10 Steps To Succeeding Amongst Production Videos


Video is everywhere nosotros hold off today.  Youtube, Vimeo, together with other video sites are becoming larger than Google itself together with fifty-fifty appear inwards search results.  That's why, when I wanted data on how to create an amazing video to promote my products, I turned to Dan Clark, a friend and Creative Director of InterplayAgency, a leading production video production companionship inwards the San Francisco Bay Area.
In this invitee post, Dan share's his best strategies for creating effective production videos.  Special thank you lot to Dan for sharing these amazing tips...
 
Building an effective production flick tin flame at foremost seem similar a daunting task. Where practise you lot start? What should become inwards it? How long should it be? For answers to those questions together with more, I’ve assembled a step-by-step procedure that you lot tin flame follow to laid ameliorate online videos…

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1. Understand your audience.
Who are they together with what practise they need? What makes you lot think your solution is what they want? Understanding the audience is paramount to providing a relevant production video. To successfully consummate this step, you lot demand to think “from the exterior in”, pose yourself inwards their shoes.


If it’s an enterprise solution…

-Think virtually the people inwards the buying grouping together with amongst whom you lot most desire to speak. For instance, create upwards one's hear which degree of the organisation (role or title) is most probable to live seeking data virtually your solution together with speak straight to them together with acquire them excited. As the flick progresses, you lot tin flame line how the solution impacts other roles thence the flick gets shared together with everyone is driven toward your way of thinking.

-Think virtually how they encounter the video (where they learned virtually it), which volition influence how you lot innovate it. For instance, if your production helps them to attain a specific task, together with they’ve probable searched Google using terms virtually that task, you lot tin flame dive right into how the video helps to practise precisely that. But if they hear virtually your novel way of tracking sales via mobile telephone (or some other similarly vague frame of reference), you lot mightiness demand to measuring dorsum a chip together with utter virtually the overall trouble concern challenge first, thence line how your solution helps to overcome it.

-Think virtually what they mightiness live most interested in, which volition influence what you lot highlight inwards the movie. For instance, if you’re pretty certain they’re going to notice you lot via keyword searching, you lot tin flame in all likelihood dive into the production together with how it helps them to attain a task. But if they are simply clicking around, reading blogs virtually your space, linking from social networks, etc. thence you lot mightiness demand to frame the story from a high degree earlier going into specific accomplishments that the solution delivers. Once you’ve described the overall context, you lot tin flame drive them toward what they tin flame accomplish. This is peachy because you lot tin flame “own” the conversation together with drive them toward your way of thinking.

If it’s a consumer product…

-Focus on things that volition acquire them excited virtually using it.

-Talk virtually them together with their needs inwards a personal way. If you’re passionate virtually it, most probable they volition live too.

-Since you’re speaking straight to the buyer, you lot tin flame live casual virtually it. Use uncomplicated linguistic communication together with become far quick. If you’re non shy, you lot mightiness fifty-fifty precisely occupation your ain human face upwards on a webcam. If you lot are shy, hire a narrator but hold the simple, casual language. To assist amongst writing such a script, imagine you’re at the grocery store together with you lot encounter a friend who is plainly inwards a hurry but wants to take away grip of up. Imagine yourself telling that somebody all virtually your cool novel product. You’d receive got to practise it quickly. But at the same time, you’re non necessarily trying to sell it to them thence the resulting script volition non pressure level the buyer into anything. Yes, it should receive got a call-to-action at the end, but don’t live likewise aggressive. It’s to a greater extent than of import to live authentic than it is to live selling.


2. Look at your competitors.

Look at their spider web sites, analyze their demos, read their collateral together with news. Most importantly though, hold off at their customers. See if you lot tin flame glean some data virtually why they became customers, what the client got out of working amongst them. Customer representative studies are the best origin for this intelligence thence read every 1 you lot tin flame acquire your hands on. And when you lot hold off at their videos, pay attending to the things they feature. Do they highlight features together with functions, or practise they highlight higher-level trouble concern benefits? If their video is all virtually features and functions, you lot receive got an chance to lift the message together with appeal higher on the org chart. If they highlight trouble concern benefits, laid certain you lot don’t tell the same things together with reckon if you lot tin flame alter the conversation to your practise goodness or box them into thinking pocket-sized piece you lot think big.

3. Set your objectives.

Only when you lot receive got a clear agreement of what you lot computer program to gain from your production video volition you lot live able to create 1 that industrial plant well. For instance, if you’re inwards a mature trouble concern together with are racing against competitors based on features, your flick should in all likelihood dive right into the production together with highlight the differentiators. By contrast, if you’re revolutionizing an manufacture or creating a completely novel one, you’ll probable receive got to educate the audience virtually that alter inwards a trouble concern representative movie.

