Behind The Scenes – Part Two. Editing
Picture this: a shot of the top drawer of a desk. A hand moves into the shot, and opens the drawer. We see – a pistol. What’s the next shot in this story?
-a closeup at a man’s reaction, surprised at his find?
-an over the shoulder shot of someone, an aggressor, standing in front of the desk?
– a medium shot of a man looking into the drawer. He is a police officer, and there are other police officers in the room, but in the background.
Each one of those tells a different story. It’s up to the editor to tell the story of what the cameraman has been shooting.
Even with business videos, I have to do the same thing. I have to ask myself, “Where do I want the viewer’s eyes next for maximum impact?” This is the main thing that sets amateur videos apart from professional videos: amateurs tend to want to get everything in one long take. And they end up with mistakes, and gaffes that need to be removed but aren’t because editing has a steep learning curve.
It is nice of Windows to add a Windows Movie Maker to every version of it’s operating system that is produced. However, editing with Windows Movie Maker is like trying to run a race in wooden shoes. It can be done, if you’re patient, but overall, it’s – clunky.
There are some very good consumer editing software on the market. The problem is, it’s not plug and play. There was a learning curve in video editing even for me, and I’ve been cutting audio for over 20 years.
The shots I make that tell the story but will have little or none of their sound used is caller “B-roll” These are the shots that are the demonstration, while a voice explains what’s going on. I consider my B-roll to be probably the most important footage I can shoot. Because while I cut away from the main speaker to show the demo, I can then edit the speaker’s AUDIO without making the video jump cut. That’s very helpful for taking out extraneous phrases or noises and making the person on camera seem more polished.
Morey: Ask me what is the most important quality of a great comedian
Henny: Ok, What is the..
Morey: TIMING!
I’ve always loved that bit of dialog. It’s so true, not only in comedy, but in anything that tells a story. And a good editor has a good sense of timing. You know when you’ve stayed on a shot long enough and it’s time to move on. Many amateurs stay on a shot waaaay to long. Unfortunately, if you look at much of the stuff that is posted on You Tube, you’ll find that the rule instead of the exception. The eye is quick, and the brain is quicker. Usually, three or four seconds is all you need before it’s time to change shots.
Watch your favorite movie or TV show again and pay attention to the editing., the scenes that were used and the decisions that were made to tell the story. I know you’ll see something that will open your eyes.
Now, what do you want for YOUR project? What’s the story you’re going to tell?
That’s a wrap.
It took me about five minutes to come up with this list. I like the number 21. But there are a few dozen more I’ll save for another post. Ready?
21 SIGNS YOUR COMPANY IS READY TO PUT VIDEOS ON YOUR WEBSITE
1. Your “time spent on site” analytic is less than 60 seconds
2. Visitors do research on your site, then buy from a competitor
3. Visitors read the “About Us” page then leave
4. You sell a service which is performed in your customer’s home
5. You sell a service to customers which is performed in your home
6. You compete in an industry that has a less than stellar reputation
7. You keep trying to get on the first page of search engine results, but never make it.
8. Your company president asks, “What is You Tube?”
9. Your company president asks, “What is the internet?”
10. Your Unique Selling Proposition is better customer service
11. You have to show your customers how your product works
12.You have to show your customers the safety features of your product
13. You need to show why your product is built better than the other guy’s
14. There are questions you WISH your customers would ask
15. Your company is celebrating a milestone anniversary
16. You want your customers to meet your staff
17. You want to build brand loyalty
18. You want to show off your expertise
19. You want to be the “go to” person in your industry
20. You’re getting ready for a price increase
21. You’ve just started a new business
Do any of these sound like you or someone you know? Let’s talk about it. I’ll buy the coffee. Maybe I’ll even buy lunch.
That’s a wrap.
I am very pleased when one of my clients tells me about something that’s happened as a direct result of putting videos on their website. Consistently, something positive always happens in the first 30 days.
I produced a video for an executive recruiting firm. They had recently doubled their staff, and wanted to share their unique point of view, as well as getting more quality leads. They were thrilled with their video, and it went up immediately on their website, blog, Facebook page, and about a half dozen other social sites.
