Tag Archives: YouTube

What to Expect on Shoot Day

Recently, I filmed a YouTube video that I had written for my internship with Skillman Video Group. And building up to the shoot day, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I made sure I was prepared, and I made sure my actors were prepared as well. However, I still didn’t learn what was really going to happen until it did, so here I am to teach you a few things you should expect on a shoot day for Boston video production.

Actors

Now, if you’re filming a YouTube video, odds are you don’t have professional actors. I definitely didn’t. However, the actors I did manage to convince to be in my video did an excellent job regardless. But because they were not professional actors for video production Boston, none of them were completely confident in their lines. They all knew their lines, but they were still nervous about performing them once the camera started rolling. What I needed to do was make sure they were as comfortable as possible, and once they were, they did an amazing job. So don’t get frustrated with your actors for not doing something a certain way. Most people don’t perform well under pressure, so try to instead be encouraging and patient, and odds are the shoot will go smoothly.

Sound

I am going to be completely honest. I don’t have a ton of experience with sound in video. I usually just don’t film many videos with sound in it at all. I’m more of a put music in the background and silence the video type of person. However, for this shoot, since I wrote in several lines, sound was a huge priority. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a camera that I could record the sound on separately. My camera does not have decent sound recording, so this was extremely helpful. I would recommend doing this for anyone who doesn’t have access to an external microphone or camera with better sound recording.

Shooting a YouTube video for video production companies Boston can be stressful, but in the end it’s worth it. If you know what to expect, you stay organized, and you make little to no mistakes, you will end up with a product you are proud of, and that is all that really matters.

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

Writing a Script for a Video

How to Write Script for Marketing Videos

Part of the work of a summer intern at Skillman Video Group is to create a video for YouTube that you write, direct, and edit all by yourself. Now, this can seem pretty simple, considering it’s just a five or six minute YouTube video depending on whatever topic you choose. But no, this is just simply not the case.

Creating an Idea for a Marketing Video

If you’re interested in making a YouTube video, you should choose whether or not you want it to be funny or serious. Personally, I chose to make a funny video. You could also decide to make something serious, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Lots of amazing videos and short films are serious, but I personally would rather make something fun. Something that makes everyone laugh…hopefully. You also need a concept: a topic for your video. I decided to make my video an SVG-themed parody of a popular reality tv show called “The Bachelorette”. I picked this because most people know what it is, and it’s extremely easy to make fun of. Sometimes important sacrifices have to be made when it comes to Boston video production humor.

How to Write a Script

Next, if you want your video to be the least bit successful, you will need to write a script for it. This is the hard part. You have to make sure your story makes sense whilst creating characters, jokes, and ironing out all the details. You need to be thinking about locations you can use, people who can play your characters, and what is funny and what isn’t. Writing the script for my marketing video took a while because I had to figure out which contestants could be funny yet sensible options for my parody show. However, since the show already exists, I basically just followed the layout of a typical Bachelorette episode, which made my job a little easier.

Video Concept Ideas

Coming up with a concept for a video is easier said than done. However, once you come up with one, turning that into a script is a lot more complicated. We didn’t even discuss what shooting and editing one is like! But once you have all of your details ironed out, you will have created something you’ll be proud of for a long time. Forever, actually, since once something is on the internet it never really goes away.

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

Video Cameras for Beginners and Experts

Thanks to sites like Vimeo and YouTube, it is now easier than ever before to push your content out to the world through video marketing. At the same time, there are so many new camera models and brands being unveiled on a monthly basis. Admittedly, it can be hard to keep up, so for both beginners and experts alike, here are some recommendations to get you started with solid equipment for video production.

Beginners

For beginners, there is nothing wrong with a Boston video production company using a DSLR. A DSLR camera stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, which has to do with its digital light sensor. Their recent popularity surge in recent years is due to their accessibility, affordability, and versatility. You can use the camera to teach yourself basic photography skills like composition and lighting. DSLR offer great sensor sizes for their price range, which is why they are so popular among beginners and really even professionals. They come with interchangeable lenses for easy switching and flexibility, but if you want to save some time you can just find one with a variable lens. When you are ready, DSLR cameras can easily switch to recording videos.

