Making Videos
As YouTube is the second most used website for sourcing information in the UK for people trying to find out information, then it would be a wise idea to utilise this and produce a video for your business. The video will basically act as an online commercial for your services, and obviously contain your contact details and website address.
Doing this is particularly useful if you're a business that sells products and services all over the world, as obviously, a video would reach a larger audience. And it needn't be a daunting task either- even if you don't know an impoverished media student who will work for relatively nothing, or have never put together a video in any format before- as always, we're here to help you!
Get some Editing Software
With the rise in popularity of video cameras and camera phones, most computers these days come ready equipped with editing programs, such as Microsoft Movie Maker, but there's also a whole host of affordable packages on the market, such as Cyberlink Power Director, Corel Video Studio, Adobe Premiere Elements, Magic Movie Edit Pro, Pinnacle Studio, Nero, and Corel DVD Movie Factory.
There's also a range of free programs available on the internet, like Windows Free Movie Editor and Jashaka, and for the Mac users, iMovie. Get yourself an editing program of some kind and spend some time sussing out all of the various functions. It does not take as long as you may think and a lot of the modern programs are very user friendly.
Plan your message, choose your Audio
The first thing you need to do to create your commercial is to think about what message you wish to convey. Presuming you'd like a simple commerical about what your business has to offer and lasting roughly thirty seconds, start your plan by writing down what you do offer in terms of business and your company's slogan if you have one.
How you present this information whether formal or informal, featuring comedy or a professional tone is reflected in the music you choose to accompany the images, and the voice over dialogue, if you're using some. Currently, because of copyright laws regarding the use of music, many video sites will not allow you to upload videos that incorporate copyrighted music.
The best way to deal with this is contact your local library who will be able to provide you with CD soundtracks which are often used by radio presenters and which are royalty free. There is also a whole host of websites that offer royalty free music beds to download, such as this one. Set some time aside to listen to the various tracks until you find one that has the right 'feel' to it and can accompany your dialogue and images accordingly.
If you would like to use a voice over in your video, which is highly recommended to sound professional, do not attempt to save money by recording it yourself. Your accent, tone, pitch and intonation will not be as trained as a professional who uses their voice for a living. If you require a voice over, contact your local radio station, or have a look on websites for Voice talent, as we did.
You can find plenty of people on Radio Talent and Voiceovers that are looking for work. They will sound a lot more professional than you talking into a microphone plugged into your computer. Remember, you only have one chance to make that first impression. It's relatively cheap to hire a voice over artist, particularly if they're a freelance radio presenter or media student, and the majority have access to a sound proofed studio too.
This means that you can email them a copy of the music you've chosen for your commerical and a copy of the script, and they will record several different versions for you to choose from. If you're polite and ask nicely, for a small fee, they may even edit the voice and the music together for you. This should only cost you around £50 and makes the editing process a lot easier, as once the soundtrack is complete, putting the images into a running order with text and credits is a doddle for even the most amateur filmmaker.
Decide your Story
All videos should have a beginning, middle and end. In standard TV commercials, this is usually adhered to by asking the viewer if given issues affect them, before offering the product up as a solution, or sometimes, the emphasis rests not so much on what solutions your business can help with, but about the business itself.
This is particularly evident in adverts such as the Hovis bread commercials, which simply talk about the Hovis family being established bakers for umpteen hundred years, or some of the popular Nike adverts, which don't particularly discuss the product- they simply provide a visually pleasing video featuring celebrities to endorse their brand of trainers.
As an example, I'll use the latter type of advert, which will simply reinforce the brand of a fictional business- again, Wheels of Steel, the roller-skate shop in Leeds will be ideal. Firstly decide what your advert has to say, and sketch out a rough storyboard, a cartoon strip or the video your wish to create.
Wheels of Steel specialise in supplying various different kinds of skates, accessories and servicing across the UK. Their slogan is 'We Wheely know what we're talking about' (cheesy I know, but this is a fictitious company!) and the founder is a former championship derby skater.
With this in mind, perhaps the commercial would begin discussing the achievements of our founder, how she won blah-blah competition in blah-blah year (the Beginning), how one day she decided to 'give something back' to the skating community, and then Wheels of Steel was born- a company that provided skates, parts, accessories and maintenance services at competitive prices (The Middle). Wheels of Steel is now one of the biggest skate suppliers in the UK, shipping goods across the country and sponsoring the national skate derby. To get in contact with Wheels of Steel, contact blah-blah address (the End).
