This is a video we did for our friend Jake Sullivan over at Arrow Fence in Marlborough, MA.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Why and How to Make Instructional Videos
Instructional videos are a terrific way for businesses and individuals to establish themselves as experts in their fields. A well-made instructional video is more than just another way to boost SEO; it provides genuine value to viewers who are trying to learn something new via a visual demonstration. For example, I recently needed to install RAM on my iMac. I Googled "install RAM iMac" and first found written instructions that seemed fine but were hard to follow when actually working with the machine. Then I found this video:
The video was amateurish in terms of production value and presentation, but the kid knew what he was doing. He gave insightful tips on dealing with difficult hardware parts, and physically demonstrated how to deal with those parts. The video was also presented in real time, so I got a good sense of how long each task should actually take. I found the video simple to follow, and appreciated the speaker's casual tone. Following his instructions, I was able to easily install the RAM. I only wish he had done a video on how to replace a PowerBook hard drive, a procedure I did several months later with limited success.
Your instructional videos don't need to be flashy, but they must be helpful to viewers. For video topics, think about common questions your customers ask ("how do I know when my guitar's intonation needs to be adjusted?", things you wish your customers knew (how to properly pack a box for moving dishware), and topics where your knowledge sets you apart (a chef's recipe for a favorite dish, a realtor's tour of an up-and-coming neighborhood). As long as you aren't giving away the secret to your success, share that information. That way, your name will be the one associated with the right way to do this or that.
Here's an example of an instructional video we shot for DN Van Lines, explaining how to pack electronics:
The video is not flashy, but it is genuinely informative. The presenter is the real deal, a seasoned mover with years of expertise - certainly someone whose advice is worth following if you need to pack electronics.
A word of warning - the internet is currently saturated with amateur instructional videos of dubious value. I should know: years ago, before Shave Media, I was hired to make scores of instructional video series on all sorts of subjects, including areas in which I was hardly an expert (Contrary to what Expert Village asserts, I am no authority on preventing colds or surviving in the mountains). The compensation was great; the videos were not. Were I to one day offer my services as a mountaineer or a health consultant, these videos would hinder my career. So keep that in mind, and make sure your videos meet your quality standards before you post them!
The video was amateurish in terms of production value and presentation, but the kid knew what he was doing. He gave insightful tips on dealing with difficult hardware parts, and physically demonstrated how to deal with those parts. The video was also presented in real time, so I got a good sense of how long each task should actually take. I found the video simple to follow, and appreciated the speaker's casual tone. Following his instructions, I was able to easily install the RAM. I only wish he had done a video on how to replace a PowerBook hard drive, a procedure I did several months later with limited success.
Your instructional videos don't need to be flashy, but they must be helpful to viewers. For video topics, think about common questions your customers ask ("how do I know when my guitar's intonation needs to be adjusted?", things you wish your customers knew (how to properly pack a box for moving dishware), and topics where your knowledge sets you apart (a chef's recipe for a favorite dish, a realtor's tour of an up-and-coming neighborhood). As long as you aren't giving away the secret to your success, share that information. That way, your name will be the one associated with the right way to do this or that.
Here's an example of an instructional video we shot for DN Van Lines, explaining how to pack electronics:
The video is not flashy, but it is genuinely informative. The presenter is the real deal, a seasoned mover with years of expertise - certainly someone whose advice is worth following if you need to pack electronics.
A word of warning - the internet is currently saturated with amateur instructional videos of dubious value. I should know: years ago, before Shave Media, I was hired to make scores of instructional video series on all sorts of subjects, including areas in which I was hardly an expert (Contrary to what Expert Village asserts, I am no authority on preventing colds or surviving in the mountains). The compensation was great; the videos were not. Were I to one day offer my services as a mountaineer or a health consultant, these videos would hinder my career. So keep that in mind, and make sure your videos meet your quality standards before you post them!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
How to Make a Back-up Plan for Your Video Shoot
No matter how carefully you plan your shoot, something unexpected can always happen. Your star speaker might catch a cold, traffic could delay your crew, or the sunny sky you were envisioning might be obstructed by a thunderstorm. Some surprises are minor and will just change the order of events for the shoot. Other will necessitate a new shoot date.
It's helpful to select a "rain date" or two, in case you need to reschedule your shoot. Videographers are often willing to change shoot dates for no extra charge, provided that there is a legitimately unforeseeable reason for the rescheduling (blizzard, family emergency), or if you provide them with plenty of advance notice. Having a rain date allows everyone involved to fairly easily reschedule the shoot without too much opportunity loss. If you are planning a shoot in a location with erratic weather, a rain date is a must.
I strongly suggest booking more talent than you expect to use. Editors can easily remove unneeded people, but they cannot (minus the use of Hollywood special effects) create new people. If you want two testimonials in your video, book four testimonial speakers. There's always a chance that someone will be late, absent, or give a weak testimonial. If you're lucky, all four people will show up and give terrific testimonials - two of which you can use in a subsequent video.
