Rangefinder Magazine
April 2006

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First Exposure John Rettie
eMotion Media DVD Proofing

JUST ABOUT EVERYONE has a DVD player nowadays and they have become the medium of choice for viewing movies. This is not surprising since, in addition to the improved image quality compared to VHS tapes, the benefit of a DVD is the ability to randomly access different parts of the movie, and even view extra features such as outtakes or interviews with the director.

Consumers’ comfort with DVDs is one of the reasons they make sense as a medium for showing still photographs. However, anyone who has ever tried to create a DVD knows that putting one together is fairly time consuming— there is more to it than just burning a piece of video or a selection of photos onto a blank DVD. There is the need to construct the correct format with links and menu systems. Enter eMotion Media, a company based in Oklahoma serving professional photographers.

The eMotion Media website (www.emotionmedia.com)

In a sense, one could call eMotion Media a modern photo lab, or at least the department of a traditional lab that produces proofs and puts them in an album.

While most wedding photographers are probably still producing proof albums, there are some adventurous ones looking for a different medium that may give them an edge over their competitors.

How about a DVD with images from a wedding that can be viewed on a television or a computer? There are numerous advantages, both from a photographer’s and from a customer’s point of view.

A customer can view the pictures with a group of friends or family while seated around a large TV set, which is more emotionally appealing than looking at proofs on a website or even in a traditional proof album. What’s more, additional copies of a DVD are inexpensive, so it’s easy to sell additional copies to customers as keepsakes. They can then pass them on to friends and family, which will potentially create more sales of prints.

For a photographer, a DVD offers several benefits—first and foremost, it does not contain images of sufficient quality that a customer might be tempted to produce their own prints by scanning or printing. The preeMotion sentation includes music and cross-fades between images, making viewers more likely to become emotionally involved in watching the images on their TV, leading to increased sales of final prints. It also allows a studio to show images on a TV screen for simplified presentation for in-office proofing.

An example of an opening menu on a DVD created by eMotion Media

Pricing is dependent upon the number of images that are in included in the DVD as well as the type of show that is created. Prices range from $29.95 for a basic show with up to 100 images, up to several hundred dollars for one with hundreds of images, more advanced animations and transitions, and custom text. Once the initial DVD is created, duplicate copies cost $10 each in small quantities.

Apart from producing custom wedding albums, it’s also possible for a photographer to have eMotion Media produce a DVD for use just as a portfolio for giving to potential clients. The cost per unit can then come down substantially as larger quantities are easily duplicated.

In addition to the picture show, proofing pages with thumbnail images can be chosen so a client can randomly access images and view them at full screen resolution as required. Each image has a unique number for ordering. It’s even possible, using the remote, to change an image from color to sepia tone or black and white to show a client the look of different types of prints. Finally, a portfolio showcase of the photographer’s other work can be included in a third section. This can, of course, lead to further sales as the photographer’s client shows the DVD.

The images in the three sections of the DVD are not regular JPEG files, instead they are converted into interlaced video stills that look good on a TV or when viewed on some, but not all, computers using a software- based DVD controller.

Once a photographer has signed up with eMotion Media, it is easy to upload selected images to the company’s server. The DVD will be created and and mailed back to the studio in a few days. A photograph chosen from the pictures on the DVD is printed on the surface of the disc for a professionally finished look. It’s then up to the photographer to decide on the price to charge for the DVD or even to give it away as part of a package.

eMotion Media has a comprehensive website that describes the content, along with effective demos that show what to expect. The background music can be chosen online, as can the menu design, text and animation style. The company is currently offering a free trial offer for a DVD to showcase their services.

With music, animations and subtle transitions, an eMotion Media Photo Showcase DVD becomes a product in its own right. More than just a proof, it’s a keepsake.