Within two weeks, they were contacted by a local TV news crew who wanted to do a story on them. They were perceived as a leader in their field, which is exactly where they wanted to be.
I did another video for a company who was already showing well in the search engines for “expert” in their specialized niche. In the first month, their website traffic had increased by 60%. To top it off, not only were they showing up on the first page of results for their keywords, but so was their video. And the views on their YouTube channel skyrocketed.
I started working with a new company just three months after it had been founded. We began producing a series of video blog posts. I have just learned that as a direct result of the videos, they landed $8000 in new business within the first 30 days.
These stories are not extraordinary. Not only does video jumpstart search engine results, but it also gives your prospects a reason to remember you.
In the future having videos on your website will be as commonplace as having buttons for navigation. Right now is the perfect time to start. By jumping in with both feet and using compelling, engaging video messages, you can lead the way in your category. It will garner results now, and the equity you build as an innovator, will pay off in the future.
–That’s a wrap.
I’m sitting here looking at my latest stats from Google Analytics, and I found something very interesting: When a visitor comes to my site as the result of a Google organic search, they stay for almost SEVEN MINUTES! Even when I’m found through a Yahoo search, visitors hang around for just under four minutes.
There’s a video on almost every page of my site. Only two of them are about me or my work. The rest show my clients and how they are using video to enhance their brand, establish trust and credibility or take viewers on a behind the scenes look at their business.
Here’s another stat that’s hard to believe: one of my inbound links brings visitors who stay an average of NINE minutes.
If you buy advertising on radio or TV, you have only thirty seconds to present your message. And with both of those mediums, you’re competing with all the other stimuli that surrounds the user. Plus, it’s extremely costly.
Videos on your website are available 24/7. They’re one of the most cost effective strategies to get in front of a prospect and present yourself as an expert in your field.
If you know a small business with a website, invite them to take a look at their user statistics. Then, ask them to give me a call.
–That’s a wrap.
Part of our core message is : “We write, shoot, edit, do post production, then deliver the files to you.” And while I try to keep that core message simple and as targeted as possible, I want to do some in depth blog posts to explain what makes Videos On Your Website a valuable resource.
Every video gets a little post-production. It may be as simple as adding a music track. Oh, wait – did I say simple?
Music should enhance without being obtrusive. All music tracks have to be edited themselves – so that they fit the same timing as the video. Sometimes, whole segments of a music track have to be moved to match scene changes.
Voiceover is part of post production. Being a voice artist for 20 years, I could go into fanatical detail about this. But I won’t. I have another blog for that at ronharper.com. Suffice to say the voice tells the story. Narration entails a lot more than reading.
Everyone likes nice graphics, whether it’s a logo, or a great still shot. But how about a little blip at the bottom of the screen that shows the speaker’s name? That is usually made up of two different video files: a background, called a “lower-third”, and the text file. How big should it be? Where do you want to place it on the screen? Want to match the color to the logo? Those are some of the decisions we make at that point. Still shots don’t always fill the screen, and they need a background. Or, maybe you’d like to start at the top of the still and pan down, or slowly zoom in.
Is the color right on all of the shots? If not, we can adjust it in post. Want a special filter, or other effect – it’s all done in post production.
Come back soon, and we’ll have another peak behind the scenes.
–That’s a wrap.
24 Things You Can Say In Your Next Video
When small businesses begin to think about making a video to put on their website, they usually start writing things to say about the products or services they’re trying to sell. What else is this process called?
video subjects,
Commercials.
Since no one searches the web for commercials, there has to be another way to tell a small business’ story.
There is. And it’s the process that businesses and professionals are using to build their video library.
There are probably at least ten questions that every customer asks you.
There are ten more questions you WISH they would ask. That’s a total of twenty different videos so far. Are you following?
But in the title I said 24 things.
The other four videos are actual showcase pieces about your product or services. No, not commercials. That’s where we come in. We’ve been producing those kinds of messages, those UN-mercials since before there was an Internet. And we’re still having fun.
–That’s a wrap.
Put Cool Linkable Transcripts on Videos
I have watched Search Engine Optimization experts try and explain what they do to a room full of non-technical folks. Many small businesses who have websites can tell you why SEO is important, and maybe a handful can tell you a little bit about how it’s done.
