Everything You Want to Know About Us

What is Brien Lee VideoStory?

2010-07-17T21:05:40.121-04:00

Brien Lee VideoStory is a New Jersey-based endeavor
specializing in video-based communications and marketing
projects for businesses, the arts, non-profits and broadcast. It
is owned an operated by Brien Lee, a 40 year veteran of
multimedia communications in all forms.

Why do you consider yourself a "mentor"?

2010-07-17T21:04:33.049-04:00

For 40 years, I have sought out and hired the brightest young prospects for my company. They leave as well equipped to produce media communications as I was when I was their age.
I hav e taught at the University level, and run seminars and classes. I am at the age where I want to give back while still making a modest living. Mentoring gives me this opportunity.

What are your core capabilities?

2010-07-17T21:01:36.896-04:00

Writing. Visualization. Editing. Directing. Advising. Mentoring.
Consulting. All involving the areas of multimedia communications.
This includes video, web, meetings, dvd, ip-tv, and more.

"How did you arrive at this point? What is the History of VideoStory?

2008-10-24T14:32:21.131-04:00

Beginning with just two slide projectors, a fade and dissolve
unit for the projectors, a stereo tape deck and a sync tone
generator, Ric Sorgel and Brien Lee formed a business
partnership when they graduated from Marquette University,
eschewing regular employment for the risks of
entrepreneurship. Based on trial experiences in college, they
knew that good storytelling could succeed beyond the
perceived bounds of a medium, when the tools were used
within the framework of certain rules and when the medium
was pushed to its fullest potential.

"Twin-dissolve" slide shows provided an affordable alternative
to 16mm film and were a quantum leap above single
tray "click-click" shows and filmstrips, and after producing
their first show for just $150, they began to ride word of
mouth until they had produced important landmark
presentations for The Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Symphony,
The Milwaukee Art Museum, UPAF, Schlitz, The First Wisconsin
Center, and eventually, nearly all the top corporations in the
Milwaukee area.

Unlike other local production companies, the firm kept
on staff a disproportionate number of scriptwriter/directors,
who could maintain a creative vision from concept to
completion. With experts in photography and audio, they
completed the blueprint for what they termed a "holistic"
approach to audio-visual communications.

With Sorgel-Lee fully vested in slide shows and multiple
projector "multi-image" meeting production, Lee began to
envision the emerging capabilities of industrial video being
used for the same purposes, but with the addition of full
motion, synchronous sound interviews, and animation.

After the company's most successful year in 1982, Lee left to
form Brien Lee & Company, initially as a writing company to
serve other producers, but soon thereafter, as a competing
producer, but one with an emphasis on video.

In the 1980's Brien Lee & Company was the "go-to" firm for
complete video stories, producing meetings, orientations
histories and new product introduction for companies like
Mercury Marine, The Milwaukee Journal, Briggs & Stratton,
AT&T, PS&G, CUNA, Kohler, Johnson Controls, and others.

When he turned 40, Lee "retired for the first time" and sold
the company assets to former employees, who serviced
customers under the name of "Tri-Marq".

For the next two years, Lee worked on the technical side of
the business, helping start a multimedia division for Video
Images, Inc., in Chicago and Milwaukee, and selling and
providing training for the unique TVL presentation system,
which was the predecessor to PowerPoint and provided
seamless wide-screen capabilities to meetings for the first
time. This was a logical outgrowth of his capabilities in
computing, as he had written dozens of columns on
computers for "Audio-Visual / Video Communications"
magazine.

In 1992 he returned to production, building a major meeting
division for Visuals Plus, Inc., and landing projects with
Walgreens, Inc., True Value, and Underwriters Labs, all in
Chicago.

When the owner of Visuals Plus closed the business on July
4th, 1994, Lee was asked to continue working for Walgreens
as an independent producer. In 1995, he formed Brien Lee
Creative Solutions, which at first produced meeting modules
and documentaries for diverse markets, and eventually
morphed into a "we can do it all" company selling the
technical media customers seemed to be buying--
PowerPoint, Flash, TVL, Director, DreamWeaver-- and moving
into the web and e-learning worlds.

After eight years, the company refined its definition, ready to
offer its own turnkey capabilities in storytelling for those who
could tell the difference.

And Brien Lee VideoStory was born.

What about the web? Can you put video on my website?

2008-10-24T14:28:32.336-04:00

Yes. check out the videos on this website. They are being
played back in flash, but we can make video avaialble in
Quicktime, Windows Media, Real Media, etc. In short, yes--
whatever your site or your IT department requires, we can
accomodate.

"Okay. But how do I choose the primary method of distribution? Will my sales force, as an example, do better with DVD or CD-rom?"

2008-10-24T14:28:11.773-04:00

You'll need to look at the potential universe of what your
targets have the most of-- cd-rom, as an example, is pretty
universally available on most computers, but sometimes has
compatibility issues (video cards, speed issues, etc.) DVD is
highly compatible-- a DVD will play on jut about any DVD
player, but not ALL laptops in the corporate world have DVD--
they probably will once the next amortization cycle finishes.

But be aware of the hgrowing popularity of DVD-- just like the
movies you watch at home on the weekends, DVD is taking
over-- its higher quality, stores a lot more material, doesn't
need to be played back in a tiny little window, and is easier to
use than cd-rom.

How do I choose which medium to tell my story in?

2008-10-24T14:27:50.195-04:00

Thanks to digital video, you don;t have to choose. You can
tell your story in all media. Cd-rom, DVD, web video, wide
screen video projection-- these are all media of distribution.
Digital video "flows" into all of the media quite nicely. It's an
excellent opportunity to amortize your initial investment.

