Picture This Productions

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of university communications services at Concordia University.

What challenge were you trying to address with Picture This Productions?

We needed to create a high-level institutional video. We had a new president, and we wanted to convey a new message and feel to the video by introducing our university externally.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Picture This Productions made the entire video for us. We helped them with scriptwriting and provided them ideas as to who should be included in the video. Since we were a bilingual university, we needed the video to be available both for our English and French market.

After the research stage, the team chose the angles, managed all interviews, and filmed the video altogether. Additionally, they created the B-roll of the video, edited it, and applied narrations.

What is the team composition?

I worked with their production team in completing the project, but I mainly collaborated with two of their members. David (Senior Producer) was responsible for the actual filming, while Maureen (Creative Director & Co-Founder) did all the scriptwriting, interviewing, and researching.

How did you come to work with Picture This Productions?

We chose Picture This Productions because they already worked for our university in the past. Considering that fact, they were already familiar with our way of branding and organization. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000 CAD (approximately $32,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from June–November 2020. It took a little while because of the pandemic.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The video produced by Picture This Productions was generally well-received. We had not launched it in a lot of events because of the pandemic, but we heard positive insights from our internal academic staff and the other people who saw it. To add to that, we were contacted by high-level donors who showed interest in our institution upon seeing the video through our social media sites. 

Picture This Productions did a really good job considering that they had to work with limited access to the campus and within a more limited time frame.

How did Picture This Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

Picture This Productions was flexible and responsive. We mainly communicated through emails and phone calls. They were a small team, and all we really did was send files back and forth. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Picture This Productions worked with pretty dry materials, but they came up with a product that really reflected our brand. Institutional videos are difficult to make because they could be so similar that it’s almost impossible to distinguish them, but their team did it.

They were talented and professional, creating a video that was very well-positioned for the general public. Had we asked an internal team to do this, we wouldn’t have been able to create the same thing. Picture This Productions just did a fabulous job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t find anything I could criticize. They delivered exactly what we wanted.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to make sure that you really hammer out your concept and script before starting anything else with their team. That’s usually the most challenging part, but it will make them aware of what you expect from them. Take your time before you get into the production stage, and that will save you a lot of time and effort.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Communications Coordinator at Common Ground Center, a non-profit, multi-age arts, education, and outdoor recreation center. Our signature summer program, Camp Common Ground Family Camp has served all types of families for over 25 years. In my position I oversee all marketing and outreach activities.

For what projects/services did your company hire Picture This Productions?

We have found that many people are not familiar with the concept of a camp for families, so we decided it was time to do some product education as part of our outreach plan. We hired PTP to create a series of videos to showcase the many things that happen in a day of the program from sun up to sun down.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal for this project is to increase our camper numbers. By showing potential customers what happens at family camp they can imagine themselves coming to Camp Common Ground for their family summer vacation. We are using the longest video (3 min) on our website and also at outreach events. PTP also created two very short videos that we are utilizing on social media platforms.

How did you select this vendor?

The co-founders of Picture This Productions have been coming to Camp Common Ground with their family for several years so they know the program inside and out! When we decided that we wanted to do a project like this we immediately reached out to them and ultimately chose them because of their wealth of experience - both professionally and as campers.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Since we knew that the filming would need to happen at camp in the summer we started our initial conversations about the project in late winter/early spring. PTP led us through conversations to narrow in on the script and what type and how many videos we wanted. Then they took that information and their knowledge of the daily camp schedule to create a shot list. This minimized the amount of time they needed to be onsite and also maximized the amount of footage they got! I was the point person for the film crew and managed all the communications with PTP throughout the process.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

I primarily communicated with the Creative Director, Senior Producer and Consulting Producer. We were given a very clear outline of the editing process which included dates and two rounds of feedback. The PTP team was easy to communicate with through this process by phone and email and quickly incorporated our feedback.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

When we shared the news about the completed long version of the video with our community we had an incredible response! It is our "most shared" Facebook post ever and it clearly engaged many new potential customers. We have also showed the video at several events and it's received an enthusiastic response ("play it again!"). It's still too early to tell if the video has influenced more people to register for camp, but we know that it is exactly the tool we needed better market family camp.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The PTP team was easy to communicate with through the entire process. They were flexible around our schedules and needs, but also set clear deadlines to keep us on track in making decisions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had fresh, innovative ideas for our project and used their experience to create a beautiful product that was unique to us. We had a sense of what we needed the video to do, but the PTP team really did a fantastic job of guiding us through a creative process to identify exactly what we wanted from the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only set back was a postponement of our originally planned shooting dates because of weather/travel. This was outside everyone's control, but rather than throwing the project off the rails we just opted for Plan B (which we had already planned and prepared for just in case;)).

Please describe your company and your position there.

