Recently more business owners, from CEOs of large companies, through to freelancers, are using video to help to define themselves as a person, within their company and their shared beliefs.
Is this important? And should you be doing it?
Let’s deal with the second question first, should you be doing it?
Only if you feel entirely comfortable. With politicians recently viewed as being uncomfortable in front of the camera and mocked as a result, it is not something for everyone. The camera amplifies any discomfort; your viewers will stop listening to what you are saying and think about all the other surrounding elements.
Comfort isn’t the only consideration; tied to the question of should you be doing it has to be why are you doing it?
Do you feel that you or your company needs to be defined in such a way, do you think that with definition comes recognition of what you do? Or, do you see everyone else doing it and feel that you need to get on board, or get left behind?
Some would suggest that publicly declaring, defining yourself and your belief structure, how it represents you and the way you work, is narcissism at its worst, and self-indulgent at its best.
Consider your motives because once your video is out there, it can go viral for all the wrong reasons!
If you choose to complete a video such as this, is presenting directly to camera the most effective way? It might be that communicating the way you and your company want to be defined could be better realised in another format.
When thinking about and planning your video, you could consider using an infographic or simple animation, concentrating on your message rather than the person.
Using this method, you can express the things you and the company believe in, and stand for much more clearly without any distraction. If you wanted to keep that personal connection, you could complete the voiceover.
Maybe you feel that this would cost too much, take too long, and or you feel that to best get people to take on board your message, it has to be direct to a camera?
Lots of people go for the ‘selfie’ style interview, which for some people can work incredibly well, and for these people, it looks effortless! Most people will find it much harder to get the look and feel that they want.
You will need to consider three main elements that can have a significant effect on your video: lighting, sound and composition.
Natural lighting is the easiest to manage for most people at home or in the office. Try to avoid harsh shadows, and if possible try to find somewhere where you can reflect light off a pale wall to use as much natural fill as possible.
Try out different combinations to see what works best for you.
Ensuring you sound as good as you look using just the microphone on your smartphone can be tricky. You need to be close enough, speak clearly and not have any other background noise for the sound to be maximised. You also need to avoid the room sounding too harsh; soft furnishing can give you a warmer tone and make the audio better listening experience.
Again, play the video clips back, and on a system with better speakers than just your phone.
The composition of your video is something that many people forget, they get caught up in the moment and press record, or worse start live streaming! There are more than a few people whose videos appear on LinkedIn which you stop listening to because of the background. The shelf they are standing in front of giving the impression of a fish is swimming into their ear! Or the classic where they have a copy of their book beside their face! It might seem like excellent product placement, but it can smack of desperation.
If you want to go down this route, then check out our blog post on capturing great interviews.
If you want to future proof your content, there are other ways to complete your videos and give you more flexibility.
By working with us either in our studio or with you on location, we can take care of the lighting and sound. We can also ensure that your composition is well thought out, avoiding fuss, or distractions. Shooting in our studio gives you a clear, clean background using the white infinity cove. With the green screen, we can put you anywhere or anytime, enabling you to repurpose your content at a later date.
Using these possibilities, you can maximise your messaging. You can create multiple edits to use in different online locations, for example, give your followers on Twitter and LinkedIn a slightly different approach. Building a library of footage gives you the chance to react quickly without having to worry about recording to keep your messaging feeling fresh.
So these are the ways to look at getting your video right, but before you start, remember these three key points;
Consider your defining message
How do you want to be viewed?
And, most importantly don’t let a bad video define you!
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