Using still images
The best way by far to create a video with relatively little effort and one which looks as professional as possible is by not using moving footage and relying on a montage of still images, a nice music track and a good voice over.Try to include as many still images as you can- if you don't have the equipment (that is lighting, tripods and an excellent camera) don't try to attempt anything beyond your means. You are not Quentin Tarrantino and amateur moving footage is often very obvious and unprofessional- which is why it's best to 'play-it-safe' and use montages of still images.
To use images, you first need to either purchase some royalty free files, from a site like iStock Photos and save these to a folder. Don't go too wild and only select images with similar colour schemes and designs that are also relevant to your business and the message in your video.
You should also have the option on your editing program to incorporate credits and text frames within your video, so bear this mind too. You don't have to display text over an image, and a plain black screen is usually best, ensuring your font is clear and easy to read, and matches the font used on your company logo.
If you've selected the stock photos, you might also need to create photos of your own. The best way to do this is to use a good quality digital camera and set some time aside to plan and take your photographs. Photography is a complex hobby and if you're a total amateur, it can be a hard skill to learn. By adhering to the tips below, you should be able to produce good quality images for use in your video.
The Golden Rules of Photography
- Ensure you have good lighting in all of your photographs. If you're taking a lot of photographs of your workplace, I've found the most effective way to ensure light uniformity across them all is to stay late at work one evening, wait until it's dark outside, switch all of the lights on and take your pictures then. With our weather being as confused as it is nowadays, what may be sunny on one day will probably be grey and overcast the next. At least you know that it will definitely be dark at night, whether it's cloudy, wet or clear. Having the right light really does make a difference and can make photos look professional as opposed to amateur shots spoiled by daylight mixed with artificial lighting.
- Less is more- a close up of a telephone and some neatly arranged documents on a desk looks more impressive than a wide shot of an empty office.
- Do not feature pictures of yourself or your staff in your photographs. The reason for this is simple- whether we choose to admit it or not, we naturally create preconceived impressions of others from appearances all of the time. This means that should a visitor find your website and sees a picture of your secretary at her desk, and happens not to like her hair, or her shirt, or her glasses, or a host of other things, they will immediatly be put off and probably select a site which offers the same services but who doesn't have pictures of people on their site. The only exception to this rule is when the images you display are related to a press event, such as your business receiving an award, or your employees taking part in a charity event. Visitors want to see this, but it must not be displayed on the homepage to your site. File it away in a gallery for visitors to see if they wish.
- If you are taking photographs of the exterior of your business premises, make sure that the weather is clear and bright, and that the sun is behind you. Look at the building as if you are seeing it for the first time- if there's any weeds or litter in the shot, spend a few minutes sorting that out. You may have seen the exterior a million times on your way to work, but your potential customers haven't, and you only get one chance to make a first impression. Make sure that there's no cars parked in front of the building if possible, and that any signs or banners are clean and well maintained. Before your press the button, line up the shot so there is very little background behind the building, and that your premises fill up most of the frame. This ensures that whoever views the photo concentrates entirely on the subject, and not on the telephone box/litter bin/random dog walker in the background.
So back to our example, featuring the fictitious Wheels of Steel skate shop and their thirty second commercial. Wheels of Steel are using a montage of still images so they now have a collection to tell the story of their advert, and as they are a very informed company about an informal, fun subject, they've taken a light-hearted approach to their commercial by writing the dialogue accordingly, presenting the right images and selecting the right music to accompany a voice over artist.
Writing a Storyboard
They are using a song not unlike Survivors 'Eye of The Tiger' and a voice over artist in the style of The A-Team title credits. Putting all of the images, voice over dialogue, photographs and music together, their storyboard now looks like this:
THE BEGINNING
Music Begins, images showing in time:
Fade up from Black:
V/O (Voice over): In 1986, Nancy Griffiths won the National Derby Championships...
[Photo of her trophy: Fade to black]
V/O: The following year, she returned, claiming the awards for Best Stunt Skater and Best Lap Time...'
