Tag Archives: corporate communication

We have a shoot for a new client this week, and I knew I liked them when they gave us sample videos of the type of stories they like… from Starbucks.

Flat-out… Starbucks produces some great videos. I’ve blogged about them in the past, and they clearly understand the power of storytelling.

They also understand that featuring their own people is a great way to highlight  their company. Your team makes your business work, and they’re also your secret salespeople. They’re great subjects for videos because they’re real… authentic.

Real audiences relate to real people.

–Tony Gnau

Even a little video is better than no video at all. Research tells us people LOVE watching online videos. A short video might be all you need to get prospects to explore your website further.

It’s all about creating a good first impression, and these days you can get professional expertise at a minimal expense. T60’s Elevator Pitch videos are just $500, and we’re not the only ones creating quality low-cost videos.

The point is you can get expert help at a reasonable price. You don’t have to figure out how to do it on your own and risk looking like an amateur. Find a video professional to give you business a polished look.

–Tony Gnau

Music is a great thing to add to a video. It’s important however to pick the right music.

If you’re producing a business video for PR or marketing purposes, make sure to choose royalty-free music. We run into a lot of clients who have a popular song in mind for their videos, not thinking about needing the rights to use that music.

Royalty-free music allows you to set a mood and do it on a budget.

–Tony Gnau

Video is a great way to take people behind-the-scenes of your company, and I have a terrific example for you today.

American Airlines sent this video out yesterday via Facebook… Where does a bag go after it’s checked?

It’s exactly what a behind-the-scenes video should be. American takes something they do everyday that we never get to see… move and transport luggage… and show us exactly how it’s done.

What do you do at your business that goes unseen? It doesn’t have to be something as technically complicated as moving bags. Even something simple can be elevated with quality storytelling.

Take people behind-the-scenes and show them the great things you do when they’re not looking.

–Tony Gnau

Every company is different. Every company has its own culture, procedures, ways of doing things. When you go looking for a video producer, do your best to make sure they can fit in with your team.

We just started working with a new client and they did something I’ve never seen before. They provided us with a calendar, not only detailing what they expect from us, but what they would be adding to the project themselves.

I loved it. It’s clearly an insight into their company culture, and I have to say it worked for me. I took one look at the calendar and it was incredibly helpful, but I can tell you it might have freaked out other video professionals.

We’re a creative industry… right-brained, not left. Fortunately, I appreciate details, as long as people remain flexible, but if they had chosen the wrong production company… it could have been a doomed business relationship from the start.

Keep culture in mind when you start interviewing creative professionals.

–Tony Gnau

As the election draws closer, I’m sure I’ll be blogging more and more about the candidates’ web videos. The good, the bad… the pointless. Today, we take a look at the latest Obama video.

I have to say, it’s a letdown. President Obama’s videos during the 2008 election were pretty darn good. Okay, they were great. He clearly has some talented storytellers working for him. I think that’s why this one surprised me.

It’s titled, America the Beautiful. The White House rolled it out for Independence Day, but it’s just a hodgepodge of clips set to music. It’s like they couldn’t decide if it should be a campaign video or just something patriotic for the holiday.

It’s a good lesson though. You should have a clear vision for your story. Once you do… commit to it. You might have some great raw video, but if it doesn’t support your story it doesn’t belong in the final product.

Commit to the story and stay away from the hodgepodge.

–Tony Gnau

Courtesy: CBS News

Last week, I blogged a little about the notion of watching. Watching videos you like, dissecting them, learning from them, and applying similar techniques to your own videos.

Today, I’m going to help you find some good videos to watch, and I’m turning to TV news because that’s where you’ll find my roots.

The organization that most inspired me to improve myself as a video storyteller is the National Press Photographers Association. I was working at my first TV station in Kearney, NE when I went to an NPPA seminar in Omaha. Mind blowing. Here’s a link to last year’s NPPA award winners… Best of Photojournalism 2011.

Looking for daily inspiration? There’s a terrific Facebook group called, “Storytellers.” TV news photographers post their stories and ask for feedback from their peers. I’ve seen a lot of good stuff there.

Finally, my favorite storyteller is my mentor… Steve Hartman of CBS News. Steve was more than generous with his time when I was a young reporter. I used to send him my stories, he’d critique them, and I followed every piece of advice he gave me. He’s been the man behind a few feature segments at CBS, but his current one is entitled, “On the Road,” and it airs every Friday. If you find a guy who’s a better feature reporter and storyteller, please let me know.

Enjoy!

–Tony Gnau

Want to know the best way to get good at video? Watch a lot of videos. Preferably good ones.

When I was a young TV news reporter, I used to watch as many great stories as I could. The kinds of stories I wanted to report.

In those days, my friends and I would exchange video tapes featuring award-winning stories from the National Press Photographers Association. What a difference a decade makes. Now all you need to do is click on YouTube of Vimeo.

Start noting the videos you like and re-watch them from time-to-time with a critical eye. Dissect them. Look at the shooting style, how they use music and natural sound, the way they’re edited. Think about how those same techniques could improve your storytelling.

The more you evaluate, the better you’re own videos will become.

–Tony Gnau

I saw a new Ford Escape on the road yesterday. Very nice. So nice it sent me to Ford’s YouTube channel looking for some videos.

Alas… no luck. I did however find a nice little series entitled, Drive Quality. Three short videos, each just over a minute long, and all featuring things Ford leaders do around their plants to improve production line quality.

I thought the videos were good. Nothing Earth-shattering, but I walked away as a viewer thinking… huh… that’s pretty cool.

Folks… that’s a win for Ford. I think we sometimes get hung-up on the impact of our videos. Not every video is going to set the world on fire. As a matter of fact, it is a rare video that will do that. And if it doesn’t feature a cat, it’s nearly impossible to achieve.

We need to temper our expectations. Ford got it right. I only intended on watching one of the videos when I clicked, but I watched all three and learned something interesting about the company.

I can only hope your videos are as successful.

–Tony Gnau

SIDE NOTE!… I did eventually find some videos featuring the new Escape. :-)

Bloggers have long understood the power of the written word, but many have also begun to embrace video. Many, however, have not put the same amount of pride into their videos as they have their skillfully written blogs.

They need to start.

Look, if you’re not a bigtime blogger, please continue to look into your computer’s camera and deliver your vlog that way. On the other hand, if you are a bigtime blogger, you need to step-up your production value.

I’m not talking about a lot of bells and whistles. Simply working on your framing, lighting and editing will go a long way to improving the professionalism of your vlog.

We’ve been doing this for superstar PR blogger Gini Dietrich. She’s awesome, her message is compelling, and now she has a professional-looking vlog to match her top-rated blog.

A little effort goes a long way to adding to your credibility.

–Tony Gnau