Without a call to action prompting viewers to do something at the end of a video, the purpose of the video is lost. As such, make sure you include the call to action at the end.
Common objectives are to: - Get them to the company's Facebook page
- Obtain the viewer's email address
- Get the viewer to provide info and request a service from the company
A good 'call to action' should:
- Be short (around 30 seconds).
- Not have too many options. A visitor is much more likely to do a task if he's not confused by being given 24 social media options.
- (Optionally) Tell them they get value eg. if they comment they will make a difference.
- If you have a paid subscription offering or a free one like YouTube) give incentives to subscribe now, along with the benefits subscribed users get.
- Remember that people have different preferences for social media. You pretty much need to cover your bases. Have a Twitter page, Facebook page, Linked-in account, YouTube channel etc. Of course don't have all these in the 'call to action', but make sure that those options are easily accessible.
- If you are using YouTube or another service that provides the option to have annotations, use annotations that prompt the viewer to comment or subscribe. A 'subscribe' link in the annotation gets more subscribers
Thanks Guys, have a good one!
Figure: Bad example – no call to actionPlease leave a comment, and go to our website, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Also please sign up for our newsletter.
Figure: Bad example - too many options breeds choice paralysis
Figure: Fairly Good example (skip to the end) – a simple task to email hamids@axosoft.com, plus links to social media are present, however there is too much on screen and he has used a graphic instead of live action.
Figure: Good Example – very clear call to action that asks for an email address. Only asks for one thing at a time and uses zooming effects. In addition, gives a twitter option to engage and uses live action.
When filming a scene it is always important to remember production design aspects. Production design is basically all of the things (excluding the people) that we see on screen. This includes wardrobe, set design, location, lights and props. Overall, one should try and use as little colours as possible when designing a production. That doesn't mean use mainly tones, it means try and limit your colour palette to as few colours as possible. If you are creating corporate work try and include your company's colours. So for example if you were creating a production for SSW, you would use black, white, red and bronze (the bronze refers to the colour of skin - this will almost always be involved in your colour palette). You might end up having to include another colour or two but you will find the less unnecessary colours you use the better. Try and apply this to every aspect of your production design.
Wardrobe
Wardrobe refers to what people wear when they're on screen. Keep in mind the tone, genre, character and mood of your production when choosing clothing. Avoid distracting jewelry or accessories unless it adds to the character. Also avoid stripes; most cameras will produce an unnatural, unpleasant effect when filming them, so make sure your actor isn't wearing their favourite striped shirt! Text on clothing is also a bad idea, the viewer will try to read it instead of listening to what your actor's are saying.
Set Design
Creating a set for a production is a complex and tricky business but there are some basic ideas you can use to create appealing set design. First off try and design your set to reflect the theme of your production. So for example if you were creating a set for a software design talk show, you would probably want lots of metal and technical art, however if you were creating a set for a drama about a youth who's run away from home, you would want something dirty, dark and depressing to reflect the character's grim situation. Again, avoid stripes that are too close together. A general rule of thumb is that the stripes should be at least 5cm in width. Make sure that everything is safe and if there is construction to be done, hire a professional.
Figure: Bad example - dark wall on the side, boring wall in the middle, reflective surface with people passing behind, lack of depth.
Figure: Good example - interesting background but not distracting, relevant furniture, set reflects theme of show Location Location is similar to set design, only in this instance the aspects are mostly out of your control. You can certainly dress the set (see below) but at the end of the day there are some things that will be there no matter what. As such, choose your location carefully. Things to consider are background, framing, sound and distractions. Is there a loud lecture theatre, highway or skate ramp next door? Is there a window on your set that's going to create a distracting reflection? Is there a boring, featureless wall in your background? Is there a line that appears to be passing straight through someone's head? Also avoid high contrast, such as a very dark wall next to the bright wall your subjects are in front of, or a large white spot on a black wall.
Figure: Good and Bad examples of filming locations
Lights
If you are working with a D.O.P. (Director of Photography) and/or your are lighting your scene, its a good idea to include lights as part of the production design (on the set). Don't include a bright light shining directly into the lens or anything, but a lamp can provide a good source of light to work with and create an interesting object in the frame.
 Figure: Bad example - the light is far too bright in comparison to the rest of the shot. Figure: Good example - these lights are diffused enough that the rest of the picture is clearly visible.Props
Props and set dressing are important; props are defined as objects in the script that we know before-hand that the subjects will interact with, set dressing is things that we add to a set to create content. When choosing what props should(n't) be on set it is important to ask yourself, is there a reason for this to be here? A can of coke for example will be ugly and distracting in most circumstances but a pot of flowers might be just the thing to give your scene that extra bit of life, or convey a caring sensitive side of your character. If your subject needs to drink something while they're on camera, offer them a glass (its more visually pleasing). Look carefully at the frame and ask yourself, is there any camera equipment visible? Does that ugly mess of cables really need to be there? Does this scrap of paper or backpack need to be in the frame? If not, ditch it. If it adds value to the picture and doesn't distract, keep it.
