Web Hosting Provider Offers Tips on Video Production for the Web
In the era of Web 2˳0 and the substantial market penetration of broadband services, videos are standard marketing tools on even small, one-man operations operating out of the company’s world headquarters in the spare room˳ Why the growing popularity?
Videos sell˳ They sell you, they sell your company, your products or services˳ Videos also go viral quickly˳ Post a video clip on a blog and, if it’s good, it’ll get picked up by other sites˳
You can post videos on YouTube, social networking sites, mastermind sites and, of course, your own web site˳ But when the operating budget for that online business comes from the cookie jar, videos may seem out of reach˳ Not so˳
Consider the expense˳ You’ll need a fast computer, a decent digital video camera and video editing software˳ Assume your current system is fast enough˳ You can pick up high-quality, easy-to-use video editing software on sale for less than $500˳ And a decent quality video camera will set you back about $800 – $1000˳
So, if you only plan to make a single video, hire a professional shooter (a camera operator and editor) and save the investment in video production hardware and software˳ But, if you recognize the marketing value of a quality video and you plan on adding webcasts and other video features to your marketing tool kit, consider the capital outlay an investment in your future˳
Website Video Production Values
Production values determine the final look, sound and feel of the finished video clip, whether it’s a short introduction to your company or a five-hour course for CEU credit˳ A poorly produced video is worse than no video at all so you have to get it right˳ Here are some suggestions on making quality video for your website or for DV downloads˳
Source Material
This is the raw footage that you shoot˳ It should be of as high a quality as the pocketbook will allow˳
A lot of individuals use web cams – the low-resolution cameras that sit on top of the computer monitor˳ Don’t use a web cam˳ The resolution (picture quality) is poor, presenting a poor first impression of you or your company˳
Again, the family digital video camera (DV) will have a higher resolution, providing a sharper, less grainy, larger image˳ Remember, the finished product can never be better than the source material so always start with the best raw footage you can afford˳
Content
What are you going to say? What’s the objective of the video clip? To sell? To create credibility? To demonstrate a product? Before and after clips? Before you shoot a single frame, prepare the content to suit the purpose of the clip˳
Now, this does NOT mean that you write a 15-minute speech and read it˳ Even if your subject is compelling, there is nothing duller than listening to a talking head drone on˳ It’s life-threatening boredom˳
Instead, develop a list of talking points – the five or 10 key points you want to make in the video˳ Rehearse the talking points until you have them done pat˳ Prepare cue cards that detail talking points, list statistics or provide other factual content that “can’t be missed˳ Use these cue cards to talk to the viewer – aka, the digital video camera˳ Look directly into the lens when you speak˳ In that way, you make “eye contact” with the viewer˳
Organize the content using the old teaching adage: tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em; tell ’em; then tell them what you told them˳ Stage one prepares the viewer and establishes the viewer’s mindset˳ Stage two expands on stage one with examples and supporting data and stage three is the recap of talking points and the call to action – the part of the video that tells the viewer what’s expected next˳
Lighting
Unless you have a stash of cash, lighting could be a problem˳
You can rent lighting equipment from any photo store though, unless you understand lighting placement, you could make that dark shadow behind you even worse˳ Use natural light if possible˳ In fact, shooting outdoors on an overcast day provides even, sharp images˳ And shots of you walking along the beach as you talk about your investment consultancy makes a nice, subliminal statement (I can give you all of this) and adds visual interest˳
Voice Over (VO) Narration
One way to eliminate fire sirens, screaming kids and other street noise, is to use voice over narration˳ Shoot your DV˳ Then, record your narration using the microphone on your DV camera, or buy a decent quality mic˳ You can get everything you need to hear your VO for less than $50˳
Edit, Edit, Edit
Less is definitely more when it comes to DV on web sites, blogs and other places online˳ You may think you have a lot to say and maybe you do, but you don’t have to say it all at once˳ You don’t need to describe every advantage, every option, every nuance of your message˳ Instead, use a site-based video to introduce yourself and make that positive impression˳
Keep it short if it’s a sales promo˳ Keep it complete and accurate if it’s informational or instructional˳
Add Text
Text is added during the post-production stage – the stage at which you mix the sound with the video footage˳ Audio and video appear on a ‘time line’ that enables you to synchronize words and pictures˳
Use text to re-enforce key points˳ For example, the CEO’s name and title would appear below the footage of her seated behind a desk˳ The CEO states her name, which is then reinforced with a text burn below the CEO’s image˳
Cut away from the talking head (or head/torso combo) to text graphs – bullet points that appear on cue as the VO narrator reads the script˳ This adds visual interest˳ Text and other graphics are a great way to get across a lot of information quickly˳ It might take you five minutes to explain what is visually clear in a bar chart or other X/Y graph, chart, map or picture at a glance˳
Dress Nice
No, you don’t have to rent a tux but you should look the part whatever that part is˳ Financial advisor: three piece business suit˳ Fitness coach: attractive gym wear and no three-piece suit˳ It doesn’t fit with the gym look and feel˳
This is your first and perhaps last opportunity to make an impression on a site visitor or blog visitor or YouTuber˳ Don’t blow it wearing a torn AC/DC t-shirt as you introduce your latest investment model buying up rain forest land in Brazil˳ Ummm, what’s wrong with this picture? But, if you’re the skateboard king of Boise, that AC/DC tee makes just the right statement˳ Who’s going to buy a skateboard from a geek in a three-piece suit, for goodness sake?
Add a Music Bed
There’s lots of rights free music online so you might as well take advantage of it˳ Avoid copyright issues by going with rights free˳
The music should fade up under the opening shot or intro credits˳ Use music to cue the listener that the topic is about to change or some critical point is about to be made˳ However, and this is important, the music should never interfere or distract the viewer from the words˳ Even simple DV editing devices provide two channels for audio – one for music and one for narration˳ Think of music as aural wallpaper˳ You want the viewer to be aware of it but to focus on the narrator˳
Again, synch your music bed up with the narration˳
Finally, Squish It
Video runs at 32 frames a second˳ That’s a lot of digital information to be delivered straight up so, typically, videos for web upload are compressed using compression ratios contained as part of the editing suite˳
The higher the compression ratio, the lower the quality of the image delivered to the viewer˳ On the other hand, less compression means longer download times as more video is delivered to the viewer’s browser˳
It’s a balancing act˳ If you compress the finished piece too much, it’ll download quickly and hopefully hold the visitor’s attention˳ But the picture quality won’t be the best˳ Compress as needed and remember, only 10% of web users will sit through a 30-second download˳
Gosh, we’re an impatient bunch˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Adding-Video-to-Your-Web-Site&id=7238981
