Telling Libraries Stories with Video
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How to use the classic elements of storytelling, narratives, plots and heroes to tell the important and necessary stories of various types of libraries. Libraries need brand stories, service + product stories, customer stories, staff stories just as much as how-to or explanations. Also includes tips and tools that don't break the bank for creating effective, engaging video marketing.
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Telling Libraries Stories with Video
- 1. Let me tell you a story … #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 3. We love stories. We crave stories. 22x
- 5. Video Works 88% longer 60,000x faster 72%
- 6. Tell a Story • Stories keep audiences engaged • Step-by-step can be like a story • Good videos are usually entertaining + tell a story #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 7. The Best Stories To Tell YOUR Audience
- 8. Types of Stories You Need To Tell • Brand stories • Personal Stories • Product/Service stories • Customer/patron stories • Customer-generated stories • Staff/Employee stories • Case Studies #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 9. Activity Which story type would be easiest and fastest for you to create right now? #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 12. SETTING When and where the action takes place. CHARACTER This could be you, a customer, or someone with a problem that's similar to those of your customers. CONFLICT Every good story has a conflict. This is the difficulty the characters are trying to overcome, the thing they must do, or their journey. RESOLUTION This is the happy ending where the conflict is resolved and everyone lives happily ever after Elements of a Story
- 13. The Common Story Plots • Conquering the Monster • The Quest • Voyage & Return • Rags to Riches • Rebirth #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 15. Activity • Is there a challenge your library has overcome? • Has your library left its comfort zone? • Has your staff ‘quested’ to solve a problem for patrons? #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 16. TIPS FOR PLANNING + SHOOTING VIDEOS
- 17. Editing - vital but meet the other 4 first or editing can't fix! Location - where are you filming? Out, in, location specific? Visual Quality - good lighting, framing, high quality footage Audio quality - make sure they hear you clearly Content -valuable content in concise manner #LMCC15 @theinfohound1
- 18. Short Attention Spans • 8-10 seconds to get attention … and keep it • “Reset” attention every 8 sec (20 words) in your video – Cuts, Zoom in, B-Roll, Animation, On-screen text, Graphics #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 19. Outlining Your Video • Define it’s purpose, give it a title and add keywords • Each video = 1 story, 1 focus
- 20. StoryBoarding • Draw scenes in order like a comic • Clip art, photos, stock; stick figures are fine! • You can use text instead of pictures #LMCC15@theinfohound1
- 22. BE PRO WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK
- 24. ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone ATR-3350 Super-cheap and good audio Azden $149 @ B&H Wireless and wired lav mics Audio-Technica AT875R Shotgun $169 @ B&H Rode Video Pro On-camera mic, omni directional, $199 KM-IPHONE-MIC Allows headphone jack to work as a mic jack Blue Yeti mic Awesome, rich sound; USB mic for computers ($99- 125) Blue Snowball mic Compact, affordable; USB mic for computers ($55-70)
- 25. $10 ea. @ hardware store 150W Floods, $10-15 ea. @ hardware store Light Stands $15- 30 ea. @ Cowboy Studio Cowboy Studio or Limo Studio kits - <$200 The Joby Grip Amazingly flexible device for getting rock-solid shots just about anywhere Mini Action Stabilizer SK-W08 Stable action, moving shots with smartphones – pricey but cool! Works with GoPros too [$60-70, B&H Photo] Joby Grip Tight Mount For attaching a smartphone to a tripod ($15) DIY Studio Light Kit
- 26. Rule of Thirds
- 27. Start Recording Before the Action Starts
- 29. Want more information? Jburke@intellicraftresearch.com www.intellicraftresearch.com http://www.intellicraftresearch.com/survey http://www.slideshare.net/IntelliCraftResearch For more marketing info, tips, trends: www.theinfohound.com @theinfohound1
- 30. QUESTIONS?
