Apple’s launch of iBooks Author ups the ante for what’s achievable in content creation. It appears to be a fluid and elegant tool for bringing together text, animation, video, images, audio and interactivity. Certainly seems more fluid and elegant than my use of WordPress right now to craft this blog post. Providing environments for content creation, we at Market7 are pleased by enhancement of how people can extend rich, media-based experiences to other people. Yet, the iBooks Author launch also exposes several areas that could be improved:
There is the well covered limitation of distribution techniques via iTunes and to iPad devices for consumption. It is indeed ironic to leverage technological advances in order to elegantly bring multiple types of media together, and then unnecessarily restrict how the results can be consumed.
Collaboration is vital in bringing together substantial works, and especially in mixed media situations because of the varieties of skills and perceptions related to the different kinds of content, but currently collaborating on iBooks Author requires saving and sending files for teammates to work on in isolation.
While iBooks Author may be great for bringing media together, it’s more for high-level assembly of content built in other applications, and is not a comprehensive or consistent suite for the different types of content in isolation. Granted this is an unfair criticism of a new environment sure to take on more context and deeper functionality over time, but this tool coming from Apple does cast highlight on the fact that the same company has gutted its Final Cut franchise that had emerged as the leading environment for accessible work on video content, and that never seemed to benefit from the same stewardship prioritizing great usage experience that seems clear in the results of Apple’s newest applications.
Recruiting videos – most of the big companies have them. I remember sitting through some bad ones, courtesy of Circuit City and east coast theme park Great Adventure in my high school days. Neither of these videos were the reason I’d applied for the job and they had a neutral to negative impact in terms of exciting me about the possibilities of a career with those companies. In fact, they instantly sprang to mind when Twitter debuted its terrible-on-purpose new recruiting video today.
I could write a blog post about all the things not to do when making a recruiting video. But it’s easier to just reference the above video from Twitter. Because I’m pretty sure they capture them all:
Uninspiring music that is meant to sound inspiring
Clunky graphics with unnecessary effects
Grandiose promises (e.g. Friends for life)
Acting (It takes a lot of skill to pull off an acting job depicting an average day at the company without looking fake/staged.)
Terrible (and again unnecessary) sound effects
Shaky camera work and bad edit choices
Featuring employees that don’t show well on video
Anything chanted with faux-enthusiasm by a team of people (“Join the flock today!”)
The list could go on but those are the big offenders.
Twitter wins with this video because, even with all the cheese, they still get their point across. And because so many people can relate to terrible corporate video, this little gem is now circulating pretty widely. Though, for the record, while Dick Costolo gets cool points for authorizing and participating in the video, he doesn’t come off as a particularly inspiring or pleasant CEO. I realize that perhaps they were going for a certain vibe as a joke, but Costolo doesn’t pull it off well. Which goes back to a key lesson: if you’re using employees in your video, play to their strengths and learn to recognize when something doesn’t work.
We can save another post for a more lengthy discussion of what TO do in a recruiting video. In the meantime, here are some things to keep in mind to help ensure that your recruiting video can actually recruit for you:
As mentioned above, if you’re going to use employees, don’t push them beyond comfort boundaries – it will show.
You’ll likely work with an outside video producer to put your video together. Ask for recent work to better understand if they’ll be able to pull off your vision. For some video shops, a recruiting video means including many of those terrible techniques noted above as standard practice. Have an idea of what you’ll get before you get it.
Be honest. Don’t try to be something you’re not in your video. People will notice.
Why not end with a recruiting video done right. We posted this one back in August, but it remains one of my favorites I’ve seen. Courtesy of Facebook.
Took a moment before the family awoke the other day to record some thoughts on what this year’s been like for our company. It’s been especially exciting to engage with customers who along with their work on our established annotative player, use Market7 software-as-service just as much (or even more) for tracking tasks, or developing a scripts, or handling production requests from clients, with accruing benefits when multiple modules are used together.
