Be A Video Production & Video Marketing Master!

This lecture gives you a very brief introduction to Video Marketing, what it is and how it became such a key player in contemporary online marketing.

This lecture articulates a few reasons why you should be considering video marketing as a route to meet your objectives, with a few statistics and benefits thrown in. If you're already a convert to the cause then this will just give you a little fodder for the doubters in your organisation!

Welcome to Chapter 2! This chapter looks at a wide variety of common video production formats that businesses and individuals create in order to populate their online video efforts. We look at the regular promotional video and corporate video formats as well as other specialist, but equally effective, formats such as the demonstration video and client testimonial.

The Promotional Video is one of the most common video production and video marketing formats. It's a nebulous and flexible format that allows maximum creativity and expression, while having a very definite objective. In this chapter we take a look at some popular examples of the promotional video.

The Corporate Video is the most conservative of video marketing formats - nothing wrong with that though! Use this to humanise your business, reassure potential customers and highlight your USPs and achievements.

Viral Videos are a contentious format, often coveted but rarely achieved. There is no exact science behind creating a viral video but entertainment is the name of the game, and arousal of three key emotions...

Demonstration Videos are a great way to show off the capabilities of your product, justify your USP and win over new customers from your competitors camp.

Bolster, or forge, the reputation of your business with video testimonials from your satisfied clients. This lecture looks at how to craft an effective video testimonial to win over potential customers sitting on the fence.

Live event video is a cornerstone of video production work - businesses and companies are always holding events and will always want these experiences captured for posterity and promotion. It's your job as a video production professional to ensure all the important elements are captured clearly and professionally because once you've missed it - there's no going back!

The educational video is an interesting video production format, it's use in marketing seems to be counterproductive when in fact it can be one of the greatest and most profitable video marketing tools out there - as long as you look long term. In this lecture we take a look at how the educational video can position your business as an expert in its field and attract more clients and jealous competitors!

Video blogging is a great way of getting an intimate and personal experience of a company. However, it's a difficult video format to do correctly, both from a presenter and production point of view. This lecture briefly looks at video blogging and what it can achieve for your business.

Now you're familiar with the multitude of video production formats out there, it's time to move forward in to the world of production requirements, your tools of the trade as it were.

The Video Camera is....well, a bit of an essential tool in the world of video production and video marketing. It's your rifle - there's many like it but this one is yours etc This lecture takes a look at what you should expect in your primary video production tool, from sound capabilities to body form and lenses. This lecture won't be promoting individual cameras as the technology landscape moves so quickly.

The video camera may not be the *only* way to produce quality video content, there are a number of alternative methods from mobile devices to screen capture that can help you kick-start your video library without the huge upfront cost of a professional video camera. In this lecture we take a look at these alternatives.

Having completed your video shoot you need the capabilities to edit and craft your footage in to a polished and professional video production. This lecture will introduce you to the world of video editors, free, consumer and professional to help you make an informed choice about which software you'd like to use.

Being heard is just as important as being seen when creating your video content, so this lecture will give you an an insight in to the hardware and kit available to you. We'll be looking at different sorts of audio equipment for different purposes, different budgets and different situations so whevever you go, you'll be prepared.

This lecture addresses all those bits and pieces that make your job easier or more professional when producing great video content.

The script is the backbone to great video productions, but understanding the science behind a compelling script isn't always easy. In this lecture, we take a look at the elements of an effective script to help you craft a narrative that is both interesting, personable and most importantly, converts viewers to customers.

So after discussing how to create a professional script, we then decide whether to throw it out or not... Using a script does have its benefits but also its pitfalls and in this lecture we examine what these might be so that you can decide what method works best with different types of subjects.

Filming in multiple locations will always be part of the job - these locations will almost always be unfamiliar to you and providing a variety of limitations and dangers. Effective location scouting is a skill and in this lecture we'll take a look at some of the key things you should firstly be aware of, and then how to actively examine them when on site.

Storyboarding your video production is a fantastic and effective way of streamlining the production process. It helps you to clarify your vision to the client or your colleagues, as well as building solid working relationships with actors, presenters, camera operators or editors. In this lecture we take a look at how to produce professional storyboards for your professional video production.

In this lecture we'll quickly run through some of the documentation that could be useful during your video production career. This will ease the passage when filming in locations, and sourcing talent to appear in front of the camera.

That's the end of the pre-production phase! Hopefully you've learnt how to create a solid backbone to your video, you've committed your video to a paper format and you've tied up all loose ends, so now it's time to start the production!

Aaaaand we're off! It's time to start learning the ropes of professional video production. This next chapter will be exploring the professional use of lighting, audio, composition and camera proficiency. Let's go!