Figure: Bad example - too much clutter on the desk, unnecessary dirty bowl, loose sheets of paper, this would only work if you wanted to illustrate that the character is messy. 
Figure: Good example - clear space, clear point of focus, minimal cables, only necessary items.
When filming a subject (or subjects) there are numerous ways to frame them. Basic rules to follow include:
- Avoid positioning them on opposite, far sides of the frame, as this creates a feeling of emotional distance between the two characters. Distances seem bigger in camera, so position your subjects as close together as they are comfortable with, especially if you are using tight framing and/or filming with one camera.
- By using the rule of thirds, you can create more visually pleasing shots. That is, if you divide the x and y axis's into 3 segments, the lines diving these segments should align with certain lines in the image. The intersection of these lines is a good place to position a focal point such as someone's eye.
- Avoid too much space in the frame, especially if the space has nothing in it. This is referred to as Dead Space. This can occur when the subjects are placed in front of a blank wall.
- If you can (such as if you have access to 2 or more cameras) avoid filming directly side on, at 90 degrees to the subjects. Always try to be as face on with your subject as possible.
- Try and have an interesting background. Patterns, movement and depth can help to create a more interesting shot.
- For corporate and educational videos, a mid-shot works well to capture the content. This is from the bellybutton up.
- Avoid areas of high contrast - a hot spot (where the light is concentrated into a pure white) or a very dark spot or section of the frame in a predominantly light frame can draw the viewers eye. If this is not what you want them to focus on, don't include it in the frame.
- If there is only one person in the frame (or if there are two people looking the same direction), place them on the opposite side to the direction they're looking. That is, if they're looking left to right, place them on the left side of the frame. If this is not followed, your subject will be pressed up against the edge of the frame and this can create an uncomfortable feeling for the audience.
 Figure: Bad example – too much dead space, the characters are unevenly placed, there is an uninteresting background, it's side on and the framing is too far out  Figure: Good example – rule of thirds followed, mid-shot, interesting background, no dead space, fairly face on, subject placed on right side because he's looking from right to left (leading room). When positioning your subjects it is important to remember several factors: - It is a good idea (if you want to have one of your subjects more face on) to have the interviewee more face on than the interviewer.
- The interviewer should be on the right side of the frame - you'll notice talk show hosts will always look right to left.
- The interviewer should avoid leaning in to the interviewee too much as it might make them feel uncomfortable and seem a little weird in the frame.
- The best way to position your subjects is at 90° to each other and at 45° to the camera:
 Figure: Bad example - Interviewee (left) is facing toward the interviewer (right) too much and the interviewer is faced towards the camera too much.  Figure: Good example - position your subjects properly to create an unbiased interview. When doing an over the shoulder shot (OTS) for a corporate video, it is generally best to stay at a level height with the subject. Looking up or down at them can create unnecessary meaning in the shot. It is also a good idea to avoid using the wide angle setting on your camera as it makes the subject seem distant and small in comparison to the person whose shoulder we can see.  Figure: Bad example – looking down at the subject with a wide angle lens setting.  Figure: Good example – level height, zoom level not set to wide angle.
Follow these steps to start recording using Camtasia:
Nothing is worse or more embarrassing than forgetting a vital piece of equipment in the office when you are set to record a presentation in a few moments, so making sure you use a checklist before every shoot is vital in order to ensure the production goes smoothly.
Remember, it is key to make sure that the speaker is kept happy and willing, so do not keep them waiting for unnecessary periods of time. Running back to the office for the tripod plate will make you look unprofessional, and it affects your company's image.
As part of the checklist, it is also important to test the equipment beforehand. So anything electronic such as the wireless mic needs a quick check to see if everything is working as it should. Also make sure to check if the camera has enough free space for what you are about to record.
Here is an example of an equipment checklist:
Figure: Good example. It's ideal to have two columns so you can check off items when leaving multiple locations.
Ensure a checklist is completed before every presentation to avoid embarrassment! Using a 'Shot List', the camera operator can mark down where in the recording an interesting point is and where a cutaway or caption should appear. The shot list provides the editor with a breakdown of where the interesting parts of the interview are that need cutaways and captions, and what they could be.
 Figure: Example shot list. The camera operator will mark down the time code (visible on the cameras' LCD screen) and note what words were said and what interesting caption or cutaway should be added.
After the interview, review the shot list so that you can see what cutaways are needed, and try to obtain them (See Rule: Do you use cutaways?) It is vital to have the speaker ready and equipped prior to recording. There are a number of things that need to be done to make sure the speaker is ready for recording. It is vital to have the speaker ready and equipped prior to recording. There are a number of things that need to be done to make sure the speaker is ready for recording.