Soaq is custom training technologies and video production company. We specialize in the end-to-end delivery of technology services designed for employee training and compliance. In doing so, we also produce training/on-boarding videos designed to deliver relevant messaging to employees. I'm responsible for client delivery so my focus is geared towards fulfilling the client needs for every project and making sure it is executed to the highest standards. I also manage the video production arm of the company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Picture This Productions?

We hired Picture This Productions for a series of training videos for cleaning company who has a presence across the country. The challenge was that we were already at capacity internally and did not have the bandwidth to complete this project on our own. The timeline was also very tight on this project which was a challenge that needed to be overcome. We hired Picture This Productions to help us on the video editing side of the project. There were 10 videos in three language to complete - a total of 30 videos to produce with the time-span of a couple weeks.

What were your goals for this project?

This project was designed to re-train employees on the effective steps/procedures to clean a specific clients business. These videos would then be upload to the the clients private content platform (the Soaq platform) and quizzed on the learning's.

How did you select this vendor?

We originally planned and interviewed a number of candidates to be in-house editors for this specific project. I was then referred to Picture This Productions and encouraged to get in touch with them. I looked into the their previous work and was very impressed with how they delivered the core message of each video they produced. We had a couple meetings together to describe the scope, timelines etc and they proposed their solution. Not only was their solution and delivery timeline exactly what we were looking for, they were a great team and a pleasure to work with. For my money, that's the perfect combination.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

The videos broke down the different types of cleaning a procedures required to clean a specific location. The demonstrated the specific tasks that need to be completed in the different areas of the location as well as how to do them and what tools/equipment are required. This was broken into 10 different videos, in 3 languages, for a total of 30 videos. Picture This Production was responsible for all the editing and animation that went into putting together the final product. We had previously filmed the footage which we provided to Picture This. During this process my role was to manage the overall project scope. I needed to make the videos were being delivered on time and that the changes required by client were done.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Picture This Productions had a very clear and streamlined process to managing the project on their end as well as dealing with the feedback provided to the videos. On their end we worked with one editor and one Production Manager. Both were involved during the revision process - which there was several of considering the number of videos that needed to be produced. Importantly, their Production Manager would let me know if the number of revisions was taking us beyond the scope of the project. This was helpful because it provided us with information to go back to the client with, but also made sure that project was well defined and fairly taken into account when Picture This Productions would invoice us. We new what the deal was and there were no surprises.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project turned into a success for the client. We received glowing feedback from the client. They were happy with the turn around time of the project as a whole and the final design of the videos.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between us was highly efficient. Communication between our team and there's was streamlined, effective and enjoyable. Things moved smoothly between us. On their end they provided realistic timelines which they met almost all the time. The only reasons they would not deliver on the day they scheduled would be due to a last minutes change in scope or additional edits. In which case Picture This Productions would inform us ahead of time and provided a revised timeline. I appreciated this because it helped me manage client expectations.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Above all, what impressed me the most was their project management and management of expectations. They provided reasonable and realistic timelines and they made sure to communicate with us if the project was going beyond scope and if delivery dates needed to change. I feel that this sets them apart from other production houses who, at least in my experience, do not communicate as well or follow through on the delivery dates they set. Picture This Productions also created great videos for us. We explained our vision and they were able to deliver on exactly what we were looking for. We have since hired them for some custom asset develop which was done to perfection.

Are there any areas for improvement?

If there was anything we would do differently it would be to involve them earlier in the production process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’­­m the coordinator of emergency preparedness for a school board in Montreal.

What challenge were you trying to address with Picture This Productions?

I contracted Picture This Productions to create a tutorial video to help teachers provide emergency instructions in class.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a script prepared, but Picture This Productions created just about everything else. They produced an animated video that guided teachers through how to train students to prepare for a lockdown situation. It really goes step by step through the process and it’s not as scary as other instruction videos.

Their team designed logos and figures and had to provide bilingual voiceovers in English and French that matched the text.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000 CAD (approximately $7,650 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from March–August of 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Although we’re still rolling out the video and need to release to various schools, it's going to reach about 5,000 staff members and all of their students.

I’m really happy with the final product and the teachers have really appreciated it. The video takes a holistic approach to emergency situations and covers topics that are difficult to discuss in class. The video was well made and all of the instructions are very clear.

The graphics and designs they incorporated stand out as high quality. Overall, Picture this Production was very creative and I am very pleased with the material that they created.

How did Picture This Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very conscious of deadlines—they were always on time and they still provided quality deliverables. There weren’t any delays in delivery and they were very quick to respond.

I changed my mind a few times on different topics, and they were very accommodating. They would just go back and recreate what I wanted—no questions asked. They were professional and very friendly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very accommodating, creative, professional and never had a delay in delivering the material.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My only advice for prospective clients is to hire them. They’re wonderful.