Imagine this.

You're thinking about building a new home. You decide to send an email to a general contractor. You write a note that goes something like this...

"I'd like to have a new home built. How much would it cost to build a home with six rooms, two bathrooms, a small garage, and a nice yard? Please tell me how long will it take to build it. Thank you."

It's pretty likely you won't get a response that is helpful or accurate. And chances are it won't move your vision forward.

Believe it not, I've seen emails like this requesting how much a video project will cost. So have many other producers.

The simple solution, of course, is to pickup the phone and call a producer. Share your idea to see if your vision can be turned into an opportunity.

When it comes time to begin a new video project, a model worth considering comes from marketing expert and Fast Company writer, Nick Rice. Nick has a fabulous riff on determining the reality of an opportunity. Nick calls it "The Opportunity Framework."

Nick's framework has three components.

1. Determine if there is a real problem that needs to be solved.
2. Determine if there is an opportunity to move the project forward.
3. Determine if enough resources are available.

I think this is a great framework to quickly evaluate weather or not to move the conversation forward.

Send an email?

I've found most filmmakers love a good conversation :-)

---Tom

P.S. This post was inspired by another headline challenge from Brian Clark over at Copyblogger.

P.S.S. Brian's first headline challenge inspired "My 22 Best On-Camera Interviewing Tips Ever" also featured on LIfehacker.

One Email No Video Client Should Ever Write

So what the heck is a "YouTube video?"

Beats me.

And my film crew. And editors. And writers.

But as filmmakers we hear this more and more. Hmmm. So I got to thinking....

When someone wants a "YouTube video," what does that mean from a producer's point of view?

Is a "YouTube video:"
Professionally created?
Consumer created?
Expensive?
Cheap?

Does a "YouTube video" include:
Actors?
Non-actors?
A call to action?
A great story?
No story?
A weak story?
Interviews?

Does a "YouTube video" look:
Slick?
Beautiful?
Home-made?
Hollywood?
Campy?
Mysterious?

Does a "YouTube video" feel:
Funny?
Serious?
Sad?
Optimistic?
Negative?
Surprising?
Joyful?
Scary?

Is a "YouTube video:"
Musical?
Poetic?
Educational?
Inspirational?
Thought-provoking?
Staged?
Captured live?

Phew! I'm just starting. But I think you get the idea.

The next time your producer looks confused when you ask for a "YouTube video," remember...

YouTube is a distribution channel...not your video story.

---Tom

Huh? A "YouTube Video?" What's That?

Seth Godin has us thinking about bad judgment vs. beliefs.

Which reminds me...

In 1983, I was pulling cables as a grip. A far cry from producing.

It was a Tuesday night. I saw a short film that captured the dedicated staff of a local hospital making a difference in their patient's lives. It was incredibly moving.

In an instant, during that fade to black, I knew my life would be different.

I knew the rest of my life would be spent capturing an organization's soul to create and promote positive changes in the world.

I believed in the power of personal stories then.

I believe it now.

Bad judgment distorts the potential healing power of a video story. Perhaps a new belief can create a new story? Perhaps without bad judgment we can see the inherent greatness each of us have.

Believing in the transformational power of a video story can change someone's life in an instant. Like mine.

Or yours. Or your customer's. Or your employees.

---Tom

Corporate Videos. What's Your Belief?

In an earlier post, I mentioned the five temptations of every corporate video filmmaker.

This post will take a brief look at the five temptations from the perspective of a potential corporate video client.

1. Commodity? Story? It's Your Choice

• If you think about it, stories are living ideas. They can remain in consciousness for a very long time.

Your corporate story is no different.

Commit to capturing your corporate video story in a way that will survive the ups and downs of everyday business cycles. Imagine five years from now showing your story; will it will be as fresh and alive as the day you produced it? If not, it's time to re-think your message. (Making it last is what it's all about, right?)

2. Deadlines. You're Kidding, Right?

• Temptation: Sooner is better than later.

Not always. Sure deadlines are a part of life. But rushing into a project with a false deadline without understanding the complete picture can potentially weaken the power of your story. Providing realistic deadlines will serve your story well in the long run. (And a powerful story is what it's all about, right?)

3. Guess How Much I Have?

• Temptation: Let the producer guess what our budget is.

Thinking you'll save money by having a producer guess your budget is counter-productive to teamwork.

Entering a video project requires an incredibly high level of trust. Guessing games deteriorate that trust.

