video marketing Archives

2nd Installment By Jay Carter, Beyond Measure Media

This post is borrowed from BeyondMeasureMedia.com

Last time, we explored why the story your video tells is so important, and how a great video will always pass the “I Should Certainly Hope So” test.

Today, we reveal the Secret #2: Sound quality. While video quality can go a long way toward telling a clear and compelling video story, I think sound quality is even more important.

Bad Video Happens

Most (honest) professional videographers have a war story or two. Memories of a time they really blew it behind the camera, especially at the beginning of their career.

Hey, stuff happens – out-of-focus interviews, a bright-blue shot of what is supposed to be a white wall, an accidental jerk of the camera away from the action.

But even in the face of those kinds of video mistakes, there are usually ways of correcting or covering those flaws and recovering what could still turn out to be a decent video.

But sound? You really can’t screw that up.

Mess up on the sound, and your video is most likely dead in the water.

Here’s a good example:

Watch (and listen) to the two short interview clips below.

Clip #1: Bad Sound Quality

The sound you’re hearing in this first clip above came from the onboard mic that was attached to the camera.

It sounds like the subject is talking into a microphone that was located across the room, because that’s exactly what was happening.

The too-lengthy distance between the person on camera and the microphone is the biggest reason why many videos recorded on smart phones often appear less than professional.

Listening to a person who sounds far away makes the viewer feel far away. It causes their attention to wane. Rather than taking the viewer on a journey, bad sound reinforces that they’re just watching a video – a video that is annoyingly hard to hear and understand.

Now compare that to clip number two below.

Clip #2: Good Sound Quality

In this second clip the audio is recorded from a lavaliere microphone clipped to the subject’s collar.

This simple improvement in sound quality changes everything.

Despite the fact that this is a poorly-lit shot, despite the fact that there is no depth to the shot, it’s still (mostly) usable in a video, particularly if we’re only using a quick clip of the interview.

Professional-Sounding Video

For the interviews we shoot – and even for b-roll footage of people doing things – we use a wireless Sennheiser lavaliere microphone to pick up deep, rich audio.

There are even lav mics available these days that can attach to your smart phone, delivering a richer and more professional sound quality than what most smart phone video cameras can deliver by themselves.

But isn’t just about making your video “sound professional.” It’s deeper than that.

Sound quality can make a viewer pay closer attention to the on-camera speaker. It can make the entire experience sound (and thus, feel) more intimate.

More than fancy lighting, more than stunning panoramic images, more than pretty much anything else, a rich quality sound can pull a viewer into the story being told on a screen.

In the next post, we’ll uncover our third secret for creating powerful videos – a secret tool I personally use on nearly every project I produce to “dial up” the emotional impact of an interview.

Also, if you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, stay tuned for Part 2 of “Pro Secrets for Making Great Videos” in November.

Jay Carter is a former Texas TV news anchor and reporter, with numerous awards from the Associated Press and the Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in broadcast storytelling. He has worked as a radio news anchor and voiceover talent. He works with his wife and business partner, Michele Kim Carter, at Beyond Measure Media creating video stories and testimonials for businesses and nonprofits.

A note from AM:PM PR

According to Google, in 2016, more video content will be uploaded in 30 days than all three major U.S. T.V. networks combined have created in 30 years and a Cisco forecast report predicts online video will be responsible for 80% of internet traffic by 2019.

Video is the quickest way to influence an audience and the most effective tool for telling complicated stories. In an age with so much content coming coming at us, video can also be the easiest tool for learning new things.

We see video as a powerful communications tool and regularly recommend it to clients.

A decade ago, businesses struggled to understand social networking and some doubted its value or predicted it a fad and fell behind their competition. Today, video is the tool every organization should include in their marketing plans.

Here’s a great source for on using video for business: By 2019, Video Marketing Will Be Everything. You’ve Got to Get in on the Trend — Now.

GUEST POST

By Jay Carter, Beyond Measure Media

This post is borrowed from BeyondMeasureMedia.com

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when the team at AM:PM PR asked us to come into their office to present our “pro secrets for making powerful videos.”

As a video production professional, the truth is, I was afraid to share with a large group of people just how simple creating powerful videos can be.

As a buddy of mine likes to say, “this ain’t rocket surgery.”

There is, of course, a certain level of knowledge that is required to capture “pro-level” images. But I think even the most clumsy, inexperienced videographers will have a huge edge if they’re an innately good storyteller.

Strip away all the fancy bells and whistles of video production, and what you’re really left with is a deceptively simple form of communication with an extraordinary ability to connect people with the largest numbers of other, like-minded people.

Video Moves Mountains

Video is, hands-down, the most powerful form of leverage I have ever seen when it comes to marketing. It can move mountains.

It can motivate large numbers of viewers to take action. Seeing those kinds of results is the part of my job I love most.

We were recently invited by AM:PM Public Relations in Portland, Oregon to present some ideas in their regular series of “Speakeasy” events.

Afterward, they asked me to share a series of blog posts re-capping the list we shared in part 1 of our two-part discussion.

Here now, is secret number one.

Secret #1: Story is Everything

Now, hang with me here. You might think this “pro secret” is a bit obvious.

So let’s imagine you’re about to produce your very first video about your business or organization.

What would be in the video?

What would you say to the camera?

What facts or elements would make it into the video, and what would be left on the cutting room floor?

Most first-time video makers tend to emphasize “features” over story. That is, they feel their video must be a comprehensive list of all the features and services of their business. And that could be a bad idea.

Story Beats Statistics

Why? Because story beats statistics.

Telling a story will engage an audience much more effectively than if you were to present a list of your company or organization’s features or services.

There’s an undeniable correlation between the quality of the story told in your video and how effective it will be in getting the result you want.

So let’s really dig into what this means: If we deconstruct the most powerful videos that are out there, they all seem to pass one basic test: It’s what I call the “I-Should-Certainly-Hope-So” Test.

Specifically, if someone who is watching your video is able to respond to what is being said in the video with, “Well, I should certainly hope so!,” then the video just might be a ‘fail.’

This is one of the biggest mistakes businesses make when creating their first video.

Watch this quick video to see how I explained the “I-Should-Certainly-Hope-So” test to the Speakeasy guests at AM:PM.

In my next post, I’ll share Pro Secret #2: Forget what camera you’re using; there’s a whole other – and often forgotten – technical part of your video that can make or break it.

Also, if you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, stay tuned for Part 2 of “Pro Secrets for Making Great Videos” in November.

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