If you're a beginner and think you must have a video, but have a tiny budget, keep it simple. You are not competing for an Oscar in directing, sound effects, lighting or cinematography.
- View a lot of videos, particularly collections of best and worst videos. I'll talk about some bad ones tomorrow.
- Watch news broadcasts and study the professional "talking heads."
- Come up with one important point you want to be remembered, and stress it.
- Some videos are all-text, like a PowerPoint presentation. People are more interesting to look at, and more memorable.
- Sit on a comfortable chair in front of a simple background. Inspect the background carefully. Don't appear to have a flower pot on your head. If you hang up a sheet behind you, make sure it has no wrinkles or creases. If you are entertaining, you can be effective against a plain, white background. See Old Jews Telling Jokes for some good examples.
- If you sit, don't slouch.
- Don't play with your hair, rub your chin, scratch an itch, chew on a pencil or shake papers like Rush Limbaugh.
- Don't touch the microphone.
- It's OK to stand, but don't pace or rock.
- Make sure the temperature is comfortable. Don't let viewers see you sweat or shiver.
- Don't let them see you cough, sneeze, burp or yawn, either.
- Speak as if your are talking to one person, not delivering an inaugural speech. Make sure your name and book title are intelligible.
- Control your hands -- no unintentional flailing, fidgeting or thumping. A couple of deliberate thumps may be OK.
- Make sure you display your book, even a fake cover of an ebook.
- Tell where it is available.
- You can show a link for a website, too.
- Avoid distracting ambient sounds. Close doors and windows.
- It's difficult to control sounds outdoors.
- It can be nice to have appropriate music in the background. Don't steal the music.
- Wear attractive, non-distracting clothing and jewelry.
- Don't display your tattoos unless they relate to the book.
- Make sure there are no dark shadows on your face unless you want to look sinister.
- Make sure there are no reflections from eyeglasses or jewelry.
- Clean the crap off your desk or table.
- Wash your face and comb or brush your hair (unless you strive for a disheveled look).
- Don't read from a script. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Try to avoid the need for editing.
- Try to limit the running time to about 60 - 90 seconds. The shorter the video the better your chance of getting it right.
- If you're using a camera attached to your computer monitor, make sure the angle makes you look nice. Don't let potential readers focus on your bald head or wrinkled neck.
- If you're using a camcorder, put it on a tripod.
- Consider makeup to cover bad blemishes.
- Don't overdo makeup.
- Consider an interview format, or a dialog between co-authors.
- Speak towards the camera, but don't freeze into one position. It's OK to move your head a little.
- Invest $10 - $100 in a microphone that will pick up your voice better than one attached to your monitor or camcorder.
- If you're not comfortable on-camera, maybe a friend can be your alter-ego.
- If you are not a natural comedian, don't force yourself to be funny.
- The objective of the video is to sell your books, not yourself.
- Don't yell or whisper. If you have laryngitis, wait until you're better.
- Don't tell people to buy your book. Make them want to buy it.
- It's OK to read brief excerpts from reviews. If you've won awards or achieved bestseller status, say so.
- Have several critical friends view the video before it goes online.
- Once it's online, delay announcing it for a few days until you are sure there are no major errors.
- It's better to publish a pretty good video soon than to wait months for an excellent video. You can always edit and enhance your first video, or make entirely new ones.
Here's a pleasant, convincing trailer where the narrator is never on-screen. The book is the star. The transitions are too cute and the video could afford to lose 15 seconds or more, so I'll give it a B-plus.
No comments:
Post a Comment