Decide what you lot desire them to practise at the goal of the movie. If you lot desire them to pick upwards the telephone to laid upwards a alive demo (to hash out integration together with other complexities), acquaint diverse ways to assist them practise this such every bit a link to a shape page, 800-number, email, etc. But if your solution is thence slow to purchase they tin flame precisely create total out a form, laid the link to that shape the only thing they tin flame see/do when the video ends.

Recognizing what you lot desire people to practise at the goal of the flick oftentimes affects what you’ll tell at the outset thence the goal is a peachy position to start. For instance, if you lot receive got a complex solution that requires a telephone telephone squall upwards for to a greater extent than information, you’ll desire to live certain your flick doesn’t acquire likewise deep into complexities (which makes it longer) during the flick thence that the prospect is enticed past times the possibilities; you’ll only suggest organizational benefit. Conversely, if you lot desire people to create total inwards a shape together with purchase now, the flick should live all virtually what they acquire from it on a personal level.

4. Look at what’s out there.

Choosing a presentation fashion tin flame live tough. You tin flame occupation cartoons, photography, illustration, charts & graphs, enshroud shots, 3D, alive actors, together with on together with on. How practise you lot choose? For that answer, again, consider your audience together with what they’re currently exposed to together with what you lot think mightiness excite them.

So, inwards add-on to videos from other companies inwards your space, you lot should hold off at everything out at that spot thence you lot receive got a goodness sense of what’s possible. The to a greater extent than you lot discover yourself to, the ameliorate you lot volition know what you lot want. There are a lot of companies that render awesome production movies so, inwards add-on a directory of my ain favorite production companies, hither are a couplet places you lot tin flame become that listing some of the most experienced firms…

Start Up Videos is a spider web site run past times the goodness folks at ThinkMojo.com. They are a production companionship together with run this site that lists additional peachy firms who specialize inwards movies for start-up companies.

50Grove.com is a spider web site run past times my friends at Wistia. They are a video streaming service provider together with run 50Grove to showcase some top-tier production companies sorted past times cost.

But, really, the best position to hold off is to narrow your exposure to videos that are inside your industry, to consider your audience first. For instance, if everyone inwards your manufacture is posting videos that occupation stock photography together with stale corporate graphics, that mightiness live a clue that respectability is an issue, that they respond good to conservative imagery. On the other hand, it tin flame also hateful an chance to intermission novel basis together with really stand upwards out amongst 3D or, dare I tell it, cartoons. Likewise, if cartoons are the norm, you lot mightiness think virtually alive actors or some other to a greater extent than creative format.

Be certain to bookmark your favorite ones, you’ll demand them later.



5. Decide on a story format.


There is a limitless array of ways to tell your story. The best way for you lot really precisely comes downwards to what you lot think volition best excite your audience together with frame your solution thence that your prospects think the way you lot desire them to. Some examples include:

-Features & functions – but it should ever include some context virtually how it’s used together with the company’s reputation

-Challenge, Solution, Result – this is the best way to line novel inventions together with groundbreaking solutions, everyone “gets” it

-A solar daytime inwards the life – follows a somebody or a couplet of people, a fun picayune story unfolds

-Spokesperson – affordable to create using spider web talent but to a greater extent than involved together with expensive if you lot desire to occupation your staff or actors because it requires a video/audio crew

-Customer representative report – got an amazing success story? Turn it into a movie

-Beauty shots & special effects – most appropriate for consumer audiences, peculiarly when edifice a brand

6. Write an outline.

Now that you lot know basically what you lot desire to say, write upwards an outline. All you lot demand is the basic framework at this point, bullet points from start to finish. This volition live an slow way to brainstorm it together with acquire buy-in from others. H5N1 traditional framework this goes similar this: 1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, 2. Tell them, 3. Tell them what you lot precisely told them. But these days, especially on the spider web together with inwards video, you lot shouldn’t bother amongst the foremost together with lastly points – precisely tell them. It should yet receive got an introduction, a trunk together with a decision but don’t repeat yourself inwards those 3 parts.

Even if you lot dive right into the solution together with demonstrate how it industrial plant or how it accomplishes a specific task, you lot should ever preface it amongst why it exists, why they should care. This tin flame live real quick. It’s necessary because you lot receive got no thought how they mightiness receive got come upwards across your flick together with you lot desire to frame the conversation correctly.

Include bookmarks inwards your outline (the ones you lot bookmarked previously) to give a visual frame of reference for yourself together with others.

Don’t bother including specific visuals, precisely focus on the story you lot desire to tell. Images volition only cloud your ultimate goal at this point.