Editor's Notes
- We all love stories. Everyone has a story You already know how to tell a good story (who knows stories better than Librarians!) [JOKE: What’s the tallest building in town? The library! It has the most stories. <groan>]
- About a girl who wasn’t so much like the other little girls. She didn’t like dresses, she did like playing in the dirt. She didn’t like dolls or dress-up, but she did have lots of stuffed animals. She liked how they could turn into forts, caves, mountains and hide-outs for HotWheels, StarWars figures and Legos. She liked building worlds and stories for those animals and figures. She loved reading way past bedtime with a flashlight, under the covers. She just didn’t fit in with the other kids at school. She didn’t understand why; or why they made fun of her for liking stories and Legos and climbing trees, running around and pretending to be a Jedi. Or because she just had to know how everything worked. Lunch and recess often weren’t much fun. There were jokes she wasn’t a part of, or worse, were about her. Maybe even scuffles. But she discovered that the library was open during lunch. And the librarian didn’t mind what stories she read – whether it was biographies of WWII flying aces, naval battles or reading the Encyclopedia to figure out how everything works. There really were so many stories in the library. And it was safe to explore all of them there. [How many of you have heard stories just like that, from your patrons? How many of you ARE that story? <raise my hand > ] … yes that’s me, the little girl who loved Jedi and planes and my stuffed otter … and never dresses or sparkles or pink. And what they called back then ‘kids being kids’, we know today was bullying, ‘mean girls’, and ‘relational aggression’. I could tell you that because of that story that’s why I’m here today … or that I knew right away I should be a librarian. But I didn’t. That little girl didn’t know being a librarian was POSSIBLE! If you’d asked me when I was a child I probably would’ve said that Librarians just come with the library, the building. Or they were teachers … and teachers just kind of came with the school. I’m not sure my answer would’ve changed much as I got older … where Librarians came from as a mystery to me until … only a decade or so ago. Hmmm … how had I never heard the story of a library or a librarian? [SAVE FOR END] The rest of story is a lot more like one of little Billy’s dotted line adventures in the old Family Circle cartoons. More school. College. A time I was even ‘scared’ of , and confused by, libraries – avoiding them as they no longer seemed a refuge. Time in the big cities. Advertising. “Selling” gum, candy, allergy medicine and train passes. Selling clothes, managing teenagers. A dotted line maze all over the Northeast. A trek or journey … But it is part of why I’m here … why I’m passionate about helping libraries to share OUR stories AND the many, many stories from our patrons who were, or are, just like me. Like us. Who need and love all that we offer, beyond stories. It’s why YOU are here.
- Research shows that likeability is one of the main drivers behind consumer purchase decisions. While there are many ways to make yourself ‘likeable’, a good story about yourself or your brand is one of the most distinctive and memorable methods. As the quote from Philip Pullman points out, people crave stories. And, the likeability created by a good story has a bigger influence on the customer than any other factor. Studies show that it does this by a factor of 3 to 1 for television commercials and 2 to 1 for ads.
- Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts alone Stories add tremendous power to marketing because of emotional connections between brands/orgs and audiences People retain 50% more info via visual + verbal cues You’ve heard (or will) about the power of storytelling in articles and text from Clarissa. I want to talk about using the classic elements of fil so we can tell OUR stories w/ video marketing. We’ll cover the types of stories your library NEEDS to tell to get attention, traction and engagement. I’ll recap the classic storytelling elements to make your stories stick in people’s memories. And Give you tools and tips to create videos that don’t break the bank, or bust your brains. 22x stat - Jennifer Aaker, Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business "Studies show that we are wired to remember stories much more than data, facts, and figures. However, when data and story are used together, audiences are moved both emotionally and intellectually."
- If you’ve been confused by video or have been putting off including video in your marketing, now’s the time to get started. This presentation will give you some quick tips to start thinking of stories your library can tell on video, and so that you can get over those first hurdles. In no time, you’ll be tapping into the huge part of your market who love watching and learning from video. Not going to get into a long bit on the rise of video marketing, the ubiquity, and how if you want to be found fast for something specific, do it with video. I can point you to stats if you need them to make your case, but I think most of us know that video is HOT and hugely important. For telling our libraries’ stories ..
