Choosing a video production company for your first project can be a daunting task, we understand that. We would never presume to tell anyone who not to work with, that would be incredibly irresponsible and unprofessional. What is more important is to help guide our clients on why a small studio like Earl Studios is often an ideal solution for your project.
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The One Man Band
Yes, it’s true. Earl Studios consists of one person who does all the work of the company. Some people would try to make you believe that this is a bad thing, it is the exact opposite. It benefits you, the client, because you get to work with one person through all aspects of your project. If you have a change to the edit, graphics, or the music, one person handles all of that. Changes are implemented quickly and communication is streamlined. We are not paying people to be on staff and those cost savings are passed on to you. The biggest benefit to Earl Studios being a one person studio, is the visual and creative brand of our work is maintained through all aspects of production. This is why clients choose us, because we produce unique, cinematic work quickly and on budget. It is that professional, creative, cinematic look to an Earl Studios video that cannot be found anywhere else. Filmmaking is my entire life, it has been since I was a kid. My ability to write, shoot, edit, and do visual effects comes from a love of the craft of filmmaking and an excitement to learn and grown as a filmmaker.
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Studio office
Earl Studios does not have an expensive office or studio. We are a home based business. Again, some companies would have you believe that this is a “red flag”, but it is not. This is another cost savings for our clients. We are not paying rent and utilities for an additional office space, and the money saved from this expense is another way for us to keep our costs down. Not having a separate studio location, has not limited our abilities. We have hosted large clients such as Stonyfield Yogurt, Hancock Gourmet Lobster, and Tuscan Brands here for numerous shoots. The other benefit is that without the expense of an office space, we are not limited in the hours we are able to work on projects. While some companies punch in and punch out and take weekends off, we are able to work on projects 7 days a week, at any hour of the day. In my dedicated editing office, I can work on changes or projects immediately upon request. I don’t have to travel into work, I don’t take snow days or sick days. This speeds up productions and allows us to exceed deadline expectations.
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Gear is not everything
It is important to have high quality equipment, which we own. But creative ability and experience are more important than gear on any project. TV shows and feature films have been shoot on cameras that you can buy at the mall, because in the hands of a skilled cinematographer this gear can be pushed to its creative limits.
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The Spielberg approach
I am constantly studying filmmakers I admire, watching films, and applying this to our work with clients. This is what makes an Earl Studio’s video different. I employ the same type of cinematography and style for our clients that I see from some of the greatest directors in film history. Creative composting, engaging camera work, dramatic angles, these are production aspects that cost absolutely nothing to a client, but make a world of difference in the final project. Like the great directors Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Wells, and Sergio Leon, I believe the camera should move, that’s why they call it “motion pictures”. I will give one word of warning, if a video production company can’t spell the name “Spielberg” correctly, chances are they probably don’t know his work that well either.
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Professionalism
As a U.S. Army veteran, I take the professionalism of my company and my work incredibly seriously. The military instilled in me a certain work ethic and standard for how I hold myself, and that is evident in how I work on set. The ability to “tell a joke” has absolutely no bearing on a company’s ability to produce a high quality cinematic video project. Clients enjoy working with Earl Studios because we run a low stress, engaging, and professional set. It becomes a positive experience for everyone involved. Not every project is going to be a whacky zany comedy, so professionalism is more important than humor.
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Always shooting
I am always shooting, always making films, and this is because I absolutely love what I do. When I’m not filming for clients, I’m making small personal films for myself that I share on social media, to work on my skills and editing. This is not a hobby for me, this is not something I do because I got laid off from the newspaper and realized my photo camera also happens to shoot video. This has been something I’ve done for over 30 years. Starting with loading up 8mm film in my grandfather’s camera, through the days of editing hi-8 video through 2 vcrs in my barracks. Today, I work on industry leading equipment for national brand clients. Review the work being done by the studios you are considering, look at the quality of what they are doing. Are they producing constant videos for clients, or more focused on producing video to promote themselves?
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Choose what is best for you and your project
In the end, we would never presume to tell you who to choose for your video production needs, that decision is up to you based on your project and your budget. But there are some instances where working with a small one person studio is exactly what your project calls for. When you are looking for a high quality cinematic product that meets with your budget requirements and deadline but looks like it was produced by a much larger studio, then you absolutely should consider a small studio like Earl Studios.
