Amen! 
 
I would add (after making a buncha training videos) that: 
 
1> Shorter is ALWAYS better. You are simply not as interesting as your mom thinks you are. 
 
2> Edit. Edit. Edit. Pauses? Gone. "Uh" -> rerecord or cut it out. 
 
3> Do not explain the ATP cycle when you can just say: Sunlight causes plants to grow. See <1> above. 
 
-OT

Great article.  
 
Catie is a real pro. She's been producing shows long before the web and she really leverages that experience to help her clients produce their web videos.

Great article! Also, if you are placing a call to action in your video or on your video itself, make sure it is trackable. Our software can capture calls, clicks and now chat generated by your marketing. See how will your marketing investments are working for your business. Video is a great way to get a great bang for not much buck.

Great article. What type of camera would you suggest using?

Catie's work is great. My next web addition will be her product.

I would have loved to have had these tips on hand 2 months earlier when we shot footage at our company's Executive Summit event. The result is OK but the majority of the "lessons learned " fall exactly into these tips categories. We were surprised to see that many of the male interview-ees looked like they had serious 5 o'clock shadow on camera - something no one noticed in-person.

great tips! clear, concise and easy to put into practice.

Thanks, everybody, for the positive feedback. To Kim: lighting is the easiest thing to forget about because the mind interprets what the eye sees, filling in details and doing lots of forgiving. But, the camera is stupid - it just records what's there. You look at your subject and he looks OK, but the camera records nasty facial shadows. A very good habit is to use the LCD screen on your camera to check the shot. Zoom in so the person's face fills the screen. Does he/she look OK that way? If not, some 'fill' light may help, and usually you don't need much at all to make him/her look much better.  
 
 
 
To Al: lots of variables in choosing a camera - this blog entry may help you. http://www.jakeludington.com/dv_hacks/20060305_which_video_camera_for_video_blogs.html 
 
 
 

How do you optimize your video to be found for organic search?

Great post, Catie. As you know we here start without a script, but in it's place we have lots of research notes and organization. 
You are so right about authenticity. I try to tell people it is like going to a party and having a conversation with someone, be real or they are looking over your shoulder for the table with the dip.

So much experience boiled down to key points that we can all use when planning a video project! Thank you Catie for sharing your knowledge with us! 
 
Brigitte

Excellent article Catie. You did a great job highlighting key tips for enhancing video production. I agree using video as a marketing tool is very effective, especially when the camera person knows the ins and outs of shooting and production. Thank you for your helpful information.

Hello Catie 
 
 
 
Thus information is huge. Some succcessful contractors I know are starting to use video. Great job. 
 
 
 
Mark Paskell

I would like to get started with Video on my web site. What type of camera and microphone are suggested to produce the best quality?

This post is really really well done! I hardly ever take the time to recognize this type of thing, but in this case I felt compelled to do so. 
 
I've been creating videos for the internet since 2003 and these points are the majority of what my experience has taught me as well. 
 
Nice job!

I am proud to say that I knew Catie when... because she will tear up the town with her knowledge and enthusiasm. She has a way of bringing out the best in her clients and showing them in the best light figuratively and literally! Great article, Catie.

Catie captures the beauty of space and the human potential like no other. She shot and produced a fabulous video of my Executive Suites in Westborough, MA., capturing the vitality and the functionality of the facility while charming all our clients. Once the Highland-March new website is finished, Catie's video will be FRONT AND CENTER to create maximum visual impact. Catie's videos are the next best thing to reality.(or maybe even better.)

I've learned that doing video well online is all about the right gear. Don't be afraid to spend a little on the right gear, especially lighting. If you don't your stuff will look amateur.

Hmmm. Making a good video isn't hard? Nice tips if you really believe an amateur video best represents your brand. Constructing a strong brand message is a learned art that takes time to master and is not best left for home-grown video enthusiasts. --- I'd say after you botch the first few attempts and waste a lot of your corporate resources trying to develop a video, then call a professional. Just like you call an attorney or doctor. All pros get degrees and spend years training for a reason. --- Actually getting results from a video is not as easy as writing a script, lighting the image, getting good sound and uploading the video on YouTube. Don't be fooled.

Thanks Carl for being another voice of reason about amateur video. Don't expect the PR crowd to buy in anytime soon. Many of them are still hoping they can do the same with their Flip camera.

I agree with Carl. I think people who don't work in the video production world on a daily basis should be very careful. While there is "science" to it in the sense of proper lighting and so on, there is also a lot of "art" as well. Ask yourself are you really able to pull off something that reflects the essence and quality of your companies brand? If not, consider hiring a professional, it will be money well spent.

Did these guys steal your content or vice versa? Hmm. http://csmediagroup.com/blog/2008/07/14/8-steps-for-making-an-effective-business-marketing-video/

Hey Sam (Hidden), there are no secrets out there. We could find this template from some best practices of corporate film from the 70's. Best practices is like the way John Wooden won basketball championships. Focus on the fundamentals until you can do them in your sleep. Good video happens by the person responsible for the show doing all the fundamental work necessary. Catie's advice here would certainly be similar to anyone who practices all the best approaches. I find it interesting you feel compelled to cry plagerism while hiding your name. Unless of course you are the csmediagroup police and you wrote the other article. But the real point is follow this article or the article that you suggest, but follow best practices.

Wow - I've been plagiarized. The common structure of the two stories is striking, but the content in the majority of that post is damned near identical. I need to find out what happened - I submitted my article to Hubspot on April 7, though it was not posted until August, after the plagiarized blog post. I will contact the Hubspot folks and find out how this happened - and what can be done. I am, of course, FURIOUS that CMG would take my work, tweak it a bit and then pass it off as their own. Thank you, Sam, for bringing this to my attention. I will comment again when I have answers...

I would not be so upset about someone stealing so trite blog. My comment still stands regarding creating amateur videos. Hire a professional that understands how to structure a message. My big and small corporate clients come to me for a reason. Failures count the cost - successful companies understand the benefits. Hiring experts and professionals in all areas of business is smart. Stick to your strengths - if video isn't your strong suit, don't do it. --- OMG, it is like performing your own surgery. How foolish!

Carl, your bombast is silly. Doing professional video is like doing surgery. All due respect, my company does videos that raise millions of dollars for medical related issues, our work is nothing like surgery. I fully agree that a trained and focused professional will always produce a better result than an amateur. Corporations need all kinds of communications and some of them can be user generated. It is not in our interest to say that video done by a non professional isn't a tool corporations should use. They will and they are using this content. What we professionals need to do is put our product where our mouth is. Make sure that what we deliver to our clients far exceeds in look, feel, and results than that of user generated content. Fight the right battle, make your work outshine anything that is out there and you will not have to worry about user generated or trying to make the professional vs amateur approach. It will be clear to everyone.

Great article, though I'm late in finding it. We usually advise people to make their marketing videos 1 minute long. Also, be sure to show your users how long the video is.