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A New Focus and Direction for Dare Dreamer Media

Our company Dare Dreamer Media has evolved quite a bit over the nearly 8 years we’ve been in business. Our specialty is combining video with social media to help our clients achieve objective results. But lately I’ve been moved to specialize in providing services to organizations that represent worthy causes. Non-profits, schools, community organizations, and charity events are just a few of the types of clients we’re looking to serve. We want to create films that bring hope and enlightenment. To that extent, we wanted to help identify the type of organizations and jobs we’re perfect for:

  • An organization that has a message to communicate in a powerfully emotional way. A message that needs to be heard because of the positive changes it will make in the community. A message that will inspire your audience. A message of hope.
  • A Fortune 1000 company looking to motivate your personnel to aspire to higher goals than ever before reached. To encourage them in times when the horizon may seem bleak. To remind them of the important mission set out before them.
  • An individual passionate about helping other people improve their lives and move forward. You’re a speaker, coach, teacher, or author whose work has already had a powerful impact on others. Now you want to reach a wider audience using the power of video and social media to communicate your message.
  • A small business with a product or service that is unique and compelling. One that is best communicated via a film that will emotionally connect with your desired customers or clients.

Our New Mission Statement

Dare Dreamer Media is a social media and video production agency that specializes in partnering with worthy causes. We use our God-given gifts as storytellers to inspire, encourage, and move our clients’ audiences to improve their lives and better the community. We do that by providing superior customer service and a premium product marked by stunning creativity. We want nothing less than to change the world.

Our Latest Production

Below is our latest production for long-time client Pictage. It’s an inspirational recap from their yearly conference PartnerCon.

Posted in Film and Video, Portfolio. Tagged with , .

By Ron Dawson
February 5, 2010

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Daring to Put Yourself Out There

Snippet of Facebook comments.

Since returning this week from the In[FOCUS] event, a number of videos have been uploaded summarizing the activities in Austin. These have all been well crafted, artistically shot and edited, very cinematic short films. But there’s one particular video I want to highlight. It was shot and edited by New England wedding and event videographer Meghan Simone (pronounced si-MO-knee). This video is special because Meg almost didn’t post it. You see, there are no flashy Steadicam or glidecam shots. No jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring time lapse. No eclectic musical soundtrack from some uber-hip unknown artist. No motion graphics. As Meg herself put it in one of the Facebook comments on the video, “It’s sort of ‘low def’ in a ‘high def’ world.”

What I feel this video has is THE most important elements of any such video: a good story, and heart.

When I asked Meg if she’d mind me blogging about it, she wrote in her reply that after posting the video, she was very nervous. She was afraid someone would send her a private message telling her to take it down. Instead, she’s gotten over two dozen Facebook comments from people applauding the video. When world renown cinematic superstars like StillMotion, Joe Simon, and Ray “The Romantor” Roman are influencing so many videos we see, Meg was worried her “low def” piece would be lost in the shuffle (by the way. Technically, even hers is high def as it was shot on the Panasonic Lumix). But to her delight, it has been warmly embraced. She credits the inspiration from the event as giving her the courage to put herself out there.

ARE YOU HOLDING YOURSELF BACK?

Last August in my “Comparison Kills Creativity” campaign, I challenged my blog readers to not look at any competitors’ work for a whole month. It’s so easy for us to get down on our work when we feel it doesn’t hold muster to our colleagues’. What I personally learned from that challenge is that the work I, you, or anyone does, is already special. I don’t need to try to shoot or edit like anyone other than what naturally comes to me. That doesn’t mean I can’t be inspired by other artists. It just means that whatever style I intuitively create, that which makes me unique, there’s an audience somewhere out there who will appreciate it. But, if I hold myself back for fear my work isn’t good enough, I’ll miss out on so many opportunities.

If you’ve held back from sharing your photos or your videos with the world for fear your work doesn’t hold up, I encourage you to take a lesson from Meg. Here’s a quote from my correspondence with her about this video:

I finally said to myself, I can sit here and day dream about my ideas, or I could go out and actually attempt (maybe fail) and learn a TON along the way.

Thanks for inspiring us Meg to dream out loud.

Posted in Film and Video, Inspiration.

By Ron Dawson
January 28, 2010

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Reflecting Back on InFocus

Last week was the first In[FOCUS] “Gathering” of wedding and event filmmakers from literally around the world (I think Ireland was the furthest homeland of an attendee). There is just too, too much to say about how rewarding this event was. And I’m not just blowing smoke up your arse. One of the laments I often have when I go to a conference like this is that I don’t feel like I learn anything new. Maybe it’s because I’ve been in the biz so long (going on eight years). Maybe it’s because I’m always trying new things ahead of the crowd, so nothing seems new to me. Whatever the reason, usually the most I get from these kind of conferences is great networking. But for the first time in a lonog while I actually came away with pages of notes. I was genuinely inspired to make some changes and additions to my business that I’ve never considered. That is saying a lot for me!

