​My heart goes out to helping nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations help their community by serving those who are in need. People who serve charities do so from the bottom of their heart. At times, nonprofits have a hard time raising money so that they can continue their soul serving work in their own community. If a nonprofit organization does not have the money which feeds its purpose, they really can’t be as effective as they wish they could be.
 
There is a solution however, for those nonprofits that are looking for strategic ways to receive more donations, it’s called the internet. We live in a social media society. A society that can be reached through the means of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and so on. Some may say it is easier now than it was 20 years ago to get your message out because of the internet. There is one problem though…there is a lot of people trying to stand out just like you are and with that comes NOISE. Everyone is trying to get others attention, but many are just creating NOISE. How do you stand out?
When people give donations, they usually like to see how their money or gift is being used. What better way to show people where their hard earn money is going than to showcase someone who benefits from the donations through a video highlighting their story? I strongly suggest you get the recipients approval. People relate to people, that is why stories have so much impact on us. Stories draw us in and create an emotional charge. The video production team needs to focus on the right person for the right reason. Build your story around one or two ideas, and make sure those ideas fit the person who benefits from your service. When you use people to tell stories you can build trust and it really takes a hold of peoples’ hearts. People want to help it’s in our nature. So, what better way than to create a story that shows this?
You can use these stories to promote your cause, which will create a buzz and it is these stories that will help separate you from the noise.
Personally, I would want to see and hear from someone who has benefited from donations and how their life has improved versus “Please donate.” So yes, story is one very crucial and very effective way to increase donations and recurring donations from donors. Donors want to see progress.

​If your organization is looking to promote a fundraiser or event you can also create a public service announcement. Television stations run a certain amount of public service announcements for free each day. Because they run the psa for free, they need to look and sound professional. Your organization should hire a professional video production company to help create the psa. This will give you a better chance for getting your information out on the air which in return will help with a better turn out for your fundraiser or event. The more people who turn out increases your chances of receiving more donations. You could also use the same psa on your website and social media platforms. Create a video campaign on Facebook to help promote your event. 

​In 2019 I want to help many nonprofits tell their story as well as those who they help. Remember, stories move people into action. If your nonprofit needs help telling their story or those they help please contact me.
www.cookfilms.co 

When it comes to setting up a key light for your interview you have many options you can choose from. Choosing the correct lighting goes hand in hand with the subject matter. If the subject is light and airing, you can choose a real flat lighting approach where there is not much contrast. If the subject is harsh in nature you may want to use minimal lighting which will create a more dramatic feel. 
After I shot this project I thought I would share my tips on achieving book lighting. Book lighting is a type of soft light that wraps around your subject. I got away with only on key light and back ground light for this shoot. The light wraps around the interviewee's face so nicely and leaves a little shadow on the right side. I used a back light to separate her from the wall which outlines her.

Here's a quick answer of a question that I usually get on lighting. Right now I'm just gonna show you a real quick setup of how to use a particular lighting setup that I've learned from Shane's inner circle. You can tell right now that on the subject, her face is lit by just one light to the left, and we've got a back light as well to enhance the back of her, kind of separate her from the wall. So I wanna show you this real quick setup that I have, it's called a book light. You can use a really inexpensive white piece of cardboard, they call it foam core at Michael's or any of those art stores. And what I've got here is, I've got a nice silk, I picked this up from Amazon for about 10 dollars. I've got the white board right here clamped to a C-stand, and then we've got the light shining at a 45 degree angle bouncing that light into the silk. And what, you know, what this does, is it creates a nice, soft look on your subject. It's not too far from the subject, and you wanna be able to go as close as possible, because remember, the closer you are, the softer the light. And what I like to do is, I like to have the light around, maybe three feet from the subject. So this is what it looks like. I hope that answers your guys' questions.

