Video killed the radio star!

Well, not quite but almost! Not the best song from the 80s – but kind of fitting in some ways – really, it’s about disruption, right?

I had the opportunity to meet with an old friend (no he’s not old ) and colleague yesterday. He produces beautiful videos for corporations, not-for-profits, as well as promotional videos for various companies. We got into a dialogue about DIY (do-it-yourself) versus outsourcing to a professional video company.  I think both have there place in our YouTube world! What matters here is how YOU approach it.

Have you been grappling with these questions lately: Do I need to do a corporate video? Should I start shooting customer testimonials? Maybe I should take a camera to this conference? It’s no secret (and it’s been going on for a few years now) there is a massive video disruption taking place at lightning speed in business: marketing overlays (like the one here on my site), corporate videos, customer testimonials, trade show and conference coverage, web-based corporate TV shows, video-conferencing – you name it! We are YouTubing like never before. Admittedly, I’ve recently bought an inexpensive VideoCam with HD capability, which I’ve been tinkering with a lot lately. But I’m pretty confident in my skills – after all, my career started in Film and Broadcasting. I know good lighting, bad audio, and acceptable camera positions.

While DIY has taken off, and many are jumping on the band wagon – maybe a few of us need to take a deep breath! Video is a great way to convey a message quickly and succinctly, but give some thought to the end result, people! As my friend and I discussed yesterday, there are a lot of businesses out there potentially hurting their brands – all because, yet again, they are taking something on for the sake of taking something on. I’m not poo-pooing DIY, but I’m asking you to think through what you’re doing before you do it. Ask yourself some questions before you rush off and try to be Fellini:

1. Who’s my audience?

Like I said, some businesses are just shooting video for the sake of it, but not really thinking about the audience. Just having a video on your site or on YouTube is not sufficient. You need to deliver something that has a long “shelf life”. It’s like anything on the Net, if you can’t hold them on the site then why bother?

2. Is my content compelling?

This is about shelf life too…maybe your content is interesting to only a handful of people and maybe that’s just fine with you. If you’re looking at video as a “mass marketing tool” then you better make sure you’re going to produce something that attracts and keeps that audience. Furthermore, it had better be viral in today’s world. Good rule of thumb: Bounce your ideas/content off someone you trust before you decide.

3. Do I have good visuals?

(Talking heads? BORING) I can’t tell you how many “talking head” videos I’ve seen lately. And no, I’m not talking about the band from the 80s. Why, why, why does anyone want to watch your CEO drone on for 5 minutes? OMG! Think about what catches your eye in a movie or on TV. It sure as hell ain’t THAT. The only people that can get away with it are actors and news anchors… but even then, the visuals beside anchors change on average about every 20-30 seconds, and actors use inflection, movement and facial expression to replace the visuals!

4. More technically, how should this be edited? Can I edit well?

Editing is an art – trust me! Not everyone can do it well. It is about pacing and impact. I used to think of editors as psychologists (haha), playing with your mind. Whatever they are, editors (professional or amateur) are the key to the end result. As my friend said yesterday, just because there are editing tools available (similar to when publishing tools became available years ago and everyone fancied themselves a designer/publisher), doesn’t mean you automatically know the “ART”. Some people are naturals – others, definitely aren’t.

5. How important is camera movement? (if you need a video to look pro, HIRE A PRO)

This is where the DIY thing gets a little tricky. Yes, there are lots of inexpensive video cameras and tripods on the market. But you really need to think about this one – think about what you’re going to end up with when it comes time to edit. Many people end up with poor camera angles, and lighting and try to piece together SHLOCK! This comes back to how you want your brand presented. Jittery camera movements can work for some businesses, but it doesn’t lend itself to other business brands. THINK THIS THROUGH!

6. How important is sound?

Trust me… it IS important. Camera microphones generally SUCK and you have no control over the background noise whatsoever. I’m very passionate about this – probably because of my training in the area. Sound also affects the shelf life of your video, don’t fool yourself.

Look, here’s what you need to keep in mind, like anything it’s important to really think about your brand and the end result. I encourage many companies to get themselves an inexpensive camera and start doing some DIY projects – absolutely! Get inspired, get some jittery camera shots of people talking, and moving about. Grab some of your own B-Roll (technical speak for pretty pictures). You might be a “natural”. But if you’re not, think about hiring a pro. Bottom line, think about your brand and the shelf life of a video you might produce either DIY or with a pro.