p.xi

INTRODUCTION

Einstein put it this way: E = MC².
We call it, “Action!”

E = MC². In layman’s terms that equation means you can get a whole lot of energy out of a small amount of matter. Einstein was talking about cosmic matter, of course—the stuff of suns, galaxies, planets, atoms and all the other mysterious building blocks of our universe. In this book, we’ll be talking about brain matter. Or, more specifically, the brains of corporate writers, producers and directors.

If we wanted to use Einstein’s equation as an analogy “relative” to corporate media, we could put it this way:

E = the energy created by a writer, producer or director.

MC = the “matter” that goes on the pages of a script; the directions given to an actor on a corporate shoot; the decisions a producer makes to move forward with a client’s project and commit the time and resources needed to make it a high-quality corporate program.

² = the exponential power of the program generated by by E = MC. In other words, the power to change minds, beliefs and attitudes—the power to change lives!

Or, we could simplify by saying that the seemingly little things that go into the production of a corporate program can dramatically increase its quality level and thus the impact it will have on viewers.

p.xii

Focusing on those little things is what this book is all about.

I’ve tried to explore each of the phases of the production process—writing, directing, producing and editing—by examining the more subtle techniques a writer, producer or director can put into practice to improve the quality of his work.¹ I’ve also included chapters on sensibilities—an important topic at the heart of this exploration—and client and producer handling.

You will find that this book is not quite as lengthy and weighty as many other books on the subject of corporate media, and, in fact, that it’s relatively short. This is by design. I’ve left out a good deal of basic instructional material on the assumption that you have a working knowledge of how videos and films are written, produced and directed. If that’s not the case, you should first gain that knowledge and return to this book in the future.

I hope you find this reading experience engaging, enjoyable and valuable, and I wish you the best of luck on your corporate media journey.

Ray DiZazzo

NOTE

1    Throughout this book references to ‘he/his’ are not intended to be gender-specific and can equally be read as ‘she/her’.