card catalogs by bfurlong via flickr

I will always say that it’s better to have more footage and photos than not enough. But there is one problem that many companies have uncovered – the hard way – about having an adequate library of materials, and that is finding what you need when you need it.

There is nothing more frustrating than knowing you have the image/footage you need, but not being able to find it. To solve this problem, you need a system of labeling every file, and recording it somewhere that makes it easy to search.

When organizing your library:

• Create a name/number for each reel/disc. This can be as simple as “Disc 1,” “Reel 2.”
• Make sure each tape/disc is labeled so that the number is easily visible, and permanent.
• For each reel/disc, create an excel file with set data fields (so you can sort to find what you need). Categories that should be included in the data fields are:
  • Tape/Reel number
  • Brief description of the image
  • Date image was taken
  • You may also want to consider:
    • Expanded description
    • Key words (tags for easy search)
    • Client, product, or project for which the image was taken
• Make sure the database is accessible to anyone who may need to update it.

It’s easiest if you set up your library this way from the start. Then, you just have to get into the habit of updating every time you add images/files. But if you already have a library and you don’t have your Dewey Decimal System in order, you’ll need to go through all your old files to organize it. This is a great task for interns.

Some additional advice: digital makes things easier – you can store your videos and images electronically and save space. If you’re keeping your files electronically, you’ll want to make sure you name each file with the information that you’d have put in the data fields of the excel sheet, as well as use well-named folders so that sorting and finding images is easier. Make sure you’ve got a back-up digital copy, too. External hard drives are great for this. And just to be safe, keeping the hard copies off-site, with that same excel database to organize the library is still a good idea.

Why use online video by Krishne De via Flickr

Take a camera up and down the aisles of your business. Shoot anything and everything that you think might set you apart from your competition. Having this extra footage means you have more on hand to edit when you need it. And you can use it to create videos to tell your business’ story.

“But I don’t have the budget to run television ads,” you say? So what? Online is where you want to be anyway. TV is just icing – a well-made cake is delicious even without icing. Add the icing when you can afford it.

When you get video that tells your story, you can place it on your site – creating a video library that visitors can interact with to really feel a part of your business. And don’t just put them on your site. Put them out there on the social media sites, too – create a channel on YouTube, bring your Facebook page to life, blog about interesting happenings and use video to make it really compelling. You could even play it on monitors at your place of business to make visitors feel more knowledgeable to your offerings!

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Since video displays at 30 frames per second, wouldn’t that mean a 10 second video is worth 300,000? Imagine being able to say over a quarter of a million words about yourself – and still keeping people’s interest! The more video content you have out there, the more it’s going to do for you. Compelling content generates interest and catches the “attention” of the search engines, improving your rankings. That means more, happy visitors, more people who want to do business with you.

And isn’t that the name of the game?

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The first is the professional. I use this term for them not necessarily because they get paid to shoot, but because they know what they’re doing. Professionals take lighting and other factors into consideration, and have an artistic reasoning for their on-screen message.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the consumers. Consumers simply push the record button and go. You remember those painful-to-watch home movies your Aunt Edith used to show? That’s what I’m talking about.

photo by sean dreilinger, via flickr

The third group are the ones I call “prosumers,” and it’s my hope to convert as many of the consumers in the world into this kind of shooter as I can.

Prosumers utilize techniques for personal videos. They build a story and give viewers a reason to watch. Their videos, although “homemade”, are actually entertaining to watch. These prosumers give dynamics to the shoot and aren’t afraid to used forced perspective or shoot “challenging situations” like snow falls and sunsets.  People’s actions and offhand comments can’t be relied upon to make a video interesting.

The key thing, though, that changes a consumer to a Prosumer is the desire to try new things. And to discard them if they don’t work. A prosumer has a lot more takes than you’ll ever see. Because he needs to see if it worked. But if it doesn’t, he picks up and tries again. Prosumers will try audio and effects. And maybe even download some shareware to edit the videos into something more enjoyable for everyone.

