What are you interested in seeing in a promotional hunting video?

[Rohan]

Hey there,

The porcupine stabbing is an absolute no-no in my books. Not the act, because I dont know the story behind it etc, I'm saying that the inclusion of it in a promotional hunting dvd is of no value whatsoever. I dont know what kind of control your client had over what aired in this dvd. The porcupine stabbing is defintely not for a promotional video and could possibly put the production at risk of losing the interest of hunters and clients, rather than promoting the outfit.

Obviously it was an isolated incident and does not reflect commercial hunting or the outfit to any degree. But its not good for hunters, the industry, or the promotion of the dvd and outfit to put that in.

Really, the dvd was great, maybe more scenery and accomodation footage needed but im no expert, im just saying what I think- Dont put footage like porcupine stabbing in there, thats not hunting and viewing it helps no one. It will only fuel our anti-hunting brothers and sisters; when they say that we as hunters are barbaric and mindless then play that peice of the clip out of context...can we argue? Not that anyone has to justify anything.

Otherwise, I would have liked to have seen more about the accomodation, the area, and heard some more input from clients who have hunted there.

Regards,

 

[MarcelV]

Thank you for your opinion, i will keep that in mind..

Hey there,

The porcupine stabbing is an absolute no-no in my books. Not the act, because I dont know the story behind it etc, I'm saying that the inclusion of it in a promotional hunting dvd is of no value whatsoever. I dont know what kind of control your client had over what aired in this dvd. The porcupine stabbing is defintely not for a promotional video and could possibly put the production at risk of losing the interest of hunters and clients, rather than promoting the outfit.

Obviously it was an isolated incident and does not reflect commercial hunting or the outfit to any degree. But its not good for hunters, the industry, or the promotion of the dvd and outfit to put that in.

Really, the dvd was great, maybe more scenery and accomodation footage needed but im no expert, im just saying what I think- Dont put footage like porcupine stabbing in there, thats not hunting and viewing it helps no one. It will only fuel our anti-hunting brothers and sisters; when they say that we as hunters are barbaric and mindless then play that peice of the clip out of context...can we argue? Not that anyone has to justify anything.

Otherwise, I would have liked to have seen more about the accomodation, the area, and heard some more input from clients who have hunted there.

Regards,

 

[ILCAPO]

I'll throw my two cents in here as well.

I'm hoping to conduct an Africa hunt by 2013. My wife is interested in a photographic safari, but hunting, not so much. She understands I'm a hunter and tolerates it, but isn't crazy about it. Although she understands the need for hunting, she also feels sorry for the animals. As much as I'd like one, I think she'd kill me if I took a leopard. To her, a cat is a cat is a cat. We have three and she'd view it as killing our pets' cousin. LOL!

She would like to see South Africa, doing a safari in Kruger National Park or such and a visit to the Cape. She'll tolerate the hunt, but would want to see a little of what would be available for her. She said she'd probably want to spend one day in the bush with me hunting as an observer, but I can tell you right off it would have to be rather easy travel and a rather short hunting day. A hard, all-day hunt would not work out for her. I've tried hiking with her and it's just not something she's into for more than several hours.

I agree with what many people said herein. More stalking/hunting getting to the animal, and less shooting. Just several actual kills going down, and without any kicking or thrashing about. That turns most women off. It would my wife for sure -- she's Italian. As others have said, it all depends on the audience. If you're in a front of a bunch of hard core hunters, what you have would work. That said, although it was a bit long, I liked the first one more. The second is too short and disjointed. But when you're trying to draw couples where the woman isn't a hunter, which will most likely be the case with most Americans, then you have to play up the other aspects. All the killing on film might work against you. Just some thoughts.

 

[35bore]

Great video and agree with some of the others, keep some of the shooting but, tone it down just a bit, more animals of coarse. All in all though very well put together in my mind, the porcupine Naaaa, that's one for people who get into that sort of thing. 9

 

[MarcelV]

Hi Guys, we did another promo version...
I am still trying to find what works for most

What do you think about this one ?