- Ok, just a few quick stats .. -– how long someone stays on webpage w/ video Viewers spend 100% more time on a webpage with videos [Marketing Sherpa] - 2x-3x the traffic to sites prominently featuring video -90% of info transmitted to brain = visual Process faster - B2B Content Engine + research from webmarketinggroup.co.uk, billiondollargraphics.com of all mobile traffic will be video content by 2019 Cisco study] – It’s already at 54% of traffic (2014) – study on mobile video A 1-min video has ‘value’ of 1.8M words and equals 3600 web pages (Forrester Research) Video equipment is cheaper than ever before. “the right graphics can persuade, relate and influence decisions on an emotional and subconscious level. Images are powerful tools and we are becoming an ever-more visual culture.” – Ekaterina Walter, The Power of Visual Storytelling
- Videos that tell a story are especially effective in keeping audiences interested and engaged. It doesn't have to be a drama. Something like showing people how to do something step-by-step can take on the qualities of a story. Do you wonder if the story of your library is important (it should be; it can be; make it so!) What does your story say about you (your org)? Who’s the hero in the story and what does it mean to be a ‘hero’?
- "Doubt is a question mark; faith is an exclamation point. The most compelling, believable, realistic stories have included them both.” ― Criss Jami let's discuss what kinds of stories you can tell. it's not the story itself that determines its effectiveness – it’s your audience, the viewer or listener and if it resonates with and affects your audience. In order for it to do this, you need to select the right types of stories And you will need to mix this up – depending on the point of a particular story or video, the ‘hero’, your goals and your audience
- A company/brand story usually involves how the company came into existence and grew to its current state, convey values and culture – aka an Origin Story (see the Nike and waffle iron story) You can use storytelling in any kind of content, whether it's a blog post, a video, or even a single image. But you also need to create a brand story for your content brand. ORIGIN story as Brand story - how everything (for you) started, and why it matters to others [people may think they know how libraries started, or why – but what about your branch? Who is it named for? Why are you in that location? What does the history of a library really mean to patrons?] Personal story – from someone’s life – your staff, your patron (you could even twist it to feature a library product or service that’s well loved or known) – how they overcame difficulties, came to where they are, beat a struggle; can be recent, can be simple (didn’t manage time well, no free time for fun, found a new tool and technique to get a grip on time, you get more done, have fun again) or complex like the hero’s journey Product/Service story – how it came to be, how developed, problems it solves, creative uses, ‘did you know’, how patrons use it, Customer story – how they relate to your product/services, the benefits they receive; others can see themselves in the similar situations of other patrons; great b/c so authentic; what common problem does patron face that X solves; how is life different or better after using Y service; great before/after; and b/c OUR STORIES DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO DO WITH US Customer Generated - have them help you tell their own stories – ‘crowdsourcing’; ask them to share photos, experiences with your products/services, books, staff; feature those stories widely Staff Stories – they are the people that make your org work and your patrons happy! Share behind the scenes, inner workings, how every staff member makes different for patrons; how has a staff member innovated, improved a service or product for patrons; how have thet gone above and beyond; how thought outside box; ‘did you know’ moment for patrons about what it takes to make service happen; story of how they came to library, being a librarian Case studies – detailed, researched stories of people, groups, activities, events, problems – main difference vs other story types is level of detail, more serious nature Aka – Solve a Problem, get Lots of YouTube Traffic - YT IS Traffic; and when people have a problem or question they Google it [c’mon we all know they do before they get to the library … heck, we often Google it for them .. just with better search terms and skills!] And top search results for any ‘how to X’ include videos – and up to 40% of viewers of these YT ‘how to’ solutions WILL click to your website for more info – if you tell them exactly how and where to do so
- Activity: From the description of different story types, which one would be easiest and fastest for you to create? What do you already have content on? What story could you think of, jot down and have outline for before you leave this conference?] [So, about my story I started earlier – did it have an arc? No, why not? (b/c I haven’t gotten to the end b/c I’m saving My End for this Pres End?) and did it resemble a classic plot line? Which? How can I improve it? How we can turn it into a video?]