Best of all, Prosumers are the ones whose videos people look at and think, “Wow! I wish mine were that good.” All because they expended just a little extra effort.

So the next time you’re shooting something, please act as a prosumer. It really only takes a little effort to liven up your content – and not only will you want to show your work to others, but they will actually want to watch it.

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Photo by ~ Tahmid Munaz ~ courtesy of Flickr

While the human eye allows you to see objects from a first-hand view, a camera takes a picture so that the image can be seen over and over again. The eye sees everything in context, in a 360° multi-dimensional way.  Conversely the lens is a mechanical instrument that only sees colors, shapes, light/dark, and flat images.

Both capture moments, but they have many differences along with their similarities, and a skilled photographer needs to grasp the unique characteristics of each, so that they can utilize different techniques and lead viewers to see what they want them to see.  The challenge that faces us is making the lens “see” things the way the eye would.

One way you can manipulate the lens into “seeing” like an eye is through the use of focal points.  With image isolation, the viewer focuses on the image while the camera moves around the point. Not being able to see all views within one motion, a camera sees only its focus point.

Additionally, the camera views scenes based on mechanical settings – which can be manipulated.  While the eye would tell a viewer that it’s bright outside because it’s daytime and sunny, the settings of a camera can be manipulated to make sunrise appear to be sunset and daytime to darkness.

The trick is to utilize the lens to guide the viewer into the same experience they would have with their own eyes.

Before you get too far, read this article from Business Week.

I’ve seen those with traditional marketing backgrounds look completely puzzled by this prediction. I can almost hear them thinking, “In THIS economy? Video is expected to GROW?”

Here’s the deal: This is not broadcast video, it’s online video and there are some very big differences.

• Length – with TV, you’re typically limited to :15, :30, or :60 in length. Online video is as long or as short as you need it to be to communicate effectively.
• Cost – both have production costs, but for broadcast TV, you have to buy media, and that’s where your budget is going to go through the roof. You pay for the number of times the spot airs, and how many people are expected to see it. But when you have video online, it runs indefinitely. You can have it on your site as long as you want. The number of people who could potentially see it is unlimited (pending good SEO and viral traffic). All it costs you is space on your site (or YouTube).
• Positioning – speaking of who gets to see it, with broadcast TV, (although you DO hit the masses in your select area) you’re limited to (<choosing> select) programs and/or dayparts and hoping you hit the right audience. Online, you can get much more targeted.

Is that not enough to convince you? Here’s some more reasons why online video is a strong choice for your marketing plan:

• Video can help visitors to your site feel more connected with you. Yeah, it’s still a one-way communication – you’re speaking to your audience and they can’t speak back. But video is familiar. It’s like TV, a medium that people enjoy. It provides a level of comfort. And more than that, you can demonstrate things in a video that words and still pictures just can’t adequately explain.
• You don’t have to have the actual video live on your site. Upload your video to YouTube, and then embed a link in your site or email communication. That way, your server space isn’t taken up with the streaming video and you still reap the video benefits.
• Video can help your SEO! In the past, video wasn’t something the search spiders could crawl. But if you add the right tags to explain content, video can actually help with search engine optimization instead of hinder it.

Content people want to watch, better traffic results, effective ROI. I’m thinking this year, I should be busier than ever?

What’s your online video plan?

]]> http://shootforeffect.com/?feed=rss2&p=6 0 http://shootforeffect.com/?p=4 http://shootforeffect.com/?p=4#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:41:50 +0000 jimhern http://shootforeffect.com/?p=4 For over 20 years, I’ve developed and produced media strategies and advertising campaigns for clients in the retail, automotive, and service industries. This experience has taught me the importance of shooting for effect – always putting the end goal (increased sales) first. I’ve seen still and video shoots that have been beautiful, but did not move the needle, and I’ve seen shoots that have been painful, yet effective. But the best is when you can have both beautiful and effective.

This blog will capture my thoughts on the industry, as well as tips that may help you to Shoot For Effect. Whatever that effect may be.