Click here to listen to this week’s podcast.

Check out these photos of Pete and his daughter’s kindergarten classroom (try spotting the kid making the funny face). For the entire photo album, visit Pete’s Google+ profile.

 

 

 

 

Check out the rest of the pics here: https://plus.google.com/photos/115950864524929494455/albums/5876411752897532241

During the summer before my junior year of college, I interned for my local branch of the National Writing Project. I had the wonderful opportunity to work with different kinds of writers—poets, short story writers, non-fiction writers. Every day, I’d listen as people read aloud part of a piece they’d been working on. I quickly discovered that incredible writing is wicked tight writing.

When writing is tight, every word is significant. There’s no wordiness or redundancy. But all of us writers know that it takes a lot of messy editing to get those clean sentences. So here’s some help in eliminating unnecessary words: a list of phrases that you can put on the chopping block, and what you can replace them with.

#1

Let’s start with two redundant phrases: “the reason why” and “the reason is because.” You can easily tighten sentences with these phrases. Here’s how:

I’m trying to determine the reason why everyone is obsessed with cats.

I’m trying to determine why everyone is obsessed with cats.

You don’t need “the reason why.” A simple “why” suffices.

And “the reason is because” is redundant too. You can replace it with “the reason is that,” like so:

The reason is because people like furry creatures.

The reason is that people like furry creatures.

(“People like furry creatures” would also get the point across. I’d opt for this sentence.)

#2

The phrase “due to the fact” is not only wordy but also unnecessary. The word “because” says the exact same thing.

I had to move out due to the fact that my roommate bought a cat.

I had to move out because my roommate bought a cat.

Due to the fact that her cat is criminally adorable, I changed my mind.

Because her cat is criminally adorable, I changed my mind.

#3

You pretty much never need the word “currently.” Take this sentence:

My sister is currently in search of a new cat.

This sentence has the verb “is.” This verb is present tense, so it’s already implied that at this very moment, my sister is in search of a new cat. There’s no need for “currently.” Another example:

My cat currently has a bad cough.

Again, the verb in this sentence is in the present tense. It’s already implied that at the present time, my cat has a bad cough.

#4

There’s also no need for “revert back.” “Revert” means “to return to a former condition, period, or subject.” Ditch the “back” and replace it with “to.”

I reverted to my original stance on felines.

My cat is kind when I have people over, but as soon as they leave, she reverts to her evil ways.

#5

 Like “revert back,” “reply back” is redundant. Get rid of the “back.”

People say cats can’t talk, but I swear my cat Theodore replied to me.

#6

“Shared something in common” is redundant. You can replace it with “shared” or with “had something in common.”

#7

“Most well-known” can be replaced with “best known.”

#8

There’s no need for “unexpected surprise.” A surprise is by definition unexpected.

#9

“Makes reference to” can be replaced with “refers to.”

#10

“Pay money” can be swapped for “pay.”

Wordy phrases are everywhere, and I’ve only touched on this subject. I’d love to hear which ones you want to put on the chopping block or kill with a red pen.

As marketing professionals, it’s important to stay current, so it’s extremely important to follow the evolution of paid, owned, earned and shared media. The boundaries between the original three were rigid. There were no fluid lines; everything had its own little corner in the marketing universe. This was the traditional breakdown:

• Paid – You spent money for a 30-second commercial; you gave someone money for coverage and exposure.
• Earned – Your business did something spectacular or announced a breakthrough; you ‘earned’ this coverage because of your actions.
• Owned – Once the storefront, it’s now your company’s website. This is yours; you can convey whatever message you want.

That was the past, but the present is a different story altogether. Social media came along and did not merely interject itself into the conversation but also changed the definitions of owned, paid, and earned media altogether. The rigid boundaries have become fluid, and the lines are more blurry than ever before. What happens with marketing professionals because of this change? They have to adapt, and they have to evolve. They need to determine how to integrate all three forms of media for maximum effect. That is where we find ourselves today.

