State University’s Film Forum. Earlier this week at the Film Forum I meet Jon Kilik who has been the producer on 13 of Spike Lee’s films (see his IMDb profile).

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WHAT WAS HE BEFORE MALCOLM X?

His story starts off as an individual born and raised in New Jersey. He went to college in Berlington, Vermont, where he met a film professor. After taking a few classes he discovered there was a career in it for him.

After college he started as a production assistant on commercials, doing crowd control, getting coffee for people, etc – anything to be on the set.

He went on to entry level gigs, working on films by Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet to pay the rent, then on his free time he’d work on his own projects.

The whole idea was to to start somewhere. Everyone starts somewhere. He started as an assistant to an assistant and worked his way up. So did individuals like Spike Lee.

He worked the ladder to get into higher level stuff and worked his way up. 30 years later here he was talking to a group of aspiring young individuals like myself.

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LESSONS FROM HIS 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

It’s all about good writing and and script. -
This is where you tell your story. Scenes that define character NEED to work and come through. If it’s not on the page, its not on the stage.

After script, focus on the two keys:
1 – How to MAKE it
2 – How to FINANCE it -
You have to think about technicalities of how you’ll execute your plan of getting the job done on time. When you set a date that you’re going to shoot on June 30th, doesn’t matter what comes through or doesn’t come through, you MUST begin shooting June 30th. No execuses.

When you’re trying to get the money to fund the making of it, understand that your stakeholder are interested in one thing, they want to make their money back. They’re interested in profit. Hollywood likes formulas that work and they’re very weary of experimental projects. A film may win awards, but it is necessary that the film make money.

personal note:

Films like “The Message” and “The Lion in the Desert” are well known among the Muslim populas. However, you’ll notice no other films were made for Muslims in the same manner by that director because the very films were commercial flops. The investors lost millions of dollars in making them.

If you want people with money to support your film. Have their best interest in mind as well. After all its their money you’re playing with. Its a trust upon you that you spend it in the best possible manner to bring about maximum returns. The rest is up to Allah-swt.

When opportunity comes, you MUST deliver -
Every opportunity that comes you way, you have to prove yourself. If you succeed, its no gurrantee that the next one will be the same way, but if you don’t deliver, don’t expect there to be trust between you and your supporters anymore.

Fail forward -
In the event that your idea get’s rejected – and it WILL get rejected – you have two choices. ONE, you quit right then and there and be sure of mediocrity for the rest of your life. Or TWO, you figure out a way to tell your story (script).

Jon Kilik, a producer with over 20 years of experience is still having a hard time getting financing for his film and getting that green light to enter production. It’s not going to be much different for you, so don’t fret. Be prepared to work hard and keep your eye on the prize.

Develop people skills and build relationships NOW -
As a producer you need to be able to effectively work with people. You can’t be a technical junkie.

No one will deny that Tiger Woods is the world’s most impressive golf player. When he’s on the field, he’s in the zone. He shuts out the world and puts all his focus on that white little ball propped up on that tee. However, you can see from recent events that he just doesn’t know how to deal with people.

As a producer, you cannot shut the world off. You must make connections, build relationships and continuously build your leadership ability. Understand that as a producer you’re a liaison between the people who make the film and the people who finance it. You need to be able to understand and speak the language of both sides.

The people who make the film speak the language of art. The people who finance, market and distribute the film speak the language of business. You, the producer need to understand and speak both.

Get started TODAY -
There’s are really three simple ways to get started as a producer.

1 –
Internships and assistant-ships – Studios are big on this. Even independent producers. They’re always looking for free help. Colleges are also willing to give credit for time spent as this. It will help if you identify which specific department you’re interested in.

Are you into the corporate suit type of jobs like finance, law, marketing. Or the technical on set type of jobs like director, cinematography, camera man, sound, editor, etc? The more you can define for yourself the easier it will be for you to get started.

2 -
Work for free. Find out where the shoots are happening, show up and volunteer yourself and your time. Sooner or later they’ll get you in touch with the right people.

3 -
Become a producer. Put together your own team and grow with them. You’ll have to have a day job to pay for your up keep. Dedicate your free time to work with talent, network and train yourself.

Relationships between directors and producers begin well before they get on set. Start nurturing those relationships today.

[ UPDATE: 12.26.2009 - 3:41 AM ]

Turns out that there are several types of 3D development over the years.

The type that most people are familiar with is “3D Stereoscopic” which is basically capturing with two sources and then having it projects in two different colors (red & blue -or- red & green) and the goofy glasses would cancel out the non-overlapped colors to give the artificial depth.

3D Stereoscopic can be duplicated in a low-budget project, it just takes proper planning – mounting of the camera with the right measures – and understanding of how to sync two different video files and audio files together in the same time line so editing is fully synced.

The end product will be like your classic 3D videos.

In today’s day and age of digital film making – instead of the diffusion of red and blue colors, its the diffusion of light known as “orthogonal polarizing”

During production you have a camera that has 2 lenses mounted in the front where it records the video data in two separate streams, much like how stereo audio is recorded in two separate streams.

The final cut is then projected via dual lens projector where each projector lens has “orthogonal polarizing filters” mounted on the front of it so than when you wear the 3D glasses – which also have orthogonal polarizing filters on them cancel out the non-overlapping image ads an artificial depth to the video.

More on this here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarized_3D_glasses

Question:
How does one jimmy rig two separate projectors with “orthogonal polarizing filters” to play back two separate video streams at the same exact time?

Is there a software out there that could output two video streams using a video card with two video outputs to a projector and the program sends two distinct streams onto a screen so viewers can watch the feature in 3D?

I’d love to hear your responses!

