OT: need advice for lobby video

dibbkd wrote on 8/28/2010, 9:17 PM

My wife runs a therapy clinic and we're looking to mount a TV on the lobby wall and have it constantly show a video of what's going on at the clinic and such.

For example it'll have bios of the therapist, hours of operation, check-in procedures, and other things like that for patients to see while they're waiting in the lobby. I'm thinking something like a 10-minute video of basically text and some pictures, maybe some video, but mostly "information" type text on the screen. You've probably seen something like this in your doctors office.

I'm having a hard time describing what I want, hopefully some of you know what I'm talking about and can point me in the right direction!

I have some moving backgrounds that are nice, but it seems to be missing something.

OK - so I put the following together real quick just as a starting point for me, a kind of outline. It needs a LOT of work, but gives you an idea of the content I'm talking about:
http://www.vimeo.com/14525489Pre-draft version of lobby / waiting room video[/link]

Comments

ushere wrote on 8/29/2010, 12:52 AM

done a few similar type projects.....

a. NO audio - no matter how good it might be, the receptionist or someone will get sick of it and turn it down....

b. a lot depends on the 'wait' time involved. if the average throughput is a client every 5 minutes, then that should be you maximum.

c. footage with clear text overlay can explain a lot more than simple slates on pretty moving backgrounds - though a lot depends on the 'info' you want to show.

d. do a couple at least and rotate them so people coming a second time might catch a different version.

e.

Grazie wrote on 8/29/2010, 12:59 AM

I truly enjoy doing this type of work. It can be very rewarding, intellectually. Getting across my ideas in a salient and relevant way is a mentally challenging task and I thrive on this.

OK . . Your "missing something" is a common reaction. I know it very well, from my own work. Something just ISN'T hitting the nail on the head. Well, you are asking the singularly, most important question. And THAT is the best place to start.

You have many options - here are 3:

1] Self-Experience: If possible act/go through the therapy yourself.

2] Have a group of post-therapees view your footage and attentively listen to what they are saying. They will say things like: "It was a good therapy but it WOULD have helped IF . . . "

3] Where are the quotes from happy patients and their smiling faces/pictures?

These infomercials can be stunning when done well.

Nice question to read.

Grazie

dibbkd wrote on 8/29/2010, 6:04 AM

Thanks for the great ideas.

I finally remembered where I saw something like this I liked, this place sells systems that do this where you add your info to their templates (their system is "free", TV and all, but you have to find advertisers for it.. interesting business model):
Watch the TV screen on the homepage for a minute, that's the kind of stuff I'm wanting to do:
http://medcenterdisplay.com

And you're right, no audio or moving backgrounds, would seem cool at first but would get old and tacky quickly.

The average wait time is 30 minutes, it's pediatric therapy so the parents wait in the lobby while the child gets therapy. There are usually young siblings in the lobby too.

Testimonials from the patients would be good too, especially since it'd be from kids to kids. Some kids are scared, so might help them to see other happy kids on the screen.

My wife and I own/run the place, both our kids have been through the therapy, so we're very familiar with what the whole "experience" should be.

If either of you or anyone else has some examples they've done I'd love to see them for ideas to get me started.

I'll post my lobby video in a week or so when I'm finished, and then I'm sure make a dozen changes to it after it gets critiqued by you all.

PeterWright wrote on 8/29/2010, 6:34 AM

Yes, as Grazie says, these projects can be great challenges, and each one has its own pace, look, duration etc according to who's viewing and how you want to affect them.

I wouldn't exclude audio necessarily - good to design audio to play at background level, though, and also think about how it looks or comes across without sound. You can also include an alternative audio track on a DVD, e.g. music only.

Talking of lobby displays, I remember a couple of versions back Vegas introduced a mode where you could create "vertical" rectangular screens for eye catching lobby display - but I can't remember what it's called or how to access it - anyone?

Rory Cooper wrote on 8/30/2010, 2:11 AM

I would include vox pops of clients and the specialist chatting about some basics and benifits

If appropriate include some scenes from movies where they’ve got it wrong , keep it light, like at the end of some movies they show communication/line glitches
this is.. more to set folks at ease and its entertaining.

Former user wrote on 8/30/2010, 6:42 AM

Audio is good to have. But, and I have experienced this, you will find the receptionist will find a way to turn it off or down. Because they get tired of it real fast.

I used to create one of the largest laser disk projects for doctor's offices. It ran in thousands of offices for a couple of years, and about 80% of the offices found a way to kill the audio.

Dave T2