You’ve heard the old saying a million times: the three keys to success are “location, location, location!” Your Florida video production is no exception to that rule. Location and scenery can make or break your project, whether you’re producing a big-budget, feature-length film or a 30-second commercial. Whether you’re a longtime local or an out-of-towner bringing your project to the Sunshine State, Digital Video Arts can help you pinpoint and secure the perfect location for your Florida video production.

From sprawling coastal homes to quaint country shacks to sleek downtown flats, DVA can help secure the perfect location for your Florida video production.

DVA’s producers have years of experience in the art of location scouting for films, videos, television commercials and Internet video productions throughout Florida. Many don’t know that 100 years ago, Florida’s Jacksonville area (where DVA is located) was known as the “Winter Film Capital of the World” and is widely considered the first site for on-location filming. A century later, film and video producers still come to Florida for the same reasons that attracted filmmaking’s earliest pioneers, including the state’s year-round mild climate and exterior location options that include “everything except mountains – and we can green screen those,” as the saying goes.

Sandy beaches; modern downtown skylines; quaint, rural towns; ornate, century-old mansions and gardens; Anywhere,  USA suburbia homes; and wooded swamplands that double for faraway jungles are just a few of the Florida video production location options available for both exterior and interior shooting. DVA’s production team has a knack for finding just the right locations that help communicate your project’s feel and message. And, we can help you sure permission to use chosen locations, including negotiating city permits and location fees.

To find and secure the ideal location for your Florida video production, contact DVA today.

It’s an often misunderstood concept, but art direction can make or break your Florida video production or Florida film production. What exactly is art direction, you ask? Easy. Well, easily said, anyway. A film or video production’s art direction involves developing and meticulously maintaining the project’s look. Need to turn your girlfriend’s spotless apartment into a grungy frat house for a day-long indie film shoot? Have access to a bare office space that you transform into a bustling storefront for a TV commercial? Or are you looking to recreate a historic scene for a documentary project?

Talented art direction professionals can transform any space into a scene that perfectly communicates your vision for your Florida video production or Florida film production. Art direction for a film or video project involves designing, building and dressing sets including choosing furniture, wall and floor coverings, artwork, plants, dishes and a million other items that might appear in a believable scene. Wardrobe choices also are a determination of the art department or art direction professionals.

A Wikipedia entry describes the work of an art director or production designer as “in charge of the overall visual appearance and how it communicates visually, stimulates moods, contrasts features, and psychologically appeals to a target audience. The art director makes decisions about visual elements used, what artistic style to use, and when to use motion.”

Originally called “art directors,” these professionals have increasingly been called “production designers” since 1939, when famed film producer David O. Selznick decided that the term “art director” failed to lend due credit to William Cameron Menzies for his work on “Gone with the Wind” and created the “production designer” title.

In advertising, art direction takes a similar purpose in that it involves creating the most effective visual approach for your advertising, marketing and promotional materials including television commercials and print collateral. This involves creating and choosing just the right color, typeface, logo design, graphics and photographs that successfully relay your message to your target audience.

At DVA, our team of art direction professionals boasts decades of experience in all related aspects including set design, construction and dressing, props, costume design, etc. Our advertising art directors are experts in visual communication. No matter the message, DVA has the expertise and experience to create the perfect look for your Florida video production, Florida film production or advertising collateral. Contact us toll free at 888-340-1010.

Financial incentives for Florida video production and Florida film production can help slash your production budget if you know where to look for assistance. Cash rebates, tax advantages and exemptions, travel and lodging discounts and more are available to both Florida-based video production and film production companies as well as projects and companies coming to the Sunshine State from elsewhere.

Existing Florida video production and Florida film production incentives include:

• 15-22% cash rebate for films, TV commercials and music videos with qualified expenditures of $625,000 or more;
• 15-20% cash rebate for multiple commercials and music videos with $500,000 or more in combined qualified expenditures and with a minimum of $100,000 in qualified expenditures per production;
• 15-17% cash rebate for indie Florida feature films or documentaries 70 minutes or longer with qualified expenditures of $100,000 up to $625,000;
• 10% cash rebate for interactive entertainment projects with qualified expenditures of $300,000 or more;
• Various sales and use tax exemptions on Florida film production and television production equipment and real property;
• Discounts on hotel and resort stays, truck rentals, location fees and other items offered through the Florida Discounts & Deals program.