And please, past times all means, laid certain you lot acquire them excited inwards the foremost 10 seconds.



7. Write the script.

Once you lot know all the parts of your story together with the basic flow, you lot demand to create total inwards the outline amongst actual words. Most people dive right into visuals but you lot should hold to avoid this temptation until you lot know what you lot desire to say. The script drives the whole thing. Let me repeat that: the script drives the whole thing. So laid certain you lot acquire the script right first. (You’ll receive got plenty of opportunities to fine-tune it every bit you lot go, but it is the cardinal driver, thence pass some lineament fourth dimension amongst your discussion processor. It volition pay off inwards the long run.) You should also attempt to hold each topic to a unmarried judgement to forcefulness yourself into delivering a brief video.

Speak your script out loud. This volition assist you lot to refine it for the spoken discussion (which is quite dissimilar than the same thoughts when read silently). And scout the clock or occupation a stopwatch to laid certain your script is squeamish together with short. You mightiness live surprised at how long the written discussion takes to speak together with how differently it sounds compared to read silently. It also helps to tape it together with hear to yourself after, to laid certain you lot acquire right to the signal together with sound conversational together with non robotic.

The length of your video is alone upwards to you lot but, accept my advice, become far short. I hear companies all the fourth dimension tell that they desire their video to live 3 minutes and, inevitably, it comes out to four or more. But to a greater extent than together with more, movies demand to come upwards inwards fifty-fifty shorter, similar 1 minute. How inwards the basis tin flame you lot shrink your entire trouble concern strategy together with production overview into 1 minute? It isn’t slow together with you lot mightiness demand to hire a pro. My best advice is to practise everything you lot tin flame to shrink sentences, condense thoughts, pose text on-screen piece you lot tell something else, together with rely on visuals to tell things for you. But most of all, rest focused on measuring 1 inwards a higher position together with laid certain you lot serve upwards what your audience craves. Just laid certain you lot practise it really quickly.

8. Build the storyboard.

This is the most critical, together with in all likelihood the most difficult, measuring inwards the entire process. (I’m pretty certain the difficulty of this task is why I receive got a job.) Connecting visuals to concepts is an fine art shape but that doesn’t hateful you lot receive got to live an creative somebody to practise it well.

Before you lot become together with scour the spider web for visuals, it helps tremendously to laid some notes of visuals that volition piece of work inwards the script. What I practise is laid a two-column layout inwards Word amongst the script inwards the left column together with visual ideas inwards the corresponding right column. This saves you lot tons of fourth dimension looking for images together with gives you lot a jeopardy to acquire buy-in quickly. It’s precisely a peachy way to think virtually your video from a visual standpoint earlier investing a bunch of fourth dimension inwards really finding together with formatting anything.

First, pose the script into PowerPoint (or Keynote or whatever) together with pose it into the notes department amongst 1 judgement on each slide. Read the foremost line of your script. Does it innovate the company? Show the logo. Does it innovate a person? Show that person. Go to iStockPhoto together with locomote inwards keywords for that somebody such as, “businessman jail cellular telephone phone” or “customer service woman.” If you’re non finding the perfect image, attempt GettyImages but live prepared to pay more.

If you lot become amongst stock visuals (photography, illustration, together with video), create an trouble concern human relationship together with relieve whatsoever images you lot mightiness occupation inwards a lite box. Once you lot reckon something you lot like, re-create together with glue it into PowerPoint. This is the quickest way to acquire images into PowerPoint. But since your re-create volition no longer live associated amongst the image, you’ll desire to receive got them all saved on the stock site thence you lot tin flame easily acquire to them 1 time to a greater extent than later.

I’ll live frank: graphics tin flame live real frustrating. I receive got over xx years of experience amongst calculator graphics together with fifty-fifty I am challenged past times some situations. So, if ever, this is a peachy fourth dimension to hire a professional person graphic designer. They’ll format the fine art thence it looks right inwards the storyboard, they’ll melody things to correspond your brand, they’ll laid your life easy. I cannot recommend highly plenty the value they bring. Not only volition they laid this portion easier, they’ll allow you lot focus on the story, which is really what matters.

Moving deeper into the story… Does your solution fit into a grander scheme? Develop a diagram that shows the fit or notice stock imagery for your industry. You tin flame also notice peachy icons together with illustrations at iStock that tin flame liven upwards whatsoever video. And remember: anything you lot create or purchase hither tin flame live used elsewhere inwards your marketing materials thence putting a picayune extra elbow grease into this a win-win.

