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Home: Video University Forums: Marketing & Business:
Keepsake Videos

X-Jake
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Jan 16, 2004, 1:36 PM

Post #1 of 8 (1583 views)
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Keepsake Videos	Can't Post

I have looked into buying a franchise to produce "keepsake videos". The cost runs about $65K. I visited one a couple of years ago and was impressed with the process. He claimed to have a "patented" tripod that allowed him to videotape the still photos, reducing the amount of time (otherwise scanning). I tried this concept on my own, using a regular tripod and it failed me. The franchise fee seems excessive given the fact that all other offerings (marketing materials, infomercials etc) were not the quality I was looking for. Does anyone know how this might be accomplished? I am not a video expert, just trying to figure out the process. I would appreciate any and all comments/ suggestions on where to go to get this done. Several consultants I have paid just shrugged and told me to buy a scanner, Photoshop and Premiere. I saw it with my own eyes!! How did he do this??? Help please!!

X-Memory_Makers
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Jan 17, 2004, 12:39 PM

Post #2 of 8 (1583 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos	Can't Post

: I have looked into buying a franchise to produce "keepsake videos". The cost runs about $65K. I visited one a couple of years ago and was impressed with the process. He claimed to have a "patented" tripod that allowed him to videotape the still photos, reducing the amount of time (otherwise scanning). I tried this concept on my own, using a regular tripod and it failed me. The franchise fee seems excessive given the fact that all other offerings (marketing materials, infomercials etc) were not the quality I was looking for. Does anyone know how this might be accomplished? I am not a video expert, just trying to figure out the process. I would appreciate any and all comments/ suggestions on where to go to get this done. Several consultants I have paid just shrugged and told me to buy a scanner, Photoshop and Premiere. I saw it with my own eyes!! How did he do this??? Help please!!
I've looked at the franchise options too and have decided to continue on my own for at least the time being. Most of what the franchises seem to offer is "marketing" advice. I come from an advertising and marketing background and have very little need for that assistance. I can do an awful lot of trial and error (and advertising) for 60K+ So far as production goes, there may be better ways to do it, but I continue to scan the photos on my scanner with an automatic photo feeder and it works quite nicely. I'll be interested to see what you think if you decide to go ahead with the franchise option.

X-Jake
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Jan 17, 2004, 11:58 PM

Post #3 of 8 (1583 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos [In reply to]	Can't Post

: : I have looked into buying a franchise to produce "keepsake videos". The cost runs about $65K. I visited one a couple of years ago and was impressed with the process. He claimed to have a "patented" tripod that allowed him to videotape the still photos, reducing the amount of time (otherwise scanning). I tried this concept on my own, using a regular tripod and it failed me. The franchise fee seems excessive given the fact that all other offerings (marketing materials, infomercials etc) were not the quality I was looking for. Does anyone know how this might be accomplished? I am not a video expert, just trying to figure out the process. I would appreciate any and all comments/ suggestions on where to go to get this done. Several consultants I have paid just shrugged and told me to buy a scanner, Photoshop and Premiere. I saw it with my own eyes!! How did he do this??? Help please!!
: I've looked at the franchise options too and have decided to continue on my own for at least the time being. Most of what the franchises seem to offer is "marketing" advice. I come from an advertising and marketing background and have very little need for that assistance. I can do an awful lot of trial and error (and advertising) for 60K+ So far as production goes, there may be better ways to do it, but I continue to scan the photos on my scanner with an automatic photo feeder and it works quite nicely. I'll be interested to see what you think if you decide to go ahead with the franchise option.
: I agree with you, it seems that the equipment is not the major investment in the franchise fee, it is the "cheesy" marketing stuff, use of web site etc.. I, too, have a background in marketing and think I could do much better. The thing that grabbed me was the way he was videotaping the stills. The "tripod" he was using looked almost like a drill stand! With everything on digital tape it was so easy to upload and edit. He had a lot of mixing equipment too. I am probably just dreaming here, but I can't help but think that someone with video experience could unravel this mystery. The time to do 25 photos, upload and add music was about 10 minutes. It seems to make things alot more profitable. Any ideas out there on how he accomplished this???

X-Memory_Makers
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Jan 18, 2004, 2:23 PM

Post #4 of 8 (1584 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos [In reply to]	Can't Post

: : : I have looked into buying a franchise to produce "keepsake videos". The cost runs about $65K. I visited one a couple of years ago and was impressed with the process. He claimed to have a "patented" tripod that allowed him to videotape the still photos, reducing the amount of time (otherwise scanning). I tried this concept on my own, using a regular tripod and it failed me. The franchise fee seems excessive given the fact that all other offerings (marketing materials, infomercials etc) were not the quality I was looking for. Does anyone know how this might be accomplished? I am not a video expert, just trying to figure out the process. I would appreciate any and all comments/ suggestions on where to go to get this done. Several consultants I have paid just shrugged and told me to buy a scanner, Photoshop and Premiere. I saw it with my own eyes!! How did he do this??? Help please!!
: : I've looked at the franchise options too and have decided to continue on my own for at least the time being. Most of what the franchises seem to offer is "marketing" advice. I come from an advertising and marketing background and have very little need for that assistance. I can do an awful lot of trial and error (and advertising) for 60K+ So far as production goes, there may be better ways to do it, but I continue to scan the photos on my scanner with an automatic photo feeder and it works quite nicely. I'll be interested to see what you think if you decide to go ahead with the franchise option.
: : I agree with you, it seems that the equipment is not the major investment in the franchise fee, it is the "cheesy" marketing stuff, use of web site etc.. I, too, have a background in marketing and think I could do much better. The thing that grabbed me was the way he was videotaping the stills. The "tripod" he was using looked almost like a drill stand! With everything on digital tape it was so easy to upload and edit. He had a lot of mixing equipment too. I am probably just dreaming here, but I can't help but think that someone with video experience could unravel this mystery. The time to do 25 photos, upload and add music was about 10 minutes. It seems to make things alot more profitable. Any ideas out there on how he accomplished this???

