Video is one of most powerful tools to share your message, but producing a video can be a pricey undertaking for a small business. On the low-end, if you’re lucky, you might have a professional friend who could get a video shot and edited for $2,500 – not counting paying actors, renting physical space, and wardrobe. Even “cheap” services like Epipheo or MotionCrafter will set you back a minimum of $4,000.
The alternative that Feltpad chose was to produce a video using an old version of iMovie, free software programs Gimp for image editing and Audacity for audio, and stock photos from Fotolia. The total cost of the video was $55 for the photos plus approximately 7 hours of development and experimenting time – but you also gain some knowledge along the way.
Here’s the result:
While it might not be as pretty as a video with a $5,000+ budget, it gets the job done for whole lot less money.
Here are the general steps that we took to produce the video:
1. Layout a basic storyboard on paper
2. Simplify the storyboard, think about what you want the images to look like
3. Write a script
4. Start looking for images on Fotolia
5. Take your time and pick the right photos
6. Revise your script
7. Use Gimp to edit the photos as needed
8. Drop the photos into iMovie, add transitions, etc
9. Record your voiceovers using Audacity
10. Use Audicity’s “Noise Reduction” tool
11. Export your audio files
12. Import your audio files to iMovie
13. Rework the timing of your video in iMovie
14. Export and upload to YouTube
It seems that everything I have been reading lately talks about gamification – gamify your life, gamify your job, gamify your dog.
I have taken two aspects of gamification – points tracking and rewards – and started to apply them to my business.
Points Tracking
Each quarter for the past year I have created a spreadsheet that tracks Feltpad’s different sources of income, along with how much income I expect from each of those sources each month.
As the quarter progresses, the numbers start to add-up (or not) and I can give myself a grade, for the month and for the quarter, based my performance. When I’m doing really well, it motivates me to see that I am close to hitting 100%. When I’m not doing so well, it is at least interesting to see where I should be.
Example Spreadsheet:
Rewards
People love rewards, even if they are meaningless. Look at Foursquare. People love getting badges – digital badges that appear on their phones.
This quarter I have implemented a rewards system for myself. I will get a bonus at the end of the quarter, based on my rating at the end of the quarter. The rule is that I get to spend this money on something fun that I would otherwise not purchase.
The rewards are based on a grading scale. The highest reward is for an A+ (97%+) at the end of the quarter and quickly reduce for each lower grade. If I get a C or below, I get no reward.
Mosaic Photo System
Another week, another app rejection for the Mosaic Photo System. A new version of the app has been submitted, totally abandoning the use of UUIDs. I do not want to prompt the user with a warning before they upload every photo, and that appears to be what Apple wants.
With the completion of Mosaic Slideshow v1.0, the iPhone app’s approval is the final piece before the official soft-launch.
This also marks the start of production of the Mosaic Android App and the first promo video for Mosaic. The promo video will be basic and will outline the three steps for using Mosaic:
1. Download the app
2. Snap a picture
3. The picture appears in the slideshow
Traveling
This week I was developing Mosaic from La Fortuna, Costa Rica – in the shadows of the Arenal Volcano.
One of the best business books I’ve peeked at this year is only 56 pages long and free to download. It demonstrates how an organization of any size can be fun, all-inclusive, and thrive. I am talking about Valve’s Employee Manual.
The manual hints at a lot of things I would like to know more about (How does an electrical socket know which computer is plugged into it?) and is an incredible display of design, hard work, and passion.
Mosaic Photo System
This week we took on a small setback when the Mosaic Photo System iPhone App was rejected due to the fact that it transmits “personal data” to a web server. The “personal data” that is being transmitted is a UUID, which is randomly generated, which we use to track which photos are being uploaded by which users. We can’t actually see the user’s name or any other info. A small adjustment has been made and the app has been resubmitted.
Outside of the iPhone app, Mosaic Manager v1.0 has been completed. This is a tool that most users will never see but it is very important to the Mosaic system. Mosaic Manager allows us to monitor photos that have been uploaded and reject anything that might be questionable.
Traveling
This week, Mosaic is being developed from the shores of the Caribbean Sea, in the town of Puerto Veijo, Limon, Costa Rica. The town has a Rastafarian feel and the beach at Playa Negro has back sand, created by volcanoes.