Here are a couple of steps to follow when preparing the speaker for recording:
1. Attach the mic to the speaker.
Assuming you are using a lapel microphone, make sure that it is attached to the speakers' shirt or jacket.
For each speaker you need to adjust the sensitivity of the microphone. Do this according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. As a general rule, test to see that the mic input level does not peak (the audio meter on the device will reach the top). Adjust the mic sensitivity using the device until the input meter does not go past the 2/3rds point. Doing so will create distortions which are difficult to repair in post and waste time.
Look at this video to understand more in-depth the correct way to set up a lapel mic system:
2. Tell the speaker that they need to paraphrase any questions.
During the presentation a number of guests will ask the speaker questions regarding his or her talk. If you do not have a multi camera setup with multiple mic inputs, you cannot always guarantee that the audio from the people asking questions will be audibly clear when picked up by the speakers mic.
The people who watch your video need to know what the questions were in order to understand the context of the answers. The best way to do this is to ask the speaker to paraphrase the question in his or her answer. A simple example would be:
Audience member: "Why should we do things your way?
Speaker: "Because..."
Figure: Wrong way to respond (viewer will not understand what the context of the answer without knowing the question.) Audience member: "Why should we do things your way?"
Speaker: "The reason you should do things this is way is because..."
Figure: Correct way to respondThe speaker arrives to the venue with a mindset that they are speaking to a room of about 25 - 30 people. It is important to us and the audience at home who watch this online, that the speakers' mindset changes from presenting to a room of people to an audience of thousands. The ending of your video should contain a call to action, the logo of your company and a sign off from the speaker(s). In an interview situation the best way to sign off is to try and lead from the subject matter to the end of the video smoothly.
In a lecture the best way is to finish is the same way the speaker would end a normal lecture. Something along the lines of "Well that's it guys, if you want to get a copy of the slides you can download them at [] and be sure to subscribe to my posts on Twitter". Then proceed with the standard call to action and the company logo.
"This is Adam Cogan signing off until next time" (grins at camera with a thumbs up)
Figure: Bad example – impersonal, cheesy and uninformative sign off Interviewer (Adam):
"Well that’s all great stuff Joe and we're looking forward to seeing your new software soon"
Interviewee (Joe):
"Thanks Adam"
Unwanted noises such as people walking and talking can ruin a recording, the best way to avoid this is to use a recording in progress sign that informs people who are passing through the area that they need to be quite and/or leave the area. 
Figure: Example image of a 'Recording in Progress' sign.
For most users, YouTube only allows a maximum length of 15 minutes on their videos. As such, if you have videos that are longer than 15 minutes, they will need to be uploaded to a video site that does allow longer video uploads, such as Wistia or Vimeo. The problem with doing this is that you aren’t harnessing the 2nd biggest search engine in the world to promote your content and without that, your video campaign isn’t reaching its full potential. The best way to solve this problem is to follow these steps: - Create either a 'highlights' version, split the video into parts or create 'the first [between 3 and 15] minutes' version of all your longer videos, especially the popular ones.
- At the end of these clips include a call to action that prompts the viewer to see the full version at your other site(s). If your other site(s) offer free viewings, make sure you mention this.
- Upload these versions to YouTube (preferably around the same time you upload the full versions to other sites).
Figure: Bad Example – No call to action prompting viewers to go and see the full version.
Figure: Okay Example – A link to the full version is included in the description section but no Call to Action in the actual video.
Figure: Good Example - contains a clear, live action call to action directing the viewer to see the full version.During an interview, looking at a talking head (the subject) can become monotonous. As such it is a good idea to ‘cutaway’ to the topic/product that the speaker is referring to. Not only does it make it more interesting, it improves the understandability of the video for your audience. As an example, if you are interviewing someone and the topic of unit testing comes up, mid-sentence you can cut to a shot of the unit testing UI.
 Figure: Bad example – Looking at a talking head for 30 mins is boring  Figure: Good example – cutting away to what is being discussed improves the audiences understanding - See 2:08 on this video exampleIt is helpful to the viewers to include still or animated captions (also known as lower thirds) in your videos because they enhance or add extra information that is not fully explained by the speakers. These are not to be confused with titles, which is the term given to text that appears on screen, such as the opening film credits, or "1985 - New York City". 
Figure: Good Example of Titles - Clear, nice effects and well stylized
Figure: Good example of Titles - titles can come in a variety of formats
Figure: Bad Example of Captions - Text is too small and hard to read.
