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Mistakes
That Will Ruin Your Video Production
30 years in the video
production field has helped me identify these 8 reasons
corporate videos fail. I've been wanting to post these for quite
awhile.
Posted February 19, 2012
MISTAKE 7. USE THE
CAMERA MICROPHONE TO RECORD THE AUDIO
The rapid improvement and compactness of
video is also manifested in the audio that accompanies it.
Camcorders today record excellent sound. But there is a
problem.
The problem is that the sound source
closest to the camcorder microphone) will be recorded best. And
this may not be what you want recorded.
Have you ever set up a camcorder in the
back of the room to record a live seminar and listened to the
result? Isn’t it amazing how the comments, coughs and
collisions in the back of the room sound so clear – and the
speaker is unintelligible at those points?
I simply can’t count the number of times
people have come to us to ask if we can enhance the audio from
just such presentations, and other live events as well.
In short, the answer is unfortunately “No.” We can not
bring out audio that essentially is not there.
What is the solution?
First, you must have a camcorder that will take an external
microphone input. If yours doesn't, get another one.
After that, it’s
all just a matter of microphone placement. In such a situation,
you should invest in a lavaliere microphone for the presenter to
wear. The mic is then in place less than a foot from the
presenter’s mouth and will record clear audio.
In Figure 7 below, I am placing a lavaliere
mic on blues guitarist B.B. King prior to shooting a TV
commercial. In this case, the microphone will be hidden from
view. I’m tucking it under his collar, out of sight.
Figure 7
Another option would have been to use a mic
on a boom pole just out of frame as we did for Steve Young back
in Figure 1 below (see Mistake #5).
Another example is seen in Figure 8, below. The boom mic is
just above the head of the subject, but is cropped out of the
shot by the video camera. You’ll also see the make-up artist
touching up our subject’s hair.
Figure 8
If possible when buying or renting a
lavaliere, get a good wireless microphone. Don’t defeat
the purpose by getting a cheap microphone that feeds buzzes and
hisses to your recording system. A pair of decent, yet
inexpensive headphones will let you listen to the audio that you
are getting. If you don’t get a clean signal, take the
microphone back to the store and get one that works for you.
Prices for good quality mics have come down
dramatically over the years, so if you are going to do much of
this type of “talking head” recording, it’s worth the small
investment.
Microphones are obviously not just for
amplification. You need a good mic close to the subject to get
good clear audio.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted February 12, 2012
MISTAKE 6. DON’T USE
A TRIPOD OR OTHER CAMERA SUPPORT
The pros know that a steady camera is
critical to getting a good, interesting image. If the camera is
bouncing around, the viewer gets distracted and often, annoyed.
If the viewer’s mind is busy following the subject around the
screen, it won’t be concentrating on your message.
At certain times, a moving camera becomes
an art form, such as is seen in music videos. But corporate
videos are not music videos. Keep the camera on the tripod and
keep the camera movements smooth.
When the pros shoot, there are a wide
variety of camera mounts available for image stabilization.
These include various sizes of tripods, jib arms, cranes,
dollies and a Steadicam®.
In Figures 4 and 5, you’ll see the back and
front shots of a dolly, with the camera operator on board, and
the dolly grip pushing it on tracks. The dolly gives great
smooth shots, but due to the expense of rental and the two
people needed to operate it, it can be a pricey addition to the
program.
 
Figure
4
Figure 5
In Figure 6 we are using a jib arm in
preparation to making swooping and climbing shots of a store
facade. The jib can be rented in various sizes and can create
an almost 3D look. It needs a trained operator.
Figure 6
While the jib can move extensively around a
subject, for true 3D views, a Steadicam® is called for. This is
a specialized harness that needs to be used by an experienced
camera operator. It can give dramatic looks at the subject,
including moving smoothly around them for 360 degrees or more.
You can see a Steadicam® on the left in
Figure 1 below. Unless you have a Steadicam® and trained
operator, don’t follow your subject around with the camera –
leave it to the pros.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted February 5, 2012
MISTAKE 5. SKIP THE
LIGHTING AND OTHER EQUIPMENT THAT WILL REALLY MAKE THE IMAGE
“POP”
The current level of electronic technology
is truly extraordinary. Home camcorders are easy to use and
affordable, and everyone fancies himself or herself a TV
director. But as good as these cameras have become, a
professional, high-impact look will only come when additional
lighting and other equipment are applied. Even current reality
shows are supplemented by lots of lighting instruments and other
gear specially designed to make the shots look good.
Knowing how to light is a complete art and
science unto itself. If you were to review the movie credits at
the end of a major motion picture (without animation or special
effects) over half the people would be involved in lighting and
related areas to make the image look just right.
Of course, we’re not trying to duplicate
“Gone with the Wind” here, but remember that the image that you
show, is the image that represents YOU.
In addition to lighting instruments, some
of the gear that might be called into play includes soft lights,
gels, reflectors, bounce cards, cookies, scrims and light
diffusion. You can see a couple of these in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1
In the above shoot we did, starring Steve
Young of 49er fame, you can see 2 big soft lights as the primary
lighting source. We have also have other “harder” (e.g. not
soft) lights out of frame above and to the left of this image –
including fill and back lights.
The light cutter at the top center is used
to keep too much light from flooding the background.
In Figure 2 below, note the large reflector
above the men with the fog machine. This is used to redirect
sunlight for an outdoor shoot. In Figure 3, just to the right
of the top center is a half flag, used to block and diffuse some
of the light coming from a light out of the picture to the
right. You can see the light is still pretty bright on our
subject’s face.
