Creating and using effective promotional and educational videos for libraries and information services. Session delivered at the Jan 2010 AOSEC meeting in Portsmouth
1. Creating and using effective promotional and educational
videos for libraries and information services
Gareth J Johnson
Weasel Televisual Enterprises (and University of Leicester )
www.twitter.com/llordllama www.youtube.com/llordllama
2. Creating effective movies for training,
education or promotion
The practicalities of going from idea
to script to screen
Where do puppets fit in?!
3. Started filming in 2007 for fun
Bought a camera and editing software
Moved on to developing short films
Started using videos to support teaching
and training
Made open accessible & now reused by
librarians globally
Learned about the practicalities and
craft of film production
5. Won’t click for everyone
But neither do other forms of instruction or
promotion
Satisfying different customer needs and styles
A hybrid or blended promotional approach
Another weapon in the arsenal
Video production itself can be a PR event
Barriers exist
Organisational ethos or personal resistances
Concerns over skills set or resources
6. Why puppets?
Because they are always available to record!
Because they are adaptable to filming requirements
Because humour is a powerful a communication tool
Makes it engaging
A key goal for any education or marketing exercise
Makes it memorable
Audiences will remember serious points made
Makes it digestible
Sugar coating for difficult or complex topics
7.
8. Videos are a non-trivial creation exercise
A 3-5 minute movie might well take
1. Plotting, scripting, planning 1-2 hours
2. Set up, shoot and re-shoot 1-2 hours
3. Editing & polishing 2-3 hours
May not be consecutive periods
Helps if are relatively close together
Need for script approval can increase times
9. Message Release
Pre-production
Plot Editing
Production
Dialogue Filming
Action
10. A video short should contain 1 core concept
Concept encapsulated in 25 words or less
Don’t be tempted to cram multiple ideas in a single
film
Start simple with message then plot then dialogue
Choose your artistes with care
Dull inflection/intonation bring death on swift wings
Availability can be a key factor
Block out plenty of time
First time always takes longer than you expect
Get someone else to film it if you can…
11. Effective way to conceptualise your idea
What if all reality was a computer
game, and only you knew how to use
the cheat codes?
Biographical story of the rise and fall
of a small time mobster, and the lives
he touches
Respected and only possible suspect
tries to prove he didn't kill his wife,
while fleeing an unstoppable pursuer
12. Write for your audience
The opening and closing lines are crucial (hook & exit)
Get someone else to read/review the script
Basic screenwriting techniques will help
Not a simple migration of words to screen
Standard screen writing format means 1 script page = 1
minute on screen
Make use of a visual grammars
Visual shorthand can play an important role in scene
setting
Instantly recognisable traits or postures speak volumes
▪ e.g. Smartly dressed character vs a scruffy one
But don’t over rely on cliché
▪ e.g A bookshelf backdrop can be a major turn off to non-librarians!
13. Writing effective and engaging dialogue
Dialogue needs brevity, clarity and punch
Two heads can be better than one
An interrogative between two speakers drives a narrative
forward
Use naturalistic phrases and phrasing - and speak them
aloud once written
Action!
Show don’t tell at the heart of best scripting practice
Helps the economy of words and pacing
Non-verbal cues 4 times the effect of spoken words
Keep thinking message, message, message
throughout
14. Shooting tips
Consider simple backgrounds for less viewer distraction
Make sure it’s well lit
Shoot once, shoot twice, shoot thrice
Editing it together
The more shots that make up a film, the more editing will be required
Good editing can save weak filming by trimming dead air or gaffs
Rough cuts & polished gem
Screen to a small audience & listen to their feedback or comments
Be prepared to make (minor) changes or reshoots
Output in multiple formats - Lower res for web, higher res for DVD &
archive
Make a splash with your premiere
15. Don’t have time to make - then reuse someone else's
Freely available high quality videos on YouTube, Jorum
Open or Institutional Repositories
Failing that commission someone
For effective information literacy videos
Videos can be a vibrant addition to the IL toolkit
Keep your message uppermost when scripting
Visual grammars more powerful than words alone
Write for your audience’s needs and attention
Be aware of backgrounds and lighting
Make & watch a rough edit as quickly as possible