[Fade up from black: Photo of her second lot of awards: Fade to black]
V/O: In 1988, she won again, completing the hat trick and becoming the best skater in the UK
[Fade up from Black: Shot of the Founder from a distance on a half-pipe doing a stunt: Fade to black]
V/O: Then she returned to Leeds, undefeated, to supply the future champions of the skating world...
[Fade up from black: Exterior shot of Wheels Of Steel Shop: Cut to stock photo of a calendar (to signify time passing)]
THE MIDDLE
V/O: Fifteen years later, and still undefeated, Wheels of Steel has grown, and now stocks the most extensive range of quad skates, roller blades, helmets, pads, and accessories in the UK.
[Images of the various different skate lines provided from the online catalogue, shown in time with the music and dialogue]
V/O: We now supply skates across the country
[Stock images of the UK, either road map or 'from space' style]
V/O: and are recommended suppliers and sponsors of the National Skate Derby.
[Image of the National Skate Derby logo]
V/O: Rollerskating is an ever growing sport, including hockey, derby, stunt skating, and speed skating events, but most importantly, it's a hobby too!
[Stock photos of hockey skaters, derby skaters, speed skaters]
V/O: Whether you're young or old, it's easy to learn and is a great way of keeping in shape and getting around!
[Stock photos of children and adults skating in a variety of locations, parks, by the beach, etc.]
V/O: We can advise you which skates are best for you...
[Photograph of the inside of the shop, well lit]
V/O: ..how to practice your moves safely
[Stock image of a safety sign advising of a slippy surface]
V/O: ...and the best skating establishments in the country!
[Stock photos of roller skating rinks and tracks, both in and outdoor]
THE END
V/O: Wheels of Steel can provide you with everything you need to get started;
[Image of the Wheels Of Steel logo]
V/O: ...skates, helmets, safety pads, and accessories...
[Images of the above products in time with the dialogue]
V/O: ...and we can even provide maintenance should your skates need an MOT. A safe skate is a well maintained skate!
[Photos of the workshop where skates are fixed, and hands and tools fixing skates]
V/O: So whether you're a seasoned player, team skater, a speed skate professional, or a first timer...
[Stock photos of the different kinds of skaters shown in time with the dialogue]
V/O: ...give us a call.
[Stock image of a phone]
V/O: You can find us at (address),
[Text screen with address]
V/O: ...call (phone number) or...
[Text screen showing phone number]
V/O:...visit our website (address).
[Text screen showing website address]
V/O: We Wheely know what we're talking about.
[Final shot of shop exterior, fade to black]
Beginning the edit
Now you have that basic storyboard, you can being to edit your images and audio together. Resist the opportunity to use 'effects'. If you've taken my advice, acquired an editing program and have been experimenting with the various functions, you will have discovered the various effects that these can offer. But do not use them!
By effects I mean 'fades' and 'shapes', which cover the transition from one image to another. These are available in a wide variety of stars, hearts, camera flashes, and images shrinking into the middle of the screen to reveal the next image underneath- they're countless and all as tacky as each other. Don't risk your video looking amateur by using these effects and stick to a straight transition from one piece of footage to the next.
The best way to begin editing any kind of video is by inserting your completed audio track first, so then you can easily work out the order of the images and what time they should be shown. Once all of your images are inserted and in the right order, add your text screens, double checking your spellings and contact details.
Next, add the transitions- in the Wheels of Steel storyboard, a simple fade-to and fade-up from black was used, and that is probably the most popular and best way to begin and end any video. If you're still feeling stuck for inspiration, make some time to view online videos that other businesses have created, especially from companies in similar industries. Some businesses are lucky enough to possess the budget for a professional film maker to produce their video, but others, like yourself, have taken the plunge and created their own.
Don't publish it yet!
Finally, once you think everything is in place and all edited, save the project but don't 'mix the file'. This means saving it as an open project and not allowing the editing program to mix it all into a completed video file. Then wait a week. Don't look at the project or even think about it!
After seven days have elapsed, watch it again with fresh eyes, so you can view it how a stranger would. This then allows you to make any last minute adjustments before your mix down your video. Now it's complete, you can create profiles on the various video sharing websites for your business and upload your video. If you have created a Facebook page for your website, you can upload the video there too, and don't forget to notify your 'fans' of your upload.