How Slick Should Your Video Look?

When you're producing a story on video, how slick should it look? Do you need to spend big money to produce it? Should you bring in a professional crew with high-def gear, lights and gels or should you do it yourself with a hand-held and go for the more natural touch?

These are all great questions to pursue and they are starting to come up with greater frequency as PR and marketing teams begin to experiment more with digital storytelling.

So which is it? Well, the answer depends in part on who your target audience is, the size of your budget (naturally) as well as the type of story you're telling. But, I'll tell you from experience, that if you're going for authentic storytelling, you can never go wrong with a more natural, less super-produced look and feel.

Here, have a look for yourself at these two different approaches to the same story.


Two very different storytelling styles. One of these videos is nothing but stand-up, the other is pure voice-over. One is obviously a corporate production and the other is, well, not sure. It appears to be amateur but who knows. (We'll touch on that issue another day.)

Back to today's storyline: Which of these videos engaged you more? Which one seemed more interesting to watch, fun, something you'd be inclined to socialize (ah, the magic word) with someone else? BTW, if the last (longer) video looks familiar, that's because I featured it in a previous post to point out the challenges inherent in capturing the wow factor of a new technology for an audience.

Do you have time to stick around for one more example?
Lest you think that it's obvious you should never do another story with anyone on camera for the entire time, let's look at one more example. This time, it's still about a soda dispenser, but with a different look and approach to telling the story.


So, a few key take-aways for you to ponder:

• Let the technology be an actor in the story, not just a prop
  
• Keep stand-up on-camera moments shorter
  
• Have your on-camera storyteller be actively engaged with the technology
• Delivery is important.... delivery is important... delivery is important
  
• Try your next few videos in-house, shoot for a more casual feel and go hand-held and you'll have the right mix for a desirable outcome: more engaging and authentic
  

There's never been a better time to tell a good business story...your story.