#ditvideo

The last couple weeks, we covered two fairly important topics, namely how you can convert part of your house or office into a DIY video studio, as well as how to find the right spot for on-location filming. The only thing we haven’t spoken about yet is how to find the right film studio for your project. There will be times where you may find that your DIY home studio and on-location filming just aren’t what you’re looking for. If what you need is a more controlled environment where you have greater editing power over your sound and visuals, then maybe it’s time you find a studio. Professional studio spaces often have a number of advantages such as soundproofing, a green screen(s), props, various sets, proper facilities, and access to a variety of editing software. One of the biggest issues however, is finding the studio that’s right for you, which is what we are going to give you a hand with today!

It may sound obvious, but the first thing you should do before picking a studio is make sure that you’re informed. A good first step would be to start doing some research and compile a list of studios you may be interested in. If you are completely new to the process and don’t know exactly where to start, consider asking friends or acquaintances in the industry if they know of any studios that may suit your needs. This is especially important if the aforementioned friends have actually used the studio’s services before. Let’s face it, a website can say a lot about a film studio, but a firsthand account can arguably tell you more. If you don’t know anyone who has utilized a studio, don’t worry! You can still try asking a studio for the number of some of their clients to get a better idea of their work. You should also make sure to find some samples or past work from each studio on your list so you can see their work quality for yourself.

While keeping yourself informed is critical to finding the right film studio for you, it’s equally important that you make sure your studio is informed as well. Every studio is different and will have its own pros and cons, so take the time to properly let them know exactly what you’re looking for. Also, see if they’ve ever done a project like yours before. If they haven’t, it doesn’t necessarily have to disqualify them from your choices, but extra care has to be taken in making sure that they fully understand how you want your project to turn out. It’s for that reason that we recommend you find someone who has had actual experience with projects of your type. After you have established that the studio has a good idea of what you are looking for, see if you can ask for a film treatment. A treatment (to put it simply) is essentially a much lengthier type of outline that comes before a film’s first draft and contains various editorial and directorial votes. The reason for their length is because they usually will extensively describe each scene, which is why it is important to see if the studios you’re looking at can produce a treatment you are on board with.

In our last post, we talked about some steps you can take to help make your own room/office space a functional DIY video studio. However, as convenient as it is to have a place you can always produce content in, sometimes your craft calls for you to film somewhere else! Whether you’re a filmmaker, vlogger, or video marketer, you can’t always expect to film from the comfort of inside your (or someone else’s) studio, so it’s important to know what to expect when filming outside. Before you bust out the cameras though, you need to make sure you know how to look for your ideal filming location, which is what we will be discussing in today’s post. Finding a location to film in may seem like a really simple task, but we find that it can easily have its fair share of obstacles and aggravations. That’s why we’re going to take a few minutes to go over some basic tips that will help you in your location scouting.

 Before even going outside, the first thing you should do in your location scouting process is to consult your script. Make sure that whatever location you decide on is appropriate or relevant to the context and setting of your work. Your film/video has a story or message to tell, so you should make sure that your surroundings are not going to distract from that, but instead add to it. Additionally, make sure to pay attention to the time that your external scenes are supposed to be shot, and visit your potential locations at the appropriate hours. If you have a scene to film during a dusk setting, it would be a little ridiculous, not to mention counterproductive, for you to only visit it at noon. This isn’t just a lighting issue either. Due to the fact that traffic, civilian activity, and city maintenance have varying peaks throughout the day, it would be in your best interest to scout your location at the appropriate time so you know what to expect.

Since we mentioned lighting, let’s discuss what might be the most fickle part of this process, the sun. The sun, while wonderful in so many ways, has an obvious habit of making filming outside a bit complicated, mainly due to the fact that it doesn’t wait on your schedule and will proceed to change your lighting on a whim. Therefore, some discipline and time management skills are essential to making sure that filming stays on schedule and gets done right. Along with visiting your location(s) at the appropriate hour, make sure to take note of the lighting tone and your general orientation to the sun. After figuring out what position and hours work best for you and your scene, make sure to consistently film during those hours to avoid any break in continuity. Plus, take some time to locate and avoid/dim any highly reflective surfaces that may cause unwanted glares on camera.