I believe the piece of equipment that you're referring to is a copy stand. Take a look on e-bay (search copy stand), they should have a photo you can compare with what you say. I'm an newbie to this stuff, but I'm sure one of the seasoned pros around here can confirm if this is what they use to capture the photos for keepsakes and photo montages.

X-Jake
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Jan 20, 2004, 1:38 AM

Post #5 of 8 (1584 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos [In reply to]	Can't Post

: : : : I have looked into buying a franchise to produce "keepsake videos". The cost runs about $65K. I visited one a couple of years ago and was impressed with the process. He claimed to have a "patented" tripod that allowed him to videotape the still photos, reducing the amount of time (otherwise scanning). I tried this concept on my own, using a regular tripod and it failed me. The franchise fee seems excessive given the fact that all other offerings (marketing materials, infomercials etc) were not the quality I was looking for. Does anyone know how this might be accomplished? I am not a video expert, just trying to figure out the process. I would appreciate any and all comments/ suggestions on where to go to get this done. Several consultants I have paid just shrugged and told me to buy a scanner, Photoshop and Premiere. I saw it with my own eyes!! How did he do this??? Help please!!
: : : I've looked at the franchise options too and have decided to continue on my own for at least the time being. Most of what the franchises seem to offer is "marketing" advice. I come from an advertising and marketing background and have very little need for that assistance. I can do an awful lot of trial and error (and advertising) for 60K+ So far as production goes, there may be better ways to do it, but I continue to scan the photos on my scanner with an automatic photo feeder and it works quite nicely. I'll be interested to see what you think if you decide to go ahead with the franchise option.
: : : I agree with you, it seems that the equipment is not the major investment in the franchise fee, it is the "cheesy" marketing stuff, use of web site etc.. I, too, have a background in marketing and think I could do much better. The thing that grabbed me was the way he was videotaping the stills. The "tripod" he was using looked almost like a drill stand! With everything on digital tape it was so easy to upload and edit. He had a lot of mixing equipment too. I am probably just dreaming here, but I can't help but think that someone with video experience could unravel this mystery. The time to do 25 photos, upload and add music was about 10 minutes. It seems to make things alot more profitable. Any ideas out there on how he accomplished this???
:
: I believe the piece of equipment that you're referring to is a copy stand. Take a look on e-bay (search copy stand), they should have a photo you can compare with what you say. I'm an newbie to this stuff, but I'm sure one of the seasoned pros around here can confirm if this is what they use to capture the photos for keepsakes and photo montages.
Thanks alot! It is not exactly what he was using, but is the same concept. I will check it out and see if it works as well as the demo! Thanks again!!

X-Ray_Lane
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Feb 22, 2004, 6:24 PM

Post #6 of 8 (1584 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos [In reply to]	Can't Post

I can tell you one thing that we did years ago which was pretty cool.
We had a Video Toaster (the old Amiga one), and we used a copystand to
film the pictures. The videtoaster had a screen capture that would take a
snapshot of the picture, which was immediately available for editing.
We could do 100 photos VERY QUICKLY!
And of course a video toaster can be found for a very low price these days.

X-Johnny_Hallyday
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Feb 23, 2004, 10:17 PM

Post #7 of 8 (1583 views)
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Re: Keepsake Videos [In reply to]	Can't Post

: I can tell you one thing that we did years ago which was pretty cool.
: We had a Video Toaster (the old Amiga one), and we used a copystand to
: film the pictures. The videtoaster had a screen capture that would take a
: snapshot of the picture, which was immediately available for editing.
: We could do 100 photos VERY QUICKLY!
: And of course a video toaster can be found for a very low price these days.
I bought this business opportunity a couple of years ago, with hopes of starting
up a home business. Needless to say it was an expensive lesson in bad research
As far as the equipment, it was first class. And the training and follow up help was
also top notch.
However I just coudn't find a large enough market to make it profitable. I could easily
make a a 100 image video in about 2 hours. To add music , titles, voice over etc,
figure another 2-4 hours depending on the amount. Most of the videos I sold were in
the 200 to 400 image range. I could sell the final product for about $300 to $700.
The quadrapod is an essential component but could be made by a
machine shop for a couple of hundred dollars. Basically it's just 4 legs welded
together at the top, with a hollow tube running straight down the middle.
A tube with a screw at the bottom to hold the camcoder runs though the hollow
tube and slides up and down.
I believe the quality using a high quality camcorder it by far superior to a scanner
as it enables you to use special effects such as panning and zomming. It also
enables you to videotape slides.
The cost of all the equipment is about $20,000. Add a couple of hundred for
brochures plus the on-site training and see what you get for your money.
However with the recent advances in home video editing software like
Final Cut, most people can do a decent job themselves at home instead
of paying someone else $300 to $700. Now I just do it for friends and family
as a hobby, while I have a regular job.

X-SMG
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Feb 26, 2004, 1:46 AM

Post #8 of 8 (1583 views)
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for goodness sakes... [In reply to]	Can't Post

...just buy a decent editing computer and scanner,
Adobe Photoshop and Premiere...
maybe throw in Canopus Imaginate for good measure
and take some editing lessons.