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.

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.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/whyvideoishot/feed/ 0 jimhern youtube http://shootforeffect.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/welcome/ http://shootforeffect.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/welcome/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:41:50 +0000 jimhern ]]> 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.