​There are several ways to set up an interview, these are just a few tips I would like to share. Here's another quick answer to a question that I get all the time regarding video interviews, how to set them up. Before you even press record, make sure the eyes are in focus. And then number two, if your interviewee is looking side-left or side-right, make sure that there's enough nose room in this area, because you don't want them looking at a wall. You wanna give them enough room to look. It's more comfortable that way. And also, make sure that there's not too much head room. You don't want a lot of head room. It's gonna make it look like it's uncomfortable. You can obviously break all these rules if you want, but you need to know what the rules are in order to break them. If you are doing an interview on someone who is a specialist in their field, you might want them to look straight into the camera, that way they can talk directly to the audience. I hope that helps. Gimme a thumbs-up, or subscribe to the channel, and feel free to ask me any questions by going to cookfilms.co, and I would love to cover your question.

If you own a business or you’re trying to get the word out about your services or new product advertising the old fashion way might not be your best option. More than likely when a commercial comes on while you are watching television you get up from the couch to do something, or you grab your phone. Why do we do this? Well we are a society that doesn’t want to be sold to any longer. We don’t want to be told what to buy and why this soap is better than that one. It is my belief that people search out services and products on their own time when they are ready to do so. Truth be told, this is a huge reason why I stream all of our family’s entertainment. When you watch Hulu or Netflix your program is not interrupted by some sales pitch.

So, what does this mean if you are a business and you are trying to get more customers? Well, you may want to rethink your sales strategy and adopt content marketing. Content marketing is when you create information about a problem your product or service can solve. This is a new way to advertise your business without throwing it in your customers’ face. Content marketing doesn’t interrupt your potential clients, it adds value and can help educate people when they seek it. Therefore, it is so important to start creating content for the masses. Our cell phones can be great helpers in delivering this content. So what kind of content marketing should you provide?

Content marketing can be created in several creative ways. Some businesses like to write, some like to talk and use a podcast as their vehicle of delivery. Video is becoming huge player for businesses who want to deliver their message and ideas. If you do not mind being on video, you have a leg up on the competition since people can put a face to the company. Some experts suggest getting the most bang for your buck is to write about a topic and embed video within the blog to reinforce the information you are providing the reader with.  Experts also say that by the year 2020 video will be the main tool to deliver content marketing.

​Let’s take me for instance. I own a video production company and I want to get the word out about what I can offer new and existing clients. I may want to explain why it is important to light an interview a certain way. Depending on the style of interview and if it is dramatic or fun in nature, I would suggest different lighting techniques that suit the video.  Here is an example of me talking about different ways to light a subject. 

​You may own a gardening business. A cool idea would be to offer tips on when the best time of year to plant certain species of plants and flowers. Or talk about when the best time to prune roses, and what will happen to them if you prune them at the wrong time. If you’re an expert in your field, just deliver content that people may already be asking you about. Chances are, people will search on the web and your blog or video might pop up.

We all want more clients and keep the ones we already have. As businesses we must provide them with problem solving content. Content that will be valuable to them when they seek it on the web. The main thing you need to consider is to serve your potential customers with content they can value. When you are a guide helping them solve a problem you will more than likely be the first one, they will want to hire when the time presents itself. The customer might not need or want your service or product right now, however if you provide enough quality content you can bet, they will look at you as a professional and someone they will turn to when the time is right.

​Blogs are a great way to deliver your content. Some people can write better than others and blogs would be a great fit for them. There are some people who are great in front of the camera too. Whatever method you do choose, choose to do it in a professional manner. If you decide that video is the way you want to communicate your valuable message than get a decent microphone and tripod. Buy a video light and learn how to position it so that you look as professional as possible. You may wan to hire a videographer too. You could have many pieces of content ready to be filmed and edited. The only thing you need is to supply the content. You could also take the videos and send them into www.rev.com to be transcribed. Take the transcription and use it as a blog. The main thing is to stay fresh with content that can educate people who are looking for your service or product. Once you create enough quality content on the web, you’ll will start to get noticed. You won’t even have to have disrupt people anymore with your sales pitch. I am like you possibly, looking for a better way to help people discover what I can offer them. The old way of advertising is dying, and I do not want to die with it. Content marketing is the future, embrace it and learn by doing it. 