Comedian Louis CK has been in the news quite a bit over the past couple of weeks. Not because he’s funny. Because he’s taken something that’s been around for decades – the stand-up comedy special – and turned creation and distribution of it on its head. Essentially, he did everything himself (with help, of course), cutting out the middleman and delivering a product directly to consumers. This successful experiment, which Louis affectionately calls “the thing,” is an example of how internal resources can be tapped and how you can evolve how you deliver a final product to your audience.
First, some background. Unless you go out of your way to avoid laughter, you’ve likely seen at least a stand-up comedy special or two before. Chances are it was on DVD, Comedy Central or maybe a premium cable channel. Typically, these come about one of two ways. A comedian might take on the cost of production themselves and sell the special to a network, which will then find an audience for it and own all distribution. Or in other cases, a comic might just let the network handle everything and simply show up and tell jokes.
Louis CK did a few specials exactly that way. But never content to take the easy way out (after all, this is a guy who turns in a new one hour act ever year and edits his hit FX show Louis himself on a Macbook), he explored how constant advances in technology could help him do things differently. And so, “the thing” began to take shape. He took some AV classes in school so knew how to edit video. He had the money to invest in a camera crew and recording. He already had a fan base that he could tap. And bandwidth was cheap enough to economically deliver the special directly to each consumer.
The result? In just days after making the special available online, Louis recouped his investment (about $250k). And within a couple weeks, has already grossed more than $1m in sales. This whole thing is unprecedented in comedy. And there are much bigger names in the businesses (e.g. Rock, Seinfeld) that haven’t tried to pull off something like this.
So if you’re a business, what can be learned from this? Plenty.
If the old way isn’t working or feels stale, blaze a new trail.
Always be thinking what can you do yourself and what do you need to outsource?
You might have no idea what hidden talent is lurking on your team. Find out who can help you do something economically and effectively. Especially if it makes the difference between doing something or nothing at all.
Rethink your distribution model. How are you delivering content to your audience? Is it the best way to get it to them? Is it easy for them to consume?
Is there currently a middleman that sits between you and your audience? Does there absolutely need to be?
Keep your content fresh, set a high standard and people will come back for more. Or they’ll even proactively seek it out.
Export choices extending from TXT for teleprompter that was part of last release, to also now include pdf export of script (including customized selection of which scenes, and what elements within them)
Any recognizable web address written into script will act as a link when that script is published
More work continues on script, and we are also now ramping up significant enhancements to Tasks module, first of which is:
Crisper presentation of columns with graphical headings and more graceful presentation of tools within tasks, showing dynamically upon mouse-over
We talk a lot here about the power of video. And while we’ve shared one example after the next about the positive impact it can have on business, relationships or public perception, there are those cases where it can have the opposite effect.
Granted, this usually doesn’t happen when video is purposefully created and distributed with a certain message and audience in mind. Ignoring for now those “damaging video tape surfaces” cases, most video that carries negative consequences tends to be live. The person or people involved are fully aware that they’re on camera, but they make a gaffe, act out of character or express body language that sets off an alarm for viewers. Just how powerful can video be when it’s turned against you? Consider some of these examples that involve politicians seemingly falling from grace overnight.
Richard Nixon Sweats Out A Televised Debate
In Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter, author Rick Shenkman tells the story of how John F. Kennedy’s team aimed to make Nixon look on edge, out of sorts and uncomfortable during their first televised presidential debate in 1960. Kennedy’s handlers are rumored to have turned up the temperature in the studio and insist that the candidates stand throughout the hour-long debate. This was a serious problem for Nixon, who had a known propensity for profuse sweating and recently injured his knee. But not so for Kennedy who welcomed hot temperatures and had no problem standing for long periods. Nixon was visibly uncomfortable (and reportedly not feeling well) throughout the debate and this was aptly captured for all to see at home.
Interestingly, it is said that those listening to the debate on radio thought Nixon was the winner. But anyone tuning in on TV had quite the opposite reaction. That televised debate is thought to have won the presidency for Kennedy. Here is a clip in which Nixon’s infamous sweat is on full display.