A look at then and now

It’s important to realize the differences between traditional and online. Here’s where the shifts have taken place:

• Paid – Traditional ‘paid’ focused on advertising, and it was the majority of the ‘marketing budget.’ Nowadays it is more important than ever to distribute available money. Do you spend it in hosting content on your YouTube page? Pay Per Click advertisements? Journal banners? It’s key to diversify and understand what your audience is looking for and where they are actively searching.
• Owned – You once had only a storefront. People used to advertise on billboards etc. but those mostly fell under paid. Nowadays, your website is a focal part of owned media. Given a choice between the two, most advertisers would prefer to mention a website rather than a physical location. Websites allow you to direct attention and can answer any potential questions that a customer may have. More customers would feel inconvenienced by having to pick up the phone to get their answers, let alone having to go somewhere.
• Earned – You established brand authority and increased visibility through public relations. Word-of-mouth marketing could come from respected magazines, newspapers, etc. Nowadays you earn credibility through backlinks, content marketing, search rankings, and impressive traffic statistics. There were limited options before, but now there are many that marketing professionals can consider.
• Share – Word-of-mouth used to be the way to relay whether a company was good or bad. The fact that we now rely on the ‘word of Web’ through our social circles is both good and bad for companies. Those who treat their customers respectfully receive high praise through the social spheres and may even go viral, whereas companies that don’t show that they care about their customers (a perfect example here) are dealt with rather quickly. Marketing professionals cannot allow themselves to have an ‘off day’ because the negative will stick.

A continuous cycle

Companies have to alter their day-to-day basis because the conversation never stops on Facebook and Twitter. Once a company earns its exposure, it’s unable to rest on its laurels and ride it out. By the time a company comes up with an interesting follow-up, the conversation has already passed it by several times over. Modern Marketing is more about paid and owned media working together in unison. It is no longer an option to consider the divide when laying out your strategy.

We have seen some companies fail to adapt to these new challenges and lose market share because of it. But those marketing professionals that are ready to adapt, that are willing to change, and that are able to take the plunge, are opening themselves up for an exciting new world of marketing possibilities.

If you run a non-profit organization or are raising money for a charity or non-profit cause, it’s time to ride the wave of the future and learn all there is to know about crowd fundraising (also known as crowdfunding). Harnessing the power of the Internet and the unparalleled reach of social media, crowd fundraising is revolutionizing the way non-profits run their campaigns, with a pointed emphasis on the value of smaller donors as opposed to mega donors.

Under the new scheme, a fundraising campaign begins with the organization or individual running the particular project. Next, supporters of the cause can launch their own online campaign on behalf of the organization, using their personal social media pages to spread the word to their friends, raise awareness, and create an even bigger buzz. Moreover, many of the crowd fundraising platforms allow the masses to set up fundraising pages on their behalf and accept donations directly from the organization’s credit card processor. By tapping into the already popular 21st century social media craze, non-profits are benefiting from significant increases in publicity and donations.

The beauty of these ‘branching campaigns’ – as they are formally known – is that they are both effortless and limitless. People are already spending more of their time in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more), and there can be a branch campaign within a branch campaign with a branch campaign – to infinity. Moreover, the system allows the public to use their social media connections to become involved in a cause they believe in or that is important to someone they know.

Statistically, according to digital engagement strategists, online donations as a whole are showing a 10-20% annual increase, while crowd fundraising popularity and niche donation portals have been steadily climbing over the last few years. Moreover, by recognizing the value of small donations – rather than waiting for support from larger funding bodies, the government, or banks – non-profits are able to reach goals which otherwise may have been impossible via traditional methods.

Another aspect of crowd fundraising has proponents singing its praise and opponents pointing out its pitfalls. It has been found that when potential donors are approached by friends and relatives, donations tend to be larger than if the donors had been approached directly by the non-profit. Using this grassroots approach, even if a friend or relative has never heard of the non-profit, they are more likely to contribute and lend their support to the cause. In fact, the success of crowd fundraising relies upon the power of personal connections and the ‘crowd’ of ambassadors who become involved in the campaign.

Yet at the same time, some experts caution that relying on personal connections is short-sighted, pointing out that the new online platforms do not take into consideration the lifetime value of a donor. While friends or relatives may initially give because they are asked to, they are not necessarily invested in the cause – an element most traditional fundraising bodies pay close attention to.

From the viewpoint of traditionalists, another issue with crowd fundraising is the restriction of having to use the money raised towards a specific purpose or goal, rather than the organization being able to allocate it freely for whatever is needed. While most non-profits are interested in general support, crowdfunding platforms are not set up that way. Furthermore, fundraising institutions claim that they have more expertise in handling large sums, in allocating funds according to need, and in overall administration.