- How to tell the stories of our libraries, our patrons Now, let’s make like Lucas, Spielberg or Soderbergh
- - beginning, middle, end; conflict and then resolution; climax gives release -Set-ups, situations, problems -Rising action – aka ‘what happens in the middle’; the tension, suspense; the ‘will they live or won’t they’ moments -Climax -Resolution – getting to The End Invoking Emotions, the Senses and even physically feeling you’re there in a story Stories need dialogue as well as action Stories need tension/conflict as well as resolution (aka ‘don’t leave us hanging’) ----------- Comedy - not every funny story is a comedy (talking in Shakespeare sense – comedy of errors, of confusion among characters, bumbling, ‘shenanigans’, before finally all is resolved); sitcoms w/ mix-ups, zany mistakes; reframe a problem into comedic confusion and your org Hero has to fix it Tragedy - tough to use in marketing b/c usually based on a fatal character flaw or weakness that gradually destroys the Hero and The End or death is considered the ‘happy’ resolution; (MacBeth, Titanic, Bonnie + Clyde) Yin/Yang - State the Obvious (of a situation, problem, story) and the state the Un-Obvious; usually with a Bridge of “ … but did you that …” [BlendTec, Mentos] ; common in stories that explain something, coach someone through something; relate to them, show them the before and the after with a prospective change
- There are certain elements that any good story must have in place: BUT WE KNOW THAT, RIGHT?! ------------------- DIFFERENCE WITH VIDEO for MARKETING = ‘- Action’ isn’t just what happens on the screen – it’s what you are aiming for with the video. You MUST include a CTA (Call to Action) – there has to be a next step you want your audience to take after they watch. Something specific to do. And you MUST TELL them what it is. No assuming they know or will see it, figure it out. ------------------ Setting – When and where the action takes place. Character – This could be you, a customer, or someone with a problem that's similar to those of your customers. Conflict – Every good story has a conflict. This is the difficulty the characters are trying to overcome, the thing they must do, or their journey. When the conflict is introduced, this adds forward motion to the story. The reader wants to know what will happen and how it will be resolved. Resolution – This is the happy ending where the conflict is resolved and everyone lives happily ever after. In storytelling content, the resolution says to the reader, "This can work for you too." Content presented as a story usually ends with a call to action. This might be one or a series of action steps that you recommend the reader take to handle the present problem. At the end of the story are takeaways that summarize it and show the reader what to do.
- The seven basic plots are: Conquering the Monster Rags to Riches The Quest Voyage and Return Tragedy Comedy Rebirth It’s not BAD that there are common story types or plots – there are good reasons they have existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years – they work! And there are always new opportunities to connect with YOUR story, YOUR hero, your ‘monster’, your situation of obstacles. We all identify with these plots – even if the monster is a metaphor, or we never become ‘rich’. Plenty of room for creativity in using to tell YOUR version of the story ; they are classic for a reason and stories we tell about our libraries, services, programming and patrons would benefit from following some of these same arcs. Let's consider each one and look at some examples to help you get ideas.
- So which represents which classic plot line or story frame? [the MAIN pt] One story can have many storylines You don’t have to restrict yourself As you've undoubtedly noticed from the above examples, an individual story can have a number of these storylines within it. A hero may go on a journey to conquer a monster, only to face a serious and near-fatal struggle from which he/she experience a rebirth, and then return home at the end. [probably all of Star Wars?!] You don't have to restrict yourself to only one storyline. Most great stories combine elements of a few.
- Conquering the Monster – hero on a journey, culminating in defeat of the terrible monster You've seen this storyline in the biblical David and Goliath story. It's the plot of many classics of literature such as Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Redwall series; It's the basic plot behind "Godzilla," "The Terminator," the Star Wars Trilogy, and the James Bond movies. It's also one of the main themes in superhero comic books. Even video games, Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda - The odds are stacked against our hero/heroine, but through strength, cunning, imagination, friends, resources they found, the hero overcomes The key is that the "monster" doesn't have to be an actual monster. It can be any type of problem or frustration that your audience faces. One great example in marketing is the Allstate "Mayhem" campaign. The character Mayhem is a metaphor for any type of disaster you could face, and you conquer this monster through insurance. Another good example is Nike's "Just Do It" narrative, where athletes overcome the monster (fear of failure, lack of confidence) by "just doing it."
