One of the goals of this web site is to bypass a lot of fluff and clichéd PR material you see everywhere. We want to provide you with realistic, bare bone answers to your questions.

Why should we use you vs. some other company?
Look at our experience and talent level. Look at samples of our work. We are passionate about what we do, and we believe you can see it. It’s not always about the lowest price. We’re about quality, not being the least expensive.

How can I tell the difference between your company vs. others?
Visit with each company owner or producer. Ask to take a look at everyone’s demo reel. The people and the quality of work should answer your questions.

How much does it cost?
Probably the most popular question we get. There are way too many variables in each individual production to have standard answers. Every project varies. It all has to do with time and money. Better equipment cost more. Experience and talent cost more. The more time (days) it takes to shoot, the more costly. The same with editing. Some projects are actually simple. Many other are not. Once you tell us what you are looking for, we can give you general price ranges fairly fast.

How do you charge?
High-end production companies charge by the Day or Half Day for shooting. Hourly shooting rates are a sign of low-end production. If you’re looking for something good, stay away from hourly shooting.

Standard shooting days are based on 10 hours. Half Days are anything under 5 hours. These charges usually apply from when the crew meets to load up equipment until the crew unloads equipment after the shoot. This is called portal to portal. The crew has to be compensated for their working time, and this reflects when they start and stop.

Editing is based on an hourly rate. We charge by the quarter hour. And we round down. Meaning if you use an hour and twenty minutes of editing time, we round back to the nearest fifteen-minute interval. So the charged editing time would be 1.25 hours. Some companies will round up, meaning you’d pay 1.5 hours instead of 1.25 hours.

Most projects are billed half in advance, and half after completion. Sometimes it’s billed in thirds. One third up front, one third after shooting, and one third after editing. And then others are billed only at completion. It depends on the project and the duration of time from start to finish.

Each production is discussed on a case-by-case basis. Pre-production charges vary from project to project. We do not charge to talk and visit with you initially about your production. That’s FREE!

How long does it take?
Another wide open question. It all depends on the complexity of the project. It’s best to call and discuss the project to get a realistic sense of what’s involved. We can give you a realistic timeline once we know what you want. It can take anywhere from a day or two to many months or years. Just depends on what the project is.

Why are TV stations cheaper to make TV commercials than you?
Simple. TV stations want your advertising money to air your spots. They basically give away the production cost at a token fee. They make their money from you buying airtime. TV stations can rarely offer the same high quality production as a true production company. That’s why most local TV stations make bad and goofy commercials.

Should I shoot my project in High Definition?
Probably not. Unless it’s going to air or be shown in HD, there’s no reason to. On the local level, there’s no reason to at this point. For a national spot, there are reasons to think about. If the project is going to have a long shelf life, then that might be a reason to. It totally depends on how it’s going to be shown or distributed.

Is HDV the same as HD?
No. Don’t be tricked. Real HD cameras cost somewhere under $100,000. HDV cameras cost under $10,000. There’s no way it’s going to be the same. HDV records on a $6 Mini DV tape. If you’re thinking about shooting something on HDV, call us to discuss the reason. We can save you time and money.

Is Avid better?
The Avid nonlinear editing system is a leading, well regarded name around the world. It’s trusted and as reliable as any editing hardware and software out there. The system we use is not one of these packages you buy for a few thousand dollars. There’s a lot more to it than that. We’ve also got the tape machine formats (BetaSp, DVCam, DVCPro, etc) external scopes, voice-over booth and other tools that make our edit suite the complete deal. Bottom-line is that our setup will enable you to do just about anything you want.

How long have you been doing film & video work?
I’ve got over 19 years of professional experience in film and video production. Plus at least 8 more years experience as an amateur filmmaker making Super 8mm short films while growing up.

What is Azbells?
Azbell Electronics is the home of our Avid editing suite and the central location where most of our gear is housed. Azbells’ has been in business over 50 years and continues to offer a multitude of services, including video and audio equipment installations, electronic repair, TV & audio sales, sports video equipment, antique radio sales, DVD, CD & VHS Duplication and many more. Check out the web site for more. www.azbellelectronics.com

What is Empire Graphics?
Empire Graphics is the name Freddie Aguilar does business under. Freddie handles all our graphic and animation work, and works with lighting and sound on most of our shoots. Look under “What We Do” and “Services” on this site to get an idea of the wide variety of things Freddie does.

What makes a good video?
A creative idea or concept, then a good script. Great shooting, lighting & sound. Properly cast talent and voice-over talent. Tight editing, proper use of music and sound effects. High-end graphics and animation. Good technical programming for DVDs, CDs, etc. And the time and budget to support these areas. Also hiring a crew with talent and experience that are easy to work with.

Can I put my Power Point onto video?
Yes. However, depending on graphic content, this may or may not crossover well to video. Power Point is designed to work on high-resolution computer monitors. Televisions and video monitors don’t handle small text and small graphics near as well as computer monitors. So depending on the actual content of the Power Point, it may or may not work well directly converted over to a video medium. We have had to rebuild many graphics and other components of Power Point programs in order to make them effective on a television screen. We can tell pretty quickly while watching a Power Point if it will work or not.

Can I use my analog video on the internet?
Yes. It doesn’t matter how or what a project is shot on. Don’t let the word “digital” affect your plans. That word is thrown around way too loosely.

Can you put my video on DVD?
Yes, basically anything that exists on video tape can be converted to a DVD.

Can I have $700?
No, but good try.

Do you make copies of videos and DVDs?
Yes. We do all our dubbing through Azbell Electronics. We can duplicate in mass quantity VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, CD-Roms, etc. We also carry a selection of cases and sleeves, provide printed labels on DVDs and CDs, and can design slipcovers for cases as well. Prices vary on the quantity ordered.

Do you shoot weddings?
No, but our informal partner Empire Video & Graphic Production’s does. Contact Freddie Aguilar. 254-772-5905. or go to www.ipromiseforever.com

Are you currently hiring?
Our staff is hired as contract labor. Which basically means we have no full-time employees. Most smaller production companies work this way. Otherwise overhead would eat us up. But if you have a particular talent or experience you’d like to tell us about, please contact us.

Do you travel outside of Waco?
Yes. We basically work wherever we need to go. The majority of our work is done in Texas. It’s a large state. But we have worked on projects outside of Texas and travel internationally from time to time. We all keep current passports so we are ready to go any where in the world.