The Web has changed all that. These days, with a few professional tools, and the free publishing power of YouTube, you can produce and post videos to the world that effectively demonstrate your products.

If you have any type of computer-based product – a software tool, web-based tool, or even if you sell products online – you can take advantage of screencasts to create effective visual demonstrations.

Screencasts are basically video recordings of a computer screen, blended with a voice track that explains to viewers how a product works. They come in all shapes and sizes, from simple “how-to” videos to series of screencasts displayed on an e-Learning portal. They are effective because they provide viewers with a real-time demonstration of a product. But the real beauty of screencasts is the way they are published. Using free tools like YouTube, you can present your videos to a wide audience who can not only view them (and rewind and pause as much as they want), but they can share them to others as well.

It’s easy to get started with screencasts – you can download a free tool like Jing that will allow you to record short clips of your computer screen and add a voice track, then download them and share them to people. If you want to get more advanced, using a tool like Camtasia or Screenflow (Mac) will allow you to add animations and graphics, as well as do more advanced editing.

Screencasts continue to get more sophisticated as the capture software becomes more robust. Many companies are also looking to increase the production value of their videos, by hiring professional hosts and voice over artists, hiring professional script writers, incorporating some live-video shots, and adding more sophisticated graphics and music. If you’re looking to add some extra pizazz to your screencasts, consider bringing in a professional video producer to help. We did a similar project with investment software company Recognia recently, with some fantastic results.

Why not give screencasting a try? You may just find a whole new audience for your products.

[photo by Solo]

                          

However, if you are going to venture into video for your business, I recommend bringing a professional video producer into your project on some level. This doesn’t mean you have to hire them to do everything, especially if you don’t have the budget. But hiring a pro for some aspects of your production can be a cost effective way to ensure a slick video project.

Recently, Jester Creative worked with Tradex to produce two videos to educate people on the importance of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Our client, Brien, already had a couple of great concepts for the video, and he is a photographer with a slew of high end camera gear, so chose to shoot the video himself. He brought us on to consult with him in the pre-production phase, to provide him with some tips on scripting, and on the best videography, lighting and audio techniques. He took our advice, and combined with his own existing photography and writing skills, was able to script and shoot some great footage.

Brien then brought us in again to help with the editing process. Rather than piece it together in iMovie himself, he wanted to add that polish that a professional editor can bring to a project. We took his already great footage and finessed it with music, graphics and imagery, to bring the whole story together.

The result were these two videos, which show clearly that by making video production a collaborative effort, great results can be achieved. So, look around and see what you may be able to achieve yourself, then know when to bring in the pros to add that extra bit of polish.

They Grow Up So Fast

RESP’s Through Tradex

                          

Now, I don’t know how many of you have ever been on a reality TV show before, but it really is one of the most invasive things you can do. Not only are you subjected to having a camera in your face 10 hours a day, but you have to be willing to share the good, the bad and the ugly with the world. Lucky for us, Jen was up for it, and thus, The House Healers was born, with Jester Creative at the helm to produce the show.

Four years and 26 episodes later, we’re about to launch our third season, and although there have been a lot of changes in Jen’s life – a new marriage, a couple of kids, and three houses healed – The House Healers are staying true to their roots, continuing to take the most run down, beaten up houses in the city and transform them into things of beauty.

This time around, The House Healers are taking on suburbia. Jen and her new husband and co-healer, Brennan, have purchased a house in Kanata, on the suburbs of Ottawa. This house is not in quite as rough shape as some of the previous projects, but it is totally stuck in the 80s. It’s in serious need of at 21st century update, and The House Healers have big plans. In past seasons, the renovations were big, challenging, long projects.

If you look at our past projects, the Elmgrove house took 11 months. Park Place took 10. Well, this is still going to be a challenging reno – The House Healers’ most spectacular renovation to date, in fact. The catch? This renovation has to be move-in ready in just SIX WEEKS.

We couldn’t do it without the team.