After covering everything lighting related, its time to move onto the equally delicate process of make sure that your sound is of decent quality. Just because the scenery looks good doesn’t mean that the video won’t sound terrible and ruin your work. We know we say it often, but audio can be a defining factor in any video/film and it should be taken seriously. When scouting your locations, take note of the surrounding background noises. Make sure to listen with and without your mic’s headphones and check for any interference that you may pickup. Since sound dampening isn’t really much of an option in this scenario, monitoring things like traffic, pedestrian noise, and various nature sounds is key.

 Next on our list of external forces to look out for when location scouting is the weather. You can track the sun and avoid loud sounds all you want, if the weather isn’t right, it won’t work for your shot. Aside from the fact that a change in weather may not fit the director’s vision or aesthetic, there is also the matter of potential damage to your equipment. Excessive sun can cause cameras to overheat, strong winds can topple equipment and ruin audio, and don’t even get us started on video cameras and rain. Our point is, check the forecast in advance before filming, and if you have to film during difficult conditions, take the steps needed to prevent any damage to the equipment or crew. If it’s overly hot, make sure to keep you cameras shaded and covered. Too cold? Keep your equipment wrapped in blankets or coats to preserve the batteries. Rain got you down? Make sure that essential equipment is always covered and stored inside when not needed. Whatever the issue may be, it’s important to be prepared.

When it comes to producing video content, few things can be more aggravating than having an idea but not having a proper location to film it. Inspiration doesn’t have a schedule, so it’s ideal to have a place you can always access for filming. Unfortunately, renting time at a studio isn’t always convenient, given the expenses and scheduling that often need to be taken care of, and expensive production equipment can really put a dent in the bank. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to turn a regular spot in your home or workplace into a convenient DIY video studio for your videos!

 The first thing you’re going to have to think about is your studio’s location. Make sure that you try and pick a spot that’s free of any external or background noises, as well as isolated enough that you won’t be experiencing interruptions mid-recording. Additionally, make sure to consider what backdrop you’ll use for your videos, as the audience is obviously going to be seeing it often. Some may consider utilizing a blank white wall in their house or office as a backdrop. While this solution may be a simple one, using a blank wall can appear rather boring and also leaves your videos susceptible to potential glares and reflections. Ideally, you’ll want to acquire an industry-made, collapsible backdrop for your space, which should be fairly simple to do, seeing as their prices can be quite affordable. If you’re on a tight budget and need an alternate option, don’t worry! You can use seamless paper (in roll or sheet form) and tape it over the wall you will be shooting in front of. You can even use a taught sheet and hang it behind you while you record, so long as you pick a solid color. Some of you may not want to use a backdrop and would prefer to use a more natural background from your home or office, and that’s fine! We’re not going to tell you how to produce your content. However, make sure that whatever background space you use isn’t too boring or overwhelming. As we mentioned before, your audience is going to be seeing it a lot, and we don’t want what’s behind you distracting from your content. The last thing we’ll mention about location is setting up. If you can, try and always keep your DIY studio set up. Doing this not only saves you some time and effort, it’s also convenient when you get a spontaneous idea! Let’s face it, when inspiration strikes, you want to start filming while the juices are still flowing, not setting up your equipment.