"There's a lot at risk here! Everyone wants this project to be a success, and I'm the one who will get the kudos or the blame. This whole process makes me nervous. "

2008-10-24T14:27:25.437-04:00

Don't be. That's where our experience comes in. We've made
many people look good, thanks to our combined efforts. You
set the goals and provide what we need (logos, flat art,
information, people to talk to), and we'll do the rest. We have
thirty years of experience telling us what works and what
doesn't.

And like the rules of marketing and positioning, these basics
don't change. We won't be learning on the job. We'll be doing
what we do best-- making you look good!

Can I expect overruns or changes to the budget?

2008-10-24T14:27:05.557-04:00

Not without your approval and prior notification. This would
typically happen at script approval, or if additional shooting
days are added because of new subject matter. We generally
ask that clients set aside a 10% contingency to allow out-of-
pocket expenses or to accommodate changes or additions
that are not within the scope of the proposal and/or script.

What if I don't like the result?

2008-10-24T14:26:45.625-04:00

That doesn't happen, but that's why we work on paper first--
to provide you with the best representation we can of where
we're going.

That being said, we will course correct and make changes to
insure that our final product meets our joint vision. You must
be satisfied.

What are the steps to a production?

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Research
Script (with pre-interviews if necessary)
Script Review
Second draft as necessary
Shotlist / Art Direction comp if necessary
Videography
Logging & Transcribing
Rough Cut
Review
Final Cut
Review
Pre-Master for release medium

DVD and cd-rom distribution require additional flowchart,
menu design, and authoring steps.

"What can we expect from a working relationship? Do you take over, or do we have input? Who does the work? What do you need from us?"

2008-10-24T14:25:37.057-04:00

It's our job to make you look good, and to make it painless
as well. We are a turnkey producer, and we have writers on
staff with marketing and production experience who know
how to create for the medium, create for the audience and
produce for the result.

That being said, we require input. Our goals are set by you,
our information about you comes from you, and we offer you
many chances to course-correct, have input, and sign-off so
that the production can progress.

We also have had many successful production partnerships,
especially with in-house corporate production departments.
We can write for their production team, consult, or provide
any or all elements over the course of a working relationship.

"How do we compare apples to oranges in this process? Say we meet with three different production companies?"

2008-10-24T14:25:10.482-04:00

Ask for a proposal. A company should offer you a
demonstration of an understanding of your need, your
market, and your presentation circumstances, and also offer
you a plan for meeting those needs. A good proposal actually
can become the working blueprint for the entire production.

How long does a project take?

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Assuming we're talking about one piece of average length,
and before we create menus on DVD or CD-ROM, or before
we compress for the web, you can usually guess about two
and a half to three months. Having said that, we've produced
effective pieces in as few as three weeks.... in fact, we've
done that three times in the last three months!

"Yeah, but really, how much for say an eight-minute video that's pretty good and involves at least some location shooting?"

2008-10-24T14:24:09.336-04:00

Where is the location? Do you need animations? (We can
make recommendations.) Original music or library? How
quickly do you need it?

There is a range, but it's a big range. We've done eight
minutes for $8K, and for $80K. We've won awards and
ongoing relationships at both ends of the spectrum.

What should I plan on budgeting for a project?

2008-10-24T14:05:02.932-04:00

There are two kinds of budgets. There's time and materials,
where you pay as you go. In this kind of relationship, you are
telling the production company what to do and they are doing
it. The company takes no end-result responsibility other than
for the technical craft they are offering. This is appropriate if
you are just hiring, say, a shooter for an event.

The other kind, and in "turnkey" work this is more the norm,
is the "quote" basis. The producer is taking a great deal of
responsibility and is quoting a number for the end result. The
producer estimates the time and materials needed to achieve
your goals. He bases that on how much shooting, creative
time, writing, editing, etc., will be involved, and on the final
length of the production. Note: Shorter doesn't mean
cheaper. The shooting days provide the core around which
the quote is built. That will be the most important aspect,
followed closely by the cost of certain production techniques,
such as animations or 3-D. Hourly rates are dependent on the
producers people, equipment and genweral overhead, and
more technology heavy areas will bear higher hourly figures.
However, also plan on paying slightly higher rates for good
writing and overall direction. It's worth it.

"How should I determine what company should produce my next project?"

2008-10-24T14:04:19.847-04:00

We have to answer that with a number of our own questions--
things to consider before you start your search.

What kind of project is this? A complete project, a piece of
one, finishing an existing script, etc? The Yellow Pages
categories mix all kinds of video providers together, from
wedding video people to High end producers.

To narrow things down, try to match the company to the kind
of work you'll be doing.

Go to the web and search on keywords like video,
multimedia, milwaukee, producer, production, etc. See who
pops up. Look at the web site and see if you can determine
the company's personality. If that passes muster, check out
their capabilities. The web site will tell you what they're happy
doing. Some will offer everything under the sun, and if you
are asking them to provide just a piece of the pie then maybe
they're worth calling. They make their money on bits and
pieces. Others will indicate they like more responsibility and
are willing to offer a bigger return-- our web site will

Explain VideoStory.

2008-10-24T14:03:09.210-04:00

Video is any medium that synchronizes sight and sound, not
just "pure" video. It could be three videos on three screens in
a big sales meeting, or a video stream on a web page (like on
our web site). They key thing is it moves. But that's only half
the story. The other half of the story is the story! We are
Storytellers, always have been (see "History," below). We
want to motivate audiences just like the movies do, with
beginnings, middles, and ends, climaxes and denouements.
We
want the music to amplify emotions, and the pictures to
encourage thought. Ask our clients-- an involved audience is
a motivated one. They believe. They buy. They give.