The Video Marketing Blog

Use This Video Vocabulary List

If your company has decided to create video, and you've begun talking to videographers and video production companies, you may feel as though they're speaking a foreign language. Here's a quick list of video production terms (in no particular order) so you can sound like a pro and avoid miscommunication.

Shoot (noun) The event that centers around someone using a video camera to create raw digital media. (as in, We need to schedule the shoot.)

Shoot (verb) The act of using a camera to capture video. (as in, We'll need to shoot the machine in action.)

Shooter A camera operator.

Shot Video of one single scene.

Shot list  A list of shots that will be required to create your final video. The shot list is generally created after the script is developed.

Script  While you might assume that a script is only necessary for dialogue, that assumption is incorrect. ALL videos need some kind of script - because the script is the plan that helps your production team acquire all the necessary video shots to create the final video.

Standard def (SD) Video is made up of individual frames. For standard definition video, the frame size is much smaller and there are far fewer pixels than in high definition (HD) video. As a result, the visual quality of SD video is lower than HD video.

High def (HD) Video shot in a high-definition format, which means that the frame size is larger than SD, and each frame holds much more digital information. As a result, picture quality is much higher than SD video. High def is a general term that can describe different frame sizes, so it's important to understand that some HD video can be higher-definition than other HD video. Generally, HD video is of excellent quality and looks great no matter where it's shown - on the web, on a dvd, projected on a screen. In today's world, HD video has become a production standard.

Audio (noun) Refers to the sound that will be captured on videotape. Audio can be captured either with the camera's microphone or an auxiliary microphone. To get good sound quality, an auxiliary mic is a must.

Mic (say it ‘mike') An abbreviation for microphone

Lavalier or lapel mic A small microphone that clips on your lapel, usually wireless - or without a wire connecting it to the camera.

Shotgun mic A long, skinny microphone, sometimes attached to a camera and sometimes attached to the end of a pole. 

Green screen a bright green fabric that is hung behind a person being interviewed. The green background allows an editor to insert a particular background or create special effects.

While there are lots more technical terms, these are the basics and will help you understand what's being talked about when you're speaking to a videographer or production company.  Let us know if you're hearing other technical terms, and we'll update the list.

Should Your Business Buy a Video Camera?

Here at Yes! MediaWorks, we generally shoot with Canon XH-A1 cameras.

They have all kinds of useful features, and they let us make great video. When we book a shoot, they (and the big tripods that support them) work very well. But I've been feeling lately that bigger is not always better. That sometimes it would be really handy to have a little camera - small enough to tuck into my purse, easy enough to turn on, point, and shoot. And so this morning I went and ordered the Kodak Zi8.

I've been resisting a small HD video camera because up until now, they haven't had jacks for external microphones. Sure, the Flip HD cameras make nice-looking video, but the audio sounds like a small, inexpensive consumer camcorder, and there's no way to improve it. Good for some situations, but for me that's a serious limitation.

Enter the Zi8. With its HD capability, I can use it for all kinds of quick shots without having to lug around the big XH A1. And with its mic jack, I can also use it for impromptu videotaping at seminars & events - say, a two-minute hallway interview with a great speaker.

So... why do you care?

Because while your company - or nonprofit - may already have a relationship with a media company, you probably have events you don't send a videographer to, like seminars you attend. But video from those events could be very useful, for your blog, to edit into larger projects, etc.

Gathering video from the field - from your trade show booth, from site visits, from places and events that would be interesting to your customers and potential customers - is a really good reason to have a camera like this. Its price is low (on Amazon, about $250 with 16GB Flash memory card, tripod & bag), it shoots HD video, and your media company can handle the cataloging and editing for you. All you need to do is gather the raw video.

Owning a camera like this is such a good idea that I'm going to start recommending that my clients buy one. But wait - that doesn't seem to make sense. Yes! MediaWorks is a company that shoots video professionally. Why would we recommend that our customers buy and use a video camera?

Because the value that smart media companies provide is in creating and managing content, and in helping their clients understand how to use that content. NOT in being the sole content originator. It is in your best interest to market your company (or nonprofit) with lots of video. But unless you have a budget the size of EMC's video budget, it's just not practical to pay a videographer to shoot all your content.

So, when you're looking for a media company to help you understand and use video to market your business/nonprofit, ask this question: What kind of camera would you recommend we buy? If they try to talk you out of buying a camera, they may not be the right media company.  

 

Business Video Blog: You Need a Microphone

A video blog is great for promoting your business and establishing you as a thought leader. But before you dive in and buy your video camera, make sure it has the capability to accept an external microphone.  

Higher-end cameras will accept a microphone through an xlr connection. Consumer cameras will acccept a microphone through a mini-jack (pictures of each connector are in the video.) You can even buy adapters, so you can use a mic with an xlr connector if your camera has a mini-jack input.

A microphone is so important because it will give you great-sounding audio. If you only use the camera's on-board mic, your audio is going to sound hollow and tinny and low-end. If your video blog's purpose is to promote your business, you definitely want your video to announce your quality and professionalism. The eye is more forgiving than the ear - mediocre-looking video is something we'll forgive if the sound is good. But great-looking video with low-end sound will be perceived as amateurish, and will distract from your content.

There are cases where using the on-board mic is perfectly appropriate. One example is when you attend a trade show or a seminar, and want to tape someone for your blog. A quick interview shot between presentations, a question asked in a trade show booth - we see the background and understand that you're 'in the field' and we forgive less than stellar audio. But if you're in your office or conference room, looking at the camera and speaking, or if you're using your camera to interview a customer or an expert in your field, lousy audio just says low end.

So before you buy your camera, take the time to check the specs (they're all available online) and make sure you can use an external microphone. It'll make a big difference in the video you create to promote your business.