Video for Business Connectionopolis - May 23, 2013 Kerry Shearer www.kerryshearer.com 1
Social Media - The Latest Stats 1 billion active users -- 600,000 are checking in at any one time 500,000 users 1 billion monthly page views 2
Second-largest search engine! 3
1-billion monthly users 100 hours of video uploaded every minute! (6,000 hrs every hr; 144,000 hrs a day!) Average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube networks created in 60 years! 4
Advantages of YouTube Since it s a huge search engine, it s easy for people to find your content YouTube s Embed code allows you to quickly place the video on a web site or blog, or link it to social media pages 5
New YouTube Brand Channels -Your page has a welcome video for viewers who haven t yet subscribed to the page -Your channel can have a large header called channel art with social media buttons below -You can reorganize content into playlists 6
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Why Use Video? -68% of viewers share video links -Having a video on your web site home page makes it more likely to show up on the first page of a Google search -The average user s visit to a text and image based web site lasts 43 seconds. With video, it s 5 minutes 50 seconds. -Customers that watch videos of products or services are 85% more likely to buy http://socialtimes.com/video-infographic-online-video-statistics_b101609 8
Why Use Video? -It s like being on TV! -You have the opportunity to share your expertise and add value to your customers (or potential customers) -It positions you as the expert. You and your business can become the authority in your market 9
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LIVE VIDEO 11
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UStream Broadcast your own news conference or event Go live to the web with video and audio from your laptop computer Embed the feed on your home page and automatically notify your social sites Record the feed for later playback 13
What You Need for UStream Laptop or desktop computer with a good Internet connection Built-in or external HD, widescreen web cam, or an external video camera with Firewire output to plug into laptop A Shure X2u analog-to-digital converter so you can connect to a microphone on your podium or mult-box 14
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BFF (Broadcast For Friends) -It s a UStream app -Broadcast live to Facebook -Archive broadcasts 16
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Using Skype for Interviews Make yourself (or your Subject Matter Expert) available live for TV news interviews via Skype 18
Using Skype for Interviews Connect with TV news shows Do live interviews with news anchors Get your message out quickly to a broadcast 19
Example: Kelly Huston CalEMA 20
What You Need to Use Skype Laptop or desktop computer with a good Internet connection Built-in or external HD, widescreen web cam, or an external video camera with Firewire output to plug into laptop Lavaliere clip-on microphone connected to computer (either by computer s mic jack, or a Shure X2u analog-to-digital converter) Cellphone with earpiece 21
Tips for a Great Broadcast Raise the level of the conversation! You don t want the audience looking up your nose! Make sure the camera is at your eye level. Placing a laptop on a few reams of copy machine paper is an easy quick fix that can elevate it to the right level. 22
Tips for a Great Broadcast See yourself in a new light For the best possible picture, make sure your face is properly lit. It is helpful to have a lamp of adjustable intensity. An office desk lamp will work. You can also use a USB-powered LED light 23
Tips for a Great Broadcast See yourself in a new light For the best possible picture, make sure your face is properly lit. It is helpful to have a lamp of adjustable intensity. An office desk lamp will work. You can also use a USB-powered LED light Luna LED light. I bought this in late Feb. for $8 at Costco) 24
Tips for a Great Broadcast Maintain eye contact This is one instance where you DO need to look right at the camera - the whole time - during your interview with the anchor back at the station. You can t be glancing at a monitor sitting over on another desk, or shifting your eyes around - it will impact your credibility. 25
What s NEW! Vine is a Twitter product Shoot and share 6-second looping videos. (That is not a typo!) Share to Vine, Twitter and Facebook 26
Video Toolkit 27
Cameras Canon XA20 (NEW - Avail. June 2013) (Replaces XA10) -$2,199 (BHPhotoVideo.com) -Full HD; great sensor, compact size -SDHC card storage -Audio head accepts professional XLR connectors 28
Cameras Kodak Zi10 -Cheap! ($99 on Amazon) -Shoots 3 levels of HD, SD, web quality and 5MP still images -Unlimited storage due to removable SDHC card -Only one of its type with a microphone jack 29
Cameras iphone 4s or 5 -Could be free if you already have one! -Shoots HD footage -Accepts an external microphone -You can edit on your device (imovie) 30
Cameras 31
Advantages of YouTube Many video applications allow you to shoot and edit a YouTube video and upload it from your phone, making emergency videos quick and easy to produce Example: imovie for iphone 32
DEMO TIME! 33
Editing Software Windows Live Movie Maker (PC, free) imovie (Mac, part of ilife suite) Adobe Premiere Elements (PC, Mac, $100) Adobe Premiere Pro (PC, Mac. Buy as part of Creative Suite 6 Production Premium or do monthly subscription) Sony Vegas Final Cut Pro X (Mac, $299) 34