[ UPDATE END ]

–

With the release of Avatar Ive been wondering, what does it take to produce a 3D film on a short budget and what knowledge is needed?

I found some links that might be a valuable resource: 3D Stereoscopic Production & Delivery

A couple more links that may prove to be educational:

• Shooting Avatar
• Panasonic new 3D HD video Camera
• 3D Film (wiki)

This past weekend I took the opportunity to save four years of my life through the experience of someone who had been through the think and thin of the trials and tribulations of delivering a movie to an audience. I’ll say that I’ve never gotten this much value in a seminar that covered material that isn’t taught in school and comes only from the experience of going through it oneself.

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.

~Milton Berle

Earlier I invited all of you to be my classmate for a seminar taught by Jerome Courshon on the Secrets of Distribution. See some of my notes I posted several months back on his video Distribution 101.

My friend and I left New Jersey a few hours after the Friday prayer and drove down to our family friend’s home where we planned to stay for the weekend. The seminar was in Arlington, VA which was abou ten minutes from where we were staying.

This seminar was amazing in content. It got me really thinking about how I want to approach the business aspect of films from a professional stand point for the future (including Tufaan), what to really consider and plan out future documentaries and how to realy turn this profession in an on busteling career for the time to come.

The seminar was also a great oppurtunity for us to meet and network with some very nice and interesting people, who also take this profession with seriousness. Many of the attendies were from the Greater D.C. area, while there were some travelers from as far as Florida, Texas and New Jersey

It was great having dinner with Jerome, the organizers of the seminar and the other classmates. It was a great oppurtunity to futher discuss each of our own projects and share with each other the different experiences we’ve had and learn from each other.

I intend to share with you what I’ve learned over at MessageMastery.com in the near future for you all to benefit. The following is just a brief outline of what was covered:

• Reality of distribution. What the real deal is holding on to the right beliefs to get yourself through it.
• Reality of the Marketplace.
• 8 basic distribution models.
• Theatrical distribution. What the tried and tested ways of getting your film into the theater are, whether its through the studios, film festivals, producer reps, home video distribution, other forms of distribution, etc.
• Art work & Press Kits. Understanding the importance of and knowing what is needed to get your movie the attention it deserves from distributors.
• Conventions and Organizations. Knowing what conventions are important to attend and which organizations and authorities should be given proper attention such as VSDA, MPAA and others.
• Deals & Contracts. Giving proper attention and due dilligence to your movie when it comes to legal matters such as E&O (Errors and Ommissions), clauses in contracts, lawyers, contacts, etc.
• Questions & Answer. Having the oppurtunity to pick the brain of a professional had immense value on its own.

If I had to fly over to Los Angeles to take this seminar, I would have done it (I was about to, but I saw it was going to be in Virginia). Jerome Courshon does not teach this seminar often. He’ll teach it only one more time this year in November. Take this opportunity and grab the bull by the horns.

“If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don’t, you have achieved half your failure.”

~ David Ambrose

The seminar took place on Saturday. Sunday after we left Virgina we took a quick stop to College Park, MD where we hung out with Nouman Ali Khan of Bayyinah for several hours. This was an awesome brain picking and brainstorming session on subjects of Arabic, tafseer, future projects and film ideas, some of which I would love to produce with him, insha’Allah.

This is Nouman Ali Khan asking me if this picture will go on YouTube. As promised, it’s just for the blog post. If others decide to post it elsewhere, that’s out of my control

We drove back home and arrived around 10pm, after which we got down to the material and began reviewing and discussing what we learned. A lot of new ideas and thoughts came about from this session as well as questions which I’m going to post back to Jerome.

Overall this was an excellent learning experience that was well worth the travel, money and oppurtunity costs.

–

September 20th in Virginia Jerome Courshon is conducting a seminar titled, “The Secrets to Distribution: Get Your Movie Distributed Now!” I first heard about Jerome and his seminar via FreshDV when they featured him on an hour long interview titled, “Distribution 101.”

When I first the video I was ready to fly out to Los Angeles to attend his seminar but when I heard that he’s doing it in Virginia (4 hours drive from me) I thought that this is great! I booked my seat and just need to make some travel arrangements and I’m good to go.

If you’re someone who is serious about learning the business of how films are distributed in the market today and what you need to do to get yourself a distribution deal then I recommend that you come attend.

–

I got an email from Stacey Parks of FilmSpecific.com from her weekly email list regarding a seminar taking place on October 11-12 by Alexander Vickers titled, “Make Your Money Back” on how to distribute your film online with proven internet marketing strategies. There’s more info on the link I provided. I personally haven’t attended any of his seminars nor am I enrolled in his online marketing for filmmakers course.

I registered earlier this week and I’m looking forward to meeting the people there.

–

If you’re in the local area or want to attend the seminars regardless, I recommend that you register asap before seats fill up.

I’m looking forward to applying what I learn in the release of Tufaan. This should be exciting

Click here to view the embedded video.

These past couple months I’ve been looking into means of upping the production value of videos I’ve been producing while decreasing cost in terms of time and money. After attending a couple seminar lectures and reading a few more books on the subject I realized that if I’m to up my game I’m going to have to learn Adobe After Effects or find some people who know the tool.

I did find some people who know the program but the factor of financial resources to compensate for time became an issue. Finally when boredom on current skills set in I took the jump. If you saw the post about iwannagetmarried.com video, The effects were done mainly in Adobe After Effecfs. I was quite suprized at the results it gave.

There were two main skills that I’ve leared with the last project:

• Text effects
• Converting a still image into 3D

With those two elements alone there is so much that one can do in terms of the creative potential.

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- if for some reason you cant view the video, go here: http://blip.tv/file/1058537 -

I hope you benefit from this session.