At Jamestown Community College, we are venturing more and more into video. Jonathan Halls gave a great presentation on how to quickly create fast videos. As he noted, because we watch video, we know what works and does not work. He also pointed out that 50% of mobile traffic is video and increasing. It is essential we get into the game.
Fabulous Video
Tips to keep your viewers engaged.
- What’s the story?
- If you do not have pictures with action, you are wrong
- Don’t do a talking head.
- Every picture tells a story. Important to have b-roll.
- Put pictures/b-roll together to tell a story. Need to learn to write a story with pictures. Pictures lead the narrative.
- Trust the power of pictures. Do you remember the pictures or narrative of the weather forecast? Pictures evoke memories. Select the right picture.
- Find pictures first then write the script.
- “If I rely on the spoken script to understand your video it may as well be a podcast.”
- Keep changing the shots to keep the viewer engaged. Change every 8-15 seconds.
- 40% planning, 20% shooting, 40% editing. Five (5) hours of editing for every minute of good video.
- Changing the shot manipulates the viewer.
Making It Fast
In order to create a video fast, you need a process… a consistent workflow. This requires that you plan, plan, plan.
Here is the Rapid Video Development Workflow:
- Write the learning objectives
- Create the structure/story
- Build storyboards – do a storyboard before a script
- Write script
- Create a production plan
Having clear objectives is critical. Follow Mager’s principles for writing objectives. You should only have one objective.
Is it a story or a process? What do you need to do to be successful?
Your audience needs to determine why to watch. You only have 15 seconds to grab their attention.
One objective video format:
- Overview
- Demonstration
- Summary
Building a Storyboard
- Use stick figures
- What shots will tell your story
- Put shots in order
- Think about how to frame them
Write Your Script
Your script supports the message in the picture. Don’t repeat what they see… add to it.
Production Plan
- shot plan (shoot similar shots in the same place and then move around in editing.)
- people plan
- resources plan
- risk assessment
- location plan
Get it right the first time – get the right shots while you are shooting.
On a Budget
Halls also gave tips for producing videos on a budget. He pointed out that Creative Commons content was available for most projects and it is free.
When purchasing a camera, the more bells and whistles your camera has, the more issues you will have. He indicated that in most cases an entry-level camera would suffice.
Tips for shooting:
- always shoot on wide
- never do digital zoom
- get close for close up
- get in close for audio
- ensure proper lighting
- don’t shoot into the light
- count to ten before action
Also, Halls stressed the importance to manually set white balance, exposure, focus, and audio.
Want to learn more about creating video, then check these posts:
- Optimizing your videos and screencasts for YouTube
- Learning how to capture your screen
- Book Review: Rapid Media Development for Trainers: Creating Videos, Podcasts, and Presentations on a Budget