Create a Studio An in-house studio is a shooting location that s always ready to use. It can be in a corner, a small office, a conference room, you name it! You can shoot fast-turnaround videos, news interviews, video podcasts, anything! Your video will look professional and your organization will look cutting-edge (even if it isn t!) Still frame from a video shot at the small web studio at Sacramento County Public Health 35
Create a Studio 36
What Can I Use for a Set? An idle trade show booth that s gathering dust in the storage closet 37
What Can I Use for a Set? Graphics mounted to foamcore or gatorboard and stuck on the wall 38
What Can I Use for a Set? An LCD/LED HDTV monitor with a USB input connector on it You can make graphics on your computer, save them to a flashdrive, then display them on the monitor over your shoulder 39
What Can I Use for a Set? Step-and-repeat fabric backdrop featuring your organization s logo. (Disclaimer: Actual backdrop will not include silhouettes of totally cool and hip employees) 40
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4 Types of Videos You Can Create 1) Event recap 2) Testimonial 3) Promotional 4) How-to or Informational 42
Event Recap Videos -Event recaps summarize the events you re involved in. -They are great at showing the public, constituents and decisionmakers know what you are doing -Place the finished video on your web site, blog or Facebook page, and Message or Tweet the link -Doing these regularly gets you ready for an emergency situation 43
Event Recap Videos EXAMPLE: Vision Service Plan Earth Day Event 44
Testimonial Videos -Interview a client, customer or person who has used your organization s services and had a great experience, or was affected by a problem or issue your staff helped solve -This is often a sit-down interview that is then supplemented by B- roll video to show what the interviewee is describing -Usually, this is the type of interview where the subject is being interviewed, so they don t look directly at the camera 45
Testimonial Videos EXAMPLE: Citizen Voice / Safely Out Project 46
Promotional Videos -Use to promote an upcoming public meeting, webinar or community event -Allows you to help frame the excitement or content of the event in the mind of the potential attendee -Can be far more impactful than an e-mailed meeting or event notice alone -Can be a talking head only, or a bigger production with B-roll video 47
Promotional Videos EXAMPLE: Connectionopolis Video Workshop 48
Informational Videos -Great for how-to information: How to use a product or service -Can be used to share the history of your organization, program, or explain an issue -Shorter is usually better -Longer videos can be split up into segments by topic so the user can play back just the portion they are interested in 49
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How to Shoot Great Video Without Being a Hollywood Film Director 51
Lighting for an Interview Three point lighting is best if you have the lights to do it with! -Key light -Fill light -Back light 52
Don t Shoot Against a Window Having an office window behind your subject will fool the camera s auto exposure meter. Close blinds, drapes, or pick a better background. 53
If You Can Only Afford One Light... Here are two choices! 1) An LED top-ofcamera light with Lowel EX-44 brightness control is great for one-person stand-up interviews Litepanels Micro on the run 2) A softbox light is great for sit-down interviews. 54
Go Guerilla If Needed! I m Not Kidding. 55
Audio for Video 56
People will excuse marginal video quality, but terrible audio is a big distraction 57
Built-in camera mics sound hollow, and yelling at the camera is not an option Use an external mic for all interviews 58
Great Audio is Key to Great Video! Use a clip-on microphone for interviews (lavaliere). They are available in wired versions that you plug into your camera, and wireless versions that use a transmitter and receiver. 59
Great Audio is Key to Great Video! Audio Technica ATR 3350 Cheap, good for small cameras, iphone Transmitters (hand mic or clip-on) Receiver (plugs into camera) Wired Wireless 60
Framing Your Interviewee For a single interviewee, it s the Rule of Thirds The subject fills 2/3rds of the space, and the other third is left open. The open space is on the side of the camera where the unseen interviewer is asking questions 61
Watch the Background......when shooting in an office. People put the darndest things on their walls and shelves. 62
Holding the Video Camera Never hold the camera with just one hand Grip the camera with BOTH hands, and lock your elbows to your sides When you pan, turn the camera with your whole body, and the shot will be smooth! WRONG! Generally: treat your camera like a still camera. No zooming! If you must zoom, don t use digital zoom 63
Getting Shots To avoid reams of unusable footage, don t hit the record button until you know what you want your shot to be Edit in the camera by shooting concise shots that you know you can use Keep most shots to 10 seconds max when you re shooting shots of an event like a community information fair or disaster site 64
B-roll Video You will need plenty of usable B-roll (cutaway) video for most productions. Lots of cutaway shots keep a video interesting and help it move. Start now by shooting video B-roll of every event your organization is involved in Shoot scenics of your community, your employees, your projects Take lots of digital still photos, which can also be used in your videos 65
KerryShearer.com/smartvideo With Links to workshop handouts. Sign up to stay in touch! 66