Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/100015
OUTLOOK BUSINESS our history. So, knock on wood, barring any economic or geopolitical problems, business should continue to be healthy.��� LOLA LOTT President/Owner Charlieuniformtango www.charlieuniformtango.com Dallas Expansion! Cutters��� Tokyo location. 20 ���Budgets have been a challenge for a decade. With the diversification of projects there���s the sense that a project that isn���t a :30 commercial shouldn���t cost as much ��� it should be cheaper to produce. But it costs the same to do a one-minute Webisode as a one-minute Super Bowl commercial; you put the same amount of work and effort into the project. ���In the last three years we���ve seen a seismic shift from film to digital capture. When you shoot digitally, generally speaking, there���s no additional cost in production to keep the camera rolling, so most projects acquire a lot of footage, and running time relates to labor. We recently edited a six-day shoot for a large national client and expected 10 hours of running time. We got 22 hours. When you double the footage, you the impact labor. That���s not an unusual situation today.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���There are opportunities with the Internet as broadband gets faster and advertisers demand better quality in what they put on the Web. Five or 10 years ago you could throw anything on YouTube and be a sensation. I think we���re moving away from that, and quality will be important. ���There are opportunities in diversification by going outside your home base. In the past two years we���ve gone into the Detroit market by acquiring a 50 percent interest in RingSide Creative. We looked at Detroit and the car industry and felt it had hit bottom and was on the way back up, and that���s been a wise decision. We also opened an office in Tokyo in October 2012 after a two-year exploration. The Pacific Rim covets Western-style creativity, and we���re convinced that Tokyo, and perhaps Seoul and Shanghai, is the place to be. ���We also see opportunities in the interactive arena. Another opportunity we see is working direct with corporations on content that doesn���t originate with agencies.��� THREATS: ���The biggest threat is agencies bringing post production in-house, including finishing and versioning commercials. Even medium-size agencies have edit rooms and sometimes audio rooms. The lines can sometimes blur between vendor and client. ���The general volatility of the economy continues to be a threat. Little things can spike sharp downturns quickly, so that makes it hard to forecast. You have to be ready for a downturn at any time because chances are one will come.��� OUTLOOK FOR 2013: ���My partners and I agree that you can���t really forecast in the commercial post production industry.There aren���t many long-term contracts, so you work pretty much project by project. You can see your schedule two months out, but it���s hard to forecast. That said, the last couple of years have been some of the best in Post���������December���2012��� www.postmagazine.com Charlieuniformtango is a full-service post facility specializing in creative editorial, visual effects, audio mixing and digital production. It also operates Liberal Media Films, a group of directors, and Digitango, a team of digital strategy gurus. STRENGTHS: ���The strengths in the industry are talent and the flexibility of the technology, which increases our speed and the ability to provide many different options to clients. Everybody says that with the advent of new technology, but knowing how to manage the technology is key ��� you don���t want to be inundated by the tools, but well-versed and apprised of current and coming technology. ���The barrier to entry in post production is much lower now, so you have to distinguish yourself somehow. We do it based on talent. We���ve always been a talent-driven company. We feel if you bring in the right talent and give them the best tools, it will keep you at the forefront. This [philosophy] has enabled us to expand into production as well. One of the reasons for our production arm���s success is our talent-first approach. But we���ve also given them great post resources to support great ideas. [Talent and technology] are more intermingled now than ever before.��� WEAKNESSES: ���Budgets are a real weakness. Some very well educated clients think some things should cost less and be done faster. But post production is a process: You have to have the right amount of time and the right people to explore all the options. ���With the lower barrier to entry, some technology costs so little and is so much more accessible to the least common denominator. Clients ask, ���Why should I pay X for a graphics-driven spot when the Charlieuniformtango posted this Fiat commercial out of The Richards Group. kid down the street can do it for a thousand dollars?��� Don���t they want the experience of someone who���s been down that road before for their high-profile job? Or are they willing to risk it? You have to make them aware they only have one chance to make a statement. If you give it the time [it merits], it will pay off.��� OPPORTUNITIES: ���We still have a very strong advertising agency continued on page 46