After you figure out where you’ll be filming, it’s time to take care of the sound in the room. We mentioned before to take care and avoid any spots that may experience a lot of background noise, such as potential feedback or civilian activity, but we did not address echoes. Echoes and reverb are often cool effects, whether natural or simulated, but unless they actually pertain to your video’s subject matter, it’s best to avoid them. If your location happens to have an echo, then you should make sure to deaden the room a bit. Buying a sound-dampening panel or acoustic foam is a great and almost immediate solution, but what if you’re still on that budget we spoke about earlier? Not a problem! Try hanging some blankets or comforters in front of the walls and moving a couch or two into the room, you’ll find that this helps with sound dampening. You’re goal is to keep sound waves from reflecting off the walls all over the room, so adding some padding and some furniture can help keep that from happening. Also, since we’re on the subject of sound, it seems like we should also discuss recording audio for a minute. Yes, you can always just use the microphone on your camera, laptop, or phone, but we really, really suggest that you acquire a microphone. We’re not saying that you need a super high-grade mic that costs several thousand dollars, but we can’t stress how important audio is and how it can make or break a video. A full-fledged studio microphone is not absolutely necessary, especially if you’re just starting, but a portable ambient recorder or even a microphone attachment for phone can do wonders for a video’s sound quality. If this is not currently an option, consider making it your first upgrade when it becomes affordable. Also, when you’re recording, make sure to have different devices set up for audio. That way, you have options when it comes to picking what sounds better.

Now that we’ve covered your location and sound setup, let’s talk about our final piece of equipment…lights! Lighting is an incredibly important and influential part of any filming process, so you need to be careful with what you pick. Overhead lighting creates unattractive shadows and wrinkles on your face, and while the sun’s natural light is beautiful, it isn’t exactly willing to work off of your schedule. Therefore, your best option is to avoid either and invest in some studio lights. Your studio lights don’t need to be extremely expensive and you won’t need more than 3. If that isn’t an option, feel free to utilize household LED lights and whatever DIY lighting tricks you may find online, believe us there are plenty (maybe even a whole blog posts worth). Just make sure that the bulbs are the proper balance and wattage.

It’s that time of year again! With Halloween just around the corner, we’re all preparing (if not already prepared) for the inevitable onslaught of holiday marketing that’s sure to come. Yes, Halloween ads have already been in full swing, but we all know that we’ll steadily be seeing holiday themed advertisements for the next few months. Unfortunately, we also know that the holiday ad onslaught can get a bit overwhelming, especially when not every ad is a winner. However, if you’re worried about releasing a holiday ad for your business, don’t bow out of the race just yet. In fact, an appropriately made holiday ad can do your business a lot of good!

During this time of year, we think it’s safe to say that a number of us tend to feel the holiday spirit, whether we like it or not. While the atmosphere undoubtedly shifts between October and December, the holiday season also consistently remains about celebrating and spending time with those you care for. Needless to say, when making a holiday ad, this is something you should always keep in mind. You can’t just put a Jack-O-Lantern in your commercial and call it a Halloween ad, you need to make sure that you’re on the same plane as your audience. A holiday ad is a chance to potentially show a more emotionally driven side of your business. Instead of doing your usual routine, why not make a more lighthearted and fun ad and have some fun with the holiday atmosphere? How about an ad that focuses on the feelings of joy and generosity that seem to be so contagious this time of year? Whatever your choice, just have fun and embrace the holiday spirit. It may seem strange for your company, but ads like this can feel much more personal for the audience, which in turn can make you seem more genuine and relatable. It also seems appropriate to mention that your employees may be very busy during the holidays, so taking some time away from the rat race to film an entertaining commercial with their peers can serve as a good way to take a break and boost moral.

Now that we’ve covered a less tangible way to please your audience, let’s talk about the other part of the holidays that everyone famously loves…. the shopping. While the bulk of the shopping can be seen around Christmas and Black Friday, there’s no doubt that the holidays inevitably cost us a few pennies more than we’re usually willing to spend. Therefore, this season is a great time to promote any sales for your business! Yes, you could arguably do a sale whenever you felt like it, but the timing wouldn’t be the same. During the holiday season, people are constantly on the lookout for sales, especially when they have a long list of people on their gift lists. You want to make sure that your business is one that they can count on, as well as afford, when the holiday shopping blitz comes around. After all, it’s all about giving to your fellow man, right? Regardless, everyone loves sales and has them on their shopping radars, and you want your business to be on everyones’ radar, simple as that! Also, keep in mind that the people who take advantage of these sales aren’t necessarily one-timers. In fact, a number of your customers may be drawn to your business because of a sale, but remain loyal patrons due to the quality of your product.