Despite the naysayers, however, it is clear that in this digitally hands-on generation, crowd fundraising is picking up steam and allowing artists, innovators, charities, organizations, and anyone at all to easily launch an online fundraising campaign and to gather support from a growing number of fans who in turn help raise money for the cause.

We often lose sight of the one important factor that answers both the question of what the purpose of business is and whether a business should exist at all. The purpose of a business is not to make money but rather to solve a problem. Money and revenue come second to helping people ease certain pains. Just take a look at Pinterest: zero revenue, and yet investors still throw money at it because it solves a problem for customers, thereby generating a huge user base.

Steve Blank, serial-entrepreneur and leading founder of the Customer Development methodology, teaches that most startups do not fail because the founders fight or because the market is overdeveloped and there are too many competitors (although those certainly account for some of all failures). Rather, it is because there are no customers.

Founders will get so excited about their idea that they forget about the fact that for a business or product to succeed, customers must feel that whatever they’re building is a “need to have” solution instead of just a “nice to have” one. Instead of solving a problem and just creating a product, an idea that sounds great in your head may very well turn out to just be a feature for someone else’s product.

Blank describes something called the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which is essentially a calculated launch strategy that gets product to market as efficiently as possible. When first launched, an MVP should only function simply and without too many or any features at all. That comes later with product development.

So before you start comparing venture capital firms, and applying to business incubators, it may be worthwhile to do some customer development and make sure that your customers actually exist. If you don’t know how or where to get started, you should check out Steve Blank’s free course on Udacity, How to Build a Startup. Though it will not give you the same experience as learning it from himself (he teaches at Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, and CalTech), it certainly has valuable lesson to offer.

If you’ve just started your Google+ journey in prep for Author Rank, I’m sure you have a bunch of questions, and you’re probably looking for some tips/shortcuts too. I collected a bunch of questions, some I once asked and some I’ve heard others ask, and answered them. I also cover some keyboard shortcuts and text formatting.

Let the fourth and final post of this Google+ series begin!

What shows up on my Home tab?

The Home tab on Google+ is where you’ll see your stream. The posts in your stream have been shared with you. That means you’re seeing a post from someone either because that person is in your circles or because that person shared something with you specifically.

You’ll also see in your stream posts that are labeled “What’s Hot and Recommended.” Google strives to show you “serendipitous and diverse information,” and one of the ways it does that is by showing you interesting and exemplary content in your stream.

You can adjust the number of Hot and Recommended posts you see. Just go to the Explore page, and you’ll see this slider:

Move the slider to the right if you want to see more Hot and Recommended posts. Move it to the left if you’d rather see less. If you’re not too keen on the serendipitous and diverse information Google is showing you, you can also turn off this kind of post completely by moving the slider all the way to the left.

If you’re part of any Google+ communities, you can choose whether or not you want to see posts from communities in the stream. Just go to the page for the community you’re part of and click the button labeled Actions (it’s right below the profile picture). Check or uncheck the “Show posts in Home stream” box.

You can also filter your home stream by circle. At the very top of the stream, you’ll see filters named after your circles. Click one and you’ll see content from only the people in that circle.

Let’s say I filter my stream because I want to see content from only the people in my Mainstreethost circle (aka my coworkers). When I filter my home stream, I’ll see a button labeled Settings on the right-hand side of the page. This lets me make my stream even more customizable.

If I don’t want to see in the stream posts from people in this circle, I can uncheck that “show posts in Home stream” box. I can also change the amount of posts from people in this circle that I see in the stream.

What happens if I add someone to a circle?

When you add people to circles, they will get a notification telling them you added them to a circle (this could be an email or just a notification the next time they log into Google+, depending on how someone has their notification settings set up). People will not know the name of the circle you’ve added them to. You’re the only one who can see the name of your circles, so you can name your circles anything that you want.

Can I edit circle visibility on my profile?

Yes! I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you look at someone’s Google+ profile, you can see all of the people he/she  has in circles. If you want to change what people can see when they look at your profile, go to the About tab of your profile. Click Edit in the box marked People.

Here’s where you can choose which circles are visible when others look at your profile. Maybe you want other people to be able to see everyone you have in all of your circles. Maybe you want them to be able to see only people in certain circles. Maybe you don’t want people to see the people who have circled you. You can change all of this.