Our recommendations:

Canon EOS 650D

Canon EOS series: The Rebel EOS series in particular is affordable and entirely capable of providing great photos and videos. These cameras are also very popular among YouTube marketing pros.

-Nikon D-series: If you’re willing to drop a bit more cash for your DSLR, than the Nikon D series (ex: D500) is a great starting point. These cameras have considerably large sensors for their compact frames, and offer incredible processing speed.

Experts

As for the expert-level camera operators, high-end equipment starts to give you more flexibility across all lighting levels. This is because more advanced cameras tend to have much larger sensors, allowing them to capture better-quality photos in low-level lighting scenarios. The larger sensors and reconfigured optical mirrors give the camera user more control over how blurry a background is and how sharply focused a subject will be. Be aware that these higher-end cameras will often come in fixed-lens packages, rather than variable lens. If you would like a camera with variable lens (allowing you to zoom), you will need to be ready to expand your budget.

Our recommendations:

High-end camera on SVG set

-Black Magic URSA 4.6k EF digital film camera: Black magic has become one of the hottest companies in film and photo capture recently thanks to their outstanding equipment. With this awesome piece of hardware, you’ll be able to work with a superb image sensor and a global shutter, giving you lots of wiggle room to use a variety of camera lenses regardless of brand. (over 7,000)

-For a much cheaper price range (just around 2000) you can check out the Canon XC10 Camcorder. It is entirely capable of 4K video with multiple bit rates for compression, allowing users to work with high-speed playback.

Skillman Videography Group LLC specializes in Boston video production services. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

Summer 2016 Video Production Gear Trends

NAB Expo Las Vegas

With the National Association of Broadcasters Expo (NAB 2016) having just wrapped up in Las Vegas, let’s take a look at some of the hottest emerging trends in video production gear. Staying up to date on these trends will help keep your Boston video production company ahead of the competition.

Stabilization–

Video production gear companies are now striving to come up with the best quality stabilizers with sleek and practical designs. This new craze for camera stabilizers entails everything from gimbals to dollies to tripods, just to name a few. Many companies are creating hybrid products that switch purposes in an instant, such as changing from a shoulder rig to a mono-pod with one click. New rig devices that strap on like a backpack allow for seamless movement across all three axes without the camera operator taking the brunt of the weight. To see how stabilized shots can make all the difference, check out the Boston marketing video we made for Lynch Leadership Academy at Boston College, where SVG was able to utilize a slider mechanism to its full effect, allowing for smooth, candid takes.

4K Camera Drone

Drones- Thanks to growing prominence among YouTubers, camera drones are quickly entering the Boston video production lexicon. These machines are becoming stronger, faster, and more versatile, so don’t be surprised if you start to see them being used by a Boston video marketing company or even for corporate training video production. At SVG we’ve used drones for client work before, so we can’t wait to get our hands on these new versions!

Gimbal for DSLR

Convenience- One of the most talked about items at the NAB expo was actually very small and very cheap: a pocket-sized dolly device. Working off of three wheels and bare bones button commands, the mini-dolly is ideal for mid-sized DSLR cameras. Edelkrone showed up with a tripod that is the first of its kind, allowing for rapid folding and storage without any knobs or buttons. Finally, a new company called Parachut is about to take over the equipment rental market by storm, thanks to its new subscription-based approach that has been called “The Netflix of equipment rentals.” Not only will it give the dominant companies a run for their money, but it will also allow aspiring camera operators to work with equipment that has never been available to them.

Moving into the second half of 2016, keep an eye out for these rapidly developing trends to ensure your production company stays ahead of the curve.

Skillman Videography Group LLC specializes in Boston video production. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

Intern: Post-Production

Knowledge and experience are the result of adversity and critiques. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing video production is no different, and as Skillman Video Group’s intern, I was able to use my prior experience to produce dozens of articles on video production and video marketing.