www.cookfilms.co

Audio is just as important as video
When it comes to video production many feel that video or film is the main objective. The picture is important, but so is audio. Try watching your favorite program with the volume turned down. You could probably get the just of what was going on by the action played out but would miss a lot as well. You’d soon realize how important audio is and how it complements the videos we watch.
So, what could be said about these two microphones? Yes, one is larger than the other, the larger one has many ridges on both sides of the microphone while the shorter of the two only has a few ridges (phase-interference slots). What are these microphones and when should you use them? The longer microphone is a Super-cardioid condenser shotgun microphone. Super-cardioid refers to how the microphone picks up the sound. When a microphone has a super-cardioid pick up pattern it picks up sound mainly in the front of it, and somewhat on the sides of it, however, the sound picked up on the sides will be out of phase thanks to the phase-interference slots. The sound behind the microphone will be rejected do to the super-cardioid pick up pattern. So, for instance, If I were to point the microphone at someone who is mowing their lawn, the mic would pick up the sound of the lawnmower and would reject the sounds behind the microphone (people talking for ex.) Shotgun microphones are best suited for outdoors. Their long interference tubes (ridges on the side of mic) do a great job picking up sounds far from the mic, but when you use the same microphone indoors it can have a reverb effect on dialogue.

If you are interested in capturing audio from an interview indoors, you would then want to use the shorter microphone which is a hyper-cardioid microphone. Due to its size and it being a hyper-cardioid mic, it can reject reverb that is caused by rooms with highly reflective surfaces. It too is a condenser microphone (condenser mics need their own power to operate +48 volts, usually provided by professional cameras). It can capture sound directly in front of it, and on the sides, different mics will have different results. If you plan on capturing an interview, you would want the microphone to be placed on a boom stand. By using a boom pole, you can adjust the length just enough to place the microphone over the talent. You want to direct the head of the mic towards the talent’s chest not their mouth. The further away you place the mic, the more noise you will get. However, if you place the mic too close to the subject you will get a proximity effect where the voice tends to sound too bass like. Usually you get good sound when the microphone is placed between 12-18 inches away from the talent, this is also true for shotgun microphones. Too far away, and the dialogue will sound like it is captured in the distance.

Next time you want to record audio either indoors or outdoors, you’ll know which mic to choose. There are some cases when you can use a shotgun microphone indoors when in a pinch. The thing to remember if you do choose to use a shotgun indoors is to keep the mic close to your talent when they are speaking (12 inches will do) and to make sure the room does not have too many reflective surfaces. If the room is too reflective, (tiled floors, hardwood floors, short ceilings etc.) you will need to treat it with sound absorbing blankets. If money was tight and I only had the opportunity to buy one mic, I would choose a shotgun microphone.

Tips on How to Conduct a Better Video Interview
Speaking in front of a camera can make many people feel very nervous. This blog post will suggest some ideas to achieve better interviews. It is important to screen each person you want interviewed. Screening is a good practice because someone who you thought may give great responses to your questions really didn’t have much to say. Search for those individuals who will help tell your story with passion. Some folks really articulate well and have a special ability to speak on camera…these are the people you need to seek out. How boring would it be if all you got where one word answers?

This brings me to the next tip, ask open ended questions. By asking open ended questions you will get more than a No or Yes answer. An open-ended question could be, “Tell me what you like best about your job and why?” Do not ask, “Do you like your work?” If you do not plan on using your voice to refer to the questions that are being asked, I suggest you have your interviewee answer the question in a complete sentence. By doing this, you allow the viewer to know what the interviewee is answering.

Whenever I plan on interviewing someone, I like to meet them prior to the interview. Many times, this is not possible, and you meet them the day of the interview. If this is the case, let your interviewee know that you are only going to have a conversation. We all converse, right? The only thing different is that the camera will be recording their responses. Many people feel at ease after I explain that we are just two individuals talking. While I get a sound check, I will ask them about their day, or how their summer was, anything to get their mind off what they are about to do. You need to warm them up before you start asking your questions. You never see baseball pitcher go directly into the game without warming up, do you?

I tend to usually have someone next to me ask the questions. This will allow the interviewee to speak directly to them and not the camera. If you cannot find someone to ask the questions you will have to do it. I usually move away from the camera just a tad, so that the interviewee can address me and not the camera. Make sure you keep eye contact, so they feel more comfortable. There is nothing worse than someone behind the camera looking down at their notes. It can feel weird talking to a camera, and I tell all my interviewees that to look at me and not the camera. You only want them to look at the camera if they are addressing the audience.