Jen and I produce and write the show, and Jen is the host as well, but we’ve got plenty of other people working behind the scenes to make The House Healers a reality. Brennan Cartier is Jen’s husband and House Healer #2, and he also helps us out as Associate Producer. Dustin Langlois is our amazing camera guy, director and editor. Not only is he running around getting everything captured on video, he’s busting his butt to get a technically sound and visually pleasing product on the air each week.

Tom Martineau and Jordan Arscott helped us develop our awesome web site and we continue to add new features all the time. Check out past episodes, blooper reels, our blog, and our Go Green page, which contains lots of tips and news on living and building green.

And of course, last but not least, we have our amazing sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible. Special thanks goes out to this fantastic group, you can see a full list of our sponsors on the House Healers Web site. Please check them out! Renovating a whole house AND producing a TV show about it is one of the most challenging, exhilarating, exhausting and rewarding things we’ve ever done at Jester Creative.We hope you enjoy the series and please, drop us a line and let us know what you think!

Currently, The House Healers is being distributed locally in Ottawa by Rogers TV, but we’re actively seeking distributors, both in Canada and internationally. If you’re interested in discussing distribution of the show via television or the Web, please get in touch!

The show airs on Sundays at 7pm, on RogersTV Cable 22 in Ottawa. For now, here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect to see this season!

                          

The advent of inexpensive cameras like web cams and Flip cameras, along with easy editing tools like iMovie and Windows Live MovieMaker and free publishing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, have given even the novice videomaker the tools they need to get started with creating video. While there is a time and place to call in the professionals, the good news is, creating video is becoming more accessible to everyone than ever before.

Perhaps you are considering incorporating more video into your web presence, but you’re still a bit concerned about the amount of time, effort, and money it will take, and whether communicating in this way will ultimately pay off for your customers. This is where grabbing a few simple tools and experimenting on your own can come in handy.

Everyone has a story to tell.
Everything about you and your business is part of your story. Deciding how to best tell that story to your audience so it has the most impact is critical to being able to engage, inspire, and motivate. The written word is one way to do this, but sometimes, making that connection through face-to-face contactwith your audience is a good approach too. However, if you’re never done video before, it can be a bit daunting.

One way to get started with video is to just do a simple web video where you are talking straight to the camera, and sharing a few minutes of wisdom with your audience. The simplest way to do this is to create a free YouTube account. When you click the Upload Video button, you’ll have the option of recording via your web cam straight into YouTube. All you need to do is click record, say your piece, then fill in a title and description information and save. YouTube does the rest. You can then embed the video into your web site or post the link in your next email newsletter.

While posting a video may be easy, you do want to make sure that what you’re putting out there is the best quality possible. So here are a few pro tips to help you get the most out of your video efforts.

1) Keep it simple.
Your first video efforts don’t have to be feature films. Doing something very simple, such as a video book review or a couple of industry tips, can be a really effective way to share your story with others. Come up with an idea, and then get ready to hit the big red record button.

2) Plan what you’ll say, and practice it.
Before you do hit that record button, spend a bit of time planning what you’re going to say. Break your talk into a list, like “Top 3 Tips To Save Money”, and then practice it a couple of times before you start recording. But whatever you do, don’t read off a script. It doesn’t look natural and your audience may have a hard time believing you. Practice, yes, but talk naturally, as if you were in a conversation.

3) Quality is important.
You don’t have to be a professional videographer to have good quality video. Here are a few things to look out for:

Lighting – it’s really important to have good lighting, our your video will look grainy and dark. Make sure you’re in a well lit room. Natural light is best, so if you can position yourself next to a window (but not right in front of it, or you’ll look like a silhouette!), or at least turn on a few more lights in the room, that is ideal.

Sound – make sure you turn off all fans, background noises such as TV sets, and send the kids outside to play before you start. Background noise can be very distracting so try to get into as quiet an environment as possible.

Camera angle - put your camera lens as close to your eye level as possible so you are looking straight at it. If you are looking up at the camera, it can make you seem small and insignificant. If you’re looking down at it, it can make you seem intimidating. Eye level means you’re talking to someone on their level.

In the end, it’s all about trying new things. Give video a try, and see how it works for you. Eventually, you may want to call in the pros to help you produce something more extensive, with graphics, animation, music, interviews, or demonstrations. But you’ll be surprised what you can do with just a web cam and a great idea!

[photo credit: Thomas Hawk on Flickr]

                          

“I need to shoot one video of my CEO talking about our new line of business.”

There is nothing wrong with producing a video of your CEO – in fact, it can be a very powerful communication tool. However, there is a fundamental problem if that’s the only video you’re making. I’ll explain.

I could go on all day about how critical it is to have well thought out content in your videos – but that’s a topic for another day. Content is indeed King, but creating amazing content can be time consuming and expensive, if you haven’t thought about how to maximize the efficiency of how it’s created.

Let’s say, for example, that you have actually managed to get your CEO in a room long enough to talk on camera about the new line of business. That in itself is challenge enough. You’re geared up to shoot 3 or 4 minutes of stellar content that your clients and prospects are going to LOVE. That is terrific, but after you’ve shot the piece, are you just going to let your CEO walk out? Who knows when you’ll be able to harness his undivided attention again!

Now, consider this. What if, when you were setting up the interview, you asked your CEO’s assistant to schedule him for 30 minutes instead of 15? You may need to wait a bit longer for an appointment, but eventually you’d get

a bit more of his time. Then, what if, instead of shooting 3 minutes of footage on the new business line, you decided to shoot 15 or 20 minutes on a variety of topics…you could talk to him about anything – strategic vision of the company, the importance of hiring good people, the success of the latest software release…the list goes on.

Suddenly, instead of a one-off clip, you have a whole pile of content to work with. You could then edit a whole series of “From the CEO’s Desk” videos that can be posted on your site, and even set them up like a podcast so people can subscribe to receive new content automatically!

There are other great reasons to approach your content from a “series” perspective. Many companies these days are opting to hire professional video producers to help them with their video content. This can be a great way to ensure you get a professional quality product without taxing your already busy in-house resources with the task of scripting, shooting and editing.

If you opt to go the pro route, then you’re going to save a ton of time and money by shooting and editing your videos in “batches”.

Instead of bringing in a video crew every time you want to shoot a new segment, you can bring in your videographer and interviewer for a full day or two. You’ll be able to bang off several interviews at once, often with only a few location changes (or all in the same location if you use a portable green screen, which allows you to superimpose any background you want). You pay once, but you get several “episodes” worth of content.

In addition, considering your content as a series (as in the “From the CEO’s Desk” example from earlier), allows your production team to create a graphic look and feel that is consistent across episodes, and therefore you’re only building graphics once and re-using them. That’s healthy for your budget and your brand.

So, what’s your next video project? Do you have an idea for a one-time clip? Is that idea something that could easily be worked into a series? Food for thought as you plan your online video strategy.

                          

The Web has changed all of that. Now, anyone with a camera and an Internet connection can post video online in just a few minutes, and distribute it to a worldwide audience. The cost, time and level of expertise required has plummeted. This is very good news for small businesses with limited resources.

Video is one of the most engaging ways to tell your story. The use of moving images, music, narration and text can inspire, inform and enlighten. There are lots of ways to get started with video, and we wanted to share some basic tips that you can use to get you up and running, experimenting with video as a storytelling medium for your business.

Tip #1: Finding the Right Camera
A good camera is the best place to start. We recommend buying the best quality camera you can afford, but you still want to keep things simple. There’s no reason to run out and buy a $5,000 camera with more features than you need if all you’re doing is simple webcasts.

Consider what you’ll be using the camera for and how quickly you want to go from the videography stage to final product. There are many small cameras that are designed specifically for being super-portable, with point and shoot ease and one-or-two-click uploading. Our personal favourites are the Flip Ultra and the Kodak Zi8. Both offer high definition quality (albeit consumer-level high definition, but still very good), and point and shoot usability. For a couple hundred dollars you can have all you need to start making web videos.

But, even if you don’t have the money to get a video camera, making a video can be as simple as talking into your laptop web cam or cell phone camera!

