Sam care, digital producer Web effectiveness workshop www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Multimedia on a
budget
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

2. First half
Second
half
Five ways to
add multimedia to
your website
on the cheap
21 best tips
anyone gave
me when I
started
producing
multimedia

3. 1
Creative
Commons
Anyone can make a creative work, e.g.
photos, videos, a podcast etc and release
it under a Creative Commons licence.
Photo by Tony Hisgett released under a Creative Commons Attribution licence
Anyone can then use that work on their
website as long as they follow the terms set
out in the licence.
Pros Free + lots of great stuff available
Cons Can be time consuming to find
something appropriate + must be able to
credit the creator on your website
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer
Useful links
Creative Commons
http://search.creativecommons.org/
Flickr Creative Commons images
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

4. 2
Volunteer
s
Some of your volunteers may have
multimedia skills you can utilise.
Or find new volunteers with multimedia skills
e.g. media students, keen amateurs,
budding pros looking for more experience.
Pros Free + large pool of talent who want do
something good for charity that they enjoy or
will help them develop a career
Cons Volunteer multimedia creators may
have less experience with professional
commissioning e.g. taking a brief or
delivering on-brand content.
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer
Photo by memoriesbymike
released under a Creative CommonsNonCommercial-NoDerivs
2.0 Generic licence

5. 3
Low budget
stock
Photo by memoriesbymike
Released under a Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic licence
Online libraries such as iStock or
Shutterstock sell photos, illustrations and
video for relatively low prices.
Pros Cheap, professional quality images,
illustrations and video
Cons Can be difficult to find something
suitable. Content tends to look generic and
not personal to your charity
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer
Useful links
iStock
http://www.istockphoto.com
Shutterstock
http://www.shutterstock.com/

6. 4
Commissionin
g
They may not be as expensive as you think.
They will always attempt to fit a quote to
your budget e.g. scheduling all the filming
for one day in one location.
Ask colleagues and contacts for a
recommendation. If you can take on some
of the work yourself e.g. interviewing, a
freelancer might be within budget when a
full production company is not.
Pros Professional quality content
Cons Not free
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer
Photo by Birch Bay Hostel
Released under a Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic licence

7. 5
DI
Y
Photo by David Blaine
Released under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence
Plenty of one-day courses available or web
tutorials to teach you the basics.
Useful links
Cost of decent kit and software has fallen
greatly over the past few years.
Pros Free or very low cost. Full control over
what you create.
Cons DIY content creation can be a timesucker so set yourself some limits.
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer
Lynda (online training courses)
http://www.lynda.com
YouTube (great for free tutorials)
http://www.youtube.com
Apple iMovie
http://www.apple.com/uk/mac/imovie/
Adobe Creative Cloud
http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creative
cloud.html

8. Part 2
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

9. 21 best tips anyone gave me when I
started producing multimedia
ONE Know your limits - it is good to be ambitious but start with
something basic
TWO Prepare, prepare, prepare
THREE When taking a photo or video of a person make sure your
back is to the sun or brightest light source in the room
FOUR Show people the photos you’re taking to help them relax
FIVE Take a step closer to your subject than you would normally
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

10. 21 best tips anyone gave me when I
started producing multimedia
SIX A simple way to improve the photo you are taking is to move
your subject slightly off-centre
SEVEN Take 10 photos of the same scene and choose the best
one for your website
EIGHT If you are working on your own, audio clips are much
easier to produce than videos.
NINE The best free software for basic editing of audio clips is
called Audacity
TEN Golden rule of sound recording is get your mic as close to
your subject as possible
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

11. 21 best tips anyone gave me when I
started producing multimedia
ELEVEN There are lots of types of microphones but the most
useful are shotgun and lapel mics
TWELVE Echo is the arch enemy of sound recording. You can’t
remove it later
THIRTEEN Sound is 50% of your video production - spend time
getting it right
FOURTEEN If you’re planning on making a video or editing
some audio, practice with the software before you go out and
record your footage
FIFTEEN This is how you set up the chairs and camera for a sitdown video interview
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

12. 21 best tips anyone gave me when I
started producing multimedia
SIXTEEN When interviewing someone don’t ask them closed
questions. Not “Did you enjoy shopping today?” instead “How was your
shopping trip today?”
SEVENTEEN If you’re interviewing someone and they are giving long
answers ask them the question a second time and ask for the answer in
half as many words
EIGHTEEN Don’t be afraid to direct your subjects when you are
taking a photo or recording video of them
NINETEEN Backup your photos, audio or video as soon as you can
TWENTY YouTube tutorials are a fantastic and free resource
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

13. 21 best tips anyone gave me when I
started producing multimedia
TWENTY-ONE Enjoy it
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

14. Thank you!
Any questions?
Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer