©2014 Brandt Krueger, Video & Production, metroConnections

The use of videos for marketing, training and sales tools is on the rise in all areas of business including meetings and events. In fact, companies and associations are discovering the value of the footage of sessions, receptions and activities that they?d previously discarded. Further, more and more companies are producing videos to be used for informational or educational purposes.

Why the growth? It?s simple. Video is no longer just a way to capture a meeting or a presentation. Rather, today it?s a way to digitally deliver your message on your website and social media space. YouTube became the number two search engine in the world in 2013, reinforcing that our society turns to videos when we want to learn how to do something, be entertained, or make a business decision.

The good news is that with the proliferation of amateur-shot video on the web, audiences have become increasingly tolerant of lower production value and lower quality video in general. This reality means you don?t have to blow your budget on video production to get your message out, as long as the content is interesting and entertaining. It also means videos are trending more towards the business casual than business professional. However, as casual as the video production trend may be, it?s still important to pay attention to a few key best practices. After all, shaky amateur camera video might work well for those family home videos,

·       Shed a Little Light on the Subject: When it comes to documenting a live, in-person meeting or event, the biggest mistake is to skimp on the lighting. Even if you?re in a room that might be so small that you wouldn?t normally need lighting, you might want to consider adding it if shooting video footage. It might be overkill for the live audience, but cameras love light, and when editing, it?s a lot easier to make a bright scene darker than to make a dark scene lighter. You may encounter pushback from your speakers about the additional lighting, but gently remind them that it?s important that both the in-room and on-demand audiences can see them properly.  When the lights are too dim, even the most expensive cameras can look grainy and ?noisy.?

·       The Pen is Mightier: Although a picture is worth a thousand words, the message  in a video is still important.  When developing video content to be played during a meeting, always start by outlining your goals and objectives, or the core message you?re trying to transmit. Even if the primary goal is to entertain, you still need to keep the overarching objective in mind. It?s important to have an identified goal before you begin the script process. This planning involves identifying the target audience, as it will help you define the tone of the script. Then, outline the script in terms of the problem/challenge or need, the solution, how the solution works and then a call to action. If designing a sales video, be sure to stress the benefits, not the features of your product. Be sure to spend some time with the person who will actually be speaking, so you can write the script in the way that they speak and keep the words sounding natural. For example, I tend to start sentences with, ?Now...? or, ?So...? Therefore, when writing a script for myself, I will intentionally throw some of these into the prose to keep my speaking natural and sounding like myself. Also, don?t be afraid to hire an outside script-writer. They can be remarkably inexpensive considering the enormous benefit and insight they can bring to the table. 

·         ?B? Everywhere: In order to get the most out of your video shoot, think long-term so you can repurpose video footage. This entails shooting some ?b-roll? -- jargon for footage that doesn?t necessarily link directly to a script. The term stems from the old days of TV in which editing was performed with two tape decks. The ?A? deck contained the main tape with your interviews, while the ?B? deck had the b-roll, or cover shots and other material you can weave in. Having available b-roll gives you material to ?cut away? to while the speaker keeps talking underneath. You?ll also benefit from having extra footage you can use for a variety of other future productions. And finally, if your CEO just can?t get through their speech in one take, you can use this b-roll to cover the edit between the takes.

·       Can?t get Thar from Here:  While the ideal situation is being able to send video crews to locations to capture your story, it?s not always feasible, or necessary to travel. You can still pull together a video that delivers your message by hiring a professional with experience splicing together various mediums such as video, PowerPoint presentations, still images and more. There are a variety of sources to consider ranging from archival videos or photos to graphics and animations. If you can?t get quality sound on location, consider using text quotations and titles to get the core messages across. You might also opt to use professional voice-over talent to deliver your message, instead of a person directly connected to your company or association.

·       Keep Time on your Side: When hiring a video crew, you will be invoiced ?half day? and ?full day? rates.  In most cases, the full and half day rates aren?t that different because much of the cost is related to the equipment, travel time, set-up and so on. The variable is simply how long the crew is on site. So, unless you?re fairly confident you can comfortably get what you need done in four hours, it may be wise to book them for the full day. Your executives, speakers, or other subjects can take as long as they need to get comfortable, and try as many ?takes? as necessary to get the right one. You?ll also have plenty of time to gather b-roll footage.

Keeping these five video pointers in mind can go a long way towards creating quality content that can be used both internally and externally to accomplish a variety of goals. By integrating these best practices, you?ll be able to hone your message from start to finish, deliver your content accurately and on target, as well as serve as a source of marketing for your company or association if the subjects are particularly useful or enlightening!

Brandt Krueger is "the man on the headset" for most of metroConnections' large scale meetings and events, helping to produce hundreds of meetings and technical productions. When not calling shows, he leads metroConnections' content creation services, providing presentation development, opening and closing video creation, and on-site video production services. In addition to his day job, he is an instructor at the Event Leadership Institute, presenting classes and webinars on technical meeting production, presentations and other meeting technology related topics. He's also a co-host of the popular industry netcast, the Event Alley Show.

The metroConnections Production Services crew uses state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge video editing expertise to manage your video and make it a big success.  Whether it?s created in our in-house video editing suite or onsite at your meeting, let us create a custom video for your conference opening, product launch, destination announcement and much, much more. Contact:production@metroconnections.com.