 
Figure
2
Figure 3
While this array of lighting and grip
equipment is typically not available for shooting corporate
video on your own, it can enhance the image dramatically. And
if your budget does not allow a complete video production crew
to shoot the video, freelance lighting directors with rental
equipment are available, and that could give a corporate video a
look that will set it apart from other more amateurish efforts.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted January 29,
2012
MISTAKE 4. TAKE THE
ATTITUDE THAT “IT’S JUST A CORPORATE VIDEO”
Let’s face facts: your audience is
comprised of sophisticated television and media viewers.
According to Nielsen Research, as of 2006,
the average American watched 4
hours and 35 minutes of TV each day.
With your viewers constantly bombarded
with video images, they are quite jaded to “ordinary” video.
They are sophisticated consumers of the media, so do not think
that you they will excuse shoddy production values if you want
to deliver an effective message.
The obvious implication is that the
more important the idea you wish to communicate, the greater the
reason to have your video or multimedia project professionally
produced. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.
I will be the first to admit that there
are projects that are exceptions to the “it’s only corporate
video” rule. If you are just recording a technical seminar or
other “mind dump” for future new hires or people that are out of
town, then by all means set up the camcorder in the back of the
room and let it run. But even if that is the case, please see
rule #7, below.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted January 22, 2012
MISTAKE 3. JUST
ASSUME THAT VIDEO OR MULTIMEDIA IS THE SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM
Not all problems can be solved through the
use of video and multimedia, so that is why it is so important
to understand the answers to #1 and #2 above.
In the area of sales and marketing, video
and multimedia can be an important strategic component in the
mix. In other areas, such a skills training, a video
presentation might be just the ticket to be able to demonstrate
proper technique to newly hired or promoted people.
In general, video and multimedia
projects are best used where showing the product, service or
process is advised. In sales and marketing, a particularly
effective use is to show products in use that are impractical to
bring to the prospective client for a demonstration. Over the
years, we have done programs showing hotels, large assembly line
robots, clean room processes, exercise programs, and many other
areas where a demonstration in an office of the product or
service is just not practical.
In areas involving interpersonal skills,
such as management training, video might be a part of the
solution. Establishing the groundwork in an area could be an
excellent use of video, especially if there will be many
employees over time who require this training. But for smaller
groups, or for brief periods of time, role playing and other
techniques could be warranted, whereas video and multimedia
would not.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted January 12, 2012
MISTAKE 2. DON’T
PRE-DETERMINE YOUR OBJECTIVE
This goes hand-in-hand with
my post from January 2nd. In addition
to knowing who you are talking to, you need to know what you
want them to do or feel after the program has been delivered.
Whenever possible, the objective should be
quantifiable. It is certainly easier to measure results in the
area of training. As any good training professional knows, pre-
and post-training assessment tests can quantify the results of a
training program.
Similarly, for sales and marketing or
communications, detailed testing and statistics can be gathered
about project awareness and attitudes before and after the
presentation of the overall program package. But each of those
probably aren’t the real desired results – the true goal is
pumping up the sales figures.
As in training, it is desirable to measure
the effectiveness the sales or communications program has in
meeting the stated goals.
There is a problem, however.
Measurement of the specific impact of the video or multimedia
program is difficult, as the production is typically not used in
isolation. Instead it is usually part of a package of other
material delivered in conjunction with the video or multimedia
program.
Ideally, we would like to emulate large
consumer companies, where extensive market research provides
detailed analysis of specific advertising and promotional
techniques. They can isolate the effects of individual
components of an overall brand marketing strategy, for example.
But this requires an extensive historical background and a very
large sample size to help isolate variables and establish causal
relationships.
However, this is
more problematic in the business-to-business world.
B to B companies rarely have the historical
data to statistically isolate the cause and effect relationships
of individual marketing components. This is compounded because
a new product or service introduction is often where we see the
merger of these packages of video, trade show booth, collateral
and trade publication advertising. This renders historical
comparisons largely irrelevant.
The opportunity to measure program
effectiveness is not impossible, however. Anecdotal evidence
can be gathered from clients as to what portions of the total
package made the biggest impact. This can even be formally
quantified through the use of surveys. Mix in a good portion of
industry experience and common sense, and the sales or marketing
exec can often get a pretty good feel for the impact of the
video or multimedia portion of the campaign, as well as the
other individual components.
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
Posted January 2, 2012
MISTAKE 1. DON‘T
BOTHER TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE (OR TO CONSTANTLY KEEP IT IN
MIND)
This is the first and foremost rule of
creating any kind of communications program, yet it is amazing
how often it gets violated. This rule is certainly not unique
to video or multimedia programming. In all forms of audio and
visual communication, it is imperative to develop a precise
definition of the target audience – and remember it.
Market research firms and departments spend
billions of dollars annually to determine who will
receive a message so that proper product placement, advertising
and promotions can be done. And it can be
money well spent.
Yet we often see companies approaching
their video and/or multimedia projects with a “Ready, Fire, Aim”
approach. They use a shotgun when a rifle is called for. They
try to appeal to several audiences with the hope that the
program will serve multiple purposes. Remember, when you try to
appeal to everybody, you appeal to nobody.
While the same basic program can sometimes
be used for different audiences, it is recommended that
different variations or versions be developed for those
different groups. It’s a simple matter to re-edit or re-narrate
portions of a production. However, efficiency demands that this
is planned from the beginning of the project.
So remember to plan the project with your
audience in mind. Know what their level of expertise or
experience is with the topic. This will avoid the problem of
shooting too low (e.g. wasting their time showing or telling
them something they know) or too high (losing them because you
assume a level of expertise they haven’t yet attained).
Jim Penrose
Penrose Productions
www.penroseproductions.com
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