Figure: Good Example of Captions - Text is clear and legible. Provides extra value to the viewer with content not mentioned in the video. Remember to put any links that you've mentioned in the captions underneath your video in it's own section (with a heading such as 'Show Notes' or 'Related Content'). You can also use this section to put in links that are related to what was said in the video as evidence (similar to footnotes or a bibliography in a book). That way, you will gain more Google juice and it will make it easier for the Product Owner to review your captions. There are a myriad of video formats and codecs that exist for all project types. It’s important for your project to use the correct format depending on what it is you are doing and what you want to achieve with your video.
Most, if not all, modern video cameras sold today record at HD resolution. Many now record full HD (1080p) which allows you to get even greater detail. Also, modern compression types allow you to ‘squeeze’ the large amounts of data that would normally take up gigabytes of storage right down to something that can be streamed over the web, without too much loss of fidelity.
Because of the ease of recording and compressing down HD video, it seems like a no brainer that videos should be produced in HD rather than SD. Once you have your videos recorded and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro, you need to choose an appropriate export setting. Assuming you’re making the video for web, here is what you need set as your pre-set for best quality ‘HD’ video while maintaining a small file size:
- Select H.264 as your format
- Since you're uploading to web, select 'YouTube Widescreen HD' as your pre-set
- In the video tab, select "Frame Rate" and select '25'
- In the same Video tab, under Bitrate Settings, make your Maximum Bitrate '5'
- In the Audio tab, under Bitrate Settings, select a Bitrate of 192kbps
- Save this pre-set and give it an appropriate name.
- Lastly, click on the "Queue" tab at the bottom of the window to send your project to Adobe Encoder.
When updating a version of a video (especially in a corporate environment), it's wise to let the rest of your team know where you're up to. It can detract from your amount of hits if you include the version details in the title, so it's best to find a subtle way to incorporate it into the video itself.  Figure: Bad example - the version number is too large, too dark and too obvious Figure: Good example - the text is small, barely visible and would only be noticeable if you're looking for it.The best way to label the version is as follows:
When a team member creates a new version, they should change the minor (i.e. the number after the decimal point)
When the product owner affirms a new version, the major changes (i.e. the number before the decimal point) To create more visually pleasing videos consider using a multi camera setup.
The benefit is that you can use the second camera to 'cut away' to (see Rule: http://rules.ssw.com.au/DesignandPresentation/RulesToBetterVideoRecording/Pages/Do-you-use-cutaways.aspx) in the edit. If you are recording a long interview use two (identical) cameras, covering both the presenter and the interviewee.
 Figure: Multi cam setup for single guest speaker interview If you are recording an event with multiple people and want to maximize the coverage (and obtain cutaway shots) use a second/third camera, either placed on a tripod somewhere of interest or give to someone else to move around with and obtain interesting shots.
This camera doesn't need to be identical to the main camera (but it is preferable over using a different camera). A camera such as the Flip hand held or even an iPhone can provide the necessary shots to make a video more interesting.
Figure: Flip camera mounted to a small table top tripod. Ideal for cutaway shots.
Shotgun Microphones are, by definition, built to capture the audio from what they are pointing directly towards. They are actually built to cut out audio from any other direction. This means that if someone behind the microphone says something, it will likely not be picked up, or only the bass will be picked up and the sound will be distorted. 
Figure: Shotgun Microphone - this will only record audio from the area it is pointed at.
Figure: Handheld omni-directional microphones such as this will pick up sound from any direction, though as with all mics, the source of the sound should be as close to the mic as possible.
Figure: Zoom microphones such as these will pick up sound from 2 directions and as such can be quite useful in covering sound from multiple angles.
Encouraging the audience to ask questions from the speaker can be a powerful tool to create audience interactivity. Audience interactivity is what will drive your subscribers and video hits up. When conducting an interview, before you start, be sure to ask the speaker if they're happy to answer audience questions for the first week following the release of the video. Agree with the speaker on a format for this (twitter/comments/RHS feed etc.) and make sure they fully understand the deal. Then at the end of the interview, explain the deal to the audience.
"Well thanks [speaker], there's some really useful tips there. Guys if you have any questions about TFS be sure to post them below and [speaker] will answer them."
Figure: Bad Example - Narrows down reponses by specifying 'TFS', does not put a time limit on deal which puts the speaker in a difficult position.
"Well thanks [speaker], there's some really useful tips there. Guys if you have any questions or comments, leave them below and [speaker] will answer them for the first week following the release of this video. Cheers."
Figure: Good Example - formal and succinct, terms of the deal clearly spelled out. At SSW, we like to use YouTube as our main video hosting service and Wistia as our back up. When you're uploading a video, please follow these steps:
- Upload the video (both short version and the long version) to YouTube and Wistia.
- Embed the YouTube versions to the relevant post on tv.ssw.com
- Include a link to the "Backup Video" (the Wistia version) in the SSW TV post description box.
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