What else can I edit on my profile when it comes to visibility?

You can determine which tabs are visible to others when they look at your Google+ profile. The About tab and the Posts tab will always be visible to people who look at your profile. But when it comes to the Photo, YouTube/Videos, +1, and Reviews tab, you can choose whether or not you want to make these tabs visible. If I don’t want people to be able to see the reviews I’ve written, I can hide that tab. Press the gear icon on your Profile page and click Settings.

Scroll down, and you can edit tab visibility:

You can also change the visibility of the sections on your About tab. All of your information is public by default, but if I wanted to make my work info visible to only the people I have in circles, I can do that.

You can change visibility for all sections on this tab. But if engaging with people and sharing your content is important to you, you want to make all of the info on your profile public so that it will be crawled by Google.

If I comment on or +1 a post, who can see my comment or +1?

When you comment on or +1 a post, everyone who can see the original post can also see your comment or +1. So if a post is public, anyone can see your comment or +1 because anyone can see the post. Let’s say my boss Craig shares a post with me, my coworker Brandon, and my coworker Mike. If I comment on this post, only Craig, Brandon, and Mike will see my comment. But any of them can reshare the post and thereby expose both the post and my comment to a larger audience. Also, if I mention some other person in my comment, that person will be able to see the post even if it wasn’t originally shared with him/her.

Can I edit something I’ve already posted?

Yes! Have you ever tweeted something only to realize your tweet has a typo or is missing a word? Your only option is to delete the tweet or risk being judged by your followers. Facebook gives you some editing power, but it’s really limited. On Google+ you can edit posts after the fact. Just click on the arrow in the top right corner of one of your posts and select Edit from the drop down menu.

You can fix typos, add more hashtags, add updated commentary, or do whatever your inner editor desires.

You can edit your comments on posts after the fact too.

When I share something, I see the option to share with Extended Circles. What is Extended Circles?

Extended Circles includes people in your circles’ circles.

What does muting a post do?

Muting a post takes the post out of your stream. It also prevents you from receiving further notifications about a post. Let’s say I comment on a post by Starbucks. This post will most likely garner a lot of comments, and I may not want to get a notification every single time someone else comments. So I’d mute the post.

Text Formatting:

Bold = *Word*

Italics = _Word_

Strikethrough = -Word-

(you have to put spaces around words if you want to format them)

Keyboard Shortcuts:

/           go to the search box

j           move up one post

k          move down one post

n          next comment on current post

p          previous comment on current post

r           comment on current post

If you missed any of the posts in the Google+ series, check out Part I on Google+ Profiles, Part II on Google+ Communities, and Part III on Google+ Ripples.

I’ve encountered this exact situation, and I’m willing to bet any blog writers out there have too. So I compiled four questions (three on grammar, one on vocabulary) and answered them. I hope it prevents some grammar- and/or vocabulary-induced headaches for you.

Question 1:

Can you use an apostrophe to make something plural?

Answer: No! (But there is an exception, which I’ll talk about.)

A few days ago, I went to an ice cream shop near my house and saw that the menu lists extra sundae toppings as “Extra’s.”

Apostrophes are used to make a word possessive (Mr. Fuddlebottom’s sundae looks delicious) and to stand in for something that’s missing (can’t instead of cannot, don’t instead of do not). They usually don’t make words plural.

Grocery stores are so notorious for using apostrophes to make words plural that there’s actually something called a “grocers’ apostrophe.” You’ve probably seen it when you spot at the grocery store signs marked “potato’s or “apple’s” or “pear’s.”

Plural (what grocers really mean):

Pears are $1.50/lb. this week!

Potatoes are on sale!

Possessive (when an apostrophe is correct):

This pear’s skin is yellow.

The potato’s smell was putrid. That spud was probably rotten.

So that menu at the ice cream store should say “Extras.”

Mr. Fuddlebottom likes many extras added to his hot fudge sundae.

But we’re talking grammar here, so of course there’s an exception. Apostrophes make things plural if you’re talking about single letters, like so:

Mrs. Bumblefluff told me to mind my p’s and q’s.

Mrs. Bumblefluff has three f’s in her last name.

(And when it comes to the phrase “do’s and don’ts,” spelling is a stylistic choice. Some style guides make “do’s” plural with an apostrophe, while others recommend “dos.”)

