Navigating the Unknown Episode 17 – Where are we right now and what do we need to do? Is now live on YouTube! This week we speak to Producer Joy Asbury and Producer Michael Horta about where our industry is headed now.
Navigating the Unknown is a Q&A series in collaboration with APA-LA where we speak to different members of the photo community about all aspects of the commercial photography business. https://la.apanational.org/
The creative call is the time to give your technical examples of how you will be bringing this project to life. It may seem like the time to listen, but it’s really the time to talk.
The creative call feels like you’re just getting their information so you can do the bid. That’s really not what’s happening. They want to hear from you. Make sure you give examples of what you’re going to do so they can achieve that look they’re going for. Be really specific. Give examples. It’s your time to step forward. That’s really what these calls are about. Be the one on the call giving the information vs just receiving.
The TREATMENT webinar gives us the story behind the words and visuals needed to get us the job and why we need to take this seriously. Templates need a slice of who we are in them, personalized to stand out, illuminating you are the right choice for the project. Don’t settle with your treatments; take them further; use what is revealed in this webinar to make your template YOURS!
Last week, my webinar was on treatments—the one unspoken big mystery of how to create a treatment, why to do it, and what’s needed to get the job. We covered a lot, but there were several key points that stood out to me that I want to highlight.
We had two guests: Scott Rickels, a treatment writer, and Mary Dail, a good friend of mine and rep at Big Leo Productions. Mary created a fictitious layout for us as an example of a treatment. Her design included the scope of the job, which I’d never thought to include in a treatment before—it was very smart. She also added a small copyright notice in the bottom left corner, not too large but useful for protecting against unauthorized use for comps. Her design effectively replicated the feel of the fictitious client we were targeting, making it a perfect example of a treatment.
Scott Rickles addressed a common concern: What if they don’t read the treatment? He pointed out that the words have to be engaging and not just a page after page of text, which can be intimidating. He emphasized that the real goal of the treatment is to add personality and flavor to what you bring to the job technically.
There were so many nuggets of wisdom shared. To fully understand the purpose of a treatment and how to use it to get the job, I recommend checking out the webinar.
Navigating the Unknown Episode 16 – What Goes into an Impactful TREATMENT that Gets the Job? is now live on YouTube! This week we speak to Treatment Writer Scott Rickels and Artist Rep Mary Dail from Big Leo Productions about how to create a cogent treatment.
Navigating the Unknown is a Q&A series in collaboration with APA-LA where we speak to different members of the photo community about all aspects of the commercial photography business. https://la.apanational.org/
SPELLING and GRAMMAR mistakes are more damaging than you may think.
Use every opportunity to use SPECIFIC words/concepts relating to this client and project in particular.
Consistency of the organized structure through similar placement, layouts, titles, fonts, etc., to make it easy for them to follow.
Treatments are so important. When you are bidding for a job, you should always do one. Even if you think it’s too small of a job or the client doesn’t need it. Always do a treatment. There are three things to watch out for. The first is spelling and grammar. We know it seems little, but it really stands out if you have mistakes on your treatment. You’re a director, your attention to detail is important. The second is to be specific. You’re probably working off of a template. Make sure that the general lines that describe who you are and how you shoot always include the specifics on that job. That client is wanting to hear how you will shoot their job and not just how you shoot in general. The last one is consistency. Your style and how you set up the content in your treatment should always be consistent. Don’t jump around, make sure the treatment reads smoothly. You’re giving them something that can help you get the job. Remember that. Put time into this.
Give everything you’ve got on these video ‘Creative Calls’ by being fully present.
Let the client feel like they know who you are with a bit of warmth in your facial reactions.
Be prepared with ideas or comments, mentioning their website to show you are their ultimate team player whom they can count on to understand their branding goals.
Have questions ready to go that will suggest your production strategies and game-plan, all to help them get a sense of what you offer.
I was just on a video creative call and came up with some tips to help you secure the job from these calls. Video calls can often feel stiff and awkward, so it’s important to create a sense of warmth and presence. Make sure to maintain direct eye contact and avoid positioning your camera off to the side, as this can make it harder to connect.
Do your homework by researching their website and mentioning specific details on the call. This shows how serious you are and demonstrates that you understand their brand. Reference something from their website or the call—such as the shot list or details about the talent—to show your comprehension of their needs.
Prepare some questions in advance, whether they relate to talent, color retouching, the shot list, or lighting. These questions don’t necessarily have to be literal questions but can serve as opportunities to showcase your strategy and production ideas. Be yourself and give them a sense of how you’ll solve their problems effectively when they hire you.
How do you charge differently in one case where a client comes to your with a project that is 90% fleshed out and you fill in the remaining 10% vs. a client that comes with a project that is 10% fleshed out and you come up with the other 90%… on a sliding scale you become art director and photographer… is that something that gets accounted for in the final bid?
A:
In my experience, the clients who don’t hire an art director or designer are trying to save money. They have lower budgets, so they want the photographer to come up with the branded shot list. I suggest staying clear of these situations because you are doing someone else’s job without getting paid for it. I’ve never seen these types of clients agree to pay more for art directing, but they really should. The first question I always ask is, “what is your shot list?”
“When we reach out to an artist to bid on a project, it’s the start of a relationship of sorts. We’ve been admiring their work and would like to initiate a conversation.
The Creative Call is the “first date”. The Treatment is the second one.
The treatment tells us whether the artist heard us, but equally as important, how it resonates with them, now that they’ve heard our thoughts and vision for the project. It’s feedback to that “first date”. It should never be just a regurgitation of what we said. It should be how they would take our starting point and build on it.”
Treatments are important. It can get you the job. We just lost a job because we didn’t do a treatment. I asked the client why? The winning photographer was chosen because their treatment was so fabulous and it reconfirmed what they heard on the creative call. They need to know you’re as professional as you sound. Because you might sound professional on the phone but they need to know you are the person they heard on that call.
My sixth-grade art teacher Ms Johnson said, “if someone copies your idea, that means you had a really good idea.”
The same goes for treatments.
Don’t hold back because the only way your idea won’t be used by others is if you never get the job.
There is a lot of apprehension from putting your secret ideas into your treatments because you may think the client may steal it and use it with someone else. That’s really not how it works. A client is going to hire a photographer based on their treatment and of other things. You might inspire them. But even if you share your idea and then they use that idea on another shoot with another photographer, what are we going to do? We can’t stop them. You have to give all of yourself to the treatment: every idea you have, the locations, the whole production, the schedule, and how you would make it all happen. If you don’t share all of your ideas you’re not really showing who you are and you probably won’t get the job.
When a client handles production expenses and asks for your day-rate estimate, be careful as they often assume that will include other costs such as your crew, camera gear, and retouching. Spelling that out on your estimate is not enough. Before the job happens, ask how they are handling the specific production costs that pertain to you.
Something often happens with estimates, especially when it’s from client direct. They are handling the production expenses. They ask us for a bid or an estimate just for our fees but it’s often not just our fees. They think other things are inclusive with fees. When fees are really your usage and your time, your creative fee, your day rate. Even after you think they understand because you’ve made it very clear, do it again. Make sure before the job happens that they are crystal clear if more retouching is needed or if overtime happens it’s going to be this much. Ask them how they are handling the crew, how they want to handle your equipment. Stuff like that. Assume they don’t know because you have to protect yourself even if you think you already did in the estimate.