Have some questions in mind but it’s important to listen what is being said. You may find yourself wanting to ask a question about one of the answers that was given. Having a guide line is good practice, but you can always ask questions that may come up during the interview. Interviews can progress, and when they progress, they lead you to different territories that you may want to know more about. Sometimes you may not get the answer you want, or the interviewee didn’t expand on a topic. When this happens, ask the question again later. It may be that the interviewee wasn’t quite comfortable and now after a few questions they have warmed up to you and feel much better about the interview. Once the questions have been asked, I like to ask if the talent has anything else, they want to say. Sometimes you can get great responses and sometimes they just want to be done with the interview.

Quick Overview
1. Screen your potential interviewees
2. Ask open ended questions
3. Keep eye contact while the interviewee gives their response
4. Feel free to ask questions you think of on the fly
5. Ask the question again for a better response if need be

Additional tips for a better video
1.Do not zoom in and out of your shot. Our eyes do not zoom. Move with your feet not with the
lens.
2.Keep the shot steady. It can be sickening to watch a shot that is all over the place. Use a tripod
or a sturdy surface such as a table.
3.Get your focus first and then press record.
4.Record things you are passionate about.
5.Use natural light if possible, to light your subjects. If you want to do an interview but do not
have any lights available, have your subject near a window. This will produce the light needed
for the interview.
​
Please contact me if you have any questions at the following links:
www.cookfilms.co
jeff@cookfilms.co
https://www.facebook.com/jcookfilms/
https://vimeo.com/jcookfilms
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookfilms/
​

 ​Many of the video cameras now are quite good. They have many professional specs we would have only dreamed of having ten years ago. One thing that is not too flattering is how sharp the videos render. I know it’s funny, we shoot video but don’t want it to look video-like. Rather we want our videos to look filmic. How can we make it filmic? Lighting is one of the main ways to make your stories shot with a video camera to look more like a cinema picture. Choosing the correct framing, colors, editing also all contribute to a better looking and sounding film. However, even when you use these suggestions you will still have that off putting sharp video.
One way to overcome the sharp look of your videos is to shoot wide open. Open your lens to the max. Most lenses are not too sharp when they are used wide open. Another great way to over come the over sharpening of video is by using a black pro mist filter. This one is a Tiffen filter that makes the picture less sharp and smooths out the overall look. When lights are used it really makes them glow in a good way. They also smooth out wrinkles which is great if you are interviewing someone who does have wrinkles. These filters are not too expensive, but the cost does depend on your lens’ thread size. Here is a video that shows with and without a black pro mist filter. The camera and lens combo was a Gh5s and a Sigma Art 50-100 mm 1.8.

​There are several things to consider when creating a film. There is lighting, color, angles, pacing of edits, audio, music and more. I base my films with one very strong character. Someone who has desire, uniqueness, and complexity. During my interview process I listen and ask questions regarding the person’s life, job, and desires. This helps me understand them better and gives me an avenue to take the story. Sometimes the people just don’t have the desire in them. I have said it before and I will say it again, the audience is only going to be interested in the film if they main character gives them a reason to be.
Deciding on the main character is one thing, another aspect is creating the mood. We can create mood with color, how the film is edited, but for me one of the most important and I think overlooked areas is music selection. If you do not have the correct music playing under your film at the appropriate times, your film is done, wasted.
Don’t go as far as getting a great subject and then waste the whole film due to lack of music planning or bad selection of music. I know many try to go the least expensive route and buy cheap music. With cheap music you are may not be able to find that right sound for your film. Music selection should be dependent on what is happening in the scene or what is being said. You wouldn’t want to place a happy cheerful song under a person who is talking about a depressing topic. It is so important to decide the mood of your film before you select your music. The direction of the film should dictate the selection of music.
Music enhances the storytelling as well as creating emotion. You want your audience to be engaged and music can help with that. Here is an example.  I chose three songs for my latest film Georgio’s Bottega. Listen how the music drives the story. 