Producing a video for Skillman Video Group can be intimidating, especially when working for a company that holds itself to the highest of standards. Although filming the video and interviewing our CEO and Creative Director Christina Skillman seemed like an easy task, the post-production editing proved to me that every little element makes a difference to the larger picture.

Color Correction

YouTube has proven to be a great video marketing tool, and when it came to learning about an unfamiliar program and color correction, YouTube again showed its worth. There are many different strategies for color correction in Adobe Premiere Pro. After tampering with a few, I found that the best color-correction workflow was to correct using RGB scopes. One problem that gave me the greatest difficulty in post-production was matching the color temperature of the b-roll shots to the interview’s. Again, I found that the RGB scopes gave me the best results and allowed me to better match the color temperature of the separate shots.

Also using the color scale is a handy tool when trying to match color temperatures. This gave me a better look at the RGB color data, so I knew which colors needed to be toned down and which ones needed to be increased. Overall, next time when filming I will make sure to better match the color temperature of the interviews and b-roll shots so it will make for less of a hassle in post-production.

B-roll

There is never too much b-roll. B-roll is an important element to a video especially when having to provide visuals for the interview topic. The audience doesn’t just want to look at the interviewee the whole time, so providing b-roll images that fits in with the dialogue. Going back through the b-roll shots I took, I wish that I had taken more. Having options is the greatest benefit of a video and will ultimately lead to its success. Although I had b-roll clips that worked, it wasn’t up to my standards nor SVG’s. SVG is all about high quality and though I had b-roll shots that would be considered as highly valuable, the rest were average.

a udio+ music

Deciding on background music can be tricky. I knew I wanted uplifting feel-good music in the background that wasn’t nostalgic or too aggressive. The video is meant to provide information to SVG’s clients on preparing for a video marketing meeting so the music should express the emotion of the video. After exploring different songs, and testing each in the video sequence, I finally found the right song on Premium Beat, which was uplifting and fit in perfectly with the video. When adding music into a sequence, the music audio and dialogue audio needs to be adjusted so that the music doesn’t overshadow the dialogue. Using keyframes allows the editor to adjust the audio in certain areas that are either to high or too low.

Details

After reviewing the video with Christina Skillman, there were areas of the video that I could improve editing wise, but and as a video producer I learned to look at the smaller elements of video production. Even a scrunched up shirt and messy hair can cause a distraction to the audience and can offset the video. Looking at every detail and making adjustments is what separates the high quality videos from the average. Though I am proud of the video I produced I learned that there are always areas to improve whether it be as a video producer or an editor in post-production

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

5 Benefits of YouTube

Social media has become increasingly popular in the past five years, and is projected to grow over the next four. However, with sites such as Vimeo, Vine, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube it is hard for any Boston business to know exactly what social media website would be most beneficial for their video marketing strategy. Going with a normal video is useless when it comes to Boston video production, but when it comes to marketing “72% of B2B Marketers use Video Content Marketing” as their top choice, according to ReelSEO. There are many benefits when publishing on YouTube, but these are the top five reasons why it is beneficial for Boston businesses to upload directly to YouTube:

Leads to traffic
Can be adapted
YouTube is Mobile
72% of b2b users find YouTube to be the best choice for their video platform
Engage with potential customers

Leads to Traffic

YouTube can be an extremely effective platform for video marketing. It helps sells consumers without forcing the message or product in their face. Also, if a consumer likes what he or she sees, then his or her next step involves visiting the company’s website. Producing content is based around supporting a business and its website. YouTube allows a video to be seen by a large audience, which will ultimately drive interest and traffic onto the business’s website.

Adaptable

At Skillman Video Group, we have always made it known that the targeted audience must always be kept in mind we developing a Boston video marketing campaign. However, YouTube allows the B2B campaigns to adapt to other consumers. ReelSEO points out that “Video content is so versatile that it can be created, and adapted to suit every marketing approach.” For some B2B campaigns there may be two very different demographics and thus a video can be created to relate to both. Also as consumers evolve with technology the business and its marketing videos can do the same. Nonetheless, YouTube video marketing is continuously there to reach whoever the video is intended for.

