Being based in Staffordshire isn’t such a bad thing: we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to locations for filming, from the historic Potteries in the North of the county to the beautiful AONB of Cannock Chase in the South and just a hop down the motorway there’s the UK’s second city, Birmingham. I’m
not really a city person, but there’s no denying that there is something special when it comes to the small but perfectly formed city of Lichfield, just a stones-throw away from JCFX Media HQ.

With a thriving business community, a shopping district packed with independent retailers, restaurants and pavement cafes, and the inevitable draw of tourists all year round, there’s a buzz around Lichfield that other nearby towns are lacking.

As a film-maker, Lichfield is a dream: the dramatic backdrop of the three-spired Medieval Cathedral, various statues commemorating some of the city’s most famous sons, the city centre Stowe and Minster Pools and the beautifully landscaped Beacon Park all make perfect locations for clients looking for a video production for their business.

Being close to Lichfield, I have been lucky enough to work with Lichfield City Council, and local charity The Stan Bowley Trust, producing video content for their websites and social media posts on several occasions.

Video is an instant way to connect with your audience when it comes to promoting your business. With the right script, a video can get your message across quicker and far more effectively than pages of words. It’s also a good way to save time and ensure continuity: a bespoke training video will make sure every member of staff receives the same message. Using a professional video editor will make sure you stand head-and-shoulders above your competitors too: the end-result will be a professionally edited video you can be proud of, not a shaky hand-held effort on someone’s smartphone.

What’s that? The thought of video makes you nervous. My relaxed, informal style will put you and your staff at ease, all fired up and ready for filming. We can discuss your vision, then work together to turn it into a reality – at your pace, naturally.

If the leap of faith to video is a leap too far for you right now, I can also produce animations to give you a competitive edge. From email sing-offs, logo openers, infographics, and digital ads to use on your social feeds, it’s always about trying to be slightly different and stand out in the right way.

Maybe you’d like to work your way up to a fully produced video by starting with a green screen. Choose the right background and the world is, quite literally, your oyster!

If reading this has given you food for thought on how video could work for your business, I’d be more than happy to have an informal, no-commitment chat to find out more about your video wish list and how we can bring it to life, together.

Implementing subtitles into your next social media video is crucial to it’s success.

Adding a subtitle track also dramatically boosts the SEO of the video if your using it on your website or blog.

Our in-house video production company, based in Staffordshire, knows the importance of using a subtitle track in this digital marketing age, and can help you plan your next project from start to finish.

Get in touch today for a chat about your next video.

Thanks to the development of smartphones and technology in general, it’s now a fact of life that pretty much every man, woman and child has a camera with them 24/7. A static photograph or short video shot on a mobile phone can be uploaded to the world wide web within seconds of being taken. So, as a business, how do you stand out from the crowd and show the world what you have to offer?

I became a Certified CAA Drone Pilot in 2019 and it’s an area of JCFX Media that I find really rewarding – showing clients parts of their business they’ve never seen before once we start filming aerial footage.

When someone visits your website, you have a nanosecond to engage them and make them stay. Take them on a journey as soon as they land on your homepage. Sweep them off their feet with an aerial tour of your facility – just like this one I filmed for Sutton Coldfield Golf Club. Drones enable
us to capture beautiful footage of venues from the air – perfect for couples planning their wedding, landmark buildings such as churches and cathedrals, or businesses looking for conference or event venues.

Save time with location spotting and let the drone do the scouting for you – something that’s particularly timesaving if you’re planning on a large-scale event that may require a route such as a charity run. Once you’ve found the perfect spot and your event is live you can use aerial photography to stream the event direct to your social media channels, capturing every detail as it happens.

Drones can film inside too. Show your clients what goes on in your factory, warehouse, gym …. In fact, anywhere you want to bring to life with more than just static imagery.

Away from the aesthetic side of marketing, on a more practical level drones are becoming more widely used in the construction industry by builders and architects for land surveys and roof inspections – a much more affordable option as you won’t need to use a scaffolder, and the results will be delivered quicker and potentially be more cost-effective. Time lapse drone footage can show an entire development being built, from first footings to completion. All it takes is regular visits to site, and some clever splicing to bring it all together!

I could honestly drone on about aerial photography and how amazing it is all day long, but I hope you’ve got the idea by now! If you’d like to have a chat as to how we can work together to lift your business up into the skies, soaring above your competitors, I’d love to hear from you.

The last couple of years has seen a lot of changes for me, but most of all, the biggest change has been my personal transformation. In 2018 I weighed in at a hefty 20 stone and it was a case of Run Fat Boy, Run – just like the Simon Pegg movie, fitness wasn’t my first love. I’m happy to say that now I’m 5½ stone lighter – a remarkable achievement that took me just over 5 months.