Question 2:

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Answer: Yes!

In grammar school and high school, I learned that ending a sentence with a preposition is always wrong. (Many people learn this, actually.) But it’s just not so! It’s completely OK to end a sentence in a preposition. Patricia O’Conner, former New York Times editor and author of the kickass book Woe Is I, explains that an 18^th-century English clergyman wrote the first popular grammar book and said that a preposition didn’t belong at the end of a sentence. This position was really popular with schoolteachers who were educated in Latin because Latin sentences don’t end in prepositions. But English is a Germanic language, not a Latinate language. Germanic languages often end sentences in prepositions. And modern grammarians have long attempted to debunk this grammar myth.

If prepositions can fall at the end of sentences, then a sentence like this is perfectly correct:

Mr. Fuddlebottom went to go see the movie that everyone’s talking about.

Could I reword this to say, “Mr. Fuddlebottom went to go see the movie about which everyone’s talking”? Yes. But I don’t need to.

Question 3:

Is “much” the same as “many”?

Answer: No!

The word “many” is used with count nouns (i.e., things you can count) and “much” is used with mass nouns (i.e., things you can’t count).

Mr. Fuddlebottom traveled many miles to get ice cream.

(Miles can be counted.)

Mrs. Bumblefluff expressed much gratitude when I offered to buy her dinner.

(Gratitude can’t be counted.)

Question 4:

Why is incorrect usage of the word “literally” so rampant?

Answer: I don’t know!

But in all seriousness, I think this word deserves some discussion. People often use “literally” as an intensifier or for added effect, like so:

Mr. Fuddlebottom laughed so hard he literally died!

If I don’t get to the party on time, Mrs. Bumblefluff is literally going to kill me!

(As I write this post, someone in my office just began a sentence with, “Literally…”) But literally means “actually” or “in a literal sense as opposed to an exaggerated sense.” So if Mr. Fuddlebottom literally died laughing, then at least he passed while doing something he loved. And if Mrs. Bumblefluff is literally going to kill me if I don’t get to the party on time, then getting to that party is literally a matter of life and death. The right word in those sentences is “figuratively,” not “literally.”

Joe Biden has a penchant for the word. He literally used it nine times in one speech. If you incorrectly use “literally,” you’d have some evidence to fall back on. Webster’s includes in its definition “in effect; virtually.”

But The Oxford Dictionary says that using the word in a non-literal context is wrong, even if it’s widespread. Plus, if you say “literally” when you actually mean “figuratively,” you’re bound to have someone call you out.

And those are literally all the questions I’m going to address in this post!

To recap:

Apostrophes don’t make things plural unless you’re talking about single letters.

You can end a sentence with a preposition.

“Many” is used with count nouns, and “much” is used with mass nouns.

Think twice before you say “literally.”

If you are in digital production industry, then you know that you can’t help but to be a gear whore. Today, you can find a wide variety of affordable HD cameras and a wide variety of stabilization devices. Besides the obvious advantages of using professional gear, you should realize, as a film maker, that concept is more powerful than equipment.  In my opinion, as long as you use the equipment that you have properly you can make anything work.

Take a look at Casey Neistat’s success with point and shoot cameras. He utilized some of the most inexpensive cameras early in his career and found his style. He worked with stop motion and rough hand-held shots, giving his work a gritty look and feel. With comprehensive dialog and graphical visuals, his style came across very clear and powerful.

Neistat’s short film, The Ethics of Stealing a Bike, was filmed using cheap cameras, stop motion, and voice over to successfully express his point.

Casey currently works with Mercedes Benz and Nike.

If you are just starting to get into video production, don’t get caught up worrying about image quality or expensive gear. Focus on your concept and how to utilize what you have available.

For the Lockport Outdoor Store commercial, the concept was simple. Zach, the manager, asked for the video to be basic and to showcase the size of the store.  Just to give you an idea of what equipment I used for this shoot, here’s a list of items:

Canon 60d

Tamron 17–50 2.8

Tokina 11-16 2.8

Kessler 8” Jib Crane

cobra crane dolly

Lowell halogen lights

Rode NT2A condenser microphone

manfrotto 502 video head mvh502ah

heavy duty bogan tripod

focusrite preamp

Audio Mute Blankets

The total cost to produce these two 15-seconds spots was approximately $3,780

Storyboarding

When the client asked me to showcase the size of the store, I immediately thought “panorama,” along with stop motion clips of customers trying on the products in the store (for branding purposes).  Using quick sketches and production notes, here is what I came up with:

I presented the storyboard to Zach and he decided that stop motion was not their style and suggested to keep the shots simple. Creating a concept and mapping it out will always be a process of trial and error. It is very important for planning out your entire project.