A BIG SURPRISE

On the last day of the show, they shared a big surprise with everyone. Most of the training at the event will be offered online as part of a new InFocus membership website: InFocusVideoEvent.NET. Check it out. Bookmark it. It will be an invaluable resource, on top of all the great FREE content already available on their blog.

TESTIMONIALS

There’s nothing alike a testimonial video to set the stage. Here are some testimonials from just the first day.

IN[FOCUS] Testimonials from IN[FOCUS] on Vimeo.

A LOVELY REFLECTION ON AUSTIN

The In[Focus] organizers issued a challenge to everyone to make little films about their experience in Austin and InFocus. This one below was posted today by Jet Kaiser, a wedding filmmaker from Indiana. It has a great, home movie nostalgic feel. Shot on the 5D Mark II, of course. Great job Jet and Dani.

Our Journey to IN[FOCUS] 2010 from Jet Kaiser Films on Vimeo.

RELIVE THE MAGIC

Here are videos summarizing each of the three days (produced by Texas local 31 Films. Great job guys). Enjoy!

DAY 1 – IN[FOCUS] VIDEO EVENT from 31Films on Vimeo.

DAY 2 – IN[FOCUS] VIDEO EVENT from 31Films on Vimeo.

DAY 3 – IN[FOCUS] VIDEO EVENT from 31Films on Vimeo.

Posted in Film and Video. Tagged with , , , , , , , .

By Ron Dawson
January 25, 2010

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Is Your Vision Clear?

No, I’m not talking about your eyesight. What I’m talking about is the vision for your business or organization. I’ve started listening to a podcast series by Andy Stanley that has really got me thinking about how to improve the vision for our businesses. Andy is a head pastor for Northpoint Community Church in the Atlanta metro area. This is a 14,000+ membership church spread over three campuses. Andy is recognized worldwide for his leadership ability and education and has published many books and CDs. Although aimed at church leaders, this podcast is totally applicable to any organization.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

In part 1 of this 5-part podcast Andy tells us that the vision for your organization has got to be simple. I love how he put it: “Paragraphs and complex sentences do not make for a good vision statement.” It’s got to be memorable and portable. He used as an example Barack Obama’s campaign vision. Ask yourself right now what was the vision for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The main premise he ran on? I don’t even need to write it here because you know it. Whether or not you voted for him, you knew what his platform was. Now, ask yourself, what was Hilary Clinton’s or John McCain’s vision platform? (Insert sounds of crickets here.) Exactly. Andy also used the vision statement for the ONE movement (co-founded by U2 headman Bono). “To make poverty history.” Simple. Yet, powerful. Two great examples of casting a simple vision that people could get behind.

BUT IT’S NOT COMPLETE

The immediate reaction you may have is that in each of the cases above, the full vision is not complete. With regards to ONE, what kind of poverty? Where? With Obama,whenever he got up to speak, people would challenge him on his vision for the country. And that’s just it. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to fill in the blanks when and where it’s more appropriate: on your blog; in your brochure; in your promo video. But in order to create something that will stick in people’s minds, something that people can get behind, it must be memorable and portable.

So ask yourself, “what is my vision statement. Is it memorable and portable?”

You can listen to all five parts by subscribing to Andy’s Leadership Podcast (will launch iTunes). You can read more details about casting vision in his book “Making Vision Stick.” (Only $9)

Posted in Business, Inspiration.

By Ron Dawson
January 19, 2010

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Help Your Business and Help Haiti

Until January 31, 100% of the revenue I make from sales of my POWER PRICING audio download will go towards helping Haiti victims. I’ve lowered the price from $39.95 to just $29.95. So for a just thirty bucks, you can get over an hour of great advice on how to price your services, PLUS help out people in need. A no brainer!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

One of the most important decisions you will make in your business is what price you set for your services and how you will communicate that price to your prospective clients. One of the biggest mistakes visual artists make is not charging enough for all the work that goes into their craft.