- The Quest – hero + entourage on a mission, facing obstacles, hardships; trek of discovery; they conquer the obstacles to continue on b/c they must; exciting, keeps audience engaged, always waiting for next impossible obstacle and how to overcome; audience travels with the heroes -sometimes the object of the mission isn’t so ‘real’ and is more metaphorical or drives the plot – but it works The Arthurian legend of Sir Galahad's quest for the Holy Grail is a classic example of the quest. More modern examples include the Indiana Jones series, Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter Series, "Finding Nemo" and one of the most famous quest stories, "The Wizard of Oz.“ Also “ The Princess Bride” J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is the story of an inner quest to find purpose and meaning. The quest storyline could be used in your search to discover (create) a product that solves the problems and hardships that your audience faces.
- Voyage + Return -often touches nerve w/ those who have traveled from own home; eventual homecoming brings big emotional release The Hero’s Journey – but the return to home phase; -also references leaving comfort zones psychologically not just geographically -often popular with kids b/c the whole world is foreign and strange land with obstacles A number of classics fit this mold like Homer's Odyssey and Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland. “The Phantom Tollbooth”, “Chronicles of Narnia” and other examples from children’s lit – common for kids to end up on journey’s to magic lands that seem to pop up out of nowhere! We start all magical and fantastic, but then darkness comes in, the hero has to conquer something, and once vanquished they can go home, having learned something valuable. Quite a number of fantasy and science fiction stories use this storyline. Modern voyage and return stories include "Back To The Future" and the miniseries "Lost." Voyage and return can be used in a variety of different contexts. For example, you may have made a discovery while traveling that inspired you to come home and develop a product. Product development can be a voyage and return story if it involves venturing outside of your comfort zone.
- Rags to Riches – the classic ‘American Dream’ story; poor immigrants come to America with nothing, pull themselves up by bootstraps, cunning, hard work and become millionaires, billionaires, huge success You can see this story in the lives of many early 20th century entrepreneurs like Nelson Rockefeller, or in authors such as J.K. Rowling. It appears in classic stories like "Cinderella" and Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. Films like "Rocky" and “Aladdin” portray rags-to-riches stories, and it's the story behind many of today's reality TV shows (and probably most of Disney’s movies! See also Princess and the Frog Rags-to-riches stories can be used very effectively to tell brand stories, since most companies start out as shoe-string operations in someone's basement. A good example is the story of the app WhatsApp, which was developed by Ukrainian-born Jan Koum while he was on food stamps and sold five years later to Mark Zuckerberg for $19 billion. Aka -Success Story – how they (others, the community, ‘them’, customers, etc) make you look great
- Rebirth – can be very effective in marketing The hero/heroine has sunk to their lowest point, most hopeless, most troubled – but they make a tremendous, miraculous recovery -alternate is the ‘villain’ struggles and is ‘reborn’ or redeemed -struggle offers the main conflict in story, overcoming and rising again is inspirational climax/conclusion In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge threatens to stop Christmas, but the holiday is saved in the end. There's an element of rebirth in nearly every episode of "Doctor Who" or a James Bond movie where the hero is about to be killed by the villain but narrowly escapes. "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty" are both rebirth stories. “Cast Away”, “The Hurricane” “The Matrix” There are a great number of rebirth story ideas in a marketing context. Our services sometimes might literally save people right at the moment when they're at the very bottom. This plot can also be worked into a customer testimonial. Your brand story could be about your library constantly faces funding hardships, or needs resources and struggles until a great idea and the support of the willing community saves the day. Any personal story about overcoming a hardship or dark time is a rebirth story. This is also a story your library could tell as it WOULD be a ‘rebirth’ IF X, Y, and Z happen …. Or the hardships that continue, the lack of rebirth if they don’t/ does your product/service save people from a catastrophe, bring them up from the bottom? Do you have user testimonials of how product/service ‘saved’ them when facing hardship (mental, physical, financial); has your org faced a hardship, a disaster and rebuilt?
- Activity: Think of a difficulty you overcame that could help your customers and outline the story behind it. Write your brand story using the elements above of setting, characters, conflict, and resolution. Select the media you would like to use to communicate your story, such as text, images, video, audio, or even an interactive webinar. It can also be any combination of different media. Now, produce your story in the media you selected.
