Brass Tacks

3 Tips to Help Build Your Brand with Online Video

In the second part of our series on online video, we have compiled our top three tips to help marketers and communicators build their brand with video.

Check out our video below, and if you are interested in exploring what video can do for your brand, give us a call today!

Tips to help you get the most out of your online video content from Horn Group on Vimeo.

 

Trends in the Magazine Publishing Industry

Two trends in the magazine publishing industry from Horn Group on Vimeo.

If you'd like more information on these trends, I suggest checking out this recent article from Advertising Age. It's also worth noting The Daily's launch this month and how iPad only newspapers and magazines will affect the publishing industry. 

 

4 Reasons to Add Online Video to Your Marketing & Communications Strategy

Hello and welcome to Horn Group's new series on online video best practices!

At Horn Group, we know seeing is believing and we’re big proponents of using video to get messages across. Our Interactive Design practice even has a specific focus on creating compelling videos to help clients maximize audience engagement. 

Check out our video on the top four reasons we recommend you start using video in your communications strategy today – and if you need help or want to work with a partner to start achieving success with video – feel free to give us a ring!

If you are looking to see what other leading brands are doing creatively with online video - check out some of these examples:

• Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
• Evian “LiveYoung”
• Blend Tec “Will It Blend?” 

Video Demand Is Growing

Our Interactive Services practice continues to experience a dramatic uptick in the demand for the creation of video and motion graphics content that began in Q1 and is only increasing.  We're creating videos for both stand alone use and as content for incorporation into websites we're building for our clients.  Most recently we completed an energetic 2-minute motion graphics piece for client Conductor to support the launch of their new product called Searchlight.

Video as content is much more engaging and better for search visibility in some cases than just plain old text, but we also see it as a natural progression from the homepage Flash animations and demos of yesterday to be a more engaging way to communicate messages.  When the video content is standalone or shared and embeddable via popular video destinations like YouTube and Vimeo, it can enjoy far more reach than something just living on your homepage or buried behind a lead capture form.
Just another way that in-house interactive capabilities enhances the reach and effectiveness of our public relations services.

Capturing "good enough" video

Yesterday I did a quick workshop on how to shoot "good-enough" videos using the Flip HD Ultra. I was surprised by how well the staff took it and learned from it. Yes, my one-man IT dept. will manage the equipment and other technical aspects of our video production, but video content will be the responsibility of all.  We have a plan to provide Flip video cameras to all our teams, to complement their current arsenal of laptops, smartphones, and pen and paper. As a digital communications agency, I believe that being able to capture content whenever and wherever possible is an advantage. So I gave several basic tips on using the Flip, holding techniques, basic camera angles and positioning, framing good shots, and a little bit about the "rule of thirds". I want them to capture video that would be a pleasure to view and listen to and to strive for a quality that's in between amateur and semi-pro.

 

So here are my tips:

 

Avoid camera shakes. Hold the Flip video camera with two hands, one to support it from shaking and the other to control the movement. Don't worry about looking cool shooting; worry about how your video will look. Flip sells table-top tripods that work really well. Use it when you can. Otherwise, if you know you're going to shoot two-minute interview, try to find a chair or furniture  to lean on while holding the camera. Then your knees won't start shaking. Leaning against a wall will also do the trick. Remember, video with lots of camera shakes is amateurish, we want to be above that.

 

In a simple interview, it's best to place the subject between one or two arms length to the camera for best audio clarity. In this situation, sound is more important than the video. With the zoom in its "default wide-angle position", this should produce a pleasing close-up shot that should cover the bottom of the shoulders and the head. A little cropping on the top of the head is fine. If there's only you and the subject, then have the subject talk and look into the camera. If you have a partner doing the interview, have your partner stay an arm's length to your right or left and have the subject look into your partner's eyes when talking.

 

Position your subject in front of the light source if possible. If the interview is in an office without windows, anywhere in the room except directly below the harsh ceiling light. If the office is somewhat dark, any light will do or ask to hold the interview someplace else. Doing the interview outside is the last resort because it's hard to capture a good clean sound outdoors. But if the outside noise is not bad, then it might work as well.

 

In a simple two-minute interview, a medium close-up shot is desirable. That shot should cover the subject's head and shoulders. Try not to shoot flat straight up the wall or your clip will look like a mug shot. Instead, position yourself at an angle (keeping the same distance to the subject) to create more depth, and a more interesting background. But don't overdo the background. Remember your subject is the main focus.

The last one is about the "rule of thirds". This is a widely-adopted framing concept which virtually divides your viewfinder into three evenly-spaced horizontal and vertical sections. By putting your subject in any of the intersecting lines, it creates a very pleasing and aesthetically looking shot. For close-ups, you should put your subjects' eyes anywhere along the top horizontal line (the upper third) and the nose close to either the left or right vertical line, depending on what direction the subject is facing. If subject is facing somewhat to their right, then place the nose on the right vertical line. If subject is facing left, place the nose on the left vertical line. This is called "leading the action". You want to put more empty space to the direction of where the action is.

 

 

Ok, this is all for now. Let me know if you find this helpful and I'll write up some more.