Engaging in open and honest conversations about budgeting will help a producer capture the best story for you, the best way. (Fiscal responsibility is what it's all about, right?)

4. Just the Facts, Please

• Temptation: Hide emotions.

If most boring videos can be attributed to a lack of emotions then it seems obvious that capturing emotions will create a more memorable film. Obvious, but rarely done.

For example, emotions can show themselves through:

• frustration

• passion

• overcoming obstacles

• leadership

• values

Capture your audience by capturing emotions. (Your audience is what it's all about, right?)

5. I Get to See the Questions Ahead of Time, Right?

• Temptation: Revealing questions to your heroes beforehand.

A good way for your hero or interviewee to freeze up on camera is to show them the questions ahead of time. Resist the temptation! Why?

By showing questions ahead of time, the brain immediately wants to memorize the answers. When it comes time to the actual filming, the hero can't get a sentence out. All the answers they memorized becomes a blur. Not good.

The secret to a perfect interview is to give your interviewee a few ideas about what you want them to share. From their heart. From their gut. (The heart is what it's all about, right?)

Remember...

A video story is exactly that.

A story. In video.

Which is what it's all about.......right? :-)

---Tom

5 Temptations of Every Corporate Video Client

I bet you didn't know that a filmmaker telling a corporate story has temptations, did you?

It's true.

Temptations are simply everywhere; in meetings, on phone calls and writing emails.

Temptations are constantly present and just simply impossible to avoid. So, how do you handle them? Easy. Acknowledge them.

Here are five temptations almost every corporate filmmaker will face at one time or another.

1. Faceless Scripts

Temptation: Write a script without a hero or "face."

• Writing a "faceless" and unemotional script instead of capturing personal and interesting stories is easy. This single strategy has given corporate videos a bad rap for many years.

Instead, capture personal stories from heroes within the organization. Personal video stories are compelling, emotional, engaging and of course, memorable. (Making it memorable and remarkable is what it's all about, right?)

2. Fast Budgets

Temptation: Quick! Throw out a number!

• Thinking you can provide incredible customer service by turning a budget around in an hour to a client from an email they sent you is a serious and rising temptation in the digital age.

A conversation is really what the client is trying to engage us in. It's just that email technology got the better part of them. What do you do? Simple. Pick up the phone and...D'oh!...have a conversation! (And having conversations is what it's all about, right?)

3. Forget About the Future

Temptation: This video story won't matter later on.

• Thinking short-term, not long-term, is easy to give in to.

Remember, digital stories have a long shelf life. Critical thinking in long-term planning with clients is important to get the most bang for a client's buck. (Fiscal responsibility is what it's all about, right?)

4. Razzle! Dazzle!

Temptation: Think fancy.

• Using tricks and effects to "wow" the viewer is especially tempting what with so many technological advances in the camera and editing room.

Tricks and effects do not tell stories. People tell stories. (The story is what it's all about, right?)

5. Being Selfish

Temptation: Thinking of yourself.

• Thinking only about yourself, your demo reel and possible future awards while forgetting about your audience is a disservice to the power of storytelling.

Remember...a video story is the beginning of a conversation for a client and their audience. (Which is what it's all about, right? See #2 above.)

It's easy to give in and do the minimum. Fight these five temptations relentlessly and the video story you are about to tell for your client will capture the imagination of your audience.

Which is ................ Right? :-)

---Tom

5 Temptations of Every Corporate Video Filmmaker

35mm
16mm
2"
1"
3/4"
1/2"
Betamax
Laserdiscs
D2
Betacam
Betacam SP
D-beta
8mm
HI8
DV
DVCPRO
DVCAM
DVCPRO HD
HD-DVD
HDV
Blu-Ray

Seems like the more things change, the more some things stay the same.

Story. Beyond formats. Beyond time.

---Tom

Why the Format Does Not Matter

Today's leading mind-body teacher, Deepak Chopra, spoke today at the United Nations.

His topic? "Consciousness and the Pursuit of Peace." In the hour plus talk, Deepak shares his insights about the power of creativity, the creation of joy at work and the evolution of human consciousness.

Here's a few take-aways in case you're interested...

There is a new paradigm currently underway. It's called "consciousness." What will be the next phase of human evolution? The survival of the wisest.

Physical stuff is not physical. The essential nature of the physical world is non-physical...it's non-stuff. Yup.