- You should produce each video with your target audience in mind. If you don't have a good idea of exactly who your target audience is, that is a first step. You need to understand your ideal viewer. For each video you make, you should identify its specific purpose. It's good to take this purpose and write it out as a statement. Write something like, "This video will demonstrate how to…" Another good way to write your statement is, "My audience will … after watching my video."
- Start with a strong foundation or the rest won’t matter If you don’t have a good story, good planning, crisp audio and some good visual quality … no amount of Hollywood style post or EFX or big time editing will save your video! But .. You don’t have to go to film school. I swear!
- You can tell a story like George Lucas without needing 9 episodes or hours and hours to do it. AND you can break those bits of a longer story up .. think TV episodes How short? 2-5 min = video sweetspot YouTube’s average video = 2:46, and you need to grab attention in first 8-10 seconds 2min or less for some videos to optimize for mobile viewing and sharing
- You should always outline your videos. even if you are only doing a PowerPoint or Keynote to video, or a screencast. You might not end up reading a script (in fact, you shouldn’t read! But Bullets are great) BUT you should have a plan and have practiced what you will say You will also need to plan what you are going to shoot if you are heading out into the library or the community with a camera. Plan first = less edit later = better story in less time Once you've defined its purpose, give it a title. If there are keyword considerations, include these. Also, decide on a running time before you start outlining. The outline should include an introduction, a script, a call to action, and any other details that your video includes. e.g. a basic Explainer Video for an org/product/service: Intro – to the org and to the problem at hand Why the Problem Matters – why is this important in your community Specific Example of the Problem –relate to your audience Show Your Product/Service +/or org as the Solution – what features solve the problem Give a CTA – every video needs some kind of next action Social Proof – an extra bonus with quotes, testimonial, social likes – proof your solution works for others just like your targeted viewers
- A great way to outline videos is what's called storyboarding. This is what directors and animators do when they're planning a video shoot. The director draws the scenes in order, like a comic. This is used as the outline for the video. For the purposes of marketing videos, you can use written text instead of pictures. You may want to write an actual script, especially if it's a live action video. If you're filming a presentation or recording a vlog, you may be able to get by with just a rough outline or idea of what you want to say. If you need a script, write it. As a general guideline, one page of script is about one minute of video, however you will want to do a trial run and time yourself for any video.
- take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer to make your storyboards
- Don’t worry about writing down all the tools or gear I may mention – there is a PDF with recommendations for you on my website at: intellicraftresearch.com/
- Gear doesn’t have to be pricey, or pro or even new Use what you’ve got 1st! Especially true for cameras and lighting … but sound. That’s different. Audio may actually matter MORE than anything else to video success … Cameras: Smartphones – the newer versions of Droids and iPhones have amazing cameras and shoot HD video. Plus you always have it with you. Tablets – use your iPad DSLR – like Nikon and Canon – the Canon Rebel line has HD video capabilities PLUS the ability to add/input an external mic; you don’t need a pro version of a either of these brands; bonus – you can shoot still and video with the same tool, less to carry around Camcorders – Canon Vixia line, Sony, etc; look for inexpensive versions, or even used; BUT it must be able to take an external mic to plug in GoPros – such awesome, versatile little cameras! Logitech HD Webcams – e.g. the C920 with a Zeiss lens, <$80 TRIPOD – no matter what you shoot with, stabilize it; Get an adapter to fit your iPhone [Joby Griptight] or your iPad It can be a cheap tripod as long as it keeps things from falling over and you can easily adjust it Have smaller, flexible tripods for your smartphones too; Joby Gorillapods
- Audio Matters – maybe even more than picture quality or what tool you use to shoot with. People can and will forgive a little bit of camera shake, or iffy lighting – if the story is good, if they’re engaged … and IF they can hear you! If the audio isn’t crystal clear you will lose them in <10 sec Audio Technica – the ATR 3350 wired lavalier mic, <$30; the Pro70 wired lavalier mic, $120; ATR3357 Rode mics Adapter to put that mic into the headphone jack of your smartphone or tablet so audio goes in, instead of out Audacity – free software to record audio into your computer, clean up audio files from elsewhere; also GarageBand, Adobe Audition