Think of your commercial or short film as a story. If there’s dialog in your story, make sure it works with your images. Jot down the dialog that will be played with every clip while also describing every shot as best as you can, from its composition to what movements are happening. (Notice the arrows in the first two shots of my storyboard, these show dolly and crane motions.) Thorough mapping will help you plan your shooting from start to finish in an organized way. You don’t want to show up to the set and be confused on who, what, when and where you are filming next.

While bringing your concept to paper, always think about building your scene properly. There are many ways to do this.  For example, Michel Gondry built his scene in an interesting way in his 1994 Levi’s commercial. He used rhythmic clips of the surroundings, allowing the viewer to see glimpses and compile an idea of the entire town.  While the main character drove through town, you never see his face. Gondry used first person perspective as the main character drove to the drug store and purchased latex condoms. Gondy’s style is surrealist, but simple. Each shot was easily created.  This commercial was filmed with no dialog and is universally comprehensible, making it impactful for anyone watching it. It’s not until the end that you see the main character. He built an entire story in this ad with suggestive imagery and no dialog. This commercial is very powerful yet simple with minimal, if any, post-work done to it.

Build the Scene with a Crane Shot

The Kessler Krane was a huge part in the Lockport Outdoor Store production. The wide images of the entire store floor helped to show the massive size of the store. When using a crane, as a film maker, you can utilize a bird’s eye view to map out parts of the scene. A fantastic example of this is in Touch of Evil 1958 by Orson Welles. This type of shot can be accomplished with the right tools.  The opening clip was one long take driving through a city, while raising and lowering the crane on a moving vehicle.

I wanted a similar establishing shot within the Lockport Outdoor Store, but I also wanted to incorporate it into a 15- second commercial. I was able to make this happen by combining the Kessler Crane onto a dolly track and time remapping the footage in post. This shot was so important in showcasing the massive size of their store. When starting the camera in a small area and opening the shot up into the large retail floor, the viewer gains a sense of space.

These cinema tools can make the difference between a good shot and a bad shot. It’s a good idea to work tools like this into your budget. A crane will allow you to pull different shots and really bring your concept to life.     

3D Camera Tracker

Utilize more current tools for post video production. A great way to add production value to your work is by using 3D text in your shots. This can be easily accomplished by using the 3D camera tracker in Adobe After Effects CS6.  Here’s a basic demo on how to use the 3D camera tracker in this specific program:

Recording Dialog

Audio is half of the experience of producing a great commercial or short film. Never underestimate the power of Foley sounds, dialog and music.

When planning to record audio for your film, never use the onboard microphone that is built into your camera. Stock microphones often pick up a lot of unwanted noise and the range is never in the correct place. Even a cheap lavalier or a separate boom microphone will make all the difference in your audio quality.

Jim, owner of Lockport Outdoor Store, has a great voice for dialog. The Rode NT2A combined with the scarlet preamp by Focusrite worked beautifully for several different types of recordings. In the past I have recorded dialog straight to a boom, but I wanted something that would capture a little more character. This microphone recorded the low-end vocal range very well and helped his voice really pull through in the final product.

Always consider the space you are recording in. We recorded the Lockport Outdoor Store audio in a nine-by-nine room, with thin walls, so I knew I needed to do something to help dampen the resonance. I stumbled on these dampening blankets made by Audiomute, and they are amazing!  After installing five panels, the resonance of the room was almost completely deadened.

Recording quality dialog might not be an option for your short film or commercial. Once again, think about what dialog was in Gundry’s 1994 Levi’s commercial: none.

Don’t be discouraged when trying to tackle a production. Whether it is a short film or broadcast commercial, always focus on a concept first and solidify it by creating a comprehensive storyboard. This will allow you to focus on each individual aspect of your project.  Although it’s important to have quality equipment, amazing things can be done with a great concept, a solid story board and some entry-level camera equipment.

Here’s the second 15-second spot I produced consecutively with the one.

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