-
Tweets with a Dose of Crazy
July 23rd, 2011
This guy is funny — and so are his tweets.
My colleague Regent Ducas, Senior Vice President of Content Marketing, and I met David Feherty producing and shooting a series of short videos for the Four Seasons Resort and Sports Club in Las Colinas, a Dallas suburb.Feherty, a commentator for CBS Sports and host of a new primetime show on the Golf Channel, has close to 40 thousand followers on Twitter. You have to read and enjoy his tweets to see why.
He doesn’t take himself seriously, but he asks great questions on his show and has a history of depression and other problems he’s not afraid to write about.
When you talk about transparency, that’s Feherty. During our shoot of promos for the HP Byron Nelson tournament at the Four Seasons, he was as unpredictable off camera as on camera.
So when I saw this commercial for his Golf Channel interview show, Feherty was perfectly in character. This freeze frame above captures the “crazy” and engaging personality.
So what does this mean for you?
TAKEAWAYS
Let your real personality shine through.
If you have a personality in your company, give them an opportunity to connect with customers and prospects with video.
Yes, you don’t want to go overboard or come across as half crazy, but you likely can do more than put on an “official” face.
Look for opportunities not to take yourself too seriously unless the subject of your video requires it.
Posted in Social Media, Social Media Video, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »
-
Web Videos: What You Need to Know
July 10th, 2011
Here are key points:
Keep the video under 2 minutes, preferably 90 seconds.
Capture attention in the first 10 seconds.
Instead of using spokespersons, use owners and principals.
Tell an interesting story about customer experiences and success stories.
Make sure the video can be viewed on all devices — mobile phones, tablets and PCs.
Don’t be afraid to take fresh approaches — like the Blendtec folks whose Will It Blend? videos went viral. In this case, you’re looking at blending an iPhone.
Here’s the video, which is nearing ten million hits followed by a few important still frames.
My colleague Regent Ducas and I underscore the fact your videos need to be real, authentic, and you. If it looks like a high gloss commercial, people will tune it out in most cases. Yes, Super Bowl commercials are definitely an exception. You’ll notice what makes the Will It Blend? concept so powerful is not slickness.
Posted in Social Media Video, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »
-
Viewers Crave this Type of Journalism
July 1st, 2011
The Washington Post’s Fact Checker does what the name implies. It’s a great example of going the extra step to distinguish its content.
The writer, Glenn Kessler, provides a reality check so a President or anyone doesn’t pull a fast one. He also gives so-called Pinocchios. Two means the presentation made serious mistakes.
He writes:
In a bit of class jujitsu, the president six times mentioned eliminating a tax loophole for corporate jets, frequently pitting it against student loans or food safety. It’s a potent image, but in the context of a $4 trillion goal, it is essentially meaningless. The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years.
Viewers value this type of reporting because you’re nailing down important facts, serving as viewer advocate. So:
- Look for opportunities to check facts on important pronouncements — especially political ones.
- One way to make this relatively easy is to check with that person’s greatest critics.
- After you nail down your facts, give the official or politician an opportunity to respond while asking them the tough questions.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Social Media Video, Uncategorized | No Comments »
-
Learn from Extreme Makeover
June 30th, 2011
You’ll find great storytelling elements here. See how many you can spot, then look at my takeaways. This moves fast, which is the point.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training, Uncategorized | No Comments »
-
“No Pictures, Please”
June 26th, 2011
How do you shoot a person when you can’t show anybody else in the picture? We often get this question when, for example, a multimedia journalist has permission to shoot one student in a classroom or gym but nobody else.
First, prepare to pass up on some of your best shots. It seems there’s always someone in the background. So you have to consider your best options:
- Shoot up, although sometimes these shots aren’t flattering. Bottom left example below.
- Shoot tight or tight enough so the people in the background are out of focus. Bottom right example below.
- Shoot down by holding the camera over your subject. Bottom example.
- Invite the subject of your shoot to move to an area where nobody is in the background.
- Schedule the shoot when nobody else is around, but that didn’t work in this base because the idea was to capture the energy of the workout class.
The client, The Four Seasons Resort, was happy with the results my colleague Regent Ducas and I produced and shot for this web video showing Sports Club member Meredith Johnston. Nobody else working out was even remotely concerned about the video shoot, which was the goal.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »
-
Hold This for When You’re Overloaded
June 26th, 2011
With furloughs and layoffs hitting every business, some are asking: “How do I get through this? I’m already overloaded.”
You don’t have many choices unless you’re independently wealthy. Here’s what we recommend:Write down the big projects.
Make a realistic estimate as to how much work and time they’ll require.
Consider what you believe are the higher and lower priorities, even numbering them.
Ask the person you report to — and everybody we know reports to somebody — whether these priorities are aligned with what they have in mind.
If something has to give, make sure you both know what is it. Same for what can’t give.
You’ll still work hard, but your chances of avoiding what’s happening to this poor creature will be better.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Video | No Comments »
-
What Does Your Resume Video Look Like?
June 9th, 2011
To show that the Today Show’s new host Ann Curry is an experienced journalist — not just a news reader or personality — they showed memorable moments. As we pointed out in a similar salute to Meredith Vieira, success is all about memorable moments.
But forget about Curry and Vieira for a moment, and think about yourself. What would a salute to you look like? What are the memorable moments? If you feel you’re coming up short, how can you create them?
Yes, you can set a camera up on a tripod when you have to. Or for big stories, you might have the opportunity to work with a photographer. But either way, think of those moments you need to capture. And you don’t have to think of a resume video as much as what you want viewers in your market to say about you. Specifically, what makes you uniquely valuable to them?
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
-
Strong Storytelling Example from Multimedia Journalist Anchor
June 8th, 2011
Example of good storytelling.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
-
Unleashing Depth of Field to Your Advantage
May 24th, 2011
Think more about depth of field.If you want to focus on your interview subject, zoom in to when the background goes out of focus. Portrait photographers use this technique, and you should, too.
Sometimes it’s necessary to shoot at your widest angle when you want to showcase the background. This is an example from a video my colleague Regent Ducas and I created for the Four Seasons Resort and Club in the Dallas area. You can easily see the pool in the background, which is important for the promotional video:
TAKEAWAY
Use depth of field to make your point visually.
Decide if you want to emphasize the person or the total scene.
Each shot should advance your visual storytelling.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Uncategorized | No Comments »
-
Promo Showing Strong Questions
February 27th, 2011
Ask good questions, and they can wind up in promos.
—————
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Twitter, Uncategorized | No Comments »
