Step One: Keep it simple

Don’t be afraid!

Let’s face it. When it comes to making videos, most people find the whole idea incredibly daunting. And yet we’ve all seen examples of videos that have managed to attract the attention of a huge audience.

When people think of making videos they often get stuck thinking it’s way too hard. Or it’s too expensive. Or you need a fancy camera. And a bunch of other equipment. You have to get in front of the camera and act smart and be good looking. And it takes too much time.

In this series, I’m going to bust those myths wide open and show how you can produce good looking video that connects with your target audience – that’s both cheap and easy. We’ll be looking at examples of some of the most successful video marketing campaigns (some that have attracted millions of viewers) and yet each used very simple video production methods.

And remember, making videos can be so much fun.

Really?

Really, really…

Let’s start with a basic question that every entrepreneur needs to be asking: What does your target audience really want?

They want to connect with a real person – like you.

So, here’s the first bit of good news:

The reason you want to make videos is because video helps you make genuine connection like no other medium. Video lets you be personable online. Video lets you initiate an online conversation that’s both visual and relatable and can build trust and those all-important emotional connections.

It’s a virtual way to for people meet the real you.

And there’s more good news:

Given the current popularity of watching (and sharing) videos online, creating a video that displays your passion and values (as well as your quirkiness) is proving to be the best way of introducing yourself to potential clients or customers and building credibility and trust.

This is where the real work is. Revealing yourself takes courage.

And why the prospect of videomaking can seem daunting.

The third bit of good news is what this lesson is all about:

You can make awesome videos and instead of being a scary chore, it can be fun – if you keep it simple. You can use the camera you already have. It won’t cost a lot (or anything). It won’t take a lot of time. You don’t need to have a prepared script where you say everything perfectly. You don’t even need to be in front of the camera.

So, imagine that you’re a kid again and your best friend pulls out an old 8mm camera and says, “Let’s make a movie!”

That sounds like fun, right?

That’s where we’re going…

Finding awesome in simple

To illustrate how you can make an awesome video (without spending money or a lot of time, and without having to get in front of the camera or even having to talk!) we’re going to use the video example above.

This video was made by Wistia.

It’s simple – but there’s plenty of awesome in it.

The story: Our hero, Lenny the dog, is given a mission to deliver a video – and we witness the challenges of using a dog for video delivery.

The job of the videomakers involved? Follow the dog around with a camera.

This video follows a few basic keep-it-simple rules.

1. No dialogue, no script:

The story is told with minimal dialogue – just the opening request to deliver the video (and the dog barks in response). If you follow this rule there’s no need to write a script or for you or anyone to else speak lines to the camera!

This follows another cardinal rule in videomaking – show don’t tell. In this case the story is all show.

2. No lighting:

The video above was shot using available lighting. Yes, it’s true that the video starts inside an office with indoor lights – but those lights are just part of the setting. The majority of the video is shot outdoors with available light. Simple.

3. No expensive camera:

A video like this could be shot entirely with a smartphone and a gopro camera

4. Short:

The video is less than 140 seconds. In this case only 31 seconds. Video length seems to work best in holding your viewers’ attention span if it keeps to the same restricted number (140) that Twitter uses. Although with video the restriction is no longer than 140 seconds (instead of 140 characters).

5. Fun:

Probably the best quality of this video is that it’s fun. The video succeeds by translating a fairly boring idea (Wistia’s service of business video hosting) into a fun dog adventure video. Of course we know the dog is going to wreck the video – but we have to watch the various methods of destruction. By using a simple tag line at the end – there’s a better way to deliver video – Wistia is able to bring their message and leave their viewers smiling.

6. Other bits of awesome:

Note the multiple points-of-view. The video was shot from as many angles as they could think of. I especially like the dog’s-eye-view (made possible with a GoPro camera). This keeps our interest by showing us something we haven’t seen before – which is really good rule of thumb for making your video: show us something we haven’t seen before.

Step One: Keep it simple

Don’t be afraid!

Next Step: Ditch the script

Step Two: Ditch the Script