Videos Made Easy

Most videos produced for the Internet are produced without even using a camera! That's right, people just use stock photgraphs and clips and then render them into a brief video for the net. Microsoft Powerpoint, Camtasia and Sony Vegas Movie Studio are a few of the tools that make this sort of production quite easy.

If you want to capture video of yourself or to get a clip for your video, there are only a few really, really important things to remember:

First of all is lighting. Make sure that your subject and the background behind the subject is properly lit to get the best effect. You may need to invest in some simple lights from your local Home Depot or, if you are really into it, some good quality box lights that are made for just this purpose.

Next is the camera. It must have a microphone port to get the best audio and video together on a shot. Using a tripod to hold the camera steady really helps make your videos better. Of course, you will need some way to get the video from the camera into your computer. For video cameras, that means you will need a firewire or USB cable hookup. Of course, for webcams, the video is already in the computer. (Webcams make for poor quality videos unless the lighting issue is addressed.

Editing software. You will need the ability to edit your video to get rid of unwanted frames, to insert titling and other effects, and to combine still photos, video clips, audio and background music to bring it all together.

If you consider just these few simple things, you can produce a pretty decent video for the web!

Almost anybody can produce a video for the internet! It's pretty easy.

But, a video that assists you in your marketing efforts will need to be thought out a little more if you really wish to get results from your efforts.

The best videos are the ones that quickly go viral and have thousands and thousands of views overnight. To accomplish this, a video must be "sticky"! It must be brief and jump out and grab you.

In the popular book "Made to Stick", authors Dave & Chip Heath discuss the factors that make a video "Sticky". They summarize the process by saying that the stickiness factor is attained by:

S - Simple - Keep it simple
U - Unexpected - Let it surprise the viewer
C - Concrete - It must be believable, at least somewhat
C - Credible - It must have a basis in fact
E - Emotional - It must tug at your emotions
S - Story - the video must tell a story

Follow these easy guidelines and your video, too, will be a succes(s)!