Marcel

 

[Big5]

The original topic here was to seek advice for the content to be contained in a promotional video for HUNTING. I feel some here may be overlooking that. This is not a promo for a ‘photo safari’, nor is it is a promo for a ‘bird watching excursion’ or a ‘honeymoon getaway’ on the white sand beach of an island resort. It is a promo video targeting people with a primary interest in hunting, shooting and harvesting (killing) animals if any are encountered that meet their expectations. And, since the video is the culmination of many hunts, there will quite naturally be much shooting and many kill scenes contained in the short span of the video.

Rarely, if ever, will the content any promo video appeal to everyone. I agree with a few others who feel the porcupine scene could have been left out. But that scene alone did not override the entire purpose of the video for me. I also have never had the desire to shoot a giraffe, or a hippo bobbing around in a river either. My personal preference is to shoot hippos on solid ground. But so what? The giraffe kill scenes and the scenes of hippo being shot in a body of water didn't override the main purpose of the video for me either. To each his own when it comes to hunting interests.

Again, this is a ‘hunting’ promo and it was surely produced to entice a general across the board range of people with an interest in ‘hunting and shooting’. With that in mind I think the video accomplished it quite well.

Just my two cents . . . . and good hunting to you all.

 

[Wheels]

Marcel,

As has been mentioned, it is hard to appeal to everyone. That being understood, I enjoyed both videos.

Is it about time for another video to share with us?

All the best.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I think that these are good movies and good promote African hunting.
Witold

 

[MarcelV]

Hi Guys, thanks for all the feedback, we have done quite a bit of video and shows in the
past year but just never got to sharing them here..

Here are some videos we recently did, hope you guys enjoy it

TV Commercial that starts airing on Sportsman Channel Tomorrow - 10 Jan 2015

This is a short promo video for TQ Safaris their website..

Then the latest Promo we did for one of our clients Quagga Safaris.

Please share your thoughts, i would live to find ways to improve the way we promote hunting

Regards
Marcel

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I think the are good.
Witold

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Thank you MarvelAfrica.
Witold

 

[jeff]

I didn't think that showing the wildebeest shot to far back with a arrow was good , it looked like a gut shot. The Quagga Safaris promo had some music that seemed obnoxious to me, all in all they were pretty good. Just my opinion.

 

[Foxi]

I have long considered to write here.
Shooting in England is other, than hunting in Austria or Spain.
And I respect that
But all what we here want is good hunt in a good environment in your beautiful land.
You have to earn money and so you can protect your animals.

Open word ?
forget it, for the german speaking countries.
the complete film is unsharp
the music is awefully;you have so extremly beautiful african music.
Why you don't use it ?
Don't show here Giraffe shootings.
No Baboon shooting here.
Don't underestimate the opinion of the children and the wifes of your clients
For the English ,no shooting in the blind.
The Rhino at 02.08,probably the same as 24.35 ,is still alive.It seems so.
A shitstorm is your sure in West-Europe.
The guy at 23.56 is defenetly no Rilfeman.
And the porcupine man is a disgusting one and need more a thearpist as a weapon in his hand.

Sorry for grumbling,just my two cents.Not more.
Foxi

 

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Just my 2 cents, on hunting videos (promotional or otherwise):

Music: 1.) Music should be subtle and used to enhance what is being visualized, i.e. if one is tracking a wounded cape buffalo in the bush, the music should "set the mood".....something that starts slowly and builds to a final crescendo. 2.) Music should not over power what is being "seen".....it should (again) be subtle and in the "back ground" to enhance. 3.) NO HEAVY METAL OR ROCK & ROLL!!!!! Damn, I don't know what it is that makes people think this is "cool", but it's getting to the point where when I click on a hunting video, and I hear power guitars, I quickly move on to something else. I hunt to get away from the loudness and hustle/bustle of the world.....I like the quiet of the woods, marsh, veldt, etc. (and just for the record, I LOVE heavy metal music, and have even been known to play some on the guitar in the past.......but NOT in my hunting world!).