Hello and welcome back! This week’s blog is going to be our third entry discussing video metrics. Two weeks ago, we explained why video metrics and analytics could be a great tool for improving your videos. Then last week, we took some time to go over a few basic video metrics and what they specifically mean. As they say, “third time’s the charm”, because this week we are wrapping up this series and going over a couple more basic video metrics you should always monitor.

Our first metric of discussion today is Social Sharing, and as the name implies, it generally refers to the amount of times your content was shared on social media sites. If your content has one or more social media pages (and it probably should), you should generally be able to find out who shared your content quite easily. With Facebook, for example, the number of shares your content received will generally be listed right on your post, and the same can be said for Twitter. What about keeping track of shares via your site, however? Let’s be honest, keeping track of several social media pages can be a bit hectic at times, and you probably don’t want to spend all that time logging into each of your profiles just to check on one videos view and share counts. Well, luckily for you most sites actually provide you with instructions on how to embed a share button onto your site! Not only does this give your viewers a streamlined way to share your content, it also allows you to track and record your shares without ever having to leave your website. Maintaining a presence in social media can certainly be a daunting task, but it goes without saying that social sharing is a crucial part in achieving a wider reach for your content. Yes, there is generally maintenance involved, but you will be exponentially increasing your content’s range. Who knows, you may even find new demographics that are interested in your content.

Our second, and final, video metric for today is Conversion Rate and it is incredibly important. Conversion rate measures the number of viewers that followed through with your video’s call to action. Naturally, if your video doesn’t exactly have a call to action, or has one that isn’t exactly quantifiable, then this metric may not really apply to you. However, if your call to action requires/involves a download, clicking a link, getting in contact with the content creator, or anything similar, then this metric is essential since it lets you know if your video is actually doing its job! Remember though, while your conversion rate may help you understand/modify the effectiveness of your videos, you still need to make sure that you’re directing your audience towards your course of action yourself. For example, you should always make sure to include links to your call to action on your webpage or with your video. If it makes things easier for the viewer, then it can’t hurt!

If you read our entry from last week, you’ll recall that we briefly discussed video metrics and why utilizing them can be beneficial to your website. However, we didn’t get the chance to go over what each metric means, which is obviously an essential step to understanding video metrics. So, without further waiting, let’s take a look at some of the most important video metrics and what they mean!

 The first metric we are going to discuss is view count, which we’re sure all of you already know about. This metric is fairly self-explanatory and demonstrates how many people have viewed your video(s), giving you an idea of your content’s reach and potential fans. While this metric is far from the only one you should be paying attention to, it is objectively the quickest and simplest way to see how your videos are doing and if they are improving. Additionally, if you’re completely new to video metrics and aren’t sure what to do, getting into the habit of checking your content’s view count is a great place to start! Just be prudent and remember that while view count does a great job of informing you of your content’s reach, it won’t be able to give you more in depth information, such as who watches your videos and for how long.

 The next metric on our list is play rate, which indicates the percentage of viewers who clicked on your video when landing on its webpage. This metric is incredibly important because it helps you understand whether your video is contextually relevant to the page that it’s on. If your video happens to be embedded on a webpage whose subject is not really related to that of your videos, chances are that your play count won’t be particularly high. Furthermore, your play rate can also be an indicator of whether or not you’re hitting your ideal demographic. If you’re getting low play rates on your videos, consider finding a more appropriate page to embed them on. Mastering your play rate comes from knowing the audience that loves your videos and knowing where to find them.

 Following play rate, we have Engagement. This metric shows you how much of your video people are watching and, thusly, is a good indicator of the quality of your videos. If people are dropping off midway through your video (or earlier), it can mean that it just isn’t holding their interest. This could be caused by a number of issues such as your video being too drawn out or not beginning with enough engaging content. Whatever the reason, you can attempt to counter your low engagement by using analytics to pinpoint the spot in your video where your audience loses interest. It should also be noted, however, that a lower engagement level may not be all bad news. If you happen to post an instructional or tutorial video, it may be possible that your average viewer’s question was answered early on in your video. They may not have seen all of the information your video had to offer, but it still provided them with the answer to a question that they had, which is obviously good news, since it gains you a potential repeat viewer. Knowing this, you should always remember to not focus all your attention on one metric and to keep a positive attitude.