Being able to use and point a camera is only a small part of professional video production. Ensuring your subject is well-lit, visible and beautifully positioned is what makes your vision really stand out as professional. In this lecture we'll be looking at how to light a subject properly using professional techniques and more importantly, what to do in times of adversity or in difficult locations!

In this chapter we'll take a look at how to ensure you achieve the best sound quality while on your video production shoot. This includes using the kit to its full potential, minimising intrusive sounds and telling Frank to shut the hell up.

It's not about just plonking the camera down and facing it forward (though that does help) - video production should be treated as an art of sorts and therefore you need to really take care with your frame. Treat it as a canvas and make sure you get the most impressive shot you can through framing of your subjects and artistic composition of foreground and background elements.

The white balance ensures your video footage looks clean, natural and beautifully balanced - but it's a consideration often overlooked by amateur videographers. This lecture will introduce you to the concept of balancing your video footage for colour and achieving the most professional look.

This lecture will introduce you to a number of other camera settings that should be considered during your video production shoot. These extra steps will ensure you get the best picture on the day rater than having to fix it in post.

We've now learnt about the basics of a professional video production shoot so it's time to start looking at specifics. While every video production will be different, there are likely to be commonalities and these are addressed in the following chapter.

We're now in the midst of shooting your video and while everyone's videos will be vastly different it's likely they'll feature human subjects at one time or another. This chapter looks at specifically filming people and how to get the best out both professional and non-professional subjects.

Interviews are an important aspect of many corporate and promotional videos. This lecture will examine how to shoot a professional interview, building on the skills you've learnt about achieving professional audio and lighting.

This lecture looks at ways you can humanise your video by using people in front of the camera, both professional and non-professional subjects alike. Humanising your video is key to building trust between your digital presence and the customer but depending on your time, budget and resources it can be hard.

If you were paying attention to the previous lecture then you know how important a human presence is in your video content but chances are that the majority of the time you'll be working with non-professionals - staff and clients. Managing people in front of the camera is a tricky task and takes practice and experience - so I guess it's lucky you've got this course to have it all laid out for you!

Getting professional subjects in front of the camera is a mammoth task in itself but then getting a good sound byte from them can be even harder. Their performance affects your final product! This lecture collates some of the best tips and tricks I've picked up in my years interviewing people for video.

While interviews and dialogue often forms the backbone of your video production, they're not particularly inspiring for your viewer. So, to spice up your content it's integral you add cutaways, otherwise known as General Views (GVs) that add substance to your narrative.

During the shoot it's worth considering the editing process that is to follow. Dong so can make your shoot more efficient - stripping out unnecessary shots, including helpful linking shots or even shooting for special effects shots.

We now conclude the chapters on professional video production and move on to the post-production stage - the video edit.

In this following chapter we're going to take a look at editing your video production. We'll be using Adobe Premiere Pro as our main editor, but the theory, techniques and even the interface will be applicable to most editors you may choose to use.

Before the editing process can begin you need to get your digital footage from the camera to the computer. This lecture covers this small first step commonly known as 'ingesting'

Like it says on the tin...or on this lecture. We take a look at the options Premiere Pro throws at us before it lets us pass in to the complexities of the software. That is all.

We now kick the tyres and take a look around the Premiere Pro interface, familiarising yourself with the layout and the different functions and features of the software. Whether you use Premiere Pro or not, editing software is often very similar in functionality and look so whatever editing program you use, this lecture will still be valuable.

In this lecture we'll be fully immersed in the editing process. Covers importing your footage, cutting, moving, layering and audio on the timeline.

In the advanced editing lecture we'll cover keyframes, colour correction and titling and setting up your video to add in animated and motion graphic elements.

In this lecture we'll be entering the world of After Effects. A powerful and complex piece of software that creates special effects, animation and advanced editing techniques. We'll start off slowly by creating some simple animated watermarks, lower thirds and intros for the video you produced in the previous two lectures. Assets are included in the free media pack downloadable in Lecture 45.

With your newly edited video complete, it's time to let it loose in the wilds of the online world. Exporting your video isn't as easy as a 1-click process so in this lecture we'll introduce you to the myriad of export options to help you choose the right export settings for you.

The world wide web is a pretty massive place and if you know where to look has some great resources for the video marketer. This lecture will just introduce you to some of my favourite places on the internetz for digital assets and...stuff.

Once you've rendered out your video, chances are you're sitting on a (relatively) large digital file. This lecture introduces you to the myriad of programs and technologies that can help you effortlessly transfer your finished production to your clients online.

At the close of this chapter, you should have the know-how to edit your video production to a professional standard and with some advanced techniques thrown in.