Video sometimes has the reputation as the frivolous media of social media; it gets lumped into the categories of “caught in the act” videos on the eleven-o’clock news or staged pratfalls on family television shows. Maybe when you think of online video you think of the unrehearsed, wobbly, and fuzzy videos uploaded to popular social media video sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Veoh. If you’re ready to create a series of videos for the Internet you will discover that careful planning out-weighs spontaneity to assure success.
A lot can be learned about video series by reviewing what you probably have seen a thousand times on television and every famous movie followed by its sequel. Continuity ties each segment of a television series together and joins films together into a series. Continuity is the same characters, Wbseries Media plot formulas, set design and costumes. You don’t have to have the budget of a Spielberg, however if your plan includes these five points you can have an impactful video series.
The Set – Your video set is where ever you decide to film the video. A set can be as simple as a sign or a backdrop behind a speaker (this is how the TV news teams do it), or it can be an elaborate studio setting in your basement or any corner of your house or office (think back to Wayne’s World segments on Saturday Night Live). Your set could be an open window where your viewers see the seasons change throughout a year of filming. Even if your location varies, you can have continuity by bring the same prop to each location (a chair, a microphone with your logo on it).
The Script- Having a script won’t diminish spontaneity, but it will assure that you have a plan for what you will say. Many of the frequently viewed online video series stick to a format: they have a unique intro for their series and end with a sign-off that is just as unique. If your business has a “tag line” it may be an easy choice to use to introduce each video.
Get Into Character- If you’re thinking I’m just a CEO and I don’t want to be someone else, you aren’t in the spirit of filming a video. Because video is like television, stage, or movies, the presenter needs to play a role and “play it up” for the viewer. If you’re a CEO, you need to play the expert, authoritative, and in-charge role. Other roles you can consider depending how they match with your business message: teacher, guide, host, investigator, super hero. I recommend to clients they watch any of the HotForWords videos on YouTube– Marina Olova is an expert in word origins and could easily present a by-the-book classroom lesson, a real etymology snooze-fest, but instead she has attracted about 300 million hits by playing the vixen. Which character will you play?
Costume Design- I know some people will imagine the intricacies of “Gone with the Wind” when they think of costumes or perhaps they recall the extreme blue make up in “Avatar”. You can relax because a business costume isn’t that demanding. If you feature you or your employees in your videos, wear a company shirt that has your logo. Consider dressing your video presenter in character-Talking as an egg-head? Wear glasses! Talking about beauty? Wear star-quality makeup! Talking about health? Wear a white lab coat. Costuming helps to establish the “character” that presents the video and also helps to “brand” a video, so it’s recognized as part of a series.
Editing-They give out Academy Awards for truly accomplished editors. Your internet video can benefit from editing even if you can’t hire an Oscar-winning editor. There are three do-it-yourself editing tips which will improve your final cut: 1) Keep the video timed at about three minutes because if it’s any longer you risk the viewer will lose interest, 2) Check your script to verify the video follows your plan — Like a good book, be sure the video has a beginning, middle, and end-you don’t want to leave anything out, and 3) Leave some breathing space at the beginning and the end of the video-if start to record and leave a few seconds before the action at the beginning and after the action at the end, your video won’t have an abrupt start and conclusion. When you find a timing that works for you, use it over and over again to keep the series of videos consistent.
