I’m not a Dancing with the Stars fan. I don’t think I’ve ever watched more than 5-minutes of the show. I’m not a hater. It just isn’t my thing, but the other night I saw it on a TV and it literally stopped me in my tracks with some video production inspiration.

What caught my eye was a series of interview shots. They were interviewing people against  some pretty boring walls, but instead of shooting head-on into the wall they placed the camera up against it and shot down the wall at the interview subject. Does that make sense?

The technique was similar to the interview shots in the photos I posted here from shoots we did a while back for the Northern Illinois Food Bank and also Yellow House Children’s Services.

Anyway, all of us are often faced with shooting interviews against boring backdrops. This is a way to spice things up. The change in perspective adds a lot of visual interest.

Clearly, I’ve done this sort of thing before, but seeing it on DWTS really served as a good reminder and even gave me some new ideas. They used the technique in multiple ways with the camera at different heights, the subject in profile and it all worked.

Inspiration can come from some unlikely places. That’s why you always have to keep your eyes open.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO– Northern Illinois Food Bank

VIDEO– Yellow House Children’s Services

Should have posted this earlier today, but Opening Day is an official T60 holiday. Back on blog duty tomorrow.

Go Cubs Go!

VIDEO– http://youtu.be/jz8IKZKMKjg

–Tony Gnau

You might talk-the-talk when it comes to customer service, but to you walk-the-walk? I shot a motivational speech yesterday at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo regarding customer service, and it spurred some video thoughts.

The speech was given by United Airlines’ Captain Denny Flanagan. He’s a pilot who has single-handedly taken it upon himself to raise the bar when it comes to airline customer service (CBS News story). A bar he admits is really low.

Captain Flanagan mostly told stories about the different things he does to engage with customers and improve their travel experience. He’s been known to buy everyone hamburgers when there’s a flight delay, call the parents of child flying alone to let them know he or she is on the plane, and he even hands out his business card and cell number to customers in case they have problems making a connecting flight. To say he goes above and beyond is an understatement.

What struck me is that most companies have a person like Captain Flanagan working for them. Why in the world aren’t these businesses’ leaders featuring them in videos!? Companies need to make it a priority to single out team members providing excellent service and share their stories with customers.

–Tony Gnau

For the record…United Airlines is a past client, but I am receiving no compensation for this post.

Love, love, love yesterday’s guest post by Laura Click at spinsucks.com. She blogs about the four deadly mistakes made on corporate websites.

One of the things she suggests is incorporating video into their content. Well… yeah! She’s totally right, and yet video is missing from far too many corporate websites.

There are all sorts of options for the types of videos company leaders can produce. Highlight employees, new products, services, show how the business is involved in the community… I could go on and on. However, the one video EVERY company should have at their website is the About Us video.

It doesn’t have to be complicated… just a basic explanation of what it is that the company does and what sets it apart from the competition.

I know this might not be easy for some business leaders. It could take a little time and it could mean an additional expense. The benefit is website content that will be seen and heard. People watch videos. Give them a good one and you’re creating a terrific first impression.

–Tony Gnau

I’ve found all sorts of good examples of marketing and public relations videos out there, but this is the first time I’ve come across one from the FBI.

The G-Men started a campaign a little over a week ago… looking for leads in the most expensive art heist in U.S. history. 13 works of art, including rare paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer, stolen in 1990 from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The collection is valued at approximately $500 million.

The Bureau has a website devoted to the crime. It gives all the particulars behind the crime, and it also provides a series of videos featuring agents and a representative from the museum.

These are real stories. They’re not going to win any awards, but there’s storytelling taking place. This is the kind of thing I expect to find with medium to large companies and far too often end up with low-quality drivel.

The main video on the page has over 20,000 views. How many people do you think would have simply read the news release without the video?

That’s the power of video… the power you need to be putting to work for your business.

–Tony Gnau

I decided on something last week… a T60 mission statement. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while after listening to person after person talk about mission statements on the EntreLeadership podcast.

I’ve worked for my fair share of companies. I’m sure they all have mission statements but I couldn’t tell you what they are, which is why I decided to put some thought into T60’s.

I have no idea how much the company might grow, but I’d like the mission statement to have meaning and be something everyone appreciates. Heck… even if it’s just me… I’d like something that can be my guiding compass.

The best mission statements I’ve heard are short and sweet, so that’s the way I’m going. Enough teasing already? Here it is…

Tell great stories.

–Tony Gnau

Today is the final day of… Travel Week! Video production lessons learned on the road.

We do a decent amount of traveling for our clients, and there’s always insights we pick-up along the way. This post is one of the biggest surprises we’ve found on a trip… Seriously… I’m Praising THIS Video!?

–Tony Gnau

It’s Travel Week here at the T60 blog… looking back at some of our favorite travel-inspired posts. Good lessons learned on the road to help improve your marketing videos.

We’re doing this because I was in DC all of last week and I’m getting caught up this week. The reason I mention that is because I’ve been to our nation’s capital four times over the last four years. Once for work, but the rest for pleasure.

Interesting that one of those “fun” trips actually inspired the following post… How B-roll Can Save Your Butt

–Tony Gnau

Ground Zero: September 13, 2010

Day two today of… TRAVEL WEEK! I was in Washington, DC last week and this week I’m trying to get caught-up, so I’m visiting the archives with video production lessons from some of our best travel-inspired blog posts.

Today’s post is a good lesson from one of our most memorable shoots… Ground Zero.

Please enjoy… Lessons from NYC Shoot

–Tony Gnau

I just go back from a great trip to Washington, DC. Lots to get caught up on this week, so I have something fun planned for the blog.

Since I’ve been traveling, I though we’d revisit some of our best posts inspired by trips, so please enjoy… TRAVEL WEEK!

Today: Laziness Doesn’t Get You Shots Like This

–Tony Gnau