Three Types of Videos Businesses Should Be Creating

How do you engage your customers, convey information, and tell your brand story?

It’s no surprise that video is quickly becoming (if not already) the media of choice in our online worlds. From FaceBook to Instagram, YouTube to your very own websites, video content is everywhere. Humans are visual creatures, and video is a dynamic medium that conveys ideas and emotions like nothing else can.  

I work with businesses to produce video content and deploy strategies to tell their story. Often people don't know what kind of video content to put out, how often, or how to get it produced. They also wonder if anyone will watch. Many think it's overly expensive as well. Luckily, technology and the social environment within our phones means it is easier than ever before to create content and place it in front of our potential customers.

I think businesses and brands should be creating content regularly. Here are three kinds of video content that every brand should understand.

1) Story Videos (Instagram Stories / Facebook Stories / Snapchat)

Purpose: These videos exist to engage your customers in the life of your business. Day-to-day, human interactions that show them a little bit of who you are. These don't live online for more than 24 hours typically and don't need to be refined or curated. What they accomplish is an ongoing relationship with your audience. 

Production: If you have a phone with a camera, you can produce these videos. I hesitate to even use the word produce because it is really as simple as holding down a button to shoot, then pressing send. It is really that simple and you can have engaging content. For ideas, follow some other brands and watch their stories to see how they are creating this content, then find what works for you.

Frequency: Multiple times a day. These stories are small snippets that can evolve throughout the day. Keep them short and frequent. 

2) Informational / Webcast / VLOG Style Videos

Purpose: The goal of these videos is to communicate complex information. These are less about touchy-feely brand stories, and more about the nuts and bolts of what you do. Certainly, there is an opportunity to establish rapport, expertise, and likeability as well You've seen these videos in the form of a product review, a vlog, or informational type of show. Usually shot with a person speaking directly to the camera, these are the video form of a blog or article. 

Production: Production value can range quite a bit with these. It can be as simple as setting up a phone on a tripod, to a full-blown production, but I would say it usually falls somewhere in the middle. Often, with a small investment and a little training, a business can be set up to film these on their own, and even edit them. Possibly requiring some professional assistance on more complex projects.

Frequency: Varies from daily to several times per month. Some people and brands put up a video like this every day, but typically a few times a month is good for most businesses.

3) Brand Video / Commercial / Culture Documentary

Purpose: Telling the brand message, showcasing products and services, and telling your company's story requires an engagement of not just our senses, but our emotions. That is where brand videos come into play. When done well, these expertly crafted videos have a longer shelf life and help to convey the personality of your business and represent the professionalism of your offering. If the other videos are the sprints, these are the marathon and are meant to drive long-term awareness, understanding, and loyalty.

Production: Unless you are a professional video producer, you need to hire out for this. Camera, lighting and an understanding of effective brand storytelling is a must for these to succeed and stand up to the expectations of viewers. 

Frequency: Depending on your market and product cycle, these videos could be as often as monthly, but typically fall into a quarterly or annual cycle.

What's Next?

I only have one piece of advice: Start creating content. You have value to bring to your customers and the only way to discover what it is is to begin. So start today.

Phantom Falls: A hike and scenic aerial film.

Hiking is on my short list of hobbies. I love to hike, to backpack, and simply get outside. Nothing beats the warmth of the sun and crossing the earth with the power of your own two feet. On February 13, 2016 I was able to get out for hike on Table Mountain. I had been wanting to get up there to see some of the waterfalls after the rains we had experienced this year. I'd seen photos of Phantom Falls for quite some time, and despite living within 20 minutes of them for 35 years I never made the trip. 

I made the trip. With a new backpack designed to carry my drone / quadcopter (what I use for aerial filming), I hiked out to Phantom Falls. It was beautiful and there were plenty of friendly people enjoying the day. I was fortunate to get some great footage and meet some really lovely people in the process. Below is a simple edit of some of the footage.

Make the Hike Yourself

If you are looking to make the hike yourself, here is some public information about how to get there. Enjoy the hike and the views, it is worth it. Leave only footprints, take only pictures.

