Lights, Camera, Action

Media Post is not your father’s production company

Published January 2012
David MeansButler Business Matters Reporter

A few months ago, Rob Donaldson of Media Post invited me to go behind the scenes and learn about video production, website design and animation.

So, we worked out a day in mid-December when I could visit the Zelienople firm, experience some tricks of the trade, and even help set up, shoot and edit a video clip to document my day. The video can be viewed by scanning the QR code on the front cover of this issue or by visiting www.butlerbusiness matters.com or www.med iapostinc.com.

The day started with a brief planning meeting with Donaldson and animator Pat Somers and a quick tour of the office, a house converted by Media Post in 1998.

Also connected to the house is a large garage that formerly held an RV. This high-ceiling space houses a video production studio, complete with a green screen and outside access for more convenient loading.

Somers explained how green screens allow for layers of video and graphics to be edited into video, and then we got busy setting up the lighting equipment for my mini video shoot.

Lighting is the key component to video quality, and Somers showed me how to set up lights in the foreground with diffusion to create ambient lighting. Then we set up more lights that were used to soften the light and eliminate shadows.

Next, Somers showed me how to set up the high-definition camera, work the tripod and configure the microphones.

After the equipment and camera were ready to go, Somers miked me up, and I took a seat on a stool in front of the green screen. Somers started rolling and told me to give about a 30- second introduction.

Thanks to beginner’s luck, I nailed the intro in one take. We moved on to film one-line segments that would be used to transition to features on some staff members.

Filming those transitions proved to be a little more difficult as I got used to being in front of the camera, but Somers helped me, suggesting ways to keep each statement varied.

Next, I met back up with Donaldson, who had to rush to Cranberry Township for a pre-production meeting with a customer. On the way to the lunch meeting, we spoke about his job.

While his duties consist of sales and promotion, I learned he serves as a producer on both video and Web projects. He also is responsible for working with customers to create much of the content, from writing scripts to compiling, organizing and writing the text for websites.

Donaldson said his favorite part of the job was working with a wide array of people and businesses. For example, one day he could be in a steel mill helping to shoot a safety video, and the next day he could be working on a commercial for a pharmaceutical company.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Donaldson introduced me to the customer, a young entrepreneur working with Media Post to develop a couple 30-second commercials for a laser weight loss clinic. I also met the spokeswoman for the commercials.

Together, the three discussed concepts. Watching them plan was fascinating because I could see the commercial’s origins — the thought and creativity instead of the end result on television.

After discussing their ideas, the entrepreneur and spokeswoman said they would finish the script and round up some customers to do testimonials. Then, they scheduled a video shoot for the next week, with the goal of having the commercials ready for TV before January.

Back at the office about 1:30 p.m., Somers miked me, and we started conducting the interviews for our mini documentary.

First, we rounded up Donaldson, Web programmer Clint Grill and Web designer Mark Johnson to showcase how they work together for website projects.

Much like the video process I had just witnessed, Donaldson helps the customer plan out their vision and generate content. Johnson works in more of a graphic sense, coming up with visuals and branding. Grill works on the back end of website construction, writing the codes that make the websites work.

Next, because we filled up the camera’s memory card, Somers took me to his office, where we had to transfer the data into the computer system where we would edit it later.

Somers explained how constantly improving technology has not only increased the quality of the work, it also has drastically saved time. For example, because the HD camera captures the footage in a digital format, the memory card can be uploaded quickly — in this case, 30 minutes of footage took about 7 minutes. In the past, the film would have been transferred in real time, taking the full 30 minutes.

After clearing off the memory card, we went to check out what Larry Schultheis, Media Post’s chief editor, was up to.

Schultheis was editing a commercial for a car dealership, and he showed me how the software has improved to the point where layers of audio and visuals can be stacked and then controlled.

The self-taught editor told me how the job has changed — from strictly editing audio and video to having to be a graphic artist to design and use visuals customers expect in their productions.

He said while the technology has ultimately made the job easier, it has led to designing for more media outlets.

Next, Somers took me to meet with head videographer Andy Schultheis, who is Larry’s brother, and along with Donaldson, the third owner of the business.

Andy explained how a large part of his job involves traveling to meet with clients, scout locations and film.

Having been involved in video production since 1982, and with Media Post since 1989, Andy also noted how much the industry has changed.

However, he said many aspects of the job — lighting, shooting and editing — have remained very much the same.

He said the evolution of media has led to the evolution of the company.

For example, when he started the company, Media Post filled the niche of helping businesses shoot local TV commercials, along with corporate and training videos. But as customers’ needs changed, it expanded into multimedia and Web development. And now, those formats blend together.

Lastly, Somers took me back to his work station to explain how animation folds into the process.

Animation can serve simple purposes, such as two-dimensional graphics that layer on top of video. However, Somers said animation can be used to visualize more complex concepts or images that cannot be captured on camera, such as the interworkings of mechanical devices.

Somers said a more extensive use of animation is to create three-dimensional models of objects or buildings.

He showed me clips from an instructional video that detailed how a pipe-inspecting robot works. To make that possible, he used engineering diagrams and 3-D modeling to create a virtual model of the robot that could be seen working. The result was a video built using computer software — think “Toy Story” or “Shrek,” but realistic and for industrial purposes.

Nearing the end of the day, Somers and I uploaded the rest of our footage, and he showed me how our clips would be edited and what kinds of creative backgrounds could be substituted for the green screen.

Donaldson stopped by to see if my head was spinning, and we talked about the patience and attention to detail it takes to put projects together.

I learned this job requires early mornings to get organized and late nights to finish on time. I also learned it allows for much creativity.