Plan it, Shoot it, Share it: Web Video-making for Entrepreneurs

A recent Cisco study says, “video currently represents a quarter of the web’s traffic, but could be as high as 90% in only three years’ time.” What are you doing to help your business rise with this wave?

In this full day, hands-on workshop, commercial filmmaker and award-winning photojournalist Dan McComb (SHINE: The Entrepreneur's Journey, 2009), and filmmaker Lisa Cooper (Beyond Naked) will teach you how to use the camera you own today to tell the story you needed to tell yesterday. 

Don't know where to begin? This workshop will teach you skills that cannot be learned from a book or the Internet. We'll cover the fundamentals of web video in the morning, and in the afternoon, we'll actually make one together as a group. 

In this workshop, you'll learn the secret of how to tackle any video project by breaking it into three simple steps: 

Plan It: Before ever touching your camera, you will select your objective, craft your story and outline your approach. We'll share our favorite techniques, and free or inexpensive applications that make creating rough storyboards easy.

Shoot It. You'll learn how to use the camera you own to its fullest potential by playing to its strengths, how to select an appropriate location, why sound is just as important as picture, and how to solve 95 percent of your audio problems with one simple, killer technique.  

Share It. You'll learn the essentials of how to edit your footage quickly using iMovie (on both laptop and iPad)*. Then we'll export for the web, and show you how to post to your favorite social media platforms. 

(We'll be teaching with iMovie, but you're welcome to use the video-editing application of your choice.)

What to bring:  

• your video camera such as iPhone or video-equipped point-and-shoot camera. 
• your laptop or tablet device, equipped with video editing software if you want to follow along and ask questions. 
• lunch - or you can walk into Fremont and get something there during our 45 minute lunch break. 

Class Outline:

9:30 am: Welcome. Participant introductions, class overview 

Elements of story: Every good story follows the same rule: Keep your audience’s attention. We’ll talk about the components of a good video that will hook your viewer and keep them watching.

Real-world examples: We’ll screen the good, bad and ugly of web video today - with a specific focus on videos aimed at growing businesses. Learn what works and what doesn't, and how long to make your video for maximal attention on YouTube, Facebook and other social sites. 

Camera 101: We'll teach you some basic guidelines for how to make the most of your camera, no matter your level of experience or how much it cost. Tips on how to avoid shaky camera, and compose interesting shots will turn you into a competent shooter in just one afternoon.

Lighting 101: You don't need expensive video lights to shoot great videos. Beautiful, free light is everywhere around us; you just need to know where to look. You'll learn a trick to turn Seattle's gray skies into a delightful source of light that outshines the most expensive Hollywood sets. You’ll also learn how to use household lamps and north-facing windows to get great results every time.

Sound 101: We'll learn why, for web video, sound is more important than picture. And you'll master the one technique that will solve 95 percent of your audio problems. We'll give you a chance to get hands on with two simple pieces of equipment that cost less than $50 total, which will move your videos from amateur to professional in one easy-to-grasp step. 

12:30 45-min lunch break.

Video shoot: Now you’ll get time on tools, and a chance to apply what you’ve learned thus far. We'll break into two teams, learning hands-on how to set up and shoot the two most common types of business video footage: the interview, and "b-roll" (video that illustrates topics covered in the interview).  

Editing: Using the footage shot in our afternoon group session, we'll put the pieces together to produce the most effective kind of video: a simple one. You'll learn to edit a web video that conveys your story with music, voiceover, smooth transitions, titles and credits. 

Sharing: Once the video is edited, it's time to get it out there. Learn tips how best to share it with your audience on YouTube, Facebook, and beyond. We'll cover the basics of which formats are best suited for sharing, and how to export and post your video so that it loads quickly and plays without interruption. 

Q&A: We answer any remaining questions  and discuss your project ideas. 

BONUS:

FREE E-Book: We have a lot of ground to cover, so to make it easy to retain and reference what you've learned, every participant will receive an e-book that contains all of the major topics explained in great detail, complete with graphics and links to all of the video mentioned in the workshop. 

The e-book also includes "next steps" tips for those who want to take their skills to the next level. For example, for those who plan to shoot regularly, we’ll provide links three time-tested, quality microphones models that will greatly improve video quality, and still fit your budget.

FREE Consultation: Dan McComb and Lisa Cooper will personally review and provide written feedback on your video submitted within 2 weeks of the workshop. (NOTE: All correspondence will be conducted via email only).

Follow-up: All workshop participants can also email questions to Dan or Lisa for up to two weeks after the workshop for a prompt answer that will keep your project moving to completion. 

Maximum class size is 12, so sign up today to reserve your space.

If you’ve ever had a great concept on which you didn’t execute because you thought video was mysterious, or too-expensive, or beyond your creative capabilities, this is the perfect workshop for you.

We’re professional filmmakers who don’t believe in keeping secrets. If we know it, we’ll share it. Mostly, we’ll remind you over and over that simple is better. We all know how to tell a good story. We’ll just show you how to tell it with a microphone, some nice lighting, and a camera.

Our first workshop was attend by 10 people, and you can view how much they learned in the comments on the event page.

NOTE: This is the last workshop we'll be hosting until Fall 2012.

...learn the end-to-end process of creating web videos. We will de-mystify video-making, and orient you with all of the tools and know-how you need. Expect comprehensive information delivered to you in digestible bits in one intensive day. Also enjoy a FREE e-book with class information (and more) that you can refer to whenever you need a reminder, or are ready to take it to the next level.

Video has become essential to staying fresh and relevant on the web. And for the first time, it’s truly accessible to everyone. Once you’ve invested in the basics, producing video is free, easy and fun. You can use web video to tell a great story about your business, send a direct address to customers, create a How-to tutorial—anything you’re excited to share. 

The speakers will share… the tips and tricks of the trade. We’ll speak in plain English and answer the questions that have been buzzing in your head. Is editing hard? How to I post online? What length is the best length for a web video?