Tag Archives: storytelling

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This week I’m blogging about some of our most recent videos, and passing along valuable lessons illustrated by each. Today, it’s RS Design Studio.

Marketing videos case study

Randy Shingledecker is the man behind the company. He’s an interior designer, and one of his big questions as we got started on the video… where should we shoot it?

I asked him where he does his work and he mentioned his office. Okay, check. He also mentioned all the stores he visits looking at products. Now we’re getting somewhere.

I asked a little more about that and he likes to take clients with him on some of those missions. See how this is taking shape? We were producing one of our Elevator Pitch Videos for him (typically about 60-seconds), so a couple of locations was plenty. I also loved the idea of getting out of the office.

Shoot your marketing videos wherever you work, and that doesn’t have to be your office.

You don’t need a fancy office

A lot of small business owners are worried about looking that way… small. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told, “We don’t have an impressive office or anything.”

My response is always the same. “So what.” In the hands of a good professional storyteller, they’ll make something work. It doesn’t have to be deceiving viewers into thinking someone’s bigger than they are. It’s about putting them in the right environment to tell their story.

Having a big factory or a highrise office is great, but they’re not essential components to creating a compelling marketing video.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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This week I’m blogging about some of our recent projects and highlighting valuable lessons. Today’s video features a Chicago networking group… LeTip of Lakeview. Okay, I’m a member, so I kind of had the inside track on this project. It was an easy one in the sense that the group’s leadership basically turned me loose and said, “Do your thing.” That doesn’t mean it wasn’t without challenges and that’s what I’ll focus on here.

Recruiting video vs. About Us video

First, a recruiting video is similar to an About Us video, but there are some subtle differences. Chief among them… what you’re selling. A business creating a About Us video should be focusing on what prospects and clients want to know about the company. A recruiting video highlights things important to prospective employees.

The LeTip of Lakeview video is a great example. The video is intended to help recruit new members, so it focuses on things we feel sets the group apart from other networking groups… great energy, providing warm leads and putting dollars in your pocket.

What the video doesn’t go into is the parent organization, LeTip International, or how the meetings are structured. If we would have been producing a more general video on the group, those things would have been touched on.

LeTip of Lakeview uses a recruiting video to attract new members.

Takes a professional’s eye

Second, take a look at the video from a visual standpoint. Anything stand out? It’s basically a bunch of people sitting around a table. The challenge was trying to make that look interesting and convey one of our big points… great energy.

An amateur video producer would have probably never even considered this point. Good thing the group has an expert at the table (cough, cough). High energy music, lots of camera movement and quick cuts go a long way to spicing things up.

Recruiting videos can be a tricky project, but with the right focus they can help make your business or organization more appealing.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Video marketing is huge these days and more and more businesses are giving it a go on their own, so I thought I’d write about some of the mistakes amateurs tend to make.

First, I’m on the record here. If you’re with an established company and value your reputation, please find a pro to help you. The likelihood of you pulling off an amateur video that lives up to your good reputation is slim. Okay, that’s my disclaimer.

Now, for those of you with young companies or small businesses with zero marketing budget, here are some things to keep in mind.

• it’s not about the camera, it’s about the person behind the camera

Look… everyone has an HD camera in their pockets. Whatever you use as a camera is probably going to deliver a good-looking image. The key is picking the right person to operate the camera. Who’s a good still photographer? Who has a creative eye? Do they understand even a little something about composition and lighting? These are the people you need to think about.

• good pictures aren’t enough

Video includes both sight and sound, and nothing screams “amateur” like a video with beautiful images and crappy sound. Invest in a good microphone. If you’re having someone talk on-camera, think about the environment where you’re doing it. Is there competing sound somewhere in the area? Remove it, or remove yourself from the area. Your sound needs to be crisp with little or no background noise seeping through.

• know when you’re in over your head

 Producing quality video isn’t easy. If your experience isn’t going like you would have hoped, stop. Please stop. Whether you give-up completely or turn to a pro, that’s up to you. A bad video is just a bad idea. It makes you look like amateurs, and the last thing you want people thinking about your company is that you’re a bunch of amateurs.

So… that’s about it. I’m not a fan of most amateur videos, but if you have to do it… be smart about it.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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I’ve blogged about it in the past. American Airlines did one of my favorite videos in this way. Well, I have another one.

