Video Killed The Blog Star
Want to star in your own commercial and produce it at little to no cost?
The good news is with today’s technology you can do that. The bad news is that shooting and editing your own video may look easy, but it’s not.
I’ve come to that conclusion honestly. Here at the Worcester Business Journal we’re trying very hard to evolve with the times and become multimedia publishers via our web site WBJournal.com. But we, like all traditional media, struggle with doing more with less. And I’m sure the story is the same at most businesses today. Lucky are the few industries or markets that haven’t been impacted by the global recession.
But we keep trying. Keen readers of the paper or frequent visitors to our web site might have noticed that we’re doing a fair amount of video at the WBJ. Nearly every Industrial Strength column by Managing Editor Matthew L. Brown comes with a video clip of behind-the-scenes footage from a local manufacturer. Our Shop Talk Q&A’s often include a short bonus video exclusively online. And all of our reporters have been trained on shooting and editing video and are adding video to their stories (see page 11 for an example by Staff Writer Livia Gershon).
But we’re still facing a steep learning curve. People spend years to learn video editing and at the WBJ, we’re picking it up on the fly. So, I eagerly woke up early to attend a recent workshop at the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce on video blogging.
Hands On Learning
The session was led by David Greenwood, who owns a PR agency in Hudson, and included some practical tips for business owners interested in dabbling in the online video arts.
Greenwood said he began working with online video more than a year ago as he saw resources dwindling from traditional media outlets like daily newspapers. With fewer reporters covering fewer stories, PR folks like Greenwood are increasingly finding it difficult to place their clients’ stories.
Online video, he said, offers an opportunity for his clients to get their stories out in less traditional ways.
The first step for any business interested in video blogging is to set up a free account with YouTube.com, the most popular video hosting site. Greenwood pointed out that it’s important to remember your branding when you use sites like YouTube. He suggested using a similar color scheme on your YouTube account as you have on your formal web site.
Then, it’s time to invest in a camera. Greenwood uses a rather expensive $1,200 HD camera, but for beginners, there are plenty of decent ones out there around the $150 range.
Once you have a camera, it’s time to shoot a video. Greenwood’s tips included keeping shots very tight on the subject as well as using a mic to get the best sound quality. Having a subject look slightly off camera can also help the video seem more professional, as that’s the style of most television news interviews.
If you are going to be on camera, he said it’s important to be relaxed. There’s nothing worse than a video subject shouting into the camera or sweating profusely out of anxiety.
After you have some video clips to work with, it’s time to edit. Many PCs come with Windows Movie Maker, a fairly straightforward video editing program. Greenwood said he uses Roxio, but also recommended Adobe and Sony.
If all this has you overwhelmed, I don’t blame you. If you aren’t a tech geek, it’s not likely that you’re ready to jump into shooting and editing your own promotional videos. But maybe someone on your staff is. And there are also plenty of aspiring Francis Ford Coppollas out there who are looking for some work, as well as progressive PR people like Greenwood who can help you.
As for me, I was feeling brave while at the workshop. I shot and edited my own video of Greenwood’s presentation. You can find watch it below or at YouTube.com/WBJEditor.
Got news for our Digital Diva column? E-mail Christina H. Davis at cdavis@wbjournal.com.
Watch as David Greenwood discusses social media, specifically the dos and don'ts of online video:
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