Mr. Patio Cover
Owner Video · Shoot Doc

Eric's “Before We Come Out” Video

The short video homeowners see right after they request their Custom Design Meeting & Free Estimate. It warms them up, sets expectations, and gets everyone to the table excited.

🎥 16:9 horizontal · green screen 🎙️ Eric, talking to camera 🧩 6 sections to record 📝 302 words ≈ 1:52–2:06 spoken 📅 Record Fri 9/18
📋 Read this first · 3 minutes

How to record this (you've got this)

This is a short, warm welcome video from you to a homeowner who just asked us to come out. It plays right after they request a time. The goal: they're home, everyone's there, and they already like Mr. Patio Cover before the rep knocks. Sounding like yourself matters more than sounding polished.

🗣️ Delivery Most important

  • Talk to one person. Picture Steffi or Noah across the table, not "an audience." Noah and Steffi both said your usual videos sound scripted. This one only works if it sounds like the Eric they talk to every day.
  • Don't memorize it word for word. Know the point of each section and say it your way. Keep the price, the four questions and the guarantees exactly as written.
  • Energy one notch above normal conversation, not announcer mode. Smile at the start and the end.
  • Teleprompter: speakflow.com (~$15) scrolls as you talk, so you're never chasing its speed. Put the prompter as close to the lens as you can so your eyes stay on the camera.
  • Pauses are good. Let a beat breathe after each of the four questions. The editor can tighten it.

🎬 How to record: continuous, slated, section by section

  • Do one full read-through first as a warm-up. We won't use it.
  • Then record section by section in one continuous clip. Before each take, say the slate out loud ("Number two, take one"), pause 2 seconds, deliver the section, and hold still for 2 seconds at the end.
  • 2–3 takes per section, then move on. Flubbed a line? Pause, say "pickup," and start that sentence again. No need to stop recording.
  • Same shirt, same spot, same framing the whole session, so every take cuts together cleanly.

🔊 Audio

  • Bad audio kills a video faster than bad picture. Use a lav/clip-on mic, clipped mid-chest and hidden from the lens if possible.
  • Turn off the AC, fans and anything that hums. Silence phones. Close the door.
  • Test first: record 10 seconds, play it back with headphones, and make sure your voice is clear with no echo. Then record the rest.

🟩 Green screen + lighting

  • Stand 4–6 feet in front of the green screen so there's no green glow on your shoulders or shadow on the screen.
  • Light the screen evenly (no wrinkles, no hot spots), and light your face separately with a soft light slightly to one side of the camera.
  • Don't wear green, teal, or anything shiny. A solid, darker shirt (a Mr. Patio Cover polo is perfect, as long as it isn't green) and no reflective glasses if you can avoid them.

📷 Camera + framing

  • Horizontal (16:9), 4K if you have it, 30 fps. Camera on a tripod, lens at eye level.
  • Frame chest-up and centered with a little headroom. Keep your head and shoulders in the middle of the frame so we can also crop a vertical version for texts and emails.
  • Look into the lens, not at the screen or the prompter text.

📤 Sending the footage

  • Send the original files (not texted or compressed). Upload to Google Drive or drop a link in Basecamp for Spencer.
  • Name it MPC_OwnerVideo_Eric_2026-09-18. Please send by end of day Friday.
  • Spencer's team edits it within about 48 hours and sends it back for a quick thumbs-up before it goes live.
The one job of this video: by the time our rep knocks, the homeowner is home, the decision-makers are in the room, they know roughly what it costs, they know what to ask the other companies, and they're looking forward to meeting us.

✅ 60-second pre-roll checklist

  • Mic on, clipped, 10-second test played back with headphones
  • AC/fans off, phone silenced, door closed
  • Green screen smooth and evenly lit, standing 4–6 ft in front of it
  • Not wearing green or anything shiny
  • Camera horizontal, eye level, chest-up, head centered
  • Teleprompter loaded and sitting next to the lens
  • Warm-up read-through done

🎬 The script, section by section

302 words total · hard cap 2:00

Word counts are the contract. Seconds are estimates at a natural pace (~2.6 words/sec). Record top to bottom, slate each section.

1
Slate: “Hook, take one”

Hook

33 words · ~13s
Owner intro + the reason to keep watching.

Hey, I'm Eric Engle. I own Mr. Patio Cover.

Before my team comes out to your house, I want to tell you three things. The second one can save you an expensive mistake.

Direction: Smile on the first line. You're welcoming them, not pitching them.
For the editor (don't read these)
TEXT Eric Engle · Owner, Mr. Patio Cover
2
Slate: “Who we are, take one”

Who we are

42 words · ~16s
Trust: family business, since 1996, why you started it.