Fences: NO high fences should be shown, even if yours is a high fence operation. These videos are seen by "the public"; the "public" (nonhunters who are sitting on the fence about hunting) sees a fence and immediately this is somehow "wrong". Public opinion is swayed, and then next thing you know we have countries instituting bans on this and that (such as lion imports). I think it would be wiser to show a fence and game animals hopping over it, but that's just MHO.

Animals/kills: I prefer to see animals being hunted, ethical shots being taken, and clean kills...........no 500 yard rifle shots, or 100 yard bow shots. They may be "doable", but not by the majority of people out there. Again, nonhunters will see these videos, and "fair chase" needs to be promoted........think about how nonhunters will view that porcupine kill; again, it paints a negative image of ALL African hunting from just a few seconds of video. I will take this a step further and say that it might even cost you business......think about someone who might be wanting to go to Africa and take his spouse/family. They aren't hunters, but would like to go along and maybe visit a predator park, national park such as Marakele, or do a side trip or two. Do you think that after seeing something negative, such as that porkie being stabbed, that she will let her husband go there with them in tow? Probably not..................

Accomodations: If I am staying with you, then I would like to see where I am staying. If you have several different camps/lodges, then I want to see them all. I don't want to see a 5 star lodge and then be put up in a tent because "this is a different camp for species X". I can take just about anything, accomodation wise, but if you are advertising 5 star, then I expect 5 star! If a certain area or species requires a "roughing it" type of accomodations, I would like to see it first and be made aware of it prior to my landing in Africa.

Length of video: To me, the whole idea of a "promo" video is to get me interested enough to check out a website, make a phone call, send an email, etc. I think that anything over 10 minutes kind of defeats the purpose of a "promo". While I watch longer videos, it's usually not because I am interested in finding an outfitter. However, I think that you need more than just a few seconds of footage of a bunch of animals being shot to promote your business or camp.....there needs to be some detail in what you are doing to show the viewer why they should be hunting with you instead of the other guy.

Other experiences: I would also like to see the following in a hunting promo: where I'm going to be hunting (terrain), how we will be hunting (stalking, stand and watch, hunting over a water hole, etc), if you are a specialist (i.e. bowhunting guide) how do you participate in said specialty, and other things to do other than hunting (animal parks, etc).

Like I said, this is just MHO......others may vary.

 

[Lrntolive]

I'm fairly new to the site, but here is something I would like to see in a hunting video out of Africa:
Bowhunting by spot and stalk.
- For me, the hunt does not always have to end in success as every bow hunter knows that the excitement of fair chase and the opportunity to get close is what drives the adrenaline.
- It would be nice to see some animals go down, but even the near misses are great. Just last year I missed a nice 6x6 bull elk here in Colorado because my arrow hit a twig I didn't see. It's bow hunting and it happens.

For all the other comments on appropriate versus inappropriate, I'm less concerned. There are too many people out in the general public that are willing to give us a hard time just for hunting, much less the type of hunting we do. Your videos, your choice to show what you want. I'm sure each video will appeal to someone. If they don't like, they can find a different one to watch.

 

[Delta5Cav]

Cover how the hunt is conducted, how the animals are spotted and then stalked. Every animal doesn't have to be shot, some scenes of animals not hunted. The accommodations and always the food, most important if you are bring the wife.

 

[Philip Glass]

I have to say anyone can film beautiful animals and scenery. We are hunters and we want to see hunting! Not just scenery. If you show the stalk and the lead up what is the problem with showing the Shot? Now I agree with you if it is just hammering one animal after another maybe that gets overdone. I do like to see the airport or charter pickup and the lodge and facilities. Another point is that a promo video should show animals commonly hunted on the property and available to hunters. It does the client a disservice if you show an animal being taken that you only hunt 1 a year in my opinion.
I do enjoy these promo videos so please keep them coming!
Thanks for posting!
Regards,
Philip

 

[rookhawk]

What are you interested in seeing in a promotional hunting video?

Answer: the aerial survey with all fences marked and a list of any non-indigenous animals on the ranch