 The final metric we’re going to discuss today is comments, and we have to say, this one is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, many people believe that keeping track of the comments section on your video’s page generally serves as a bit of a demoralizing act. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that, thanks to the Internet, people are free to say pretty much whatever they want with little to no repercussion, no matter how negative it may be. Hyperbolic insults aside, however, we think it wouldn’t be in our best interest to ignore this metric. Aside from being another easy way to get a general feel for your audience’s reactions to your videos, the comments section can be a great way to see if your content has started any dialogue. Yes, there is always the potential of finding spam, insults, and unrelated conversations in the comments section, but if your video spurred a meaningful discussion among your viewers, then you should certainly count that as a win. The comments section can be very useful for gaining an understanding of your audiences opinions and sentiments, it’s just important that you learn to wade through the comments that aren’t useful and take everything with a grain of salt.

So, you started a video channel or website, put your videos up, and waited for the comments and views to pour in. Now that you’ve started getting some results, you may be wondering what you can do to bump your content’s popularity. Well, if that’s the case, then we have one question to ask you: Are you taking advantage of online video metrics and analytics? Before any of you start groaning at the idea of having to add an extra step of maintenance to your site, give us a minute to explain why these resources are an excellent tool for upping your videos’ popularity and quality.

Before we start, lets quickly explain what video metrics and analytics are. Video metrics are essentially the measurable data of a video and its performance online, while analytics are the measurement of the data to better understand the content. Video metrics are often provided by a number websites that host videos, but you can also download various software programs that can provide you with even further info on your content. There’s a number of different metrics involved in online video analytics, such as view count, play rate, audience engagement, video comments, and which sites are sharing your videos, each of which has its own use. Now that we’ve cleared up the definitions, lets get to explaining why video metrics and analytics can be such a useful tool.

First off, utilizing video metrics and analytics allows you to better understand, and subsequently, cater to your audience. Video metrics lets you know which of your videos are being watched, how much of each video is being watched, and even when people decide to skip through or exit the video. That information alone gives you a better understanding of what it is people like or dislike about your content, allowing you to adjust it accordingly if you so choose. Additionally, your analytics can tell you which social media sites share or link to your video. Not only does this give you an idea of your content’s reach and expansion, it also gives you the opportunity to potentially target these sites and use them to your advantage. For example, you could use your content’s popularity to fuel your own social media campaign, or you could even create a profile on whatever sites find you popular and begin posting on there as well!

Most importantly, however, is that taking advantage of video metrics and analytics can flat out make you a better content producer. Let’s face it, if you know who your audience is, what they like, when they’re watching, and where your videos are reaching, you’ve pretty much set yourself up for success. With all of that information at your disposal, you can be more confident in yourself as a video content creator. You won’t be asking yourself “what did I do wrong?” or “what do I need to change?” anymore, because you’ll already know. Use that knowledge correctly, and you’ll start making better and more focused decisions. Plus, it’s always nice to remember that using these resources gives you a leg up on any of your potential competitors who aren’t.

Sometimes, when you have a good idea, the only thing more disappointing than having that idea flop is finding out that it’s just…. ok. The reason for this is because both highly successful and failed ideas have one thing in common: they leave some sort of lasting impression and are often subsequently talked about. Like they always say, all press is good press. The real issue is when something is underwhelming, but still maintains enough quality in it’s art or achievement of its goal that it can’t be considered “bad.” When an idea falls into that zone, it doesn’t leave you with much to talk about, and if the idea isn’t being talked about then it’s just being forgotten. So, what idea are we talking about specifically? Well, none other than Twitter’s NFL Live Streams.

