Like it or not, video production has found its way onto the internal corporate communicator’s plate. In fact, according to a Newsweaver & Melcrum report, 72% of Internal Communicators are already using video and another 19% plan to start utilizing video to better engage employees. Perhaps a smartphone could help?
The four biggest challenges that internal communicators say prevent them from using video are:
- Time
- Money
- Creativity
- Technology
If you are looking for ways to leverage video as part of your social and/or digital signage strategy, I can help make the transition easier – or help you work smarter. There are actually 19 practical smartphone video tips that I regularly share with conference attendees. While I won’t give them all away, here, are a few examples…
Define the Purpose – No matter what equipment you’re using, if your video doesn’t have a strong purpose or goal, it won’t be effective. Your audience simply won’t know what to do after watching your video. Keeping your purpose in mind to guide the process will help keep you on track as you shoot and edit your video, because at the end of the day creating high quality video is only one half of the equation.
Assemble Your Crew – making sure you have the right number of people filling the right roles, not too few and not too many, will keep the video shoot running smoothly.
Befriend B-Roll – everyone dreads the three-minute “talking head” video, so include what we call B-Roll, or the extra visuals that can cut away from an interviewee, to help tell the story and engage the viewer.
Get Good Audio – make sure your audience can understand what’s going on in your video. This may mean investing in a lapel microphone, because the clarity the technology will contribute to your video is worth the investment.
Get Good Lighting – Understand how to manipulate the light available to you in a way that adds to your content. Test the direction in which you are filming in order to achieve the best possible lighting that does not cast shadows on what you are filming.
Shoot Horizontally – It may seem natural to shoot your video vertically, but consider that most devices on which videos are viewed are in a horizontal format.
Video is a great way to connect with people and now through the use of smartphones, everyone has the ability to produce video content much more quickly and efficiently. That means not just internal communicators, but employees can be invited to contribute quality media content as well.
However, before you shoot, you may want to practice (practice, practice) ahead of time to be sure you can stabilize the shot, have the lighting set to enhance your subject, avoid ambient noise and make sure you get the microphone close enough to your subject to ensure higher quality sound.
Once you have more experience and are comfortable with the process, you can even try experimenting by trying different angles and approaches.
Author Rocky Walls will present “17 Smartphone Video Tips, Tricks and Tactics You Can Use Today,” at Digital Signage Expo 2018 on Wednesday, March 28 at 2 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more information on this or any educational program offered at DSE 2018 or to learn more about digital signage go to www.dse2018.com
Rocky is the founder of 12 Stars Media, a video production company working globally that specializes in producing video that connects you with your audience through real and simple communication. Rocky has one simple belief that drives his personal and professional life: people need connections and the best ones come from communication that’s real and simple.
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