I also advise businesses to build buffer time into their schedules (since things often take longer than we expect), and to tell people to arrive early. If your shoot starts at 10 AM, make sure your talent is there by 9:45 AM.
As with all ventures, plan for the worst and aim for the best.
It's helpful to select a "rain date" or two, in case you need to reschedule your shoot. Videographers are often willing to change shoot dates for no extra charge, provided that there is a legitimately unforeseeable reason for the rescheduling (blizzard, family emergency), or if you provide them with plenty of advance notice. Having a rain date allows everyone involved to fairly easily reschedule the shoot without too much opportunity loss. If you are planning a shoot in a location with erratic weather, a rain date is a must.
I strongly suggest booking more talent than you expect to use. Editors can easily remove unneeded people, but they cannot (minus the use of Hollywood special effects) create new people. If you want two testimonials in your video, book four testimonial speakers. There's always a chance that someone will be late, absent, or give a weak testimonial. If you're lucky, all four people will show up and give terrific testimonials - two of which you can use in a subsequent video.
I also advise businesses to build buffer time into their schedules (since things often take longer than we expect), and to tell people to arrive early. If your shoot starts at 10 AM, make sure your talent is there by 9:45 AM.
As with all ventures, plan for the worst and aim for the best.
How to Maximize B Roll Shots for Your Video Shoot
In the context of a business video, "b roll" means what we see in addition to the talking heads. Typical b roll includes shots of staff at work, interactions with customers, close-ups of products, wide shots of the business's exterior and signage, and before-and-after photos of service work.
B roll serves several important functions:
1) B roll illustrates the sound bites. "Our restaurant has a warm atmosphere" sounds OK; seeing a slow pan of the restaurant's interior while hearing "our restaurant has a warm atmosphere" is even better (provided that the description is accurate). If the sound bite is an employee saying, "I love helping customers," we can strengthen the idea by showing that employee in the act of helping a customer.
2) B roll gives us the opportunity to show rather than tell. The old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" generally holds true in a video. Because visuals are often more effective than spoken descriptions, we can use them to replace sound bites, thus freeing up space for other sound bites that may be more difficult to illustrate. In a 60 second video, every second is valuable real estate - but it turns out that we actually have 120 seconds with which to work: 60 seconds of audio and 60 seconds of visual. We can show the restaurant's warm atmosphere, show the employee happily helping customers, and then use our sound bites to cover other ground, like "our restaurant has been around for over 40 years," and "each of our employees goes through extensive training."
Sometimes the video is better served by strengthening sound bites with matching b roll; sometimes it's improved by replacing sound bites with b roll - either way, b roll is a necessary component of an effective business video.
3) B roll covers edits. Without b roll, an edited interview would appear disjointed and jerky. Viewers would be distracted by the obvious edits, known as "jump cuts". Occasionally jump cuts are used for aesthetic purposes, but generally they make business videos appear amateurish. When preparing for your video shoot, think about what you want viewers to visualize when they picture your company. If your business is a large restaurant with lots of decoration, you'll likely want wide shots of the interior and your pleasing atmosphere. If your business is a tiny restaurant without much atmosphere, it's more likely that you'll want close-ups of food being cooked. Regardless of the size of your restaurant, you'll definitely want shots of your best dishes, and happy diners.
Once you've decided on what your b roll should be, take the necessary steps to ensure that the videographer will be able to shoot everything on your list. If you want to show a busy restaurant, schedule your shoot during the dinner rush and set aside a table where the videographer can use pro lighting without annoying your customers, and find some diners who won't mind being filmed. If you want to show a construction crew wearing company t shirts, make sure everyone shows up to work wearing the t shirts (this seems obvious enough, but I've had multiple experiences where this did not happen). Remember, good shots usually require a fair amount of even lighting, so be prepared to turn the lights up.
B roll serves several important functions:
1) B roll illustrates the sound bites. "Our restaurant has a warm atmosphere" sounds OK; seeing a slow pan of the restaurant's interior while hearing "our restaurant has a warm atmosphere" is even better (provided that the description is accurate). If the sound bite is an employee saying, "I love helping customers," we can strengthen the idea by showing that employee in the act of helping a customer.
2) B roll gives us the opportunity to show rather than tell. The old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" generally holds true in a video. Because visuals are often more effective than spoken descriptions, we can use them to replace sound bites, thus freeing up space for other sound bites that may be more difficult to illustrate. In a 60 second video, every second is valuable real estate - but it turns out that we actually have 120 seconds with which to work: 60 seconds of audio and 60 seconds of visual. We can show the restaurant's warm atmosphere, show the employee happily helping customers, and then use our sound bites to cover other ground, like "our restaurant has been around for over 40 years," and "each of our employees goes through extensive training."