Adobe’s creative video storytelling

I LOVE a recent video produced by Adobe entitled, Photoshop Live – Street Retouch Prank. From the concept to the execution… A+.

Adobe wanted to promote one of its upcoming events, Adobe Creative Days, so they brought some creativity to a local bus stop and captured it all on video. I’m not going to say anything more than that because I really want you to watch.

They setup the scenario, show us how it’s done and share the end results… all without any sound bites or narration. Could they have used some? Sure. Did they need to? No.

I don’t necessarily know if it ever came up at a pre-video meeting, but I’d argue not using any spoken words actually works well with what they’re promoting. It’s a “creative” way of highlighting Adobe Creative Days.

Will viewers “get” the message?

Not sure this sort of thing would connect with an audience? Well, the Adobe video currently has over 16-million views. 16-million!

Look, I know it’s Adobe so they have a big audience to begin with, but that audience clearly watched and shared it with others. They’re not going to do that with something that stinks or they don’t understand. That’s why video is such a terrific tool. Good videos are highly shareable… whether there are spoken words or not.

Anyway, it takes some corporate guts to go with this style, so it might be easier for companies like Adobe that produce a lot of videos. I have to say though… it’s soooo good.

Consider this an open call to all of our clients and future prospects… we’re ready to give it a try when you are. If you don’t like it, we can always do some interviews and go back down the traditional route.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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I’m not going to mention the blogger. I watched her video and while it wasn’t an awful amateur attempt, it was an amateur attempt. Unless I’m pointing out specifics to use as teaching moments, I don’t like to point a figure at sub-par videos. Without purpose, it’s just mean.

Anyway… the point I wanted to touch on is simply involves the About Us video in general. The blogger was right. It is hard to produce, especially when you’re doing it on yourself. Trust me, I’m a veteran video storyteller, and one of the most difficult About Us videos I’ve produced was on T60.

One of the reasons is simply perspective. You know everything there is to know about you or your company. Cutting that down to fit a 1-2 minute video is tough. You want to tell everyone everything, but that just doesn’t work.

How do you do it?

It takes an incredible focus on what your customer wants. Remember, this video might be ABOUT you, but it’s not FOR you. The video is for your audience. Every step of the way you need to be asking yourself, what’s the information they need? What are the issues relevant to them? Questions like those will guide you down the right path.

Don’t produce an About Us video at all

Of course, probably the best way to produce an About Us video is what our clients do. They don’t produce one at all. They have us do it for them.

Self-serving, yes, but it’s true. Bringing in an professional storyteller with a fresh and unbiased perspective usually results in a better video. Not to mention they should be a better and more efficient videographer and editor.

An About Us video is something every business/organization should have, and while it can be a tough task… it doesn’t have to be.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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The key is to sit down and really think about stories that will serve your customers, and I happened to find a really good example the other day.

Realtor’s Video content open house

I came across a YouTube channel for New Jersey realtor Sue Adler. It contains some testimonials and videos featuring properties for sale. No surprise there, but what I loved was a series of videos she produced on the various communities she serves.

Interested in moving to Millburn, NJ… there’s a video. How about Summit, NJ… there’s another video. There are five well-produced videos on different communities.

Think about what a great tool this is for home buyers considering different towns. They get a sense of the look and feel for each of them.

And you want to know what happens when you focus on producing professional content that’s relevant to viewers? People watch.

Her testimonials have some decent numbers… 600 views… 900 views. The community videos… 4800… 7200…10,400… 11,500… 12,700 views!

None of the community videos are “selling” Sue Adler, but they are all selling Sue Adler. You know what I mean?

important takeaway

It’s a great lesson for business leaders. Instead of thinking about how do we sell ourselves, try asking how can we serve viewers? What knowledge do we have surrounding our industry that people would find helpful?

It’s also something the entire team can work on. Get people to bat around ideas, especially those who are dealing with customers. They have first-hand knowledge of what customers are interested in.

When you start thinking in those terms, stories for your video content will start to surface.

–Tony Gnau

 Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

A bad review is bound to hit your business from time to time, which is why it’s so important to do your own storytelling.

If you’re a regular reader here you know I’m a HUGE Dave Ramsey fan. Not only to I appreciate his advice on personal finances, I also love his input on business. You can imagine how excited I was to get his EntreLeadership newsletter with the headline, 3 Ways to Tell a Great Story and Why You Need to Do It. A Dave newsletter promoting storytelling… I’m in!

