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So you want to shoot it yourself...

With the introduction of smaller, inexpensive video cameras, more and more clients are shooting their own video. They're not necessarily shooting entire productions, but grabbing quick interviews and getting a quick feel for an event.

These cameras (the Flip is one of the most popular) are great. They come in a small package and make good quality video. But great picture quality alone doesn't tell a great story. Composition, sound, continuity – the things that help to tell a compelling story – are the responsibility of the videographer.

Sometimes Flip video works. Sometimes it doesn't. I've put together a few quick tips that I've passed along to clients to help improve the video they supply to us for editing:

• Wait for 2 seconds before you ask your question. Often the beginning of an answer gets cut off because the camera wasn't recording before the person began to speak.
• Stay wide – wider shots are steadier. If you can brace your arms on a table top, or lean against a doorway that can help to steady the shot.
• Don't zoom or pan. Try to think about telling the story with a series of static shots rather than zooming or panning. Zooms and pans can work, but too much can be awful. I've seen videos that require dramamine... :)
• Try to get as close to the subject as possible when shooting. These cameras have built-in microphones and if there is a lot of ambient noise, they'll be difficult to hear. The same goes for a large room. The echoes can be distracting.
• Avoid windows. An interview subject against a window will show up as a silhouette.

If you have enough time, I'd recommend shooting something quickly and looking at it on a computer to see how it looks and sounds. Shoot someone in the type of environment you'll be in when doing your interviews to see how the lighting affects the image and the ambient sound interferes with what you're trying to record.

Online video for PR

The ice storm that hit New Hampshire in December left 322,000 PSNH customers without power. While the line crews worked around the clock to restore power, the communications staff was working just as hard to keep the lines of communication open.

Our goal was to have a new story about the restoration effort for the public each day. We visited with line crews, customer service people, supply crews and PSNH's partners. 

YouTube proved to be the easiest way to get an unfiltered message directly to the public. It really helped PSNH to get the word out about what they were doing.

You can see all of the videos here

Marketing – it's made of people!

During a recent kick-off meeting for a project, I was talking with a client about setting up phone interviews with current customers. I wanted to talk directly with some customers to find out what they really think about the client's services.

A product manager at the table played down the need to talk with the customer base. "After all," he said, "It's just B-to-B."

We were working on a video to help promote and expand a key business market for our client. The audience for our video was indeed a corporate market.

"It is B-to-B, "the project manager commented, "But that business is made up of people." 

A simple yet telling comment. We often forget that we're talking to people with our marketing messages. Not "30-45 year old men with an advance degree who make more than $100,000 a year", but real individuals. That demographic information is invaluable, but some research is necessary to make sure that we're reaching them in an effective and profound way.

Are you speaking to your audience in their language? Do you understand what they really want or need to hear?

PR - now with video!

You've sent out your latest press release and you're waiting for the queries to begin. And you're waiting... and waiting...

It's becoming harder and harder to get attention. There's just so much information out there. And press releases can be pretty ho hum. One way to generate more interest in your message is to include a video with your PR.

A short video can paint a much clearer and more detailed picture than a press release. I'm not advocating abandoning the traditional press release. A video link on a release – or better yet, an embedded video in an electronic press release makes a much more compelling case for your company, your product, or issue.

You are using video to support your PR efforts, right? Of course you are. This is just one more way to get the word out to people who are hungry for good stories.

Click here to see how Cisco uses video in their latest release.

Super Bowl Ads 3 months later...

Think quick - what companies advertised during this year's Super Bowl?

Can't name many, can you?

If I'd paid $2.7 million for a thirty second spot, I wouldn't be pleased.

This year's game was a classic (unless you're a Patriot's fan) – and viewers stayed with the game until the very end. That's what advertisers hope for when they spend big bucks for their spots. And that $2.7 million just covers ad time for the spot. It doesn't include the creative, the production, the special effects or talent fees (wonder what it costs to get Justin Timberlake to do a spot?)

So what's wrong with these spots? To me, the focus is on making them memorable – cute concepts or special effects that don't tie back to the product or brand. It seems that some advertisers forget that it's all about making a connection – making people remember you, your company or your product.

I'm not opposed to funny spots. I loved the Bridgestone spots (would I have thought twice about running Richard Simmons over?) and thought they were some of the most successful.

What do you think? Did you enjoy the spots or do you want those thirty second chunks of your life back? Need to jog your memory? You can see all of the ads here.

Brainstorming

I was talking to a designer recently about the creative process. Her favorite part of any project is brainstorming. I agree. It’s an opportunity to really think freely and play off each other’s ideas.

We do this often when starting projects. We look at the available materials, the audience, the message and we let the ideas come. It’s incredibly exciting to be in that flow – you come up with an idea, someone else picks up on a little detail and takes it somewhere else, and then someone builds upon that idea. There’s a lot of energy in the room at that moment. And everyone knows when you’ve hit upon an idea that could work.

As an example, a long distance company was looking for a commercial for their calling plan. The plan was called “Triple Play”. We started talking about things that come in threes, which led to “good things come in threes” which led to ideas about poker (three of a kind), which ultimately led us to the idea of a slot machine. The client wanted to promote the idea of big savings. A visual of dollar bills coming out of a slot machine sealed the deal.