The Dean Scream
Howard Dean was losing ground to John Kerry and John Edwards in the 2004 democratic primaries. After a defeat in the Iowa democratic caucuses, he took to the stage to address his supporters, flu and all. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of teeth-clenching and a fiery face that only got more animated as Dean ran down the list of states where he would go next. To top it off, he closed the rant with what would become known as “the Dean Scream.”
Overnight, Howard Dean’s presidential dreams seeped away as late night comics, 24/7 news networks, print editorials and more informed the voting population about what was really a benign “gaffe,” but ultimately led to the further loss of voter support. (It is interesting to note that CNN later apologized publicly for overplaying the incident, but the damage had already been done.)
And The Third One Is, Um…
If you had access to a television or the Internet on the morning of November 10, 2011, it was hard to escape video of Governor Rick Perry’s cringe-inducing republican primary debate moment that the media at large were quick to dub “a meltdown.” GOP party nominee contenders have come and gone from the top of the polls over the past few months. Perry had already begun to decline in the polls and this video displaying a prolonged memory lapse about an important decision he’d make upon becoming president certainly did not help him. Since this video made the rounds, Newt Gingrich has emerged as a leader in the polls.
How Not To Get Caught In A Video Trap
A key lesson here is that it is always important to exert as much control as possible over a situation where cameras will be running. Ailment, injuries and sweat aside, Nixon wasn’t prepped as well as Kennedy for television. Dean might have opted to not push himself (and his voice) given how sick he was. And Perry, well, um….oops.
Most businesses have someone or many people that are speaking publicly on behalf of the company. While ramifications seen in the above examples might be extremes, here are some tips for not falling prey to the camera in a live setting:
There are some who are masters of improv, and others who are not. If tackling a sensitive or complicated subject, it’s sometimes better to stick to the script and play it safe.
Be prepared. Politicians on the campaign trail have grueling schedules and need to keep a ton of information at their fingertips. So Perry’s flub was more than understandable given these circumstances. Just the same, make sure you’re prepped appropriately (though not over-rehearsed) if you’ll be appearing on video in a live setting.
Don’t push yourself if you’re severely under the weather. Political candidates don’t have the luxury of sending a delegate to speak, but maybe you do. If you can’t reschedule entirely, have someone else within your organization who is ready to step in. And if you must move forward, be mindful of your actions so you don’t do anything too out of character or damaging.
Control what you can. Kennedy exercised control over a situation to his advantage. You know what you need to be comfortable. If possible, see to it that these needs are met if you’ll be appearing live on camera.
Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re way out of your element. Sometimes it will be out of your control and you need to appear on camera. But don’t volunteer yourself for an opportunity that you’re not prepared to handle without incident.
Solid prose conveys facts. An image can artfully establish a theme. But video empowers messaging with magic to fascinate an audience.
There’s a touring museum exhibit about Harry Houdini currently in San Francisco. During the first couple decades of the 20th century Houdini rapidly rose to fame leveraging multiple media forms availed by the day’s leading edge technologies such as photography and motion pictures. Here is one of many film documentations of escape by this great artist and athlete.
It’s a strikingly sophisticated clip especially considering its period. Multiple shots and angles are used including camera rigging into structures looking straight down for a cool and distinctive perspective. Sharpness, brightness and contrasts are clear and artful across all of these perspectives with precise framing of key elements including during both horizontal and vertical tracking shots. Key information is smoothly documented such as the rigor of Houdini being bound into a straight jacket and the thousands assembled to witness his escape.
While the video is mystifying, it also exhibits how Houdini’s aim was in fact largely to demystify magic and escape. While he concealed some of his techniques, he conveyed others including in books, another medium leveraged for his prominence. In addition to the spectacle of achieving what seems impossible, it was often the cleverness of how that’s done, or sheer athleticism as in this video, with which Houdini amazed audiences.
