Creating a Seamless Video Strategy on a Budget

@TimWasher

Creativity StoriesProduction

Salt Lick BBQ, Austin

Creativity StoriesProduction

“Create moments of inspiration that send people on a journey” -- Andrew Davis

“The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else. I think we all know that laughter brings relaxation and humor makes us playful, yet how many times have important discussions been held where really original and creative ideas were desperately needed to solve important problems, but where humor was taboo because the subject being discussed was ‘so serious’.”

-- John Cleese

https://vimeo.com/89936101

Improv Rule #1There are no mistakes, only gifts.

“When you're in the open mode, nothing will stop you so effectively as

the fear of making a mistake.”

-- John Cleese

#1 TV network website #1 kids video site 15 YouTube series7 Webbies Views/Mo: 2M to 225M

To encourage creativity, PBS Digital Studios added a ‘failure quota’ to employees’ performance evaluations. And the results:

Improv Rule #2Take care of your partner.

“Collaboration” • Caveat: Nobody gets fired for saying “No”• Keep the committee small• Build 1:1 relationships. Use coffee. • Find a champion• Learn how your “partner” is measured on

success, and help. Be genuine.

Improv Rule #3Follow the Fear

-- Del Close

The Power of Humor• Making someone laugh is the most intimate

connection you can make in a business context • Humor based on customer pain points demonstrates

empathy • Being playful (and not always so serious) is an

endearing and charming quality. It shows authenticity.

• Laughter is a wonderful gift to give your audience

http://youtu.be/MSqXKp-00hM

“The tone of the video is in keeping with the kinder, humbler image IBM now seeks to project.”

http://ow.ly/B6qy7

http://youtu.be/Z1xKpm0nURk

Avoid Common Myths• “On brand” means it looks exactly like all of

our product videos• Must be packed with messaging • Everyone must love it• Objective of :60 video is to sale $1M product• Must fit perfectly with our target market

Lessons from Standup Comedy• Above all, be truthful and vulnerable • Shift focus from what you want to say to

what the audience will hear• Comedy comes from pain • The more specific your story is, the more

universal it becomes

“They said in 4 minutes something that I’ve been saying for 10 years ”

http://gu.com/p/3pb3c/tw

Creativity StoriesProduction

• Story trumps messaging.• Story creates an emotional connection,

descriptors don’t. • Narrative structure builds tension.• Don’t try to change how people speak --

change how they think.

Story….

Finding Stories• Customers • Employees • History • Invention• Redemption

http://shar.es/11REko

Interview Q’s • What inspired you to get into this career?• What was your biggest failure, and what

insight did that lead to?• What is your team most proud of? • Tell me about the “eureka” moment that led

to your invention ?

Employees• Give employees a concept that

they can create as a slideshow, using photos and narration.

• Post the videos internally, and post the best ones on youtube.

• Helps you identify storytellers, and gets people comfortable with producing

http://youtu.be/D7JRoQWh0SU

History• History is always interesting,

especially the spark of inspiration that inspired an invention. And the failures that led up to it.

• Produce a mini-documentary by recruiting an industry influencer to be the narrator.

http://youtu.be/WHaQY2MlHV8

Think Visually • Find inspiration for stories by

considering what you want to watch on YouTube, like sharks. .

• Don’t burden the story or process by forcing your company on it. Rather tell a broader story about how the technology makes an impact. http://youtu.be/Pn-yB5IyTYE

Edutainment • Be a good steward of the

audiences attention span, and they will subscribe.

• People love to feel smart, so share knowledge about an industry problem. They will be more likely to share it too.

http://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg

Redemption • Redemption is the most power

theme in storytelling. • We’ve all experienced the sting of

failure. Seeing others experience struggles, and overcome them, gives us comfort and hope.

• Business stories don’t need to be overly dramatic, but everyone loves even a light turnaround story.

http://youtu.be/HW3MJhwTV2k

Discover Your Voice• Write about what you love or

strongly dislike. The strong emotional connection helps you to speak authentically.

• Start by blogging and writing captions for photos. Progress to a slideshow, then a short video.

• Don’t worry about any business connection yet. In time, you’ll discover the intersection.

Comedy & Cheeseburger blog

Creativity StoriesProduction

• Get budget from sales event; partners • Be consistent, but not repetitive of strategy• Consider posting “off-property” • Start small and do it right• Pitch a film school internship project

Become an Independent Filmmaker

SmartPhone Video Studio• A mini-tripod makes it easy to

record steady video. No need to provide the audience with Dramamine http://bhpho.to/RwHwCd

• Lavalier microphone reduces background noise. Helpful for spontaneous interviews at conferences. http://bhpho.to/tzOrHX

LED Light Kit• This adjustable light works

incredibly well for an interview (about a 6’ range)

• LED prevents harsh look for most office lighting.

• Helpful if you take video conference calls from your basement.

• Vidpro K-120 On-Camera LED Video Light Kit - $80 http://bhpho.to/JASPDA

Clamp Light • At Home Depot or Lowes

for about $7. • Add an LED bulb for $20-

$25• A regular soft light bulb will

work too, and you can use a translucent white shower curtain as a diffuser to reduce shadows / harshness

Monopod • Small enough to toss in your

computer bag or man-purse.• Your prepared for an

impromptu shoot anytime, without producing shaky video.

http://ow.ly/Bp5Pk

Recording webcam interviews • Upgrade to an HD webcam, such as the Logitech 920 (approx

$70), or one of the newer models. • They make a big difference on the visual quality. • Most will include an upgraded microphone, but I prefer a lav mic

to reduce the room echo. • Find a blogger or influencer to interview, and record by Skype or

Google Hangouts. • A tool such as VodBurner allows you to record the video of both

sides of the call. However Skype has dropped some support on the Mac version

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 http://amzn.com/B006JH8T3S http://www.vodburner.com/

Webcam Show Example • An experimental show that

Ann Handley and I produced. • You can see the difference in

quality from the first episode (no webcams)

• Recorded with VodBurner (her side) and a camcorder (my side) because we didn’t like the look of the split screen. https://www.youtube.com/user/BMTBD/

@TimWasher

timwasher.com