Did I move into the local gym?
Did I attend an Army-style boot camp?
Did I have any form of surgery?

No, I didn’t. So how did my miraculous change occur? Read on ….

Accountability has got a lot to answer for, especially when it comes in the shape of a YouTube channel, which is exactly what myself and my good friend David Whitehouse of inLIFE Design set up back in 2018. The mission to get fit, combined with having fun and my (at the time) hobby of videography were the perfect mix.

Thinking back to those early days of Wilderfit, the runs around Chasewater Country Park, peppered with the occasional bike ride on a nursery trail, seem positively mild now compared to some of the antics we get up to – but they were hard work. Soon, our Wilderfit channel had attracted a following on YouTube and others started to join us on our antics. There was a lot of banter and support but no gym fees. It was easy to forget that we were pushing ourselves a little harder with every challenge. Maybe without the support I wouldn’t have progressed as far as I have.

We film everything we do. We’re not talking hi-tech polished productions, but real people showing that you can get fit whilst having fun. Yes, it can be a bit laddish, but it works. From those cold winter evening 30 minute runs we’ve now progressed to climbing mountains, mountain biking trails, triathlons, long distance runs and a 20 mile course with 200 obstacles known as the Rat Race.

I’ve been duped into climbing Mount Snowdon and there have been times when I’ve wanted to give up, but thankfully never have. I believe that being based in the Midlands helps – we’re spoilt for choice on our own doorstep with the likes of Chasewater Country Park, miles of trails at Cannock Chase and centrally positioned to drive to the Derbyshire Peaks, Snowdonia and the Lake District for the more mountainous challenges.

2020 has been a strange year, but I didn’t let lockdown stop me. Channelling my full-on caveman look with lockdown hair and beard, I ran a virtual half marathon on my own – and they even sent me a medal for it!

My latest fitness goal is road cycling – a completely different ball game to off-road trail riding. If all goes to plan, I’ll be looking for a road cycling event in 2021. In the meantime, you can subscribe to our wacky Wilderfit antics here, and keep up with our madness. Who knows, maybe you’ll even feel
compelled to come along and join us one day!

Video is an ever growing platform to engage, attract and bring visitors to your website. It’s a great option that provides many benefits to your companies website and social media.  Listed below are five benefits of adding video to your website.

1. Engaging your visitors

People retain information better if they are actively engaged. Using visuals to engage the visitors to your website, they will spend more time exposed to your calls to action and value proposition, etc. Video offers the advantage over other types of content in that is doesn’t just tell your companies story – it shows them!

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2. Standing out from the competition

Video is a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition.  Not many companies currently have  the creativity, or the forward thinking to put their company and product or service on their website.  Those that do have a huge advantage over the competition. Using video on your website will make you stand out from the crowd.

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4. Driving traffic to your website

Every time you add video content to your website, you will see a rise in your search engine results. You can even boost the search engine results by using targeted keywords in the video title, tags and description. On top of adding the video to your website, you can create a YouTube channel to maximize the benefit of search engine optimization or upload the videos to your social media for full online presence.

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5. Give your website an identity

Why not use a video to help tell your companies story? Sure, you can use “about us” pages where your employees share their joy of knitting, but what better way to represent your companies personality than through a video of your team in action.

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10. Leave a lasting impression

This is a combination of everything above. Be creative with your videos, and don’t be afraid to go the extra mile. Leave people with a lasting impression of your company and don’t fall into the void that is the ever growing internet.

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Why do video production companies use Green Screen in their videos?

In the ever growing world of online video, it is important that your company stands out from the crowd. You may require a video for your homepage to tell your companies story, educational videos, or even client testimonials. Using a green screen can be a simple way to keep the budget low but keeping that quality level high.

Greenscreen is also known as chroma keying. By using a green (or sometimes blue) background, the post production team can remove the colour from the footage, leaving you with a clean and professional video to show off.

If you would like to know more about green screen video production.. keep reading!

5 reasons to use green screen in your next video production

Portability

At JCFX Media we use our in house studio in Burntwood, but it doesn’t end there.. we have a portable green screen which we can take on location, meaning we can come to you.

Cost efficiency

Filming green screen footage at our studio is a cost-effective way of producing professional video content.  It is great for companies on a lower budget as expenses such as travel and filming on location are a thing of the past.

Graphics

On top of any footage we film, graphics and animations can be added to a green screen production as an aid. For example, graphs, charts and any other imagery that can hep tell your story.

Branding

Your company’s logo and identity can easily be added into the video, so the video wont stick out like a sore thumb on your homepage, it will be fluent with the rest of the site.

The sky is not the limit

If you can imagine it, it can be added to a green screen production. Want to be on the moon? no problem. Want to be in a fish tank? anything is possible.

Are you keen for Green Screen?

If you would like a green screen video for your website or social media, please get in touch today!