• Chico Hiking Website - Phantom Falls
• Chico Hiking Website - Map
• Backpaker.com - Phantom Falls

Kearbey Dental Group "Time" TV Commercial

Here is my latest TV commercial for Kearbey Dental Group in Oroville, CA. Read below for some productions notes.

This was a really fun project to produce. Dr. Ryan Kearbey wanted to do something to show "the why" of the work. Why is technology and advancement important in his office. We discussed how most people (I think all people) would rather be doing something other than sitting in the dentist's chair! It's all about getting people back to doing the things they love.

We had a lot of fun during the shoot as well. Filming over the river with the quadcopter was a blast, and flying without any GPS stability in the old train tunnel along the Feather River in Oroville was a bit of a challenge...but worth it! I think the biggest challenge to any video production is the use of animals and kids...and we got that in the commercial too!

Everything was filmed in Oroville, CA. Along the Feather River, Riverbed Park, Bedrock Park and Centennial Park. Such beautiful scenery in the early fall.

Enjoy!

Filmmaker Prep - Camera Builds

My first RED ONE Build for Tri Counties Bank "We Are You" in 2008.

The "camera build". What in the world is that? It's a critical routine in being well prepared for a shoot, especially if you are using anything that deviates from your standard kit. In this post I will give some details about this important (and often overlooked) step in getting ready for a shoot.  

I was recently talking with a fellow filmmaker over coffee and we were discussing the importance of good habits when it comes to preparing for shoots. We were discussing an old blog post of mine about how preparation for a shoot often begins at the last shoot. This idea is nothing new. In recording studios you always "normalize" the studio or the board after a session to ensure everything is back to how it started. I believe we should always take the time to do that as we pack up at the end of shoots. For example, regardless of what color temperature bulbs I use in my Kino Flos during a shoot, I always normalize them back to K55 bulbs before they are packed. This ensures that when I take them out on the next shoot, I know what to expect.

When it comes to camera gear these days, rarely are we taking out a nice, simple, self-contained video camera. The modern digital cine camera has a myriad of accessories, rods, matte boxes, interchangeable lenses, viewfinders, monitors, and a host of other peripherals that we can keep adding. The list can get exhaustive. Even more exhaustive can be keeping track of all this gear - especially if we don't use every item at every shoot. This is where the camera build comes in.

My first camera build.

I remember the first time I walked into a "proper" rental house. I was picking up a RED ONE for a commercial shoot back in 2008. I had never used a RED or rented anything from a rental company before. When I walked in I was in gear heaven! Floor-to-ceiling shelves full of Pelican brand cases, cabinets with lenses, drawers full of filters - it was impressive. In the front was a large open area where the outgoing gear was organized. I found the row of cases with my name on them. The owner of the rental shop came up and went over what was there and said after we build up the camera we could evaluate if anything else needed to be added to the rental list. Build up the camera? This was a different world than my old "everything is ready to go, let's shoot" life I had been living.

We built up the camera, which means that we set everything up like we were going to film right then and there. We attached the baseplate and dovetail for the tripod, rods, matte box. The external battery system and all of it's cabling, checked the hard-drives and made sure all was working properly. In that moment I realized that this was such an essential process. After building the camera and ensuring that everything worked for our needs, we meticulously packed everything into the cases. Now, we KNEW we had everything we needed for the shoot.

Confidence. Piece-of-mind. Total preparedness. These are just some of things we accomplished in those 30 minutes.

Building as part of your preparation routine.

A lightweight Samsung 4K build for corporate documentary.

Whether you are using a DSLR, a Canon C300 or something more extensive like a RED or Alexa, the camera build should be a staple in your preparation. Nothing will let you know if you need to pick up an accessory, a different cable, or an additional articulating arm like actually building up your camera in the setup you intend to shoot with. It's a quick and simple process, yet it can save you so many headaches on the day of the shoot.

The process is pretty straightforward. Set up your support and put the rig together! It seems simple because it is. For me this usually takes 15 minutes and I am confident when it is packed away that everything I need will be present and accounted for when I open up the case on location. 

