Well, here we are, 2 weeks into the new year. 2012! Every time I hear that I can't believe we are 12 years into the 21st century. It seems like just yesterday that we were talking about and dealing with Y2K. Remember that?
Anyway, I thought that for our first post of this new year we would offer a few closing comments on 2011.
Price was a big issue for us last year. Not only do our customers want the high quality that they have come to expect of us, but they also want us to match Costco transfer pricing. First, we don't sell dogfood, pizza, frozen foods, and car tires. If we did, we might be able to bring our transfer prices to their level, but we don't. Furthermore, if we could then we wouldn't really be specializing in video, would we? Also keep in mind, that Costco doesn't do the work themselves-they've aligned themselves with one of the most questionable transfer houses in the county and your tapes and film end up in Mexico to be transferred. Is that where you want your media sent to? And is the risk of your media being lost worth the few dollars you'll save?
Now pricing works both ways as I am also a consumer. And a great big thank you to all our vendors who kept their pricing steady throughout the year to help offset the pain that we on the front line are feeling. And a great big "BOO" to all those vendors that didn't! And you know who you are. And a great big "DOUBLE BOO" to that won't even entertain the notion of helping their customers out. CenturyLink, you are the worst! You treat your good, hardworking customers like crap and I can't wait to rid ourselves of your miserable services!
Standard Definition is dead. At least as far as filming goes. To help our customers out, we offered the option of having their events filmed with our SD cameras rather than the HD cameras (thus keeping the price lower). 2011 will be the last year that we do that since some of them still complained about the quality. Sorry, but you chose standard definition filming rather than high definition. If you wanted a HD picture, you should have chose HD filming. To that end, we are eliminating SD options on all productions.
Weddings. Hmmm, where do I start. 2011 was a miserable year for weddings. We have won awards for our wedding productions and our customers love their productions. Having said that, we are going to discontinue the mvsweddings.com site and discountinue marketing that service. We spend far too much time and money keeping that site alive and talking to the budget bride only to lose the business to the "uncle Charlie's" of the world. We are happy to have the business and will continue to produce wedding videos, we are just not going to pursue them any longer. Weddings start at $2995 and if you are interested in award-winning wedding video, please contact us, if not please don't waste our time. Sorry to be blunt.
For the entirety of our existance, McKenna Video has always offered free pick-up and delivery. It has been a staple of our business. We were happy to go out and meet our customers at their homes or places of business and we still are. However, we are now going to qualify that service for the new year. We require a minimum of $75 in transfer work or duplications to offer free pickup and delivery, or we will charge a $25 pickup and a $25 delivery fee. Sorry for any inconvenience, but economic conditions dictate that we either discontinue the service altogether, start charging for this convenience, or raise our prices across of the board.
In regards to promoting your company, we are working out the details in some low cost HD promotions for your business. Video on your website it a great way to increase your Google ranking and we want to be sure that you can get a video on your homepage at an affordable rate.
We are also starting to offer disc print-only services. We have been resistant to that in the past, but we have seen the light and if you are in need for "print only" we can meet that need. We can also design your disc label for a nominal fee.
Related, if you are producing your own video, but need help with lower-thirds, animated backgrounds, etc., give us a call, we might be able to help.
Well, probably enough for now. (this entry seems like a lot of complaining to me, which is so against my nature). Stay tuned for more announcements in the next few weeks and months.
Blessings,
Chris.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thoughts on Pricing
Last week, I had a very interesting conversation with a good customer of mine, who happens to be a teacher of small business at a couple of local schools. What started out as just small talk, ended up being a discussion of the pricing of our products and services, pricing in general, and the effect that the big box stores (those discount and warehouse stores) are having on small and micro-sized business.
It was both our thinking that the big box stores are killing small business. While they are free to do whatever they want to, the fact that they deal in volume and can offset their low pricing by also selling dog food and pizza, something that small business cannot do, means that small and micro-sized businesses cannot compete on price alone and are at a severe disadvantage. And in today's economy, factors such as quality work, where the work is being completed, who is doing the work, etc. take a second seat to price.
An example: in the town of Yelm, Wa, small business was everywhere. It seemed that most people either owned and worked in a small business, or knew someone who did. That community, like so many others throughout the nation, was built and survived through the efforts of their residents. Then the big discount store moved in (name withheld) and local business shriveled. No longer does the general store exist, or the neighborhood pharmacy. Most of those small business were forced to close down because they could not compete with you know who because of their pricing.