We're a family business, building patio covers in Southern California since 1996.

I started this company because I kept seeing covers put up wrong.

So we use our own crews, no subcontractors, and I still look over the designs and quotes myself.

Direction: This is your story. Say it the way you'd tell a neighbor. It's fine if the wording drifts a little here.
For the editor (don't read these)
B-ROLL Failed/sagging cover from the old “installed wrong” video, 2–3 sec, on “put up wrong”
TEXT Since 1996 · Own crews · No subs
3
Slate: “Number one, take one”

Number one: your meeting

53 words · ~20s
Makes the meeting worth keeping + sets price expectations.

Number one. Your meeting.

We measure, we bring real samples, and we design it with you on your patio. You get a real written price before we leave. Not “we'll email you something next week.”

Covers start at $4,449. Most families end up between eight and sixteen thousand, depending on size and style.

Direction: Say the price line plainly and confidently. Don't rush it or apologize for it. It builds trust.
For the editor (don't read these)
B-ROLL 3–4 completed-job photos (insulated, lattice, Velaro)
TEXT Starts at $4,449 · Most projects $8K–$16K
4
Slate: “Number two, take one”

Number two: comparing quotes

83 words · ~32s
Handles the #1 reason jobs are lost: other bids.

Number two. You're probably getting a few quotes. Good.

Just compare the same thing. Ask every company four questions. Is it engineered and permitted for my house? How thick is the aluminum? Are your own crews installing it? And what's the guarantee, in writing?

Here's ours. Lifetime against 130-mile-an-hour wind. Lifetime it won't leak. Lifetime on our workmanship. And we finish in 30 days, or we pay you a hundred bucks a day.

A cheaper bid is usually cheaper somewhere on that list.

Direction: Most important section. Slow down on the four questions and pause between each one. Keep the numbers and guarantees exactly as written.
For the editor (don't read these)
TEXT One at a time: 1. Engineered + permitted? · 2. How thick is the aluminum? · 3. Their own crews? · 4. Guarantee in writing?
TEXT Lifetime 130 mph wind · Lifetime no-leak · Lifetime workmanship · Done in 30 days or $100/day
5
Slate: “Number three, take one”

Number three: everyone there

35 words · ~13s
Gets every decision-maker in the room.

Number three. If anyone else gets a say, your spouse, your partner, have them there.

Plan on about an hour, so you can decide at the table. Yes or no, both are fine with us.

Direction: Relaxed and friendly. “Both are fine with us” should sound like you mean it.
6
Slate: “Close, take one”

Close

56 words · ~22s
The one action, then leave them excited for the meeting.

Last thing. Tap the button under this video and send us that text, so we can lock in your time.

Honestly, this meeting is the fun part. When we leave, you'll know exactly what you're getting, what it costs, and when it's done.

Thanks for trusting us with your home. We can't wait to meet you.

Direction: Warmest part of the video. Point down on “the button under this video.” Big genuine smile on the last line.
For the editor (don't read these)
TEXT Arrow pointing down: “Tap below to confirm by text ↓”

📜 Full script (warm-up read-through / teleprompter)

copy into speakflow.com

Hey, I'm Eric Engle. I own Mr. Patio Cover.

Before my team comes out to your house, I want to tell you three things. The second one can save you an expensive mistake.

We're a family business, building patio covers in Southern California since 1996.

I started this company because I kept seeing covers put up wrong.

So we use our own crews, no subcontractors, and I still look over the designs and quotes myself.

Number one. Your meeting.

We measure, we bring real samples, and we design it with you on your patio. You get a real written price before we leave. Not “we'll email you something next week.”

Covers start at $4,449. Most families end up between eight and sixteen thousand, depending on size and style.

Number two. You're probably getting a few quotes. Good.

Just compare the same thing. Ask every company four questions. Is it engineered and permitted for my house? How thick is the aluminum? Are your own crews installing it? And what's the guarantee, in writing?

Here's ours. Lifetime against 130-mile-an-hour wind. Lifetime it won't leak. Lifetime on our workmanship. And we finish in 30 days, or we pay you a hundred bucks a day.

A cheaper bid is usually cheaper somewhere on that list.

Number three. If anyone else gets a say, your spouse, your partner, have them there.

Plan on about an hour, so you can decide at the table. Yes or no, both are fine with us.

Last thing. Tap the button under this video and send us that text, so we can lock in your time.

Honestly, this meeting is the fun part. When we leave, you'll know exactly what you're getting, what it costs, and when it's done.

Thanks for trusting us with your home. We can't wait to meet you.