This audio program is a call Ron had with one of his coaching clients. Although the person is an event videographer, the issues discussed are equally applicable to photography as well as most small businesses. Over 75 Minutes of valuable information. Topics include:

  • How to determine what to charge for your services
  • The pros and cons of packages vs. charging a straight hourly rate
  • The pitfalls of charging too low
  • How to best present your rates to the prospect
  • How to handle a situation where there is a large gap in time on the event day and the prospect wants you to stay all day, but not pay for that extra time
  • What you MUST include in every contract
  • And more

FREE BONUS: as a bonus, the file comes with our 7-page report “Building Your Business with Blogging.”

Reg. $39.95
Only $29.95 (until 1/31, 100% of proceeds to help Haiti victims)

Posted in Business. Tagged with .

By Ron Dawson
January 14, 2010

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Is Your Business Future Proof?

In that past few days I’ve seen film and video work that has me seriously re-thinking how I plan to progress my career moving forward. The technological achievements in Flash and CG (computer generated) video is so amazing, one cannot help but wonder how long it will be before even human actors will no longer be needed.

The writing has been on the wall for a while. For years Pixar has broken new ground in CG technology. Then, last year, the online slideshow creation powerhouse Animoto announced they were adding the ability it include moving video in their already terrific, auto-generated photo montages. Then a couple of weeks ago, James “King of the World” Cameron came out with his magnum opus “Avatar.” The story is absolutely first grade, but the imagery is literally out of this world amazing!

Now, in just the past week, I’ve seen two more examples of where this industry is going with respect to either the ability to auto generate content, and the advancements of CG animation.

INCONCEIVABLE

Many of us have seen those flash video-grams where you upload a photo and the photo gets injected into a pre-built video. It’s a great way to play a joke or freak your friends out. Last week I saw one of the most amazing implementations. Check it out (it takes a while to buffer, so click on it then come back and continue reading):

Then, today I saw a CG animated video by a CG artist named Alex Roman. The video below is all computer generated. It’s absolutely un-fricking-believable what this guy has done.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

ARE YOU FUTURE PROOF?

So the question is: how does a filmmaker/pro video producer “future proof” his/her business? How does one prepare for the future when technological advancements get to the point when videos that once took hours of editing time can be created in minutes; or when films can be created entirely in the computer, doing away with the need for cameras, lights, cranes, dollies, rigs, DPs, ACs, ADs, grips, etc.; how will your business be affected?

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “It’ll be years and years before I have to worry about technology like this affecting my business, if it affect my business all. I won’t see these kind of changes in my lifetime?” Perhaps you’re right. But there are already advancements in the industry (like the Animoto example above) that are here right now. And never under estimate the power of Moore’s Law. This stuff may happen faster than you know it.

What say you?

Posted in Business, Film and Video.

By Ron Dawson
January 7, 2010

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Inspiration for a New Year

One of the gifts in my stocking last week was a little book called “Purpose for Every Day Living for Fathers.” I’ve made it part of my morning devotional reading and it’s been very inspirational. It’s filled with very short chapters that start with an inspiring intro, then are filled with quotes from great thought leaders. On this, the last day of 2009, I’d like to share some of the quotes I read this morning to get you pumped and ready for 2010.

We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. It is a matter of personal choice. Who we are today is the result of choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow, we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change. ~ John Maxwell

I’ve never seen a monument erected to a pessimist. ~ Paul Harvey

We must admit that we spend more of our time concentrating and fretting over the things that can’t be changed than we do giving attention to the one thing we can change: our choice of attitude. ~ Charles Swindoll

Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. ~ Rick Warren

Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. ~ Philip Yancey

Be hopeful! For tomorrow has never happened before. ~ Robert Schuller

I hope your 2010 is NOT all you hope it to be. I pray that it is MORE!

Posted in Inspiration.

By Ron Dawson
December 31, 2009

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Policies and Procedures: Naming Conventions

wededit_browserIn my last post, I talked about the importance of writing down your policies and procedures. Today I want to share with you an aspect of ours as it relates to the naming conventions we use for project files. Below is an excerpt from the 8-page wedding editing guide we give to anyone who edits for our wedding division Dawson Signature Films. If you have a studio that works with multiple editors, such a guide is a terrific resource. By standardizing how your editors work in your editing system, it will make it easier for you or other editors to go in and make changes if necessary. (Note: a rudimentary knowledge of Final Cut Pro will be needed to understand some of what is mentioned below).

WHAT’S IN A NAME

In order to keep consistency among all of our projects, and to make it easier for studio editors to go in and make changes if necessary, we use a standardized system for naming the FCP (Final Cut Pro) file and the aspects of the media in the project.

File Name

We use the surnames of the bride and groom on both the tapes as well as the computer files. The name of the file should be as follows: [Last Name Bride-Last Name Groom Wedding]. So, if the bride is Jill Jones and the groom is Jack Smith, the FCP filename would be Jones-Smith Wedding.