Add text on-screen to add together interest. Use really large text to laid an impact together with hold it to precisely a few words. You tin flame demonstrate client quotes but only occupation really brusque ones. This is also a peachy way shrink durations because you lot tin flame tell 1 thing inwards the narration piece you lot pose supporting—but different—text on-screen to acquire ii points across without growing the length of the video.

This 1 topic could live an entire mass all past times itself and, unfortunately, I don’t receive got the infinite hither to really practise it justice. Slide:ology past times Nancy Duarte is an splendid resources for edifice powerful presentations (albeit for personal presentations, but the lessons yet apply). And all of Edward Tufte’s books on data graphics are excellent. Software companies tin flame acquire some peachy tips from Great Demo! past times Peter Cohan that apply to online demos.

As a dominion of thumb, to hold the audience engaged, you lot should receive got at to the lowest degree 1 visual per judgement inwards the script.

As you lot prepare the storyboard, you lot probable volition accommodate the script. So again, every bit you lot prepare the storyboard, read the script out loud to laid certain the video doesn’t grow likewise much.

Once your storyboard is done, line the script out of your presentation computer program together with pose it all into a unmarried text document. This volition give you lot some other jeopardy to refine the linguistic communication for the narrator.



9. Hire a narrator.

No affair how you lot create your video (what it finally looks like), hiring a professional person narrator makes the biggest impact to your audience. H5N1 irksome phonation tin flame take away downwards fifty-fifty the most elegant visuals. Your pregnant other may receive got a beautiful phonation but null beats the pacing together with intonation of an expert. You tin flame review some of the talent I piece of work amongst at ReadyDemo dot com together with I would live happy to render their contact info. An fifty-fifty ameliorate position is at voice123 dot com but you’ll receive got to pay them a picayune booking fee. Regardless of where you lot notice them, computer program to pay closed to $500 per session. Some folks accuse every bit much every bit $1,500 or to a greater extent than (because they’re hot-shot Hollywood or radio personalities) thence cheque prices first. Slight modifications afterwards are ordinarily included but it’s best to smash your script thence you lot don’t receive got to become dorsum to them.

The selection betwixt manlike somebody together with woman somebody is completely subjective (aside from the obvious requirement for such situations every bit gender-specific consumer products) together with alone upwards to what you lot think your audience would most appreciate together with position with. If you lot receive got the budget, you lot tin flame create ii movies: 1 amongst a manlike somebody phonation together with the other female, together with A/B attempt their success rates.

While most professional person narrators are inwards a union, those who render recordings for occupation on the Internet are non required to live associated every bit such.

All that existence said virtually hiring a professional, some companies are opting for the casualness of non-professionals. In fact, I did the narration myself for Accompa together with Comunitee. Some real successful creative firms receive got built their entire businesses on non using professionals because the homegrown hold off together with experience appeals to many audiences these days. For some products together with audiences, the authenticity of a “personal friend” industrial plant real well. So, piece I recommend using professionals for most projects, they are non necessary. If you lot become the non-professional route, laid certain they render a laid clean recording (not muffled together with no pops or static), occupation a high-quality microphone, together with don’t stumble on whatsoever words. Casual together with conversational is 1 thing, lousy sound is quite another.

10. Build the concluding file.

Aside from edifice the storyboard, this is the most challenging step. (Another argue why I receive got a job.) But, do-it-yourself software is quite goodness together with slow to use, if you lot receive got the fourth dimension together with patience to larn them. For instance, if your video is for a software application, you lot tin flame capture real-time enshroud activity together with add together narration to it using Camtasia or Captivate together with it volition piece of work precisely fine for many situations You tin flame also convert a PowerPoint or Keynote file to a Flash flick together with add together narration. And at that spot are alternatives to Flash such every bit Flypaper.com. I receive got never personally produced a flick using whatsoever of these tools but they hold off great.

At the polar contrary of DIY software are professional person packages such every bit Adobe After Effects, Flash together with Premiere together with Apple Final Cut Pro. With them (depending on the application) you lot tin flame create 3D worlds, occupation multiple cameras together with lights, add together soft blur displace effects, the heaven is the limit! And, if you're feeling really ambitious, you lot tin flame occupation Maya for mind-blowing special effects together with truthful 3D scenes such every bit "Toy Story"-level animation. But live warned, these programs are real advanced together with oftentimes rely on other programs such every bit Photoshop together with Illustrator for a polished look. So accept the learning bend into careful consideration earlier attempting to construct your video inwards whatsoever of these applications. It’s best for graphics novices to hire a professional person for genuinely professional person work, which allows you lot to focus on strategy together with creating a compelling story that volition attract customers.

Dan Clark is the possessor together with Creative Director of InterplayAgency.com, a leading production video production companionship inwards the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Post copyright 2011. Sentinel Beach Corporation.

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