The Way We Watch

Another Priceless Video Tip: Don't Use That Chair

I've talked here about ways to get a better looking shot.  There's the The $4.95 Solution To Make Your Videos Better and remember the importance of showing a philtrum.

But here's another one.  Don't use an executive chair when you're doing an interview.

(can't see the picture, go here: http://youtu.be/FIYnDo9BxgM?t=10m)

Executive chairs are super comfortable and make you feel regal. However, on video they make you look small.  The backside of the chair goes up to your ears and kills the needed seperation between you and the background.  Plus, your talent is going to end up swiveling and that's going to make your talent look impatient as well.

Use a bar stool or use a chair with a short back.  Sit back alll the way and keep your back straight. 


(can't see the picture, go here: http://youtu.be/JecJzrIfdHg?t=3m37s)

That feels better, doesn't it? 

34 People and Posts To Help Your Video

So much good information out there. So little time to read it.  I've tried to help by cataloging it.

As a follow up to my 37 Video Tips, Sites and Posts here are 34 more posts to help you and many of your video concerns.

What's A Philtrum and Why It Matters To Your Video

 

That thing between your nose and your mouth is called a philtrum.  If you know that you get extra whip cream on your dessert tonight. 

A friend asked what a philtrum was good for on Facebook and got 17 responses.  One response  quoted the wikidoc.org definition of a philtrum:

"The philtrum allows humans to express a much larger range of lip motions than would otherwise be possible, which enhances vocal and non-verbal communication."

So what does this have to do with your video? 

When you're taping someone, you're going to express more from your subjects if you shoot them in a close up.  Don't be afraid to show their philtrum! The philtrum rocks!

If you are doing an interview, 99% of the time a subject's face will be the most interesting thing in the shot.  Not the wall.  Not their shirt.  Not the view outside.

Take a look at these videos of Seth Godin.  If you had to pick one that is more intimate, more penetrating, and more interesting which one would it be? I'm not talking about the content here.

Sure, content plays a role, and yes the content that Nic Askew is trying to get from Seth requires more intimacy...  In general, though, the biggest mistake I see from non-professionals in their interview video is not going close enough.

Can't see the video? Click here and here.

'curiosity' from Nic Askew on Vimeo.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaysk/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Vlogging 101: Doing It Right (Watch Author Rachel Cohn)

 
Check out Rachel Cohn's vlog series, "Technology Detox with Rachel Cohn" for two reasons. 

She provides some helpful ways to turn it all off, but more importantly for my audience her videos are a great model on what to do right when video vlogging.

1. Her camera is looking somewhat down at her (always more flattering).
   
   
2. She's not against a wall.
   
   
3. There are some nice touches here...
   
   • the turning on and off/adjusting the camera
   • the b-roll
     
   • the TV static transitions
   • the titles that have some zippy music on it
4. Best of all is Rachel's tone. She's talking to us like a friend. 
   
   

Looking for transitions to use in your videos?  Try istockphoto.com.  Very affordable HD and SD clips for you to use as breaks while you're gabbing.

What Do Chris Brogan and Michael Caine Have In Common?

The answer is Chris Brogan* and Michael Caine both know how to relate to the camera.

Both see the camera as their best friend. 

I've been enjoying Brogan's   series because he's been doing a great job of speaking candidly about what it takes to be success.  I feel like he's talking to me.  Can't see the clip, click here.

 
As someone who works with non professionals, talking into a camera can be daunting because it's so easy to forget that you're talking to someone behind that cold piece of glass in the camera. (He could have adjusted for the sun coming in through the window - but that's a different post).

Brogan is a great communicator.  I like that he doesn't shout like Gary Vaynerchuk (yes, Gary's a passionate fellow, http://tv.winelibrary.com/). But Brogan is just as passionate and more effective, I think, because he reveals to us who he is.

We all can be good communicators on camera if we follow some simple rules that I've gleaned from Michael Cain's Acting in Film DVD (there's a book too but the DVD actully shows Caine and some students in action).

From Caine's Video:

• Don't Move. Tics, winking, big gestures. You don't need them. Your best friend is two inches away.
• Confide. If the camera is your best friend, treat him like your best friend.
• And here's a funny one. Eyes are the most important thing. Make sure the camera can see yours. "If you have blond eyelashes and you're in a movie you might as well be in a radio play," says Caine who wears mascara when he performs on camera.   Here's a clip from the DVD.

If you want to see more, get the video at workingartsvideo.com/sales.php. There's a 30% off coupon code available.  Disclosure: I've helped the publisher of Working Arts Library post on YouTube and was paid earlier this year to direct market these titles to Theater Professors and University libraries.
 
*Chris Brogan is the co-writer of Trust Agents (a current NY Times bestseller) and his blog, chrisbrogan.com is ranked #1 by Advertising Age's list of most influential marketing blogs.
 
What do you think of Brogan's communication skills?

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The Secret To Looking Great While Video Blogging

Here are a couple tips from some trial and error with my laptop's video camera.  Sure, it's easy to flick it on and start speaking, but if you make a few tweaks - you might actually look good.

In a nutshell, here are the tips:

• Use a light source behind the camera
• diffuse that light source
  
• Raise your laptop so that the camera is looking down or at least at eye level with you

Let me know how you prepare for your video blogs and I'll compile the best answers in an upcoming post.

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4 Mistakes Video Bloggers Make and How You Can Avoid Them

Here are four Video Blogging mistakes I see all the time and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Mistake: your background isn't doing anything for you.  Don't set up in front of a grey wall. Or a brick wall. Or any kind of blank wall.
   
   Of course you can use white, grey, or black wall as an advantage. But you need good lighting to do that. Most V Bloggers don't use lighting so I counsel to just stay away from this:
   
   
   
   
   This looks better. Hey, who is this guy?  Note, I'm not using my laptop camera.
   
   Instead I have a mini DV camera (Canon HV30) perched slightly above me.  You'll see that the walls are creating interesting angles. The chair to the left breaks up the white wall and that the splash of blue on the wall helps enormously:
   
   
   
   
   
2. Mistake: your shots have you centered up in the frame.  Think about negative space. You will look stronger in the frame if you don't appear bullseye in the center of the frame all the time.
   
   This guy is centered up. We get bored of even 2 minutes of this.
   
    
   
   This person is against a black background but he's lit well so it's OK.
   
    
                     
   
   
   This video can be seen here: http://www.viddler.com/explore/AdventCreative/videos/2/
   
   
3. Mistake: you stick to a medium shot. In the following example, two of my social media gods, David Meerman Scott shoots a video of Chris Brogan with his Flip Mino.
   
   David chooses to let the camera hang on a medium shot.  Two problems with this.  In video, only the face is expressive.  While Brogan has a nice chest and cool Sopranos-like shirt on. It doesn't provide the viewer with any information. 
   
   The eyes, the mouth... focus on that.  Also, note all the head room above Chris' head.  Close that up.
   
   Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
4. Mistake: No Editing.  It's easier to hit record spew out what you're going to say in a medium shot and then post.  But that would be like writing a rant and not putting in paragraph marks or punctuation. 
   
   Editing takes time to master.  iMovie has made their program pretty much worthless.  So try ScreenFlow, Final Cut Express or Adobe Premiere. Lynda.com has some great tutorials on Final Cut.
   
   I haven't checked out the editing capabilities of the iPhone yet but it looks (just from the ad) like they are basing it on their iMovie platform. Yuck. 
   
   Look what a little editing does here (and a mix of settings):

   

How are you making your Vlogging videos better?

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