How to create videos for your Rotary club or District

1. ZONE 34 REGIONAL ROTARY SEMINAR
Subject: LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
Presenter: RPIC Sheila Bethel
Date: July 30, 2017

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WHERE DO WE START??

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IT’S A NEW WORLD!
With today’s technology ,you can shoot and craft a mini-
documentary within minutes from almost anywhere in the
world using a video-editing app on your smartphone.
But the best videos will still be planned out.

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PLANNING! PLANNING! PLANNING!
What do YOU think are the main decisions
to make before you start?
1. What is your target market?
2. Where are you going to show it?
3. What is your budget?
4. Why are you doing it???

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TARGET MARKET
• Club Members
• Rotarians worldwide
• General Public

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SHOWCASING
• Social Media
• TV
• Clubs
• Events
• Contest

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BUDGET
• How are you producing it?
• Smart Phone
• Consumer Digital Camera
(DSLR)
• Pro Video

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WHAT’S NEXT?
How long?
• 20 – 90 secs for Facebook
• 30/60 secs for TV.
• Up to 3 or 4 minutes for a PSA.
• Any longer & viewers’ attention
wanders.

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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Script it – or at least make an outline!
• Remember to be flexible.
Sometimes your written word may
not work in speech.
• Regard your script as a draft. Be
ready to make changes on the fly,
sometimes the off the cuff can
sound much better than a script.

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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Shoot it!
ORIENTATION:
The first and simplest rule-of-thumb when shooting
video is to always hold your device in landscape
mode (horizontally). Shooting in portrait mode limits
your viewing capabilities on other devices—it creates
the dreaded “black bars” on each side of your
footage when viewed on another device.

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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Shoot it!
STEADY
Unless you’re trying to be artistic, the general rule for
shooting video on any device is to hold steady. Even
if you think you have a steady hand, the slightest
movement from breathing can make a video shaky.
Find something to rest your phone on or against
while shooting: the edge of a wall, back of a chair or
side of a table.

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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Shoot it!
LIGHTING
Over the years, smartphones have integrated better
light capturing capabilities— but bad lighting is still
bad lighting, and bad lighting makes for bad videos.
Try to avoid dimly lit places when possible. When
shooting an object or person, avoid back-lighting
your subject (i.e., when the light behind your subject
is brighter than the light in the general area, like
when a person stands against a sunny window). A
simple fix is to switch places with your subject so that
the light from behind you shines on and reflects off of
him or her.

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SUN!
Back lighting

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BACK LIGHTING

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LIGHTING ISSUES
Fluorescent light issues on left, fixed on right

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WHAT’S NEXT?
• Shoot it!
AUDIO
Like lighting, bad audio makes for bad video. When
capturing someone speaking or any type of sound,
make sure other sounds are not interfering. While an
external microphone would be the professional fix,
chances are you won’t always have a microphone
handy—if at all. The best fixes for capturing sound
are to simply move closer to the sound source, and
find a quiet place where the unwanted sounds are
minimalized.

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FINISHING TOUCHES
Putting it together
EDITING
There are a number of editing applications on your
phone. Each app caters to various skill levels, and
which app works for you depends on personal
preference. Here are a few examples:
iMovie (iOS), Pinnacle Studio (iOS), VidTrim
(Android), KineMaster Pro (Android) and Movie Edit
Touch (Windows 8). Pair your favorite editing app with
a video publishing app like YouTube or Vimeo, your
website and now, Facebook covers and you’re well
on your way to shooting like a pro.

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WHAT MAKES A MEMORABLE VIDEO?
• It needs to feel REAL not scripted, so script
carefully!
• Anything that tugs the viewers’ emotions is a
winner
• Always show the end result of your efforts – the
kids who benefitted from your food drive; the
village which now has water and the difference it
has made
• Let people tell their personal story face to the
camera, so it feels they are talking direct to the
audience
• If you do use voice-over choose someone with an
appealing voice!

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VIDEO CONTESTS
READ THE RULES!!!!
• Follow the theme
• If it says up to 3 minutes don’t make it four
• Correctly title the video and add your club
name (if submitted from a club) and video
duration
• Save it in a recognised format e.g. .mov, .wmf,
.mp3
• Be aware that video usually means large files
so look at using Dropbox or similar to send out

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WHAT MAKES A WINNING VIDEO?
• If you are lucky enough to have some pro
help, listen to them they know what is best.
• Music: DO NOT USE COPYRIGHTED
MATERIAL! On Youtube they will mute
your audio if you do, plus you could get
sued. There is a lot of free and royalty free
music out there
• General audio: mix voice over and talent
audio it’s more compelling.
• If it’s online voting, get your family, friends,
neighbours and the dog to vote.

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ZONE 33/34

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FACEBOOK LIVE FEED VIDEO
• We can also now do Live Feed Video to our
Facebook pages
• It can add excitement to projects and events and
reinforces the fact that we are People of Action
• If you do live feed, be careful that you don’t record
any inappropriate behaviour or conversation!
• DO turn your phone horizontal so that you get the
best coverage.

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FACEBOOK LIVE FEED VIDEO
• Live Feed is very easy to set up.
• Look for the video camera icon and/or the Live
Video button, click and you are ready. The video
will automatically appear on your Facebook page.

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TELLING YOUR ROTARY STORY
We have launched a new website for the RPIC team:
www.myrotarystory.org.
One of the pages highlights just that – YOUR Rotary
special moment told in a one minute video.
Send us YOUR story and we will add it to the Story
page, an inspiring collection of Rotarians who care
about Rotary, their community and the world.

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MY ROTARY STORY

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MY ROTARY STORY

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MY ROTARY STORY

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MY ROTARY STORY
“Tell me the facts and I’ll learn.
Tell me the truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart
forever.”
– Native American Proverb

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MY ROTARY STORY