AT TALL TALE PICTURES, it’s not only about delivering great results. We also want you to have a good experience along the way. We offer both creative services and video production. We can produce with your creative agency or walk with you on the entire creative journey together. We do both—and we do them both well.
A hundred years of historical film and video production have taught us the best approach to creating the compelling video you need. We’ll guide you through the entire process from concepting, scripting, and storyboarding, to casting and shooting, and all the way through post-production and delivery. Each phase is aligned with a schedule you approve at the outset, with clearly defined milestones along the way.
Read About the Steps, Below
Discovery
We kick off every project with a round of discovery. It’s our chance to ask, listen and really begin to learn what your story, audience, goals, and challenges are. This includes conversations, research into your brand, your market, your products, your people. We’ll find and ask for inspirational material that may influence the overall concept of the video. We’ll also evaluate your competition to assure we differentiate your brand in the market.
Concepting
Armed with a strong sense of you, we then begin to develop concepts that we feel would best tell your story. We will write one to three written treatments that loosely define our story and stylistic approach. We often accompany these treatments with relevant links to help see the idea more concretely. These treatments serve as conversation starters to really narrow in on your concept.
Budgeting
Whether you have a half-million dollar budget or… a little less, we work closely with you to ensure that we give you the best results for your investment. Essential to every creative kick-off is the question, ” Where will you see your money on screen?” We’ll creatively scale the scope to work within your budget.
Scriptwriting
Once we have our concept defined, we move into scriptwriting. We work closely with the client to develop a messaging outline that provides structure for a script. As we write, we bring in all that we’ve learned about the brand, the story, and the tone defined by the concept. This is where we bring the inspiration, or the humor, or the emotion that helps to connect the story to your unique audience. The format can range from voice over to dialogue to written graphics titles. All of these components serve to deliver your messaging in a style and tone that makes audiences take notice.
Storyboarding
Style and story boarding can happen in parallel with the scriptwriting. The approved concept sends us down a path of visual discovery where we develop a look for your video. We make and find imagery that matches the style that we will capture in production. We also design any graphics and effects that bring the concept to life.
Casting
We cast for all types of productions. Whether it’s real people for a documentary / testimonial piece or comedic actors or models to bring a particular look we know how to find the right people for the video. We’ll find just the right people to express your message.
Location Scouting
We’re so lucky to be in the Austin area, which has some of the most amazing locations on earth. We’ve also be incredibly fortunate to have shot in many of those locations. We know how important the backdrop of a film is to bring style, realism, emotion and we go to great lengths to secure them on a budget.
Once we’ve gone through pre-production and have a clear creative path, it’s time to begin production. This is where all of our creative efforts pay off. The script is written, we’ve cast the best actors, hired a talented production crew, locations have been selected, and storyboards are laid out. Production is where we execute on a well-thought creative plan.
Whether it’s a documentary approach or a production with a large cast of actors interacting with on-screen motion graphic elements, we have the experience to ensure your product and your experience will be a success.
In addition to working with some of the most talented creative minds and craftspeople in the business, Tall Tale Pictures also has many production resources under one roof. We are the proud owners of digital cinema camera packages, lighting equipment, sound gear and post-production tools. This provides us the flexibility to create stunning, cinematic results on time and on budget.
Editing
Some say that this is where the story really comes together. Beyond story, this is where the pace and the tone are often defined for the final show. It’s an exciting time that leads to many creative opportunities around music, style, structure, composition, etc. It’s where you start to feel what the audience will feel. We can edit projects from HD, 4K, multi-screen live events, and beyond.
Music
Music is HUGE. It can be the anchor to a piece that drives the pace and emotion. Choosing great music can make or break a video. There are many routes to pairing a fantastic tune to your show: libraries, composing, paying known artists. We guide you through the options that best fit your budget to give you the best bang for your video buck.
Motion Graphics & Animation
Once we have a rough edit, that is when the motion graphics and animating usually begins. Because motion graphics and animation are costly to produce, it’s best to have the overall edit defined as much as possible. When need we can develop assets and even animation separately from the cut and then composite as one of the last steps to be sure the scene will not be changed or removed. It is during this graphics phase that we begin to really hone the style and look of the video.
Color Correction
Color correction is a sometimes overlooked craft but it can often make the difference between a nice looking video and a stunning final product. There are two main goals in color correction: normalizing the look and creative stylizing. Normalizing (or primary color correction) is the process of matching shots with each other in both color balance and contrast. The stylizing phase (or secondary color correction) is where you get to make creative choices based on how you want your audience to feel. Color correction can be an opportunity to evoke reactions in your audience and “brand” your video so that it works visually with your other marketing materials.
Sound Mix
Some say, and we agree, sound is even more important than picture. If you have gorgeous picture but the sound is poor then it drops the engagement by a huge percentage. Whether it’s just getting a professional mix done or intricate sound design, this is an area not to be taken for granted. From cancelling the room noise in a shot to the most subtle design elements, good audio will also help make your message more memorable and meaningful. This is one of the final touches to a video that, along with color correction, is part of the “finishing” phase.