In the conversation I was having with my customer, he turned me on to some thoughts by John Ruskin, 19th century essayist, artist, and political economist, on the issue of low prices. His beliefs are this:
So what is the takeaway here? I leave that up to you to discern, but I will tell you this: our products on a quality and service level are competitively priced. If you find someone cheaper to transfer your film, understand that there is a reason why they are cheaper. First, inferior quality. Second, they're probably sending the film to Mexico. Third, it takes 2-3 times as long to get your film back. And lastly, the chances of your film being lost in transit is greatly increased (see this blog posting "Don't Let Them Lose Your Stuff").
In closing, we want you to rest assured that here at McKenna Video & Photo, we treat every project as if it were our own. Your film, your videotapes, your photographs and slides, are treated with the utmost respect. Don't let someone elses artificially low prices undly sway you to their doors. Visit us and see what we can do for you.
Blessings,
Chris.
It was both our thinking that the big box stores are killing small business. While they are free to do whatever they want to, the fact that they deal in volume and can offset their low pricing by also selling dog food and pizza, something that small business cannot do, means that small and micro-sized businesses cannot compete on price alone and are at a severe disadvantage. And in today's economy, factors such as quality work, where the work is being completed, who is doing the work, etc. take a second seat to price.
An example: in the town of Yelm, Wa, small business was everywhere. It seemed that most people either owned and worked in a small business, or knew someone who did. That community, like so many others throughout the nation, was built and survived through the efforts of their residents. Then the big discount store moved in (name withheld) and local business shriveled. No longer does the general store exist, or the neighborhood pharmacy. Most of those small business were forced to close down because they could not compete with you know who because of their pricing.
In the conversation I was having with my customer, he turned me on to some thoughts by John Ruskin, 19th century essayist, artist, and political economist, on the issue of low prices. His beliefs are this:
"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lower bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."
So what is the takeaway here? I leave that up to you to discern, but I will tell you this: our products on a quality and service level are competitively priced. If you find someone cheaper to transfer your film, understand that there is a reason why they are cheaper. First, inferior quality. Second, they're probably sending the film to Mexico. Third, it takes 2-3 times as long to get your film back. And lastly, the chances of your film being lost in transit is greatly increased (see this blog posting "Don't Let Them Lose Your Stuff").
In closing, we want you to rest assured that here at McKenna Video & Photo, we treat every project as if it were our own. Your film, your videotapes, your photographs and slides, are treated with the utmost respect. Don't let someone elses artificially low prices undly sway you to their doors. Visit us and see what we can do for you.
Blessings,
Chris.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Helping Hand House (Non-Profit Video)
Greetings friends,
I hope that you are all well on this fine October afternoon. I know that I am!
Over this past summer, I had the privilege of working on a promotional video for a local non profit agency, Helping Hand House. Helping Hand House, based in Puyallup, WA, is determined to end family homelessness in Pierce County. They have a number of programs designed to help families in trouble, from emergency shelter to budget management and other life coaching classes.
Working on this video opened my eyes up to the problem of family homeless in Pierce County and I am proud to have been able to help them out, even if it is just a video. To learn more about HHH or to arrrange a financial donation, visit their website www.helpinghandhouse.org .
To learn more about how video can showcase your company or help your non profit organization, visit our website www.mckennavideo.com and please give us a call. In the mean time, enjoy the video.
Blessings,
Chris.
I hope that you are all well on this fine October afternoon. I know that I am!
Over this past summer, I had the privilege of working on a promotional video for a local non profit agency, Helping Hand House. Helping Hand House, based in Puyallup, WA, is determined to end family homelessness in Pierce County. They have a number of programs designed to help families in trouble, from emergency shelter to budget management and other life coaching classes.
Working on this video opened my eyes up to the problem of family homeless in Pierce County and I am proud to have been able to help them out, even if it is just a video. To learn more about HHH or to arrrange a financial donation, visit their website www.helpinghandhouse.org .
To learn more about how video can showcase your company or help your non profit organization, visit our website www.mckennavideo.com and please give us a call. In the mean time, enjoy the video.
Blessings,
Chris.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Our New Promo
Greetings Friends,
So happy to be "talking" with you on this wonderful Friday afternoon. We certainly hope and pray that you have had a wonderful week.
Today, is the start of the Puyallup Fair here in my hometown, and if you have never got a chance to attend the fair, do so now-you won't regret it!
It is also the start of a weekend that we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. Please take a moment to say a prayer for those that lost their lives on that day and for their families. We pray that never again will such an act occur and that those who have hatred in their hearts will find peace before they commit acts of violence on innocent people.
And on a lighter note, I want to present to you a short video we put together as a promo for our company. It highlights our "major" service offerings--of course you know that we do so much more than we could ever possible highlight in a 30-second video.
Nevertheless, maybe this will inspire you to have one of these short videos put together for your company. If there is anything we can do to help you promote your company, please give us a call at 253-539-3438.