Sometimes the video is better served by strengthening sound bites with matching b roll; sometimes it's improved by replacing sound bites with b roll - either way, b roll is a necessary component of an effective business video.
3) B roll covers edits. Without b roll, an edited interview would appear disjointed and jerky. Viewers would be distracted by the obvious edits, known as "jump cuts". Occasionally jump cuts are used for aesthetic purposes, but generally they make business videos appear amateurish. When preparing for your video shoot, think about what you want viewers to visualize when they picture your company. If your business is a large restaurant with lots of decoration, you'll likely want wide shots of the interior and your pleasing atmosphere. If your business is a tiny restaurant without much atmosphere, it's more likely that you'll want close-ups of food being cooked. Regardless of the size of your restaurant, you'll definitely want shots of your best dishes, and happy diners.
Once you've decided on what your b roll should be, take the necessary steps to ensure that the videographer will be able to shoot everything on your list. If you want to show a busy restaurant, schedule your shoot during the dinner rush and set aside a table where the videographer can use pro lighting without annoying your customers, and find some diners who won't mind being filmed. If you want to show a construction crew wearing company t shirts, make sure everyone shows up to work wearing the t shirts (this seems obvious enough, but I've had multiple experiences where this did not happen). Remember, good shots usually require a fair amount of even lighting, so be prepared to turn the lights up.
How to Get the Right Talent for Your Video
The talent in your video need not be professional actors. In fact, in many cases you will be better served with genuine statements from people who work for and patronize your business: the owner, managers, staff, customers, etc. Hired actors can be counterproductive to a business video, because your potential customers want the inside scoop on what you do, not your sales pitch.
In a 60 - 90 second video, the ideal amount of speakers is 1 - 5 people: 1-2 main speakers (owner, staff member), with up to three additional "testimonial speakers" who tell the camera about their experience with your business. The important thing is to decide in advance who these speakers will be, so that you can schedule them for the date and time of the shoot.
The speakers' preparation can be minimal, or even nonexistent. A script is neither necessary nor encouraged. All that is required of the speaker is genuine enthusiasm. The editor can take care of the rest.
In additional to speakers, you may need to schedule people who will prominently appear on camera, visually presenting your business in action. For example, if your business is a hair salon, you will want several people available to appear as clients getting their hair done, as well as plenty of stylists around to do the work. Just ask yourself, "on an ideal day, who would be here?" and then make the necessary arrangements to get those people at your business on the day of the shoot. Usually it's an easy task - call up a few customers and offer them a free service in exchange for appearing in your video.
In a 60 - 90 second video, the ideal amount of speakers is 1 - 5 people: 1-2 main speakers (owner, staff member), with up to three additional "testimonial speakers" who tell the camera about their experience with your business. The important thing is to decide in advance who these speakers will be, so that you can schedule them for the date and time of the shoot.
The speakers' preparation can be minimal, or even nonexistent. A script is neither necessary nor encouraged. All that is required of the speaker is genuine enthusiasm. The editor can take care of the rest.
In additional to speakers, you may need to schedule people who will prominently appear on camera, visually presenting your business in action. For example, if your business is a hair salon, you will want several people available to appear as clients getting their hair done, as well as plenty of stylists around to do the work. Just ask yourself, "on an ideal day, who would be here?" and then make the necessary arrangements to get those people at your business on the day of the shoot. Usually it's an easy task - call up a few customers and offer them a free service in exchange for appearing in your video.
How to Select the Best Location for Your Video Shoot
Choosing a location is the first decision you will need to make when planning a video shoot. Many video production companies limit businesses to one location for their shoot, so you'll have to choose carefully. The default location is usually the business's main address, and this is fine if your business is a restaurant, an attorney's office, a clothing boutique - in short, a destination, as in this example:
If your business is comprised of services that take place away from your office, however, your video should follow suit. Landscapers, contractors, movers, event planners, and other businesses like these are often run from offices that are functional but not particularly exciting from a visual standpoint. In this case, a job site is the best location for your video. It can be a job in progress, or a location where you recently did some work. Customers are often willing to let you shoot your video at their location, particularly if you offer them a discount in return. Ideally they'll even be willing to vouch for your business with an on-camera testimonial. Here's an example of a video shot at a job site:
Ultimately your video should take place where the action is. This way viewers can see you doing what you do best, and get a clear picture of why they should choose your business.
If your business is comprised of services that take place away from your office, however, your video should follow suit. Landscapers, contractors, movers, event planners, and other businesses like these are often run from offices that are functional but not particularly exciting from a visual standpoint. In this case, a job site is the best location for your video. It can be a job in progress, or a location where you recently did some work. Customers are often willing to let you shoot your video at their location, particularly if you offer them a discount in return. Ideally they'll even be willing to vouch for your business with an on-camera testimonial. Here's an example of a video shot at a job site:
Ultimately your video should take place where the action is. This way viewers can see you doing what you do best, and get a clear picture of why they should choose your business.
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