Andrew Barnes is a one-man band that runs Geagle Productions, a boutique video production company based in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs of Sydney Australia. Growing on a farm within the town of just 500 residents, he now runs a successful production company and has more than 10 years of experience in the industry to his name. We spoke to Andrew to learn 3d movie maker more about the way he runs his business, and what advice that he can offer to new companies that are just beginning to enter the field of video production.
What made you decide to decide to pursue this career?
I have always been interested in the visual arts and more excited by advertising/promotional videos rather than films. I believe that the rapid growth of online video was an integral factor in making my choice. Resources and inspiration were readily available all day long and watching amazing work from across the globe was an important reason for me to jump into the world of. It’s definitely a labor of love and I’m fortunate to have a job which also pays the expenses. It also allows you to grow in your shooting skills every time you start an exciting new endeavor. Every shoot you go on, you develop into a better shooter. I’d say as a single shooter, my communication with clients as well as ability has significantly improved. The confidence to attend meetings or shoots and completely trust your abilities has increased over time.
Would you be able to tell us the way you’d conduct yourself in one of your corporate/commercial assignments?
I would spend much of my time working on storyboards and pre-production. I soon realized that, as a solo operator production company near me this was not working for me. Being unable to constantly locate scout my location meant I was blind to storyboarding and the visuals would drastically change when I began shooting. It was time-consuming.
Today, I am trying to obtain an exact brief from my clients about what messages they wish to convey, since most of the work I do is commercial. I’ll then offer ideas about how I would like to see the production progressing and the best results. Once I am locked in, particularly when it’s an interview piece, I will always try to review the questions with the client, and then rewrite the script to find the most effective possible answers. While working with journalists in the newsroom I learned to get the most effective answers from the most talented.
Save the footage on my card until the next assignment
If shoot day comes around, I prefer to be there early. Being a sole-operating photographer, I have to spend a lot of time talking and preparing while also setting up. I love making the talent and client completely at ease before beginning shooting. It always produces an improved final product. Commercial shoots must be completed swiftly as the talent usually is not time-strapped. This sometimes causes problems, and I strive to complete the shoot as quickly as I can, without getting diminished. When the shoot is finished, I’ll save my footage onto two drives and save the footage on my card until the next assignment.
I’m worried about losing footage! Once I have all of my footage, and know the best way to achieve the style and look I want to achieve I’ll head to the library of stock music (check the Filmstro royalty-free music collection). It is often lengthy, but it’s as important as the concept. Music choices that are not well-chosen can cause a poor video to fail any days of the week. After I deliver the first version at the request of the client I’m waiting for the feedback and any changes, and make sure that I’m in as many conversations between the clients as is possible to ensure that the end product they are pleased with.
