Shooting the Speaker Demo Video - Part 1

The Challenge
For professional speakers to get to the top echelon - to demand top dollar for a keynote presentation, there is no question about the need for a first class demo video. On the other hand video is:

1. relatively expensive
2. content dependent
3. a loaded gun (if you don't know how to use it properly, and point it in the wrong direction, you can hurt yourself, from both an image and financial perspective)

In this short article, I can't cover off everything a professional producer/director would be concerned about on your behalf, but I can provide some tips that will go a long way towards helping you get the best quality video of your performance, when the opportunity presents itself.

The Solution
Here are the 3 key ingredients to overcome the three traps above:

1. Don't shy away from doing a first class job. Hire the best production videographers shooting on "broadcast quality videotape.
2. You must amass footage along the road, but you can do this relatively inexpensively if you know a few "tricks of the trade." Getting a good product is mostly a result of careful planning.
3. When you're ready, hire a very good producer/director. Make sure they've been in the video production industry a long time and understand your business. Finally, determining your central theme (or image) and bringing it to the screen through a tightly cut video, will be key to your success.

Top Ten Secrets to Spectacular Video

1. Lighting and camera. Lighting is everything! In television, we paint pretty pictures through the use of light. Your videographer (or if you're working with a theatrical lighting director) must know how to light effectively for television. Hire only professionals - no wedding videographers . . . unless you know they do exceptional production work. The difference in cost will only be a few hundred dollars at most, versus double the original amount to re-do it again.

2. Video is all about PLANNING. Secondly: Video LIVES FOREVER! In our industry, every time we go out on a shoot, professionals spend hours making sure everything about the day is organized BEYOND being organized. In other words, plan for everything to go wrong and you'll have an exceptional day.

What you get on tape will not get better over time. No amount of editing will improve it. So . . . make sure you plan for the venue (better still if you have a say in what venue is selected), hire only the best production people (I can't stress this enough), perfect your keynote and work with your videographer to ensure they know what you need to end up with. Here's where you might need to talk to a director beforehand to determine what it is you're actually asking for, in "video-speak."

3. Mind the frame. Your performance determines how tight the shot should be. If you use lots of humor that uses facial expressions and intricate timing, close-ups will be very important. If you're all over the stage and use large gestures, you'll want what we call a "full shot" - head to toe (or at least head to knees). Make sure you know how your planned blocking will affect lighting and sound. Work with your videographer or director to define where you will be . . . when. Make sure you know where the camera is positioned and make sure you favor it when you present.

In terms of your dress, try to stay away from whites and blacks. Stay in mid range colors - pastels are the best. Make-up is the ultimate in a professional product. And if you have fair skin, mandatory. Fair skinned people reflect light. We tend to "white out" if we don't wear a make up "base" to absorb some of that light. Make up or powder also reduces any shine, which is distracting. And, if you wear glasses, make sure you've allowed for them in the lighting. They tend to reflect light.

4. Sound is 60% of video. You'll watch a bad picture with terrific sound, but not the opposite. If you're debating whether to tape a performance, consider these critical deterrents:

• Is it near an airport or under a flight path
• Is it near a train track?
• Is there a wedding or karaoke session in the next room (if in a hotel)
• Is there an air conditioning system that sounds like a jet engine?

Check your microphone sound in the camera before you go on - always.

5. Beware the environment. When working on stage at an event, make sure you know the lay of the land well in advance. Know what the background will be. The look of the stage you're on has a critical effect on how your audience perceives your performance. A spectacular background, colorfully lit, will raise your profile. Make you visit the site as early as possible. And if you're setting this up yourself in a small venue, make sure the ceiling height is at least 12 feet and NO CHANDELIERS!

TO COME: Later this week, the remain 5 Top Secrets to Spectacular Video!