Getting noticed on the ‘net is about more than what you say. It’s also what you show.
Whether you’re a member of Generation V (still holding on to a few much-loved VHS tapes), Generation You (forwarding YouTube’s latest and greatest to friends), or Generation “i”(making movies using your personal camcorder or even your phone), you’re part of a worldwide communication community seeing video step into the limelight as the virtual storyteller it was meant to be.
Today, videos can capture the mundane just as creatively as the magnificent.
Rather than being a product of Hollywood, videos can be made by anyone with access to technology that’s smaller and easier to use than ever before. It used to be that videos were done by “professionals” focused primarily on weddings and training pieces for businesses. Charging hefty fees not only for their time and talent but the technology, videographers wore black, toted truckloads of imposing equipment, and wowed clients with perfectly timed fades and dissolves.
Now, most people putting videos out there didn’t go to school for it — they learned by watching them. Since most affordably-priced digital cameras can create a thirty-second clip by pushing a button, videos have become commonplace. In less time than it takes to say, “cheesy-fade-in-of-your-Aunt-and-Uncle-dancing-the-Electric-Slide,” a video shot by an individual can be shared with a link and have nearly-instantaneous exposure to a mass audience.
For those looking for a relatively inexpensive and simple way to communicate a message, image, or idea in a compelling way, video has become a real technological treat. The trick is, deciding the What’s, How’s and Where’s that impact what you’re creating.
Unfortunately, more people making videos does not correlate to an exponential increase in quality. Thanks to the relatively universal access of cameras (and phones) that shoot video, there are plenty of cinematic sins being committed. Whether you decide to create a video on your own, or to partner with a firm with some experience, as with any message, considering and understanding your target audience is first and foremost. Are you entertaining? Or teaching? Informing? Or convincing? Sharing? Or selling? Finding out the best way to get your video in front of them is next. Will you use your own website? Someone else’s? An email with a link? A DVD or flash drive? Or social networking? Since sharing and compression issues can impact the ultimate success of what you create, finding someone who knows something about source quality and frame motion is important. If you decide that the best way to go about creating your video is to partner with someone who’s done some that got noticed for the right reasons (preferably without a “Gone Wild” reference…), then coming up with your concept/hook/plan/story is probably the most exciting part of the process.
With fewer creative limitations than print, video can capture just about anything you have in mind. And though a Matrix-like stunt sequence will definitely set you back in terms of budget, there are myriad ways to set your story apart without scaring the pants off of your Finance Department. Want proof that an effective and entertaining video doesn’t have to cost a lot? Mac — a company known for making the most of technology — has shown again and again that the message is just as important as the medium.
If you’re ready to talk about great careers with a great video out there, contact Alstin Communications about innerviews today. Our team and video partners have the experience and “eye” for video production that will make your experience less of a, well…production!