I am very honored and blessed to have won a second Telly Award for 2018 for my mini documentary Faith | Christ Saves. This short article is more about listening to God and his purpose than it is about me winning. I am going to keep this brief, so you can read it. 
Last year I saw an employee at one of the fitness gyms in Fresno wearing a hat that said FAITH. I asked him where he bought it and he explained to me that the hat was made locally by a man named Tony. God whispered in my ear and had me give the employee my contact info since he said he knew Tony and he would see him in a day or so. 
At this point I wanted to learn more about the man who created this hat that read FAITH. Tony called me the next day and we chatted for a good half hour. We set up a time to meet in person so that I could talk to him about my intensions on creating a mini doc on him. 
I was blown away after I met with Tony. While talking with him, I discovered that he didn’t only make hats, but he changed his whole life around because of God. I have placed the video link down below for you to watch it.
This is a story that God set up for me to do. Everything fell into place. The filming was on point, the editing was a breeze. It was as if God had laid out the red carpet for his message. The video was uploaded right around Thanksgiving....the time to give thanks. It’s a testimonial that will make you believe. It all started with an employee wearing Tony's hat. It was God who had me speak up and ask for about Tony, because I myself wouldn't think about doing it. Being a believer you need to listen when God speaks, even if you feel uncomfortable. His will must be done, not yours. Stories are all around us, we just need to recognize them and follow up. Thank you, Tony, for sharing your life story with me and allowing me to document it. I share this win with you my brother. 

Our first meeting.

Hear from a man who sufferred a stroke, couldn't talk, couldn't put his thoughts together. And get this, his job was public speaking. After several months he has become better. I sat down with him and his wife and they explained a therapy that gave him his life back.

​This past year I partnered up with a wonderful non-profit called Bud's Odyssey Foundation which provides grants to cover neurofeedback services for our military veterans and our first responders. And today we'll hear from one of those veterans and his wife about how BrainPaint neurofeedback here at Elevate Brain Training gave him his life back as well as hers. I believe I needed BrainPaint. Came to Linda first as she discovered BrainPaint and started explaining it to me because I was struggling. I had, uh, had a stroke almost over a year ago and um, I was dealing with some side effects from that. I was in a fog. I was having trouble putting my thoughts together, trying to figure out what to do and how to do anything. Because he speaks for a living, it was really hard because he would begin to address the congregation and then he just didn't have the words. And he would see the words but they wouldn't come out. And so I would go up to him and I would tell him it's okay, you don't have to do this. And then he just couldn't speak. I knew that life was out there and there was a better life than what I was dealing with at the time. And I just didn't know what to do. I called Linda at Elevate Brain Training and I was interested in what they were doing and so I talked to my husband about it and he was a little skeptical. And when he met with her, he was like, "Wow, I actually feel hope." When we drove away he said, "I actually feel hope now." And he hadn't felt that in such a long time. When I was going through BrainPaint after a few sessions, not many had taken place actually, I think maybe four, I started to feel a physical change there that was going on within me. I had more clarity of mind, awareness. And I began doing things slowly. My wife, Linda, she would see me and sometimes it was like, "Are you okay? "Can you do this, can you do?" Yes, I'm fine. I'd have to reassure her, trust me I can do this. I counted every day 'cause it was like a gift, every day was a gift and we're so excited. And then I was like I'm gonna be so excited when I don't have to count days anymore. And so I don't have to count days anymore. So it was like a miracle. I help out more around the house. I'm sure Linda appreciates that. I think she missed it there for a time being. I was, it's one of those, it just seemed that I was in the background. But when I wasn't able to, she saw that, hey, this guy really did a lot. We wanna go forward and kind of have a new season. We feel like we've kinda got a new lease on life now. Linda and I were looking forward to retiring one day together, probably we moving out of the state. Like to do a little bit of traveling. But in the meantime while we're still here, I'm gonna continue doing the work that I'm doing in the church. And we enjoy hiking and I wanna keep that up and actually expand that. Wanna get back into our workout schedule together.  And it just feels so good to see him so positive and to see him to be able to be functional and to be able to do what he wants to do. Well, I highly would recommend BrainPaint for anybody who would be struggling with issues such I was struggling or even something else. I can't even imagine where I'd be at right now had I not been introduced to BrainPaint. I was really on a downward spiral. And it's given me hope and we gotta have that hope.