If you haven’t already found out, Twitter has been streaming the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games broadcasted by NBC and CBS for the last few weeks, and things have been going just fine, but that’s really the most that can be said at this point. It’s strange too, because if you look at what Twitter did well with their live streaming, you would think that their future looked very favorable. First off, Twitter’s stream quality received a good amount of praise and rightly so, as the video’s resolution was generally very good. Additionally, the convenience that Twitter provided was wonderful, with viewers being able to access the live stream on the go with their phones and laptops or via one of Twitter’s app providers (such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire, or Microsoft Xbox) without having to enter any extra authentication. It really makes the broadcast, and in turn, the sport, much more accessible to its viewers. The social media giant also received good reviews on the quality of the tweets posted in the stream, with content and subject matter all remaining appropriate seeing as it was curated by humans and a preset algorithm.

That being said, Twitter’s situation doesn’t look so promising when you consider a number of other factors. Twitter’s debut NFL Stream was the Bills vs. Jets game on September 15 and earned them a total of 2.3 million viewers. While this is still a number the company should have pride it, it should also be noted that last year, Yahoo!’s free NFL streaming service netted them 15.2 million viewers for just one game in October. The average amount of time spent on the Yahoo! stream was also higher than Twitter’s, with the average times being 30 minutes and 22 minutes respectively. Also, keep in mind that the regular TV broadcast of the match had 48.1 million viewers. Yes, we recognize that it’s expected for the televised broadcast to have exponentially more viewers, but you can’t help but be less impressed with Twitter’s viewer outcome when you really look down the line.

Number of viewers aside, the functionality of the stream also left some things to be desired. While the tweets section of the stream was well monitored, a number of viewers couldn’t help but be bored or annoyed by the fact that there was no way to refine the tweets being shown. Instead of being able to apply a filter to narrow down the tweets to just your friends, players in the league, or sports commentators, viewers have to sift through all of the tweets being written during the stream. There were also complaints about the feed lacking any in-game poles and how clicking on a user’s hashtag would remove you from the feed rather than open a separate window. While the stream’s overall visual quality was good, it didn’t provide anything that really made you feel like it was Twitter providing the stream. When it came to watching the stream on Twitter’s app via the use of a provider like Apple TV, the complaints were generally the same as the viewers who watched it on their phones or computers. People namely complained that the tweets section was uninteresting or that the video experienced some rendering issues as well as some moderate lagging, a problem that was experienced by all platform users. However, there is one question that really makes you wonder why accessing the stream this way is even worth it. If you have a TV already, why would you go on Apple TV to access the Twitter stream when you can just watch it on your TV? Seeing as the games are broadcast on non-cable channels, the use of other providers seems a bit useless when those channels are fully accessible. Furthermore, Twitter’s 10 game—and $10 million—deal is only with CBS and NBC, meaning they won’t be able to stream games that are broadcast exclusively by the NFL network. This mean’s that Twitter TV really doesn’t provide any advantage to the user over regular access television. Finally, drawing on the point we just made, the fact that Twitter won’t be able to stream NFLN exclusive games is potentially a severe hindrance to its streaming success. This Thursday’s game is NFLN exclusive and Twitter’s inability to broadcast it won’t just mean that there’s no revenue from that game, it also makes it more difficult for viewers to habitually tune into the app or site to watch their streams.

Again, our aim here isn’t to shoot down Twitter’s attempts at streaming, we just think it’s important to be realistic about their current situation. Yes, they did not run into any disastrous issues, but their performance wasn’t stellar either. The company saw an impressive 34% increase in average viewership between week 2 and week 3 of the 2016 NFL season, and that’s great, but the aforementioned shortcomings of the service and the upcoming NFLN exclusive games may prove troubling for the success of their streams.

Sources:

http://fxn.ws/2cCY7qk

http://bit.ly/2d6Rk7E

http://slate.me/2cPbNkC

http://nyp.st/2cQ5DxF

http://mklnd.com/2cEHfQC

http://on.recode.net/2cOHt9D