What Types Of Video Can You Create Right Now?

As the Coronavirus pandemic has progressed, we’ve seen some dramatic rises in our social media and video usage. In the US, Facebook and YouTube websites saw an increase of 27% and 15% respectively between mid-January and the end of March.

TikTok was downloaded 315 million times in Q1 2020, making it the most downloaded app in any quarter ever. In the video conferencing world, Zoom was reporting 300 million daily meeting participants in April – up from 10 million in December.

These numbers are striking, but hardly surprising. While confined to our homes in various stages of lockdown, we’re all seeking the connectivity, information and entertainment that video provides. This means as a content marketer you now have an audience that is both more accessible, and more enthusiastic about video content, than ever before.

However, conflicting with this audience opportunity are new challenges. Live action filming has to comply with social distancing regulations, meaning large scale productions with vast film crews are less feasible. And the tone of your messaging needs to be carefully managed: disruptive, brash campaigns should give way to more informative, empathetic content.

So with all that said, what are some types of video that it’s relevant to create and distribute right now?

1. Company update vlogs

A vlog is one of the simplest and easiest types of video for anyone to make. Now is a great time to get a company representative in front of the camera to talk about how your business is responding to what’s going on. Your audience for this could be either internal or external, with customers and employees both likely to have a keen interest in what you have to say.

At it’s simplest level, your vlog could just be a one-take effort using your phone – raw, authentic and personal. Or you can take it further and add animated graphics, music and titles.

This video from the National Trust, about their plans for re-opening, is an example of this in action:

2. How-to videos and tutorials

How-to videos have been hugely popular for a long time, and right now they’re a great way to connect with your existing consumers and help them get the most out of your product.

These types of videos are particularly suited to product manufacturers and software developers. They can either be self-shot to give an informal and relaxed feel, or professionally produced to give them some extra flair. And they can be based on live action footage, or on animated graphics. For the live action variety, these types of videos generally don’t require huge crews or many on-screen personnel – so with the right precautions, they can be filmed right now.

The below video for Wrapmaster, a manufacturer of kitchen dispenser units, helps users understand exactly how to use their products:

3. Location Tours and 360 videos

Your audience is currently less mobile, so now is a good time to bring locations to them. A tour of a venue or property is a great way to interest and inform viewers about somewhere they may be unable to attend in person.

These can take the classic form of a montage of shots of a location, a walkthrough of a location, or 360 degree photography and video.

The latter of these can be particularly immersive – the virtual tour featured on the Cary Arms website, a boutique hotel in Torquay, is a great example of a virtual tour.

Another video from the National Trust last week acknowledges that members are unable to visit one of their rose gardens in person, so offers them a chance to enjoy it via video:

4. Infographic animations

Currently audiences are primed for content that is informative and factual, evidenced by the upsurge in views for news content on YouTube. Animated infographic videos are a great way to package up facts and figures in an entertaining and memorable way. By using animated graphics, kinetic typography, music and (usually) voiceover, you can present information in a dynamic way that has lasting impact.

Creating an infographic video focused around your industry or area of expertise is a sure-fire way to engage your customers. And since these generally don’t require any live action footage, the production process for these videos is totally pandemic-proof.

An example of an infographic in action is this National Geographic video:

5. Live webcast presentations

Anyone who was running live webcasts before the pandemic is almost certainly running more now. But if you weren’t before, now’s a good time to give it a go.

Live webcasts provide a great opportunity to build in interactivity by allowing viewers to ask questions, take part in polls, and share their comments. It’s therefore a great way to provide some form of networking opportunity, given the current absence of trade shows and conferences. And of course, it gives you an avenue to demonstrate your expertise and give your brand some personality.

There are lots of other types of video content that can be created right now, and the possibilities will increase as restrictions are gradually lifted. We’ll be covering more of these in future, looking at those most relevant to specific industry sectors.

If you would like to find out more about the video, animation, photography and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Uploading Video To Facebook Vs YouTube: Video Best Practices

The platform you choose to upload your video content to will have a huge impact on its success. Important metrics like views, likes, shares and audience retention will all be affected, making choice of platform a critically important aspect of your video marketing strategy.

In days gone by, YouTube was the undisputed king of the video world. However, Facebook’s aggressive push to muscle in on the video scene has now made them a serious player. These two platforms are without a doubt the big guns in video sharing these days, with both carrying their own pros and cons.

So, should you upload your video to Facebook or YouTube? The short answer is both! And when it comes to Facebook, you should upload natively.