YouTube is Mobile

With over a billion users and more than half of those viewers coming from mobile devices it is apparent that every Boston business should publish videos on YouTube. It is easy to notice how much this generation is attached to their phones, and in a recent Cisco poll it was founded that “by 2020 75% of mobile traffic will be video.” YouTube is the leading video publishing site and with statistics like that, the projections of generating consumers through mobile devises is one of YouTubes greatest benefits.

72% of b2b users find YouTube to be the best choice for their video platform

Besides YouTube being mobile, many find that YouTube is THE platform for video marketing. According to ReelSEO, only 20% of respondents used Vimeo as their video platform and 9% used Vine as B2b lead generator compared to YouTubes 72%. Video is also on the rise regarding marketing strategies from 70% in 2013 to 76% in 2015.

Engagement

Again, YouTube allows businesses to reach their targeted audience and then some. However, businesses also find YouTube to be beneficial when seeking to communicate with consumers. ReelSEO states that 38% of their respondents used YouTube as a social media platform to engage with potential clients, and 48% believed YouTube was more effective than Facebook. Although Facebook and Twitter are still the leading social media sites in 2016 with Facebook at 84% and Twitter at 88%, YouTube is just a close second behind them at 72% and is projected to grow.

YouTube proves many benefits, but again a businesses marketing strategy is only as good as their content. SVG knows how to take a concept to content and will be with a business through every step of a marketing campaign.

Skillman Video Group LLC is a Boston video production company. Call us anytime at 1-800-784-0140.

YouTube Marketing

In a world run by social media, it isn’t enough to just feel something anymore you must show it by pressing a button on a screen. Expression is no longer just a feeling. We gain reassurance of our work through views and “likes.” However, for businesses social media has become a platform to reach consumers. Yet, even with sites such as YouTube providing a stage to display businesses abilities, there are still videos that attract little to no attention. YouTube marketing has endless benefits but it is how a business uses their YouTube channel to gain views that separates them from the flubs.

Promotion

YouTube channels that have more views than others are strategic regarding the types of videos posted. For instance, the popular YouTube channel “Smosh” has over 5.3 billion video views and 21 million subscribers to the channel. Although this channel is based around comedy skits, the elements and storyline of the videos generate views. The question is how can a business gain just as much popularity without losing sight of their message?

Resonate with the targeted audience
Create a unique story
Entertain without losing sight of the message
Know your audience
Know your brand and message
Use emotion
Do not stray from your attributes as a business

Entertaining an audience is important when developing a video. However, the video must stick to the business’ concepts and not stray from their story and message. Conveying emotion is a great way to attract an audience using YouTube marketing. Yet, the emotion must connect with the consumer and not just create humor, because that is what other YouTube channels are doing. A business must always keep the consumer in mind and convey an emotion through a story that will resonate with the targeted audience. Whether a small business or large, or a business selling a product or selling themselves YouTube marketing must be used properly and will only be beneficial if a business knows their brand and message.

Tumblr and Reddit

Although there are other sites such as Tumblr and Reddit that provide attention through entertaining posts and images, YouTube marketing is the most popular site when reaching an audience. Also, sites such as Tumblr and Reddit are more for entertaining purposes. This is not to say everything on YouTube is there for marketing, but YouTube channels provide a place for a consumer to learn more about a business without having to read it. Specifically brand videos are becoming more popular for consumers who are tired of reading reviews about a product and what to see exactly how it functions. More than 65% of consumers will go to YouTube to review a product before purchasing. More businesses are finding that promoting a product through YouTube marketing establishes trustworthiness between the consumer and business. Brand videos allow the consumer to see the logistics of the product and visually see themselves using it.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to drive attention onto a business but with YouTube marketing providing a platform for businesses it allows them to move outside the local realm of consumers and reach an audience beyond their borders. However, in order to generate views a business must stick to their message. By using a story and the right video style, a business will find they are just as popular as some of the most subscribed YouTube channels.