If You Don’t Know, Just Ask

My (Ansley typing here) first job out of college was a video editing job at a production company.  My boss taught me that if a video doesn’t turn out how a client expected, it’s because we didn’t ask enough questions beforehand.  It’s our responsibility to make sure we’re doing our part in producing a video that the client is happy with.

One afternoon, at that same job, I got a call from a middle-aged gentleman.  We’ll call him Joe.  Below is the conversation I had with Joe:

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Joe:  “Hi, is this a video store?”

Me:  “Well, we’re not Blockbuster, but we do produce videos.  What can I help you with?”

Joe:  “See, I got this video shoot coming up tomorrow for my business, and the video people mentioned some fancy piece of equipment I never heard of.  I’m calling around to different places tryin’ to figure out what it does so I don’t look like an idiot when they get here.”

Me:  “OK, what piece of equipment did they say they’re bringing?”

Joe:  “They said they’re showin' up with a videogeyser.”

Me:  “I’m sorry, a what?”

Joe:  “A videogeyser.  I've been calling around and nobody can seem to tell me what it is.”

Me:  “A videogeyser...  Hmm, that doesn’t sound like any piece of video equipment I’ve heard of before…” (I think for a few seconds) ”Do you think they might have said, ‘The video guys are coming out tomorrow for your video shoot?’”

(There’s a long pause while I’m stifling laughter.  Slowly it dawns on Joe what they had really said…)

Joe:  “Ohhhhh…  Yeah, that makes more sense!”  Click.

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We can all learn a lesson from Old Joe:  If you don’t know something, just ask!  All that time calling around to different production companies could have been avoided by asking one simple question.
Clarification is especially important in the video production business when communicating with clients. 

•    Feel free to call your merchant ahead of time- you can find their contact info on the project page.

•    Google their business name, check out their website, do a little research on the business.

•    Use the communication tool on the project page for messages to your merchant regarding directions to the location, or any questions about their particular business. 

•    Contact StudioNow for any questions regarding compensation, technical specs, etc.

•    You should also proactively check the project page for messages sent to you.

•    Take the time to fill out our Pro Video On Site Production Checklist.

•    Ask if there are any particular shots they’d like you to get, or if they have any questions for you.

And, of course, don’t forget to bring your videogeyser. ☺