Enjoy the video.
Blessings,
Chris.
So happy to be "talking" with you on this wonderful Friday afternoon. We certainly hope and pray that you have had a wonderful week.
Today, is the start of the Puyallup Fair here in my hometown, and if you have never got a chance to attend the fair, do so now-you won't regret it!
It is also the start of a weekend that we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. Please take a moment to say a prayer for those that lost their lives on that day and for their families. We pray that never again will such an act occur and that those who have hatred in their hearts will find peace before they commit acts of violence on innocent people.
And on a lighter note, I want to present to you a short video we put together as a promo for our company. It highlights our "major" service offerings--of course you know that we do so much more than we could ever possible highlight in a 30-second video.
Nevertheless, maybe this will inspire you to have one of these short videos put together for your company. If there is anything we can do to help you promote your company, please give us a call at 253-539-3438.
Enjoy the video.
Blessings,
Chris.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Videotape to DVD Transfer
Good morning everyone,
I'm fielding a lot of questions this week about transferring videotape to DVD. More so than usual. I don't know if that's because of what's going on in the economy or perhaps something like their players just gave out. Whatever the reason, a lot of people are wanting to get it done.
Many people tell me that they find software in their favorite store that gives them the capability to transfer their tapes by themselves. Ok. I will tell you that that software is buggy and unreliable (audio often gets out of sync with the video). Our video transfer service, that is transfer by a company that specializes in transfers, is the best way to enjoy your VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, hi-8 and mini-dv videotape over and over again!
Even if you have no motivation to transfer your tapes, keep in mind that videotape degrades over time. Every time you play them a little piece of that video is gone And even if you never insert them into a player to watch, they will still degrade-time is not friendly to videotape.Furthermore, video players have a limited life and will break down, and new players are becoming increasingly difficult to find; many stores no longer carry them. Replacement parts for existing VCR's are also becoming hard to come by.
And watching a videotape can also be a chore. Have you ever had to search through hours and hours of footage to find your favorite parts?
Let McKenna Video transfer your videotape to DVD and eliminate the headache:
1) Watch on your TV (with compliant DVD player) or PC with a DVD drive.
2) Eliminate the need to fast-forward and rewind.
3) Quickly skip to another portion of the video or to the scene you want to watch.
4) Combine several tapes onto 1 DVD (to a limit of 2-hours per DVD).
5) Edit out the parts you want to eliminate with McKenna Video editing service.
6) Customize the look of your DVD with custom DVD authoring (subject to additional charges).
7) Organize your entire home video collection.
Keep in mind that our transfer service completes all work in-house and does not outsource to Mexico like others do (primarily large retail, wholesale and discount stores). Turnaround time will vary depending on the number of tapes, the length of those tapes, any special services that you may require, and what work we already have in queue.
If you have questions, please give us a call in the studio. 253-539-3438.
Blessings,
Chris.
I'm fielding a lot of questions this week about transferring videotape to DVD. More so than usual. I don't know if that's because of what's going on in the economy or perhaps something like their players just gave out. Whatever the reason, a lot of people are wanting to get it done.
Many people tell me that they find software in their favorite store that gives them the capability to transfer their tapes by themselves. Ok. I will tell you that that software is buggy and unreliable (audio often gets out of sync with the video). Our video transfer service, that is transfer by a company that specializes in transfers, is the best way to enjoy your VHS, VHS-C, 8mm, hi-8 and mini-dv videotape over and over again!
Even if you have no motivation to transfer your tapes, keep in mind that videotape degrades over time. Every time you play them a little piece of that video is gone And even if you never insert them into a player to watch, they will still degrade-time is not friendly to videotape.Furthermore, video players have a limited life and will break down, and new players are becoming increasingly difficult to find; many stores no longer carry them. Replacement parts for existing VCR's are also becoming hard to come by.
And watching a videotape can also be a chore. Have you ever had to search through hours and hours of footage to find your favorite parts?
Let McKenna Video transfer your videotape to DVD and eliminate the headache:
1) Watch on your TV (with compliant DVD player) or PC with a DVD drive.
2) Eliminate the need to fast-forward and rewind.
3) Quickly skip to another portion of the video or to the scene you want to watch.
4) Combine several tapes onto 1 DVD (to a limit of 2-hours per DVD).
5) Edit out the parts you want to eliminate with McKenna Video editing service.
6) Customize the look of your DVD with custom DVD authoring (subject to additional charges).
7) Organize your entire home video collection.
Keep in mind that our transfer service completes all work in-house and does not outsource to Mexico like others do (primarily large retail, wholesale and discount stores). Turnaround time will vary depending on the number of tapes, the length of those tapes, any special services that you may require, and what work we already have in queue.