Uploading To Facebook

Traditionally, people would first upload their video to YouTube, and then create a Facebook post that linked to it. However, the main way Facebook has curtailed YouTube’s dominance in the video world is by becoming less ‘YouTube-friendly’, with videos uploaded directly to the Facebook platform receiving preferential treatment.

For this reason, you should always upload your video directly within Facebook, rather than link to your video on YouTube.

Videos posted natively to Facebook benefit from larger thumbnail images, the capacity to auto-play in the viewer’s news feed, and greater organic reach. This last point is because the Facebook algorithm (the code that decides what people see on their news feed) favours Facebook videos over YouTube links.

This greater organic reach in turn leads to greater engagement and video sharing. A study by Quintly showed that videos posted natively to Facebook received 530% more comments than those linked to on YouTube!

Uploading To YouTube

So with all the advantages of Facebook video, is there any point in posting to YouTube anymore? Yes! For starters, you’re reaching a whole other audience outside the bounds of Facebook news feeds.

YouTube is considered the second largest online search engine, processing billions of searches per month, so it makes sense to have your video content there.

The YouTube platform may lack the immediacy of the Facebook news feeds, but conversely it tends to outperform Facebook as a long-term home for videos. On YouTube, videos can be discovered more easily long after their original posting.

It’s also easier to share direct links to YouTube videos, which is harder with Facebook videos once they become less active and end up buried under the non-stop stream of status updates and shared news articles.

Optimising For Different Platforms

While it’s important to post to both platforms, it should always be considered how your video content might be optimised for each one. For example, a video posted to Facebook is more likely to be consumed on-the-move on a mobile device, without audio being switched on.

This makes on-screen captions and titles ultra-important. However with YouTube videos, there’s often scope for videos to be a bit longer, since people are less distracted by the surrounding news feed.

We will cover optimising videos for different platforms more in future blogs, but in the meantime please keep posting your videos to both YouTube and Facebook (natively)!

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help you to further enjoy the benefits of video for your business, please get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Filming Conference Presentations: Pre-Shoot Checklist

On the surface, filming a presentation at a conference seems incredibly straightforward. You just need your video production crew to put a camera on a tripod at the back of the room, point it at the front and hit record, right?

Well, sometimes that can work – but to ensure you always get the best results possible, it’s important to try and provide information that will allow the crew to plan the most effective filming approach.

So what are the kind of things it’s helpful for us to know?

1. Your A/V team’s contact details

Clean, high quality audio is absolutely essential when filming a conference presentation. 9 times out of 10, you’ll have an A/V team at the venue operating a sound desk and managing microphones on the stage, so the best option is for our camera crew to connect to their sound desk via a cable. This avoids the speaker having to double up on microphones, or any conflict in equipment. A pre-conference call between the camera team and the A/V team is the simplest way to ensure that both parties are aware of what’s needed.

2. Number of presenters

Will there be more than one speaker talking at a time? Will there be a panel discussion? If so, this has implications for number of cameras, positioning of cameras, and approach to audio recording.

3. Presentation Slide Content

It’s useful to know a little bit about the slides being used by the presenter – how intricate and detailed are they; are there animations/videos involved? Are they in a format other than PowerPoint? Will the crew be able to get hold of the original PowerPoint files on the day so they can overlay slides on the footage? The answers to these questions may all affect the filming approach.

Of course not every presenter uses slides, and it’s useful to know if that’s the case as well.

4. Audience Involvement

Everyone loves an interactive presentation, with the exception of an unprepared camera crew. If there’s a great deal of audience involvement and you want to feature this in the video, then you need a minimum of 2 cameras, and need to consider how audio will be handled. A roving handheld or boom microphone is the most common solution; but you have to make sure you have people in position to move these microphones swiftly to where they are needed – otherwise people have a tendency to just shout out to the room. Fine for people who are in the room with them, but a problem for the edited video.

5. Lighting

A common misconception is that the biggest lighting challenge for the camera team is the amount of available light in a conference venue. In practice, the bigger problem is usually the contrast between a very bright screen and a dimly lit lectern or podium. Another thing we see regularly is a very narrow spotlight on the stage, which the presenter promptly steps outside and then delivers the rest of his presentation from the shadows. There are various ways to deal with these issues, but knowing whether they may happen allows us to come prepared.

6. Room Layout

Particularly for multi-camera shoots, the layout of the room is very useful to know so that camera positions can be considered, as well as the freedom of movement for individual cameras. If time permits, a pre-shoot location recce where the room is set up as it will be on the day is the best way to do this.

Having an idea of the above will make sure you’re best prepared to get top quality results when filming presentations.

