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May 2002

Product Development Technique
Video Tapes

The good old VHS video tape is still hanging in there. Blockbuster still has miles of shelves filled with them and you can buy them all over the Internet. The DVD is coming, but it's not even close to replacing your VCR.

Creating video is a lot easier, better quality and cheaper than it used to be. It's still much more complex than creating audio products but with the right kind of help you should have no trouble making VHS video products.

The reason it is so much cheaper now is because of the digital camcorder. They are tiny in physical size, light in weight and put out an extremely high quality picture.

Do it yourselfers
For those of you that are more industrious you can do entire video productions yourself using a digital camera and your home computer. I have to tell you though it's not as easy as the video editing software people make it sound.

To edit video on your home computer takes a really big and really fast hard drive. These drives are usually a step above the standard computer hard drive. You also need a good video capture card. If your computer doesn't have one, then you'll need to choose one (not very easy) pay for it and install it AND hope it works.

When it comes to video cameras, just about any modern digital or mini DV camera is more than enough to create great quality instructional videos.

Don't forget the lights and a good fluid head tripod. A terrible camera with great lighting will most likely give you a better picture than a great camera with terrible lighting.

You can't really do great video with a standard camera tripod either. A fluid head tripod allows you to move the camera smoothly through pans (horizontal left/right movements) and tilts (up and down movements).

You better take some tutorials about framing shots, zooming, panning and all the other good camera techniques before you try to create a product. Most people that shoot their own video make it look really bad because they don't know the techniques to create interesting shots that don't make you nauseous from excessive panning and zooming.

Video is much more complex because you've got audio that must make sense when matched to the video. You can't believe how hard this can be doing it yourself. If you really want to do it, here are some resources:

http://www.videoguys.com/

http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/

http://www.ulead.com/products/main_video/video.htm

http://www.sonicfoundry.com/productinfo.asp?product=videofactory

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/main.html

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Video,Editing,Software/PLS_2670crx.aspx

A better way
Get a professional to shoot your instructional video product. I can tell you after two failed attempts to shoot and edit myself (even after having owned a video production company many years ago) I've given up the do it yourself route. If I need good video done, I hire a professional camera person and editor. This let's me concentrate on the content so that I do a good job.

This doesn't have to be overly expensive. You can get some very small companies to shoot for a couple hundred dollars a day. Many of them have small digital editing systems that are more than adequate for instructional videos. The hourly rates can start at 30 or 40 an hour and go up.

In most cases, using these people as long as they are reliable and half way professional, will give you a much better finished product than you could ever have done yourself.

Video for free
A good way to get a free video production is to offer to do training for a company or organization that either has it's own video production department or is willing to pay for video production. You could make a deal where they agree to do a professional production that you can keep and use in exchange for the training or you may even get paid for the training and still get a master copy of the tape. The deal you land will depend on your negotiating skills.

Video cheaper than usual
Organize several people that want a video product and share the costs of the shoot. If you can standardize the location, (like a hotel room) or small studio, you can split the cost of the video shoot. Each one of the group would be responsible for the cost of their editing, but you might be able to arrange a package deal with the editing company by bringing several jobs at once.

Do you really need a video product?
Before you jump into any of this, please contemplate the above question. If you are simply going to be a talking head, I suggest your forget about video. Why would people want to drop everything and watch you talk? If you can't come up with a valid reason why they couldn't get the same info in some type of audio format, forget the video project  . . .unless of course your're doing it for ego or for a lot of money.

The best video informational products are ones that actually show the viewer how to do something while they are being told how to do it. I've learned tons of magic from videos. So much that I'm planning a series of magic tapes for speakers.

What to wear on video
For this section I'm going to take a section from "Wake 'em Up Video Professional Speaking System" http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm

TIPS FOR TELEVISION, VIDEOTAPE, AND VIDEOCONFERENCING

Here are some things you should keep in mind when a television camera is trained on you:

TELEVISION & VIDEOTAPE TIPS

  • Gestures should be smaller.

  • Make sure clothing is "broken in" and comfortable when you are sitting and standing.

  • Prior to your performance, have instant photos or video taken of you while sitting and standing. Make sure your clothes look good in both positions.

  • Find out the background color of the set if possible. You don't want your clothing to blend in and make you invisible.

  • Ask the producer for wardrobe color suggestions.

  • Do not wear any clothing with tight patterns or pin stripes. This causes an optical illusion called a moir‚ pattern which makes you look bad.

  • Avoid clothing with large patterns or geometric shapes. The audience will watch your clothes instead of you.

  • Avoid wearing black, white, or red on television or video. Even the best of cameras have trouble with these colors.

  • Avoid flashy jewelry. It reflects light.

  • Avoid jangly jewelry. It reflects light and makes noise that will be picked up by your microphone (this applies whether you are on TV or not).

  • Wear your eyeglasses if you want, but avoid shiny frames.

  • Tip the bows of your eyeglasses up slightly off your ears. This angles the lenses down to reduce glare from lights.

  • Wear makeup. It has the practical purpose of reducing the glare of TV lights. Apply it to all exposed body parts, like backs of hands, arms, neck, etc.

  • Apply cover-up below eyes to mask bags and/or wrinkles.

  • Good studios are kept cool to negate the effect of the hot TV lights. You may freeze for a while until the lights are turned on, then you may burn up. Dress for the heat, but bring a jacket or extra cover-up to be used while you are waiting to go on.

  • Bring a handkerchief or tissues to dab perspiration during breaks

  • Don't second guess the camera. Act as if you are always on screen.

  • Make sure your makeup, wardrobe, and hair are consistent with your message.

    MEN

  • Wear knee-length socks.

  • Always keep double breasted jackets buttoned.

  • Single breasted jackets can be opened, but not too wide.

  • I SAY AGAIN Wear Makeup. TV lights can penetrate several layers of skin. You can't possibly shave close enough to prevent whiskers from showing without makeup.

  • Don't forget makeup on receding hairlines or bald heads.

  • Trick: Run the thin part of your tie through the loop in the back of the main part of your tie then clip the thin part to your shirt below the loop. This will keep your tie perfectly centered without the tie clip showing.

    WOMEN

  • Don't wear vivid red lipstick or lip gloss. Stick to softer tones and dab lips with a little powder.

  • Consider dress shields if you perspire easily. Make sure your hair will stay where you want it. You don't want to be fooling with it while on the air. Make sure a lavaliere or lapel microphone and transmitter can be attached to your clothing.

    Lillian Brown has written the best resource I know of on the topic of appearing on television. It's called Your Public Best: The Complete Guide to Making Successful Public Appearances in the Meeting Room, on the Platform and on TV (Newmarket Press: New York 1989).

    VIDEOCONFERENCING

  • If possible prior to the videoconference, send remote location participants handouts, copies of agenda, and copies of visuals.

  • Try to get someone else to operate the camera and other equipment. Have them shoot close up if possible. With more than one presenter, if you leave the camera on wide angle, the viewers will have trouble picking out who is talking.

  • Periodically ask for feedback from the remote sites. Your chances for misunderstanding multiply when communicating electronically.

  • Remember assume you are always on camera. Use the mute button for your microphone if you must converse off the main program.

 

Next issue we'll talk about scripting your video product

The issue after that we'll talk about packaging and duplicating your video product

 


Other upcoming topics

  • Product packaging

  • Email courses

  • Ebooks

  • TeleSeminars

  • Consulting

  • Webcasts

  • Radio Shows

  • Videoconferencing from home

  • Streaming audio courses

  • Streaming video courses

Back to May 2002 Index page

 

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