CMWorld 2014

1. Creating a Seamless Video
Strategy on a Budget
@TimWasher

2. Creativity
Stories
Production
Salt Lick BBQ, Austin

3. Creativity
Stories
Production

4. “Create moments of inspiration that
send people on a journey”
-- Andrew Davis

6. “The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it
gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker
than anything else. I think we all know that laughter
brings relaxation and humor makes us playful, yet how
many times have important discussions been held where
really original and creative ideas were desperately
needed to solve important problems, but where humor
was taboo because the subject being discussed was ‘so
serious’.”
-- John Cleese
https://vimeo.com/89936101

7. Improv Rule #1
There are no mistakes, only gifts.

8. “When you're in the open mode,
nothing will stop you so effectively as
the fear of making a mistake.”
-- John Cleese

9. To encourage creativity, PBS Digital Studios added
a ‘failure quota’ to employees’ performance
evaluations. And the results:
#1 TV network website
#1 kids video site
15 YouTube series
7 Webbies
Views/Mo: 2M to 225M

10. Improv Rule #2
Take care of your partner.

11. “Collaboration”
• Caveat: Nobody gets fired for saying “No”
• Keep the committee small
• Build 1:1 relationships. Use coffee.
• Find a champion
• Learn how your “partner” is measured on
success, and help. Be genuine.

12. Improv Rule #3
Follow the Fear
-- Del Close

13. The Power of Humor
• Making someone laugh is the most intimate
connection you can make in a business context
• Humor based on customer pain points demonstrates
empathy
• Being playful (and not always so serious) is an
endearing and charming quality. It shows
authenticity.
• Laughter is a wonderful gift to give your audience

14. http://youtu.be/MSqXKp-00hM

16. http://ow.ly/B6qy7
“The tone of the video is in keeping with the
kinder, humbler image IBM now seeks to project.”

17. http://youtu.be/Z1xKpm0nURk

19. Avoid Common Myths
• “On brand” means it looks exactly like all of
our product videos
• Must be packed with messaging
• Everyone must love it
• Objective of :60 video is to sale $1M product
• Must fit perfectly with our target market

20. Lessons from Standup Comedy
• Above all, be truthful and vulnerable
• Shift focus from what you want to say to
what the audience will hear
• Comedy comes from pain
• The more specific your story is, the more
universal it becomes

21. “They said in 4 minutes something
that I’ve been saying for 10 years ”
http://gu.com/p/3pb3c/tw

22. Creativity
Stories
Production

23. Story….
• Story trumps messaging.
• Story creates an emotional connection,
descriptors don’t.
• Narrative structure builds tension.
• Don’t try to change how people speak --
change how they think.

24. Finding Stories
• Customers
• Employees
• History
• Invention
• Redemption

25. http://shar.es/11REko

26. Interview Q’s
• What inspired you to get into this career?
• What was your biggest failure, and what
insight did that lead to?
• What is your team most proud of?
• Tell me about the “eureka” moment that led
to your invention ?

27. Employees
• Give employees a concept that
they can create as a slideshow,
using photos and narration.
• Post the videos internally, and
post the best ones on youtube.
• Helps you identify storytellers,
and gets people comfortable
with producing
http://youtu.be/D7JRoQWh0SU

28. History
• History is always interesting,
especially the spark of
inspiration that inspired an
invention. And the failures
that led up to it.
• Produce a mini-documentary
by recruiting
an industry influencer to be
the narrator. http://youtu.be/WHaQY2MlHV8

29. Think Visually
• Find inspiration for stories by
considering what you want to
watch on YouTube, like sharks.
.
• Don’t burden the story or
process by forcing your
company on it. Rather tell a
broader story about how the
technology makes an impact. http://youtu.be/Pn-yB5IyTYE

30. Edutainment
• Be a good steward of the
audiences attention span,
and they will subscribe.
• People love to feel smart, so
share knowledge about an
industry problem. They will
be more likely to share it
too.
http://youtu.be/1DAR5wW19Eg

31. Redemption
• Redemption is the most power
theme in storytelling.
• We’ve all experienced the
sting of failure. Seeing others
experience struggles, and
overcome them, gives us
comfort and hope.
• Business stories don’t need to
be overly dramatic, but
everyone loves even a light
turnaround story.
http://youtu.be/HW3MJhwTV2k

32. Discover Your Voice
• Write about what you love or
strongly dislike. The strong
emotional connection helps you
to speak authentically.
• Start by blogging and writing
captions for photos. Progress to a
slideshow, then a short video.
• Don’t worry about any business
connection yet. In time, you’ll
discover the intersection.
Comedy & Cheeseburger blog

33. Creativity
Stories
Production

34. Become an Independent Filmmaker
• Get budget from sales event; partners
• Be consistent, but not repetitive of strategy
• Consider posting “off-property”
• Start small and do it right
• Pitch a film school internship project

35. SmartPhone Video Studio
• A mini-tripod makes it easy to
record steady video. No need
to provide the audience with
Dramamine
http://bhpho.to/RwHwCd
• Lavalier microphone reduces
background noise. Helpful for
spontaneous interviews at
conferences.
http://bhpho.to/tzOrHX

36. LED Light Kit
• This adjustable light works
incredibly well for an interview
(about a 6’ range)
• LED prevents harsh look for
most office lighting.
• Helpful if you take video
conference calls from your
basement.
• Vidpro K-120 On-Camera LED
Video Light Kit - $80
http://bhpho.to/JASPDA

37. Clamp Light
• At Home Depot or Lowes
for about $7.
• Add an LED bulb for $20-
$25
• A regular soft light bulb will
work too, and you can use a
translucent white shower
curtain as a diffuser to
reduce shadows / harshness

38. Monopod
• Small enough to toss in your
computer bag or man-purse.
• Your prepared for an
impromptu shoot anytime,
without producing shaky
video.
http://ow.ly/Bp5Pk

39. Recording webcam interviews
• Upgrade to an HD webcam, such as the Logitech 920 (approx
$70), or one of the newer models.
• They make a big difference on the visual quality.
• Most will include an upgraded microphone, but I prefer a lav
mic to reduce the room echo.
• Find a blogger or influencer to interview, and record by Skype or
Google Hangouts.
• A tool such as VodBurner allows you to record the video of both
sides of the call. However Skype has dropped some support on
the Mac version

40. Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920
http://amzn.com/B006JH8T3S http://www.vodburner.com/

41. Webcam Show Example
• An experimental show that Ann
Handley and I produced.
• You can see the difference in
quality from the first episode
(no webcams)
• Recorded with VodBurner (her
side) and a camcorder (my side)
because we didn’t like the look
of the split screen. https://www.youtube.com/user/BMTBD/

42. @TimWasher
timwasher.com