Now that using videos on your website is exploding across all small business categories, I’m getting asked: “Is there such a thing as SEO for video?” Yes, there most definitely is.
Although Video SEO is still in its infancy, here’s something that’s going to help a lot.
Take a look at this video of Cincinnati Internet Marketing Czar Rob Bunting. Notice anything?
Pretty cool, huh? Transcribing text from video is just one of the new tools that are starting to pop up on the digital landscape. There are tools for adding captions to YouTube videos and your OWN videos. That’s the good news. The better news is that captions are searchable by Google. That will give you an added dimension to your video library and one more thing to worry your competition.
–That’s A Wrap
I have seen a handful of vanity channels, so-called business presentations, video blogs, and all the rest, and I gotta tell ya.. owning a video camera or a web cam no more makes you a talk show host than owning a guitar makes you Erc Clapton.
I was compelled to start watching these folks because they had a headline that drew me in, they said something interesting, or because I know them. Truthfully, I didn’t last more than 3 minutes.
So I keep coming back to something I’ve said time and time again: Either you want to be known as an expert, or you want people to buy a product or service from you, so be as professional as you know how, or the next guy will. Online video has no excuses for poor quality. If you’re going to shoot yourself, here’s how to do it with a little class:
- Find an uncluttered spot. Look at your surroundings the way the camera is going to see it. Don’t let anything get in the way of the camera’s main focus.
- Back Away From The Camera. Really. All this fisheyed e-trade baby video is making me nauseous.
- SMILE !!!! And hold eye contact. Put a picture of someone you care a lot about beside that camera lens. Then talk to them. You will be more natural
- Take off the headphones. You don’t have to hear yourself. It also looks really low tech. If there are music cues or an interview you have to respond to, get an earpiece, or just set the phones down out of camera range. You’ll still be able to hear it.
- Don’t take five minutes to get to the content. I don’t really care that this is your fifth show, and you now have two thousand viewers. Acknowledge what I came to see. At least Letterman and Leno start with a rundown of what the show’s going to be about. It’s not a bad idea for you to do that, too. Of course, it will mean actually planning, and not talking off the top of your head.
- That will directly affect your “um” quotient. Take notes, and use those notes to prompt you for the next idea. Planning and focusing keeps the “ums” to a mimimum. A little silence is a lot more preferable to inane babble.
- Keep it short and to the point. I’m not going to watch you for an hour. Especially if it’s just you on camera. Sorry if it hurts your feelings. Brevity is the soul of wit. You’ll get more viewers with a shorter piece. You’ll be more focused. Did you know that all of the network evening news shows used to be 15 minutes long?
If you can do those simple things, you’ll be surprised how better you look, and how much more professional you come across.
–That’s A Wrap.
Companies Partner For Green Video Series
I am very excited to release the news about a partnership for Videos On Your Website. It’s going to be loads of fun producing these videos. I’ll have some of them online soon at videosonyourwebsite.com/green
Cincinnati Maintenance and Videos On Your Website have formed a strategic partnership to produce a series of “Green Tips”. The short videos will feature local companies and organizations striving to make a difference, and that are creating a positive impact on the environment. A new video will be released each week at www.cincinnatimaintenance.com.
Les Fultz, President of Cincinnati Maintenance said, “The series will be a valuable resource for the community to connect with others pushing for green initiatives.”
“Web video is a fundamental method for businesses to develop trust and expertise,” said Ron Harper, owner of Videos On Your Website.com “This is going to be an exciting project. Les truly understands that building a library of educational videos is the way to market his new business.”
Fultz said the current schedule is to produce a month’s worth of videos at a time. The pair currently have enough material to take them into fourth quarter of 2010. If you would like to suggest a topic or know someone who would like to appear in the videos, contact Les Fultz by email at Les@cincinnatimaintenance.com.
Cincinnati Maintenance offers “eco-friendly” services that use less water and no harmful chemicals to clean carpets, tile and grout in homes and businesses. Videos On Your Website is based in Mason and produces short informative and educational videos exclusively for small businesses.
–That’s A Wrap!