Reels and Clips

When capturing the tape, set the reel name to the name of the tape, e.g. Jones-Smith A1, Jones-Smith B2, etc. Give the clips the same name. We always capture the entire tape in a single batch capture. If you want to break up each clip into respective elements (e.g. pre-ceremony footage, ceremony, etc.) use markers within the clip to segment the section. Name the marker accordingly, then double-click it in the Browser of FCP, opening it into the Viewer. Next, drag the video image from the viewer into the browser. This will create a new “clip” that contains just the footage covered by that part of the marker. You will now have separated sections autonomous from the master clip.

Sequences and Bins in the Browser

Each segment of the movie is edited in its own sequence. DO NOT edit the entire movie in one sequence. Name the sequence according to the section of the wedding it corresponds to, and precede the name with the 2-digit number of the sequence order. So, a six-segment wedding movie would be named as follows:

  • 01. OPENING HIGHLIGHTS
  • 02. PRE-CEREMONY
  • 03. CEREMONY
  • 04. POST CEREMONY
  • 05. RECEPTION
  • 06. END CREDITS

The names of the main sequences are all capitalized so that they easily stand out. Any other sequences you create that are not one of the main sequences, can have regular caps, but preceded by an underscore (“_”). So, if you create an Outtakes sequence to gather funny shots and scenes as you come across them, it would be named _Outtakes. Once you’ve finished editing all the sequences, nest them into a master sequence named “00. MASTER.”

When creating a bin, add a vertical slash to the beginning of the name. For instance, we create one bin into which we capture all the tapes. We name that bin “|Capture bin.” The bin for your music, “|Music”. Etc. This will keep all bins grouped together in the browser.

We use this naming convention to keep the media files in an orderly and consistent fashion that makes it easy for anyone who works on the file later to get around. We understand that it may be slightly different than how you’re used to editing, but we respectfully request that you adhere to these time-tested systems when editing any of our projects. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Ron or the producer in charge of the project.

Posted in Film and Video. Tagged with .

By Ron Dawson
December 30, 2009

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Write Down Your Policies and Procedures

csi_editguide

Screenshot from our old editing guide.

Whether you’re a one person operation or a multi-national conglomerate, if you want to effectively run and grow your business, you need to have systems set in place for every aspect of your company: from the shooting and editing, to bookkeeping, to the sales and marketing.

WHAT’S YOUR POLICY?

As a visual arts related business, there are many things we need to do to have a successful shoot. Checking gear. Clearing CF cards. Packing tapes. Printing maps. Etc. Then, when a shoot is over, there’s another whole set of duties for post production. Much of this work is stuff that just seems commonsensical. Some of it comes from lessons we’ve learned the hard way. But they all represent our policies and procedures for executing a shoot and edit. I have no doubt that many of you probably have a similar set of procedures you go through. But the question is, have you written them down?

One of the things that we talk about in our book ReFocus is creating these systems and the importance of actually writing them down. It may seem like unnecessary extra work, but in truth, it is a vital part of building a strong business. There are four key benefits to writing down your policies and procedures:

  1. Solidify your business: by writing down your P&P, you make it more concrete in your mind and those around you that this is a business, not just a glorified hobby. That’ll help with the IRS too should they ever question you about your business.
  2. Facilitate training: as your business grows, at some point you will hire either employees or independent contractors. In either case, you want to make sure that the work they do for you meets your company’s standards, and allows you to ensure a smooth workflow. Imagine how nice it would be if  you could just send them a PDF with instructions on how to do what it is you want them to do. Think of it as an operations manual.
  3. Encourages you to improve: when you actually sit down to write out how you do things, you get in a mindset geared towards that aspect of your business. That in turn forces you to think about ways in which you could actually improve the way you do things. The process of updating and writing your policies and procedures will lead to a process of updating and improving your policies and procedures.
  4. Prep your business for sale or investment: most of you may never have any aspirations of selling your business. But, you never know. One of the key aspects behind Michael Gerber’s E-Myth Revisited is setting up your business in such a way that it could be sold or franchised (rather or not you ever plan to). Having a set of written policies and procedures makes it easier to transition company ownership, which in essence makes your company more attractive to potential buyers or investors.

START NOW. DO IT LITTLE BY LITTLE.

It’s very easy to get started. Just pick one aspect of your workflow and spend 10-15 minutes writing it down somewhere. We use Google Docs. Then every time you go out to do a shoot, or sit down to edit, spend just a few minutes adding to your operations manual. Don’t worry about making it all “pretty” and organized now. Just get your policies and procedures written down. Change them over time as needed.