The newsletter gives some basics on why and how business leaders can tell their stories, and it’s good advice. A good reason for telling your story that isn’t talked about much was actually hidden at the end and came from one of Dave’s EntreLeadership coaches.

John Felkins wrote a little about companies that suffer some sort of hurt… a snub, insult or betrayal.

“The power of being the author of your own story is that you don’t have to live out a plot you didn’t choose.”

That’s a terrific statement. 

How many businesses out there have suffered a bad review of some kind… deserved or otherwise? Pretty much all of them. Which is why it’s so important for you to tell the story of your business and not let someone else do it.

How video helps your storytelling

It’s also why video is such a great tool to use when telling your story. Video is the best way short of a face-to-face meeting to talk directly to customers and prospects. It allows you to show your passion for what you do.

We get a lot of clients who are surprised when I tell them we don’t script our videos in advance of shooting. The reason we don’t is simple. Scripted messages sound… well… scripted. I much prefer putting someone on-camera and letting them tell their story from the heart. We can always massage it in post-production to give it a professional polish.

Viewers almost always walk away feeling good after a well-told, authentic story compared to a canned message someone is trying to “perform.”

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Basic shots can enhance your video storytelling.

I put a lot of thought into my video storytelling. There’s typically a reason for each shot, but that doesn’t mean there’s hidden meaning behind them.

I recently received some feedback from a client that made me kind of giggle. Actually, they received the feedback and then passed it along to me. It had to do with a shot of hands. Yes, hands.

As any video pro knows, it’s important to shoot sequences. If you shoot video of someone working at a computer, nine out of ten video pros will come back with the same variety of shots…

• wide shot of the room with the person sitting at the computer
• medium shot of the person at their desk working at the computer
• tight shot of the person’s face
• tight shot of the person’s… wait for it… hands on the keyboard

Foundation for good video storytelling

Now, there might be a few more shots in there… how each individual video pro shoots them will certainly vary… but just about everyone will come back with those shots. Why? Because you can build a visually appealing sequence.

It’s important to have a variety to choose from… wide, medium and tight. Cutting between them stimulates the eye, and just makes for good video. That’s the reason we shoot that way.

The meaning behind hands

So… on to that feedback. Our client asked a friend to critique his video, and the one thing they came back with was… he didn’t like the shot of the hands typing on the keyboard. He didn’t understand the meaning behind the shot.

I get it. A friend of yours asks you to critique his new video. You look at it, like it, but you feel like you have to give him some feedback. You pick out something and try to make an educated comment.

In a way, he’s not too far off base. There are plenty of times I include shots with hidden meaning. Metaphors built in to the way something is shot. Hands on a keyboard… not one of them.

I explained to the client the idea behind shooting a solid sequence. His reaction… you’re the pro. We didn’t change a thing.

I love video storytelling. I love when a videographer stretches their creativity, but sometimes… hands on a keyboard are just hands on a keyboard.

–Tony Gnau

I feel like we’ve cleared a major hurdle in a way, only to run into a potentially bigger one. That second hurdle involves video production cost.

Getting over the first hurdle

Over one hurdle, on to another

video producers… it’s all on us

Courtesy: vinceflynn.com

Whether you’re putting pen to paper, keystroke to monitor or video to TV screens… storytelling is storytelling. As a matter of fact, doing a lot of reading and writing is a great way to hone your visual storytelling.

That might sound a little weird to some, but in most cases a video actually starts with a script. Sometimes someone writes it, other times it’s piecing together sound bites to form a story. In either case, I always put the words on paper before I start editing video.

Words to visuals

There’s a magical thing that happens during that process. The visuals you shot and the words on the paper start to come together before the edit even begins.

I’m going to put that shot with this line, that sound bites flows perfectly into that video, and so it goes.

Reading inspiration

I was thinking a lot about that yesterday because one of my favorite authors passed away. Vince Flynn was a best-seller and a master of the thriller. If you’ve never read him and like a good spy novel, he was the man. Books like his inspired me to read… and read a lot. I love a good book… a good story. It’s no wonder why I chose this profession.

I’m sad I’ll never get another Vince Flynn novel. They’re the essence of a page-turner. I am however thankful for the work he gave us. Inspiring storytellers like myself, even if I tell corporate stories instead of tales of terrorism and the men and women protecting us.

Rest in peace Vince Flynn.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.