Tip #2: Consider Your Story
Before you start rolling, take some time and really consider what you want your video to be about. You don’t need to script it entirely, but do think about how you want to present things. If you’re the CEO and are giving a daily update to your customers, take some time to make some notes on your key messages. Don’t be afraid to try it a few times – it’s not live TV, so it’s okay if you make a mistake – you can just do it over and over till you get it right. What’s most important is that you’re communicating your message well. Preparing ahead of time will help your story to be clear.

Tip #3: Quality Matters
It’s all fine and well to have a great story to tell, but if nobody can see or hear it, it’s not going to fly. Presenting a substandard quality video could reflect poorly on your company, so you want to make sure that you’re presenting something technically sound. You don’t have to have the fanciest equipment in the world to make it look and sound good. Make sure you’re shooting in a well-lit location. Be careful that you don’t have any windows or bright lights directly behind you, or you’ll look like a silhouette. Try to limit background noise, like people talking, or phones ringing. Of course, if you’re outside on the street, this will be more difficult. In this case, do a test recording to make sure you can be heard over the background noise.

Tip #4: Put it all Together
If your video is just you talking straight to the camera for a few minutes, then minimal editing will be required. However, if you want to get a bit more fancy, by putting in an opening title, some graphics, music, or different visuals, then you’ll need to do some editing. There are free tools available, such as iMovie for Mac and Windows Movie Maker, and for simple stuff, this is all you’ll need. If you want to get more fancy, you can check tools like Adobe Premiere Elements or Corel VideoStudio. The pro tools, like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro are expensive and probably overkill for simple web videos, and have a steeper learning curve, so there’s no real reason to consider those.

Be warned…editing can take time. You have to decide if it’s worth it for you or someone in your office to spend time in their day editing videos. If you do, then rest assured that you can get up and running pretty simply using the consumer level tools mentioned here.

Tip #5: Ask an Expert
There are lots of people who do just fine putting together their own web videos. They have been able to invest a bit of money and a few resources into it, and it’s paying off.

In some cases, you may decide that it would be a more effective use of resources to bring in the pros. Hiring a video production company that specializes in corporate web video is a good option, if you are looking to produce a one-off special or series, or to do multiple projects over a longer period.

A professional production company can help you refine your stories, hire professional on-air talent, and has access to better quality equipment. The videographers and editors are capable of making your finished product polished and professional, and this can reflect well on your customers and ultimately on your sales.

No matter whether you choose to be an in-house video crew or hire a pro, one thing is clear…video is the way of the future. If you don’t already have plans to incorporate video into your online efforts, now is the time.

Good luck!

                          

I sat back down.

In that instant, I knew that things were about to change in a big way. I’d been working in television for about 6 years at that point and was pretty savvy about all kinds of media. But this…this was different. I realized that if people had the ability to post information that anyone in the world could see, then this could have a significant impact on the way people communicate.

Fast-forward a few years and the Web had become mainstream. By the late 90’s and early 2000’s, there were millions and millions of web sites. Many of these sites were basically online business cards – text and images on a screen, that in large part, displayed company descriptions and contact information, and not much more. There were some nifty new languages and tools appearing on the market that let you have some amount of interactivity and animation…but they weren’t the norm yet. Video was a bit of a pipe dream, as connection speeds simply weren’t fast enough to handle it. But companies were really starting to see the value in having a web presence.

Today, the Web is ubiquitous, to the point where companies that don’t have a web presence are perceived as lacking credibility. And it’s no longer just about having an online business card. Sure, it’s vitally important to ensure that your contact information appears, and that your site tells visitors something about your company. But there’s so much more to it now.

The Web has evolved from a relatively passive viewing experience (like TV) to a dynamic, two-way conversation. Social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs have revolutionized the way that companies interact with their customers.

But perhaps one of the biggest progressions on the Web has been online video. YouTube went online for the first time in 2005, and changed the way we perceived video. Video used to be mysterious and expensive. Now, anyone with a web cam and an idea can make a video. Bring some professional video people into the mix, and you can do something truly remarkable.

There’s no question nowadays that having a solid web presence is an integral part of marketing your business or organization. Using the amazing tools we have at our disposal to craft compelling stories and create real, engaging, two-way conversations is a key step in the process. The Web is a powerful medium, and it’s within reach of anyone.

So what are you waiting for?