Energy and information is the raw material of the universe.

The physical world is as proportionally void as intergalactic space. Read that again...that's a lot of space!

We are flickering in and out of existence! We are in a state of discontinuity that appears continuous.

Since we are perpetually going in and out of existence, this creates the illusion of continuity. It's the same effect as watching a movie. The frames move fast enough for our eyes to experience continuity. In fact, the movie is nothing but a series of "on" and "off" signals. The exact same thing is happening in "real" life.

Where do we "go" in the "off?" What is in the "off?" What are the qualities of being in the "discontinuity"?

Here are the five attributes of the "off" or discontinuity that leading scientists so far agree on:

1. There are infinite possibilities! There is "all that was, is and will be." Since there is no energy, no space-time, no information in the "off," only an infinite amount of possibilities can exist.

2. Non-correlation. Everything is in harmony with everything else. Everything in nature is perfectly synchronized.

3. Chaos abounds! There is a proliferation of uncertainty.

4. Quantum leaps of creativity occur through that chaos.

5. The "Observer Effect." You cannot have a physical world unless there is a consciousness to witness it.

Through cyberspace, we have for the first time the ability to gather insights from the most forward thinkers alive to achieve critical mass to heal our world.

Perhaps this gives us a glimpse into where our creativity "comes from."

If you don't get it first time around, don't worry. The lecture in not for the light-hearted.

Grab a cup of tea, folks. Do not miss this.

---Tom

Creativity and the 5 Qualities of the Divine Discontinuity

"Our product is peace," John Lennon riffed. "Let's sell it like soap!"

That was almost 40 years ago, folks.

Imagine. Just imagine.

---Tom

Selling Peace Like Soap

Have you ever spent a lot of time preparing for an interview only to walk away less than thrilled with what you captured?

Don't let it happen again.

Since I've been blessed to interview hundreds of heroes over 23 years and in an earlier post, I shared my one big secret to capturing a great interview.

So now, here are my best 22 interviewing tips to help you make every interview your best story possible.

1. Create a comfortable place for the interview; have water ready for your hero and be reassuring.
2. Ask open-ended questions to get the person talking in depth. Avoid asking questions that create a “yes” or “no” answer.
3. Be a “story steward.” If you will be editing your hero’s story, tell them that. They will feel more comfortable knowing that and open themselves up to you. If you are not editing their words, tell them who is so they understand the process.
4. If your hero freezes up, remind them you are their “story steward.” It is you who will be taking care of their words and story.
5. Do not interrupt! Nod your head in acknowledgement while they answer.
6. Ditch your list of questions when your hero says something surprising. Ask new questions based on what was said, not necessarily what is next on your list.
7. Keep you questions short: ten words or less!
8. Ask: “What’s at stake?” This is an excellent question to end your program. It could be interpreted any number of ways, so let your hero choose how to answer.
9. Ask: “What does the future hold for you/your company?”
10. Ask: “How did you get into this business?
11. Ask: “What do you think your story tells our audience?”
12. Ask: “What’s the most amazing part of your life?”
13. Listen 100%. Stop playing your tapes. Listen to theirs.
14. Ask the first few questions again at the end of the interview. Everybody’s warmed up by then and you’ll likely get better, as well as, different answers.
15. Try not to give the questions ahead of time to your hero. Most likely, they will wind up memorizing answers and come off stiff during the actual interview.
16. Ask “throw away” questions when first starting. This gets everybody warmed up. Try, “What are your hobbies?” “What books are you reading?” and the like.
17. Imagine hearing the type of answers you want. This helps you focus precisely on the question you need to ask to create the answers you want.
18. Be completely open to “infinite possibilities.” Anything can, and will, happen!
19. Repeat questions, if necessary, to capture the answer you really need. Do not be afraid to say, “I liked that answer a lot. Can you give me a shorter version of it?”
20. At the end of the interview, ask “Is there anything we missed?” Invite your hero to say whatever else might be on their mind.
21. Allow the crew to ask questions, if it’s appropriate. You can count on being surprised!
22. Share gratitude to your hero for the unique opportunity of capturing their remarkable story to help change the world.

Got a tip? Share it here.

---Tom

P.S. This post was inspired by Brian Clark over at Copyblogger. Brian challenged his readers to take one of his Cosmo headlines and apply it to our blog. Check out the comment section for other amazing posts.

My 22 Best On Camera Interviewing Tips Ever