T60 V.P. Katie found the following yesterday and we thought it was worth sharing.

Many companies put together nice looking brochures with great information and post them as a PDF on their web site, but the National Restaurant Association kicked it up a notch.  The group included video in one of its online brochures.

The video looks like it’s embedded in the PDF, but it’s actually just a link to video on their web page.  It’s a great way to take a static brochure and make it a multimedia experience.

You can check it out at the following link… the video is posted on the last page.

http://www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/whats_hot_2010.pdf

–Tony Gnau

I have started putting together T60’s Video Marketing Newsletter for December.  We’re featuring a client who needed a quick, inexpensive way to update their customers on what’s happening at the business.  Believe it or not… we managed to create a video for hundreds of dollars, not thousands.

You’ll see our solution when the newsletter drops next week, but until then I’d love to hear what your company did if faced with a similar situation.

–Tony Gnau

With businesses closing left and right these days, it’s more important than ever to be innovative.  Something that’s been reinforced to me a lot lately looking through a daily dose of wedding blogs.

Tony and I are getting married next year, and one of my favorite blogs (backstage.stylemepretty.com) recently talked about how wedding blogs are thriving, while wedding magazines are suffering.

People are seeking information in new ways and it’s important to be aware of the changes taking place across all industries.

I was also struck by the comment, “we have to keep costs low and innovate quickly…we have to grow inexpensively and thoughtfully.”  At T60 Productions we strive to be fiscally conservative but creative & innovative with everything else.  A business practice that I admire in Tony is that he recognizes that our customers have this need as well.

–Katie Murray, T60 V.P.

A well produced video can do something remarkable for a business or non-profit.  It helps customers or donors connect with the organization.  Giving people an inside look helps them understand they’re not just taking part in an impersonal business transaction… they’re a valued member of the family.

Glenwood School for Boys and Girls does this every year at their annual luncheon fundraiser, and this year they pulled it off on a smaller budget.  School leaders asked T60 to use existing raw video and shoot just a little fresh stuff for the 2009 video.

It turned out well and so did the fundraiser.  The video they showed donors helped convince everyone to open their pocketbooks… even during a tough economy.

See the video: https://www.t60productions.com/Video-Glenwood

Learn more about Glenwood: http://www.glenwoodschool.org

Privacy is an important issue, so unless you’re a photojournalist, it’s essential to get consent to shoot video of someone.  That can present a challenge.  What do you do at an event where very few people grant permission?

I was faced with that very issue today and opted for some creative shots to protect people’s identity.  Putting the foreground in-focus and the background out of focus is a great solution.  It allows the viewer to see there are people at the event, but keep them anonymous at the same time.

It’s clearly not the only technique, and I’d love to hear some others.  Thoughts?

–Tony Gnau

It’s important to be mindful of what comments a client has after seeing a first-cut.  Sometimes no changes are necessary, but it’s important not to take it personally when revisions are requested.  In many cases, they improve the final product.

On the flip side, I also think as professionals we have the obligation to make our opinion known if we disagree with particular changes.  It’s not productive to “put your foot down,” but explaining why you disagree is part of the job.

But remember, it’s the client’s video.  They should get what they want.

It’s a familiar format, but it seems to be slipping away a bit.  The traditional corporate video where a narrator dictates the story is slowly being replaced by what we call in the TV news biz… the NAT SOUND piece.

That’s where the entire story is told using sound bites, natural sound… and no narrator voicing the story.  It’s quite the paradox for someone like myself who loves to write because while I enjoy being able to control the story, NAT SOUND pieces just come off as much more natural.

There’s no “right” way to do a story.  I think every story is unique, so a decision on whether or not to “voice” it needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.  Companies that have a tightly controlled marketing message may want to stick with “voiced” stories, but I have to admit… I’m counseling more and more of my clients to give NAT SOUND pieces a try.

“Voiced” Story Example: https://www.t60productions.com/Video-Metalco.html

NAT SOUND Example: https://www.t60productions.com/Video-Dwyane_Wade_Basketball_Camp.html

Wow!  I just saw a video I have to share.  One of the things I’m always trying to convince business leaders to do is highlight the employees at their company… someone with passion.

You don’t need facts and figures to make a video sing.  You need people the viewer will like and connect with.  A video is more about creating a feel and touching emotions than providing detailed facts.

The following isn’t a corporate video.  It was produced for a foodie web site, but this is exactly the type of video companies should be producing.  It’s way too long for a corporate video, but the look and feel are perfect.  If you don’t want to buy soda pop from this guy, you probably just don’t like soda pop.  Watch the first couple minutes… that is… if you don’t get hooked and watch the whole thing.

Soda Pop Stop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbh6Ru7VVM

Like what you saw?  Check out a shorter, Telly award winning profile produced by T60: https://www.t60productions.com/Video-I_AM_CONNECTED_-_United_Airlines.html

Gadgets.  It’s probably safe to say every industry these days has them, but the video industry probably has a higher percentage than most.  And let’s face it, video gadgets are fun to play with.

It’s important though to take a step back from that.  Video production is a fun business, but it’s still a business.  Right now I’d love to buy a new tapeless HD camera, but it’s just not in the budget.  I could probably make it work, but why?  So I could have a shiny new toy?  It just doesn’t make business sense right now when I already have a great broadcast-quality camera.

Better to wait until a new camera becomes a wise investment, rather than an expensive toy.

Okay, so I’m faced with a problem we occasionally run into these days as video professionals.  I have a client who has raw video in a both a 4:3 aspect ratio and 16:9.  Obviously not an ideal situation, but it can be an opportunity to be creative.

There’s only a little video in 4:3, so the easy route would simple be to stretch it to fit the 16:9 screen.  In this particular situation, it will probably look fine, but I rather think of it as an opportunity to be creative with my editing.  There could be a really cool way to solve the problem, but I won’t know until I start playing with it.

I’m not saying to discount the easiest technique to solve the problem… just don’t  jump to it and stop there.  Keep your creative mind working.

–Tony Gnau