- Cowboy Studio, Limo Studio – good, cheap multi light setups. Also, you can DIY some lights with stuff from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Check out great video from Wistia on a lighting hack Savage Paper – for backdrops, backgrounds
- Visual Quality Matters : Start out by playing by the rules! Especially the Rule of Thirds – it works in video just like photography Compose your shots, especially if no one is moving around; I.e. imagine a grid of 3x3x3 – can’t go wrong if you put your subject in the middle column, their eyes in the upper mid third Get some light on your subject – shoot outside, the sun is cheap; Just don’t ever put the sun behind your on-camera subject! Same goes for if you use the lights in your library or office. You want nice, soft light on their face, maybe at 45 degree angle Do pay attention to what’s going on in the background of the video – you don’t want a really busy background (believe it or not, all those books on the shelves may not be a good location! Unless you can use really short depth of field and they are cinematically blurry. Maybe a portion of the stacks?) BUT, you also want the background to help tell your story Are you talking about a story with a young patron? Film in the children’s area or with toys and picture books and maybe seated low, like a kid Are you talking about how your databases do marvels with family history? Shoot at the computer and include screenshots, screen casts + a family tree, maybe even multiple generations of patrons if they’re game Stay away from the blank white walls; away from reflective walls or anything that might wash you out
- Before the speaker starts talking or the action starts occurring, your camera should be already rolling. You can edit out the lead time later. If you don't start recording beforehand, you can end up with an awkward beginning that you can't edit later.
- We know video is hot and only getting hotter. We know telling stories is a favorite form of human connection for millennia. Libraries know the power of storytelling better than any org, biz or nonprofit out there! The gear to make excellent sounding, looking, engaging videos is more affordable than ever. So we know to put those factors together into video marketing that works to drive traffic, engage our communities and carry our library brand messaes further than ever. That’s a wrap! Common questions – about a particular service, about your location, about your process, about a database, about staff, about library funding Confessions – honesty, authenticity, chance to be funny Flashbacks – take TBT to video; short videos “What if I told you …” - funny, surprising, unknown takes on common library situations, occurrences or common myths Challenge Accepted – the meme What People Think I/We/The Library Does – What We Really do – take the visual image meme and turn into video to bust myths in a tongue-in-cheek way Do a compilation of images, clips, Tweets, Pins that your patrons and users have shared of your library – where are you tagged; mash them back up and share back out; give credit Mash up several of your videos – e.g. do a How-to video for a service/product that you put on YouTube, but have another camera film clips of you making the How-To video and share that on Vine, Instagram, Twitter; capture feedback from patrons/users on the How-To and turn that into a Thank You or Community Involvement video
- Facilitator Instructions: Ask your participants if they have any questions about what you just discussed. More common types of videos Announcements – new product (do loads of new books all at once), new staff, new furniture – but be sure to share WHY that would matter to your patrons (e.g. the new chairs are comfier for longer reading sessions and are closer to plugs) Coming Attractions – short videos to share new features, new services, new products that are arriving at your library soon; tease and get people excited Behind the scenes – lots of libraries are doing great time lapse videos of events, like Friends book sales; consider a behind the stacks, behind the desk, after-hours, inside the book drop Office/Library tours – but come up with your own twist on why to pay attention; what problems would a visual tour solve? What fun nuggets can you include for those who really pay attention? What myths to dispel? Community Involvement – work with local partners, share equal time talking about what you do, how your services complement each other; talk with your volunteers Events – do highlights of events, big or small; with encouragement to attend the next one and why they should FAQs as videos – one question per video; answer common questions, and some uncommon ones; answer some the questions you think people should be asking but don’t How-tos - obvious, but for good reason! We often assume our users know how to do things when maybe they don’t, or are afraid to ask; if they’re going to Google an answer, isn’t it better if the library has one of those better answers?! Testimonials – get some love from your patrons and share it back out! Reviews – libraries are already great at doing reviews and recommendations – take it video; review more than new books; review software, databases, graphic novels, DVDs and the tools you might offer