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help you to further enjoy the benefits of video for your business, please get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Event Filming: Planning Your Video Production For Maximum Effectiveness

When organising videography for your event, it can be difficult to work out ahead of time exactly what you want to film, and what type of video you want to create.

Often people end up choosing a supplier, let them get on with the job on the day and then, once the dust has settled and there’s more time to think about it, figure out what exactly to do with the video footage.

While this may give you the results you’re looking for, you can ensure your video delivers above and beyond by taking into account a few key considerations beforehand.

1. Know your objective

It sounds obvious, but knowing exactly what you want to achieve by filming your event is hugely important, and yet often overlooked. Are you looking to record the event for an audience unable to attend on the day?

Provide a recap for those who were in attendance? Or are you looking to create a promotional video to boost sales and marketing for your next event? Just three examples, but all benefitting from a different filming approach.

2. Develop a filming schedule

Try to avoid ‘winging it’ on the day and deciding what to film while the event is actually in progress. Working with your video supplier to develop a filming timetable beforehand that corresponds to your event programme will help you to make sure that you’re getting all you need, and can highlight any logistical issues – particularly when multiple cameras are involved and more than one type of video is being created.

It’s not unusual for requirements to change on the day and the crew will need to be flexible, but a schedule provides an important starting point.

3. Consider combining videography with photography

One of the challenges of running an event is having to deal with many different suppliers. Using the same team for both video filming and for stills photography can help with this, saving you time when it comes to briefing people on what you need, and generally simplifying the process. Of course, you need to be absolutely sure that the team you’re working with has the capability to deliver on both fronts.

4. Decide how you’ll use and distribute the video

Many don’t think about this until the video has been created, but it’s worth considering – will it go on your webpage, social media channels, how will you notify people when the video is ready? Knowing the answers to these questions beforehand can influence the filming approach taken by the crew, and will lower the risk of hold-ups and delays in post-production since the distribution strategy has already been agreed.

5. Review previous experiences

If you’ve worked with video production teams at events before, make the most of this and think about what worked, and what you would like to do differently. Focus less on the process but more on the outcome of the video – did it achieve what you wanted it to and why/why not? Refining the process is an important part of ensuring that each video surpasses the one before.

Having provided video and photography services for a huge range of events both across the UK and internationally, we’re no strangers to working with a brief that’s less than fully developed. However, by considering the above you can help to ensure that your event video has the best chance of reaping all the rewards that video can offer.

If you would like to find out more about the video, animation, photography and graphic design services Dead Ready Productions can offer your business, please feel free to get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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Event Filming – How Much Does It Cost?

“I want to film an event coming up in a couple weeks time. How much would it cost to produce a video of the event – can you give me an approximate price?”

It’s fairly often that we receive an enquiry similar to the above. Of course, every event video is unique and deserves a specific, tailored approach. Simply put, providing a set price and rigid filming and editing methodology can lead to you failing to get what you need, and paying for something you don’t.

However, as a client you’re often looking for some kind of rough price just to get the ball rolling and to help you factor video production into your marketing plans. Maybe you don’t have all the information you need or maybe you’re just not ready to have a detailed discussion yet – what then?

Event videos can vary widely in cost but as a rough guide tend to start at around £800 and go up from there depending on complexity and time involved. Here’s a few quick questions that can help you to quickly get a ballpark cost for your event video:

1. When/where is the event?

The first variable to determine, and usually the easiest to answer, is when and where the event is taking place. Price is dependent on number of days/nights filming required, whether it’s during the week or at a weekend, and accessibility of the location.

2. What exactly do you need to film?

This will depend on the type of event involved. Conferences have different requirements to awards ceremonies, which in turn are different to trade shows and launch events.

The main purpose of this question is to determine what size of crew and what equipment is needed for the shoot. Sometimes you may require speeches/presentations to be filmed, sometimes you’ll need interviews, other times just general footage of the event as it happens. Are there things that need to be filmed that are happening concurrently?

3. What video deliverables do you require?

Usually our clients are looking for short 2-3 minute footage-based promotional videos, deliverable via the web. But if you require more than one video, or longer videos, or anything involving more complex motion graphics, then price is affected.

4. Do you have specific budget restrictions?

Given the multitude of possibilities, sometimes it’s easier to start with a fixed budget and then discuss the best ways to achieve your goals.

Once you have some idea regarding the above, then it’s possible to put forward some options and give you an idea of the costs that are likely to be involved.

If you would like to discuss how Dead Ready Productions could help you to further enjoy the benefits of video for your business, please get in touch via the button below or by calling +44 (0)208 339 6139.

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