Getting started
You bring the message.I turn it into a film.
You’ve seen one of my films and you’d like one for your business. The hard part is knowing where to start. Here’s the whole process, step by step: your part first, then mine.
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Part 1 · Your part
Get your message ready.Before we talk.
You know your business, and the people you’re talking to, better than anyone. These five steps are the part only you can do. They’re also what makes the film yours.
Sorted into parts, one card each. -
Who is it for?
The film is for them, not for you. So start in their seat.
Who will watch it: your clients, your staff or the public? What do they already know? What worries them? How should they feel when it ends, and what should they do next?
Then think about where they’ll see it: your website, a LinkedIn post, a course or a public notice.
Your brief, in five lines
- 01Who it’s for
- 02What they already know
- 03How they should feel
- 04What they should do afterwards
- 05Where it will play
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Break your message into parts.
Take a big sheet of paper. Write your big idea at the top.
Now ask how many separate things are in it. There’s always more than one: what you do, who it’s for, how it works, why it’s better. You’ll usually find six, sometimes nine. Write each one down as a short note.
Leave out what the viewer doesn’t need. Your history and the fine print belong on your website, not in the film.
Write a line or two for each part.
Under each note, write a sentence or two. Say one thing, then move on to the next part.
Put the parts in order and read them out loud. That’s your first draft. It doesn’t need to be polished. That’s my job.
About 150 words are spoken in a minute, so a line or two for each part keeps most films to one or two minutes.
Here’s one worked through. An accounting firm wants young clients to see what it would do for them over a lifetime. That’s eight parts. With a line or two each, the story runs about 50 seconds.
An IT programme or a government team works the same way. The big idea might be go-live Monday, and the parts are what each team needs to see.
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Gather your branding and pictures.
Then think about what the finished film has to show. Send me:
- 01Your branding
Your logo, colours and fonts, or your brand guide.
- 02Photos that must appear
At full quality: your premises, your team or your product.
- 03Who it has to speak to
Tell me who your customers are, so the people on screen look like them.
- 04What’s written about your service
A brochure, a web page or a process document.
You don’t need drawings, scenes or animation. I make all of those.
Under your NDA. I’ll sign your NDA before we start. The story needs your situation, not your secrets.
- 01Your branding
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Send it to me.
Send your notes, your draft and your files through the form at the foot of this page, or message me on LinkedIn. A rough draft is fine.
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Part 2 · My part
From your draft to your film.This part is mine.
One person makes every video, from the first conversation to the final cut. It usually takes about three weeks from our first conversation.
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I read it all. Then we talk.
I read everything you send before we speak. Then we talk it through on Zoom, Skype or the phone: who it’s for, the story, and anything I still need.
If something’s missing, I’ll ask for it. Sometimes one call is all it takes.
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Your script, made ready.
I tell you whether your draft is ready to go or needs work. I help you improve it as part of the service, and turn your parts into a story your viewers will recognise.
We go back and forth until you’re happy with every line. Then you sign it off, and your price is fixed.
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Story cards.
A couple of days after you sign off the script, you get the whole story as story cards. Every picture is in order, with the words spoken under it, and your branding and photos are in place.
Change any card you like. This is where you see the film before it’s made.
Her first pay slip arrives at eighteen. 
Chloe doesn’t read any of it. It’s a list, and she’s eighteen. 
Eighteen: her first tax return, done properly. 
Twenty-five: a deposit on her first home, planned two years ahead. 
Thirty-five: her own business, with an accountant who already knows her numbers. 
Eighty: a quiet morning on the verandah, nothing to worry about. -
Animation, voice and music.
Once you’ve approved the cards, I animate every scene and add a professional voice, music and captions. You get two rounds of changes on the film.
Then it’s yours, in versions for your website, social media and your LMS.
Questions
The short answers.Ask me anything else.
Do I need a finished script?
No. Your parts, with a line or two on each, are enough. I make the script ready with you, as part of the service.
What if I’m not a writer?
Write it the way you’d explain it to a new client across your desk. Plain sentences are fine. I shape them into the story.
Do I need to supply graphics?
No. Send your logo and any photos that must appear, such as your premises. I make every scene.
How long does it take?
About three weeks from our first conversation, depending on how quickly the script and the scenes are signed off.
What if a scene isn’t right?
I work on the script with you until you’re happy with it. On the video, you get two rounds of changes. A third round of changes to the video, or any after it, is A$250 + GST a round, to cover the extra production time and costs. If something in the animation itself goes wrong, such as a hand or a cup that moves the wrong way, I fix it at no cost, in a 2D animated explainer or film-style.
Will you sign our NDA?
Yes, before we start. The story needs your situation, not your secrets, so you never have to send anything confidential.
Contact
Start a conversation.Tell me what you need, and when.
A line or two is enough. I’ll come back to you by email.
Prefer LinkedIn? Message Ken McHardie on LinkedIn.