Video can be similarly leveraged in these first couple decades of the 21st century. Contemporary audiences realize that tricks are used for amazing effects that advance a story or underscore a fact. But still we allow ourselves to be amazed so that video can make a message resonate like by no other medium.
Market7 CEO Seth Kenvin recently took to Skype to talk about streamlining video production in the enterprise with biz video analyst Steve VonderHaar. The interview (embedded below) covers how video produced in the enterprise comes together during the production phase, how Market7 streamlines collaboration and project management, and how video production is changing in the enterprise. Check it out for some great insight on what Market7 is doing to help businesses address the fast-paced evolution of corporate video.
video.Market7 fundamentally responds to the need for clearer communication and tighter organization throughout every stage of producing media, from determining concept through approval of completed footage. Linkages among stages is key. A great example is our release of script export to teleprompter, strengthening the transition from pre-production to shoot. Users can easily determine exactly what aspects of a script to export: which scenes, and which elements within scenes (ex: whether or not to include character names), and then the resulting text file is compatible with pretty much any commercial teleprompter software or system.
You have a message. You’ve decided that you want to use video to communicate it. After considering your audience and what will appeal most to them, you now have a very important decision to make. What will be the most effective style of video to communicate this message? These days, just about the only limitation impacting what a video can look and feel like is budget. It can be funny, sad, emotional and nostalgic. It can be driven by music, dialogue, animation and narration. Whatever style and tone you choose for your video, think about how it helps to carry your message.
We’ve found some great corporate video that pulls from many various style techniques. It’s hard to fit any of these into one specific genre, so we’ve simply included the video and some commentary on why we think each is special.
PwC
This video from PricewaterhouseCoopers leaves all the dialogue to Harry Nilsson’s great “Everybody’s Talkin’.” We see flashes of video from around the world, following PwC workers and those impacted by them. People are working, laughing, learning and enjoying life. Throughout the video, flashes of the PwC logo are seen swirling about, suggesting that all of these experiences are made possible by the company that can provide “a relationship you’ll value.” It’s a bit long, at 3:40 minutes, but that’s what good songs and compelling imagery are for.
DiGi
Communications service provider DiGi’s corporate video forgoes traditional video, opting instead for story-telling through animation. This will be a familiar style for anyone that’s seen their fair share of TV advertising over the past few years. Still, it is engaging and compelling. You’ll see that there are many, many messages communicated throughout the three minute run time. It doesn’t hurt that here also is a terrific song that plays as you read about all the reasons why DiGi is “always the smarter choice.” Note that it’s a song you probably haven’t heard before, but it’s got a nice melody, a nice message and isn’t annoying at all to listen to. But since it’s unfamiliar, it’s probably not distracting either. If you haven’t picked up on the trend yet, note that good songs played in their entirety can help keep andaudience’s attention longer. In this case, more than three minutes.
AMG
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group make their message about sustainable metal technology interesting through story-telling and compelling video that was shot at six locations across three countries. Throughout the video, AMG emphasizes its long history in the space, talking about accomplishments and showing black and white photos of early work being done by the company. Employees also get a voice, and they’re shown working toward a greater cause and market innovation. Finally, we see, what it’s all for: airplanes, buildings, bridges, everyday products. This video is more than four minutes long – our attention is held through captivating images, interesting information and a good story.
Barclay’s Capital
Barclays Capital kills two birds with one stone (recruiting and industry leadership) and grabs our attention with this video that is a bit out of character for the traditionally conservative financial services industry. By using humor, the viewer is surprised and compelled to watch from one shot to the next as strange things happen to the actors. Goes to show that you don’t always need to communicate in the traditional tone that your audience is used to hearing you or your competitors use. This video is timed perfectly: one minute. After all, there’s only so long you can watch people falling through floors and ceilings before you’re ready to move on.
Pay close attention when you’re watching these and other videos. And you’ll start to see some of the same tried and proven techniques used over and over again. The best part is that you don’t always need a huge budget to pull them off. How can you put these techniques to work for your next project?