At Digital Video Arts, we keep up to date on all of the Florida video production and Florida film production incentives offered to both in-state projects and to producers of projects coming to Florida from out-of-state. Currently, state legislation sets aside $10.8 million in annual incentives for Florida video production and Florida film production projects, but industry lobbyists are continually working to land higher amounts.

To see if your Florida video production or Florida film production project qualifies for any of these incentives, visit the Film in Florida website, operated by the Governor’s Office of Film & Entertainment. Then, call DVA. We are a full-service Florida video production and film production company that takes the “concept to completion” tagline to a whole new level, offering all the core pre-production, production and post-production video and film services, plus related extras including logo and brand image design, print advertisements and collateral, and Internet and interactive experiences.

There are lots of great reasons to plan your next video or film project in Florida. Jacksonville-based and familiar with all things Florida when it comes to video and film production, DVA can help you take advantage of all of them. Browse our website for a look at our capabilities, then call toll free: 888-340-1010.

They say everyone’s got a movie in them. Digital Video Arts, a Florida video production company with a top-notch staff of film professionals, offers script-to-screen services to help you launch or further your filmmaking career. Our Florida video production, film production and recording studio specialists boast decades of experience in all aspects of film and video production, from shooting to scripting to musical scoring and even food styling.

Our portfolio features multiple types of film and video productions including local PSAs and political messages, high-end commercials for top national and international companies, sports and feature programs and segments for national television networks, corporate and promotional videos and feature-length documentaries. Each of our highly specialized staff brings years of experience in film production and video production in Florida and across the nation.

Once you’ve got the idea for your film, you’ll want to get it onto paper in script form. If you’re new to film production, you might be surprised at the sheer number of elements that go into drafting a professional script. Our experienced and highly creative scriptwriters know just how to craft a script in a way that effectively tells your story or conveys your message and meets all the industry expectations. They’ve penned scripts for commercials and PSAs for television and radio, corporate and promotional videos, long-form videos and documentaries. Our team of incredible storytellers will collaborate with you fully research your subject matter and collaborate with you to create a script that exceeds your expectations.

Along with your script, our Florida film production specialists also can create accompanying materials including story boards and other illustrations and musical scores and soundtracks. And when you’re ready to get the cameras rolling, we can take your project all the way through production to post-production to packaging for distribution. Each staff member at DVA’s Jacksonville video production studios is an artistic storyteller with a specialized technical ability.

If you’ve got a film or documentary film idea in mind, call DVA today and let us help you get on your way to filmmaking success. Our Florida video production facility has all you’ll need for a top-notch project. Contact us at 888-340-1010 or via our online email form.

Hey Florida film production pros, The annual DocMiami International Film Festival is accepting submissions for its 2010 event May 28-30 at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa. The festival recognizes the best among emerging documentary filmmakers from around the world. The popularity of documentaries is exploding these days, with bigger audience numbers and more theatrical releases than ever before.

Here at Digital Video Arts, we know the allure of the documentary – the most effective medium to tell a story in a visually and audibly moving way. Our expert Florida video production team has produced or co-produced numerous documentaries on subjects ranging from the Suwannee River Music Festival to the life and times of legendary pro golfer Bobby Jones to the true stories of men who fought in the Viet Nam War.

Need help getting your documentary produced, finished or packaged in time to submit to DocMiami? Digital Video Arts is a top-rated Florida video production company and Florida recording studio boasting an expert team of film, video and music recording professionals with decades of experience. We can take your film or video production project from concept to completion or assist with your ala carte video production needs including music recording and DVD packaging.

Visit www.docmiami.org for all the info on the 2010 festival. Then, call Digital Video Arts to help you get your project ready to compete.