I have found faulty cabling, dead batteries, missing filters, rods that aren't long enough for my lens choice - you name it. I am able to solve these problems or find alternatives in prep as opposed during the shoot - saving me precious time and keeping me professional in front of the client.

Conclusion

If you're not currently building up your camera prior to shoots, I encourage you to do so. It's the cheapest insurance you can get for knowing your camera setup will be ready to go. It also works well for grip, lighting and audio gear. Recording audio with on-camera talent? Take the time to setup your shotgun (or wireless), boom and recorder to make sure everything is in working order ahead of time. This process can be applied to any area of your gear and equipment.

A small investment in time can (and will) reward you with confidence and piece of mind.

Preparing For the Next Day - A filmmaker's quick thoughts on shoot prep.

Be Prepared.

The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared". I'm not a Boy Scout, but I did go to a few meetings as a kid. As a filmmaker, I find myself on early morning shoots more often than my body would like. It's currently 11 p.m. on Sunday and I have a commercial shoot at 8:30 a.m. Not too early, but early enough that now is the time to make sure everything is prepped.

Typically, I like to keep my work hours as traditional as possible. Work 8-5, Monday through Friday. However, this past weekend involved moving office furniture, a quick out-of-town birthday trip, and Father's Day. So here we are, Sunday night prep!

I could easily wake up early to get prepared --and I will -- but there's a few quick things I can do tonight to make tomorrow morning easier, and help me sleep better tonight.

Prep Starts During the Last Shoot.

I'm a firm believer in having solid systems in place. For example, I always pack my camera and gear cases the exact same way before and after a shoot. A quick glance of my camera case tells me that everything is in it's place and I don't have to worry about anything missing. During the last commercial shoot, my assistant kept spent batteries charged, ensured that every piece of lighting and grip gear was packed away carefully and everything was in it's place. 

Having a good system for how and wear each item is stored makes prep quick and reliable. My camera prep before a shoot involves a quick inventory of the camera case, and charging one or two batteries that were being used at the end of the last shoot. I double check my case full of memory cards to ensure that all are formatted and we are ready to go.

Since it's Father's Day for another hour, I will say that my dad was a firm believer in always putting things in their place. That way you would always know where they were when you needed them. I have adopted this with my camera case, as well as the storage of my lighting and grip gear.

Plan the shoot. Shoot the plan.

One of the things I like to do right before a shoot (whether that is the night before, or morning of) is to review my shoot plan. Beyond having a solid script or treatment prior to filming, I typically come up with a shoot schedule and plan. This may be some simple notes on a short commercial script, or something far more detailed. The goal is to arrive at the shoot with clear ideas of how the day will go.

Often I am shooting some rather simple 30 second TV ads for local businesses, but the process remains. Plan the shoot, then shoot the plan. I always leave the options open to get creative and seize an opportunity for an unplanned shot or simply capturing the moment, but as a professional I am expected to deliver a quality product and that means always having a solid foundation to work from. One of the things I do prior to a shoot is review scripts, review shot-lists and any schedules, plans, directions or other information that will need to be fresh in my mind for the next day.

Check the weather.

One of the final things I do before a shoot is a quick check of the weather. If the shoot is outside this can make or break a shoot. If it's indoors, it still matters. Sometimes we are using window light and the weather can affect that. Or, if we are recording sound and it's pouring rain we have to consider how that will impact our ability to get good audio. If it's super hot, I may simply bring a change of clothes if we have to load out gear in 100+ degree heat. Weather matters.

Water. Quiet. Sleep.

The most important thing I do the night before a shoot is to make sure I get good sleep. That means being well hydrated, having some quiet time to wind-down, and getting a good night's rest. The best thing you can do for your work is to arrive rested, alert and fully prepared to give it your all. 

I'll still be getting up early to pack for the shoot and give myself plenty of time to arrive early. But these simple, and relatively easy things have me a few steps ahead of the game.

Goodnight.