If you have questions, please give us a call in the studio. 253-539-3438.
Blessings,
Chris.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
8mm Film to DVD Transfer
Good morning everyone.
I wanted to spend just a moment this morning talking about your 8mm Film to DVD transfers (and 16mm to DVD transfers too).
First, I want to let you know that there is a difference between a professional, frame-by-frame system and the projection systems that the cheap guys use-A BIG DIFFERENCE! Remember the adage "you get what you pay for?" Well that proves true here. There is no comparison between our transfer and the cheap guys. Just take a look at this video for a comparison.
Second, I know that Puyallup can be a drive for some but let me tell you that it is worth the effort. There are not many people in this business anymore that can deliver something different than the "cheap guys" and certainly nothing beyond the DVD. They won't even edit out the leader. We have had film transfer customers from New York and Florida, California to Alasksa and many places in between. If driving to Puyallup is burdensome, contact us for mailing instructions and we'll get you taken care of. Remember, only our studio will treat your film as if it were our own.
Lastly, if you make an appointment to come down and see us for cannot make it for whatever reason, please give us the courtesy of a phone call. The time that we schedule for you is for you alone, and we arrange our day to ensure that the time is uninterrupted by other customers (who also schedule time), the telephone, and our production work. Please give us a call, in advance, and let us know that you need to change plans so we can free up that time for others or so that we can get back to work (email is ok if we have enough advance notice). We sincerely appreciate it.
And as a post-script, if you need a format other than DVD, such as MP4, or quicktime .mov, Windows Media .wmv, we can do that!
Blessings,
Chris.
I wanted to spend just a moment this morning talking about your 8mm Film to DVD transfers (and 16mm to DVD transfers too).
First, I want to let you know that there is a difference between a professional, frame-by-frame system and the projection systems that the cheap guys use-A BIG DIFFERENCE! Remember the adage "you get what you pay for?" Well that proves true here. There is no comparison between our transfer and the cheap guys. Just take a look at this video for a comparison.
Second, I know that Puyallup can be a drive for some but let me tell you that it is worth the effort. There are not many people in this business anymore that can deliver something different than the "cheap guys" and certainly nothing beyond the DVD. They won't even edit out the leader. We have had film transfer customers from New York and Florida, California to Alasksa and many places in between. If driving to Puyallup is burdensome, contact us for mailing instructions and we'll get you taken care of. Remember, only our studio will treat your film as if it were our own.
Lastly, if you make an appointment to come down and see us for cannot make it for whatever reason, please give us the courtesy of a phone call. The time that we schedule for you is for you alone, and we arrange our day to ensure that the time is uninterrupted by other customers (who also schedule time), the telephone, and our production work. Please give us a call, in advance, and let us know that you need to change plans so we can free up that time for others or so that we can get back to work (email is ok if we have enough advance notice). We sincerely appreciate it.
And as a post-script, if you need a format other than DVD, such as MP4, or quicktime .mov, Windows Media .wmv, we can do that!
Blessings,
Chris.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Don't Forget About Our Other Blogs
Good morning,
Some of you may be wondering if, perhaps, I have another blog site. Acutally, I have two others. They are:
www.chrismckennaphoto.com/blog
www.mvsweddings.com/blog/
The first in this list offers a slew of photography tips, as well as some "highlights" (i.e., selected photographs) from various photo shoots. The latter is a blog to our wedding site. Although I would love to offer tips for engaged couples, I find that I only have time to update this site with highlights from selected weddings, engagement shoots, love stories. etc. Please note that I say "selected weddings" and not "every wedding." The tips for engaged couples may come in the future (maybe I can convince Lynette to offer that up-let's see).
Nevertheless, I encourge you to go out and take a look at these site and let me know your thoughts. Please feel free to offer your comments. As always I certainly appreciate them.
Blessings,
Chris.
Some of you may be wondering if, perhaps, I have another blog site. Acutally, I have two others. They are:
www.chrismckennaphoto.com/blog
www.mvsweddings.com/blog/
The first in this list offers a slew of photography tips, as well as some "highlights" (i.e., selected photographs) from various photo shoots. The latter is a blog to our wedding site. Although I would love to offer tips for engaged couples, I find that I only have time to update this site with highlights from selected weddings, engagement shoots, love stories. etc. Please note that I say "selected weddings" and not "every wedding." The tips for engaged couples may come in the future (maybe I can convince Lynette to offer that up-let's see).
Nevertheless, I encourge you to go out and take a look at these site and let me know your thoughts. Please feel free to offer your comments. As always I certainly appreciate them.
Blessings,
Chris.
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