SHARE YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND YOU MAY WIN A FREE DOWNLOAD

I’d love to hear about some of the policies and procedures for your business. Share them in the comments below and next Monday, January 4, I’ll do a drawing for a free download of my pricing strategies audio program.

Posted in Business.

By Ron Dawson
December 28, 2009

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ReFocus at InFocus

I shot my first film when I was about 7 or 8 years old. It was a time-traveling crime caper shot on 8mm film. My little brother played a sort of “time bandit,” traveling back and forth in time stealing valuable treasures. We shot on location at Disneyland and Universal Studios (not the actual lot, just the theme park areas). At Disneyland we used the different worlds to represent the different time periods, e.g. Frontierland for the past; Tomorrowland for the future; etc. At the time I did it just for fun. It wouldn’t be until over a quarter of a century later, as an adult, until I’d pursue the business of filmmaking full time.

In the summer of 2002 I left a well-paying job as a business marketing manager for Quicken to start my business. What an amazing time. I was now getting paid to do things I had just done for fun in the past. And I was pretty darn good. My work was praised by my peers, both online and off. I was videographer of the year for two consecutive years for my local PVA (professional videographers association) at the time. Filmmaking was in my blood.

But somewhere along the line, as my company evolved, so did I. I was no longer just a filmmaker. I was an accountant, an HR manager, and most of all, I was a marketing guy. I came up with all sorts of creative and inventive ways to get my work seen by prospective clients. Some people took notice and my wife Tasra and I were blessed with the honor to write a book for Peachpit Press. It got to the point where I was more recognized in my industry for my marketing prowess than my art. I had left a job as a marketing guy to pursue filmmakiing, only to become a marketing guy again. What happened?

Michael Gerber puts it so well in his book the E Myth Revisited. The realities of running a business happened. In the process of doing sales and marketing, administration, and everything else, that which I loved started to fall to the wayside. Do you ever feel like that? Like the thing you got into this business for in the first place is no longer the thing you get to do the most? In fact, sometimes, you kinda hate it. Because you HAVE to do it. Be honest. Don’t you feel like that at times? I know I do.

I want to get back to my first love. My roots as a filmmaker. But, I can’t deny the fact that I still have a business to run. What’s a distraught marketing-guy-turned-filmmaker-turned-marketing-guy-again supposed to do? REFOCUS.

infocus

GETTING BACK TO MY ROOTS: REFOCUS AT INFOCUS

Tasra and I have the honor of being the opening act at this upcoming InFocus event in Austin, TX, January 17-20. Inspired by our book, our presentation ReFocus at InFocus will be designed to inspire you. To light a fire in your heart and soul and pave the way for the masters who will come after us. But first, we want to get your heart right. We want to get you ready to go. We’ll see and discuss inspiring short films. We’ll talk about our evolution in this business and how we’re evolving again. We’ll talk about strategies you can do to help you set your business up in such a way so that you can get back to doing what you love to do—whatever that is. But most of all, we want to inspire you.

WHO SHOULD GO

You should go to InFocus if…

  • You’re an event filmmaker or corporate video producer looking to learn how to take your shooting and editing to the next level
  • You’re a professional photographer looking to add video to your repertoire of services but don’t know where to start
  • You’re a visual artist looking for inspiration and ideas on how to market and evolve your business
  • You want to network and build friendships with colleagues from around the world

TODAY IS LAST DAY OF PRE-REGISTRATION

Today is the last day of pre-registration and getting the best price for this awesome event. If you need more convincing, check out some of the very creative short speaker intros. You can see all them here, but below are some of my favorite in terms of giving a broad perspective of what to expect.

Ray Roman: a cop turned award-winning event filmmaker. Oh yeah, and he’s very cool.

Loyd Calomay: if you are a fan of The Longest Day (the first online reality TV show for and about pro photographers), you may remember Loyd as the consultant filmmaker for the winning team, Dane Sander’s Team A).

The full line-up of incredible speakers includes (in no particular order):

  • Patrick Moreau of StillMotion
  • Ray Roman
  • Loyd Calomay
  • Mark & Trisha VonLanken
  • Steve & Laura Moses
  • Joe Simon
  • William Gaff
  • David Perry
  • Josh Smith
  • Joe Terravella
  • Chris P. Jones
  • and your truly

So what more convincing do you need? Register now and join us for three days of inspiration, education, and just plain old FUN!

Are you ready to ReFocus…at InFocus?

Posted in Film and Video, Inspiration, Uncategorized. Tagged with .

By Ron Dawson
December 22, 2009

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