Tag Archives: corporate communication

Video is becoming a strange animal. It used to be nobody had a video camera, so if they wanted video they had to either hire someone to shoot it or go to the time and expense of buying their own equipment.

These days everyone has a quality video camera built into their phone.

This may be why some people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the cost of producing video. We occasionally have people who contact us for proposals who are surprised their project will cost thousands of dollars.

I think they’d be even more surprised if they shopped around only to find out there are companies charging a lot more than us.

I understand we all have access to quality video cameras, but that’s no longer what you’re paying for when you have a video produced. You’re paying for the skill it takes to operate that camera and tell a compelling story.

Anyone can shoot video, but takes a highly trained and skilled artist to create a video people will want to watch.

–Tony Gnau

May I take a moment to write about microphones?

Amateur videos are easy to pick out for an array of reasons, but one of the easiest ways to spot one is bad audio. How do you know if your audio is bad? The number one way is if you’re using the built-in microphone on your camera.

You might be thinking… I don’t know… sounds pretty good to me.

No. It doesn’t. Investing just a  little money in a good quality microphone will improve your videos big time.

–Tony Gnau

Okay PR pros… you want to see how to make life easy on your TV contacts? Check out Clarke. It’s a company doing the type of work that’s bound to draw media attention. They fight mosquitoes.

Yes… not necessarily a sexy business, but just look at their video download page. It’s AMAZING! They provide dozens of clips for journalists to use. It looks professional and has everything a TV producer, reporter, or editor is going to need to piece together a story on mosquito control.

You know how I know this? A friend of mine at WGN-TV news told me about the company. WGN was doing a story on West Nile virus (transmitted by mosquitoes) and someone at Clarke sent them a link to their videos. My friend was gushing over how helpful it was.

If you’re working for a business that’s involved with issues or subject matters that end up on the news, you need to put together a page like this. It provides exposure, and allows you to control the content surrounding your company.

–Tony Gnau

The internet has changed forever the way we research our competition. All you have to do is swing by their website to see what they’re up to, how they present themselves, et cetera.

One of the things I did when starting T60 was research how much my competitors  were charging. It was maddening. Most don’t list prices. I understand why. Every project is unique, but from a customer’s perspective it’s really irritating.

So… I made sure to give some sort of price list at the T60 website. It was a simply way to differentiate us from everyone else, and I hope it leaves people with a good first impression.

Here’s my project for you. Check out your competitors’ videos. Do they have just one or have they produced a bunch? Do they look professionally done or do they look like they did them on the cheap?

Video is a way you can set your company apart from the competition. Whatever they’re doing video-wise, you have the ability to one-up them.

If a customer is researching you and your competition online, they’ll likely watch each company’s videos. Make their first impression of you better than your competition.

–Tony Gnau

I get it. I really do. If you’re working at a small business and you don’t have the money to commit to a professionally produced video, I understand.

What I don’t get is when a major corporation puts a video out on the cheap. I just watched one by Subaru. I looks like an amateur production, but it’s a good teaching tool.

I love Subaru vehicles. My wife and I were recently talking about what we’d consider for our next car and I mentioned the Subaru Outback. So… I went to YouTube to check out some video and came across this one on the company’s channel… Subaru and United by Blue’s Cooper River Cleanup.

I love that Subaru is giving back. I love that they decided to put out a video about it. The problem is the video just isn’t compelling.

Pay attention to the way it’s shot. I counted one… that’s one… tight shot. Videos need a mix of wide, medium, and tight shots. That mix stimulates the eye. Virtually every shot here is a medium shot.

The same could be said for the interview shots. Everyone is framed up on a medium shot right in the center of the picture. There’s no visual interest in that sort of framing.

These are basic shooting mistakes. I would have loved to have seen this story in the hands of a video pro.

–Tony Gnau

Company culture is something more and more people are looking at these days. Whether it’s customers looking for businesses that align with their beliefs, or potential employees looking for a good work environment. Company culture has become very important.

The best way to show people your culture… video. Nothing does a better job. You can write about it all you want. You can take tons of photos. Neither does the job better than video.

It gives people a behind-the-scenes look at your company. Are you power suits and polished shoes or t-shirts and jeans?  Cubicles and board rooms or open floor plans and scooters? The audience gets to see the physical environment, hear from team members, and get a sense of what it’s like being there.

If you want to give people a peek behind the curtain… video is the way to do it.

–Tony Gnau

When you’re fiercely loyal to your audience, you have to kill shots you love. Actually, the tougher thing is to kill shots your client loves and trying to explain it to them.

I’ll give you an example. I’ve had to shoot video for a bunch of ribbon cuttings. Clients love them. To them, a ribbon cutting is a big deal. The event signifies something major for the company. The audience on the other hand… could probably care less.

I usually find a way to incorporate the actual ribbon cutting… 3, 2, 1, cut!… but that’s about it. Questions typically follow… why didn’t you include the speech from event chair, the executive or the mayor?

Why? Because those speeches rarely impact the audience.

That’s why I start most video consultations with the question… who is this video for? If the answer is our clients/prospects/general public, then we need to make sure everything in the video speaks to their interests.

Remember, video is for the audience… not a company’s ego.

–Tony Gnau

We all know video is turning up just about everywhere these days. It’s kind of hard to escape it, but I spotted a video somewhere I never would have imagined finding one. In a catalog… a print version of a catalog.

Check out the photo I posted. If you page through Williams-Sonoma’s catalog you’ll find they include “play” buttons next to some of their products. I love it… a “play” button in a print catalog!?

I went to their website, typed in the product number, and low and behold there was indeed a video to watch. This one’s for a snow cone maker.

There are still business people out there who are questioning whether or not they should produce web videos. When print catalogs are touting their videos and you have none of your own… you know you’re behind the curve.

–Tony Gnau

American Airlines has produced some good videos in the past, and they keep up the tradition with their latest offering. It’s called, “New York Subway Station Domination.”

The airline must have some solid market research showing that subway advertising works for them because this is the second video they’ve based around the subject.

I love the fact that neither uses sound bites or narration to drive the story. They’re made up entirely of music, images, and solid editing. American clearly works with some talented producers because in their hands… that’s all they need to tell a quality story.

That first video is flat-out one of my favorites. This latest video isn’t quite as good, but it’s a solid effort. I think it would have been even better had they chopped it down by a minute. Running nearly two-and-a-half minutes, it’s way too long. The music and editing deliver terrific pacing, but it just keeps going and going.

Other than that… I love it. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Maybe they’ll put ads on subway passengers?

–Tony Gnau

You can’t hold on to preconceived notions. You might think a video is going one direction, but you have to be willing to go with the flow if things don’t go as intended.

I got a good reminder of this while completing a project for Yellow House Children’s Services. It’s a terrific non-profit raising money for kids with disabilities in Kenya.

We knew we weren’t going to get great b-roll since we weren’t going to Kenya to shoot. The organization had a few amateur videos shot there, but after viewing them we decided they didn’t really add value.

So… we had some photos we could use and we had a fundraising party we could shoot. Based on that I thought we’d focus our efforts around the party, and figure out a way to base the video around that.

During most shoots, I get into a rhythm. The story just seems to come together. Not this time. I didn’t like my original plan. I liked it even less days later as I logged the sound bites.

That meant shifting gears… and it worked. Once we created the script and started editing the video, it all came together. Instead of focusing the video on the fundraiser, we used it as a jumping off point to draw people to the photos.

I was really happy with how it turned out. We didn’t have much to work with, but thanks to being flexible the story came into focus.

–Tony Gnau