HOW
TO GET YOUR CEO SOUNDING GOOD ON AUTOCUE
It makes sense to use autocue for CEOs and Senior Managers on camera as they
invariably haven't the time to learn their lines. But autocue has two contrasting
benefits and pitfalls.
While
it allows your CEO to deliver verbatim scripts to camera
without fluffs, it can easily lead to a wooden read-aloud
sounding piece, whose peak was the John Major sparkle-free
monotone. So how do you get it right?
Well,
apart from doing a number of reads to get the script delivery
sounding more natural, the best trick is to use interviews
with other people in the video, and don't let them use
autocue.
For example,
a CEO may deliver a 1 minute opener in a video, using autocue.
Follow this up with one or two short interview soundbites
with other people supporting the view, or expanding it.
Don't
use autocue for these soundbites. Let these interviewees
answer spontaneously.
The net
result is a video sequence with one autocue read and two
short bites to follow. And the effect of the whole will
feel natural and spontaneous to the audience.
The message:
Sandwich autocue reads in with live interviews for the
best effect.
SPECIFYING
MULTIMEDIA WITHOUT GOING OVER BUDGET Interactive
multimedia cd-roms are notoriously difficult to specify
accurately at the start of a project. After all, exactly
how big is the project going to be? It might be a corporate
brochure on cd, or an interactive multimedia training
package. But the result is still the same. It's difficult
to know precisely how long it is, and this makes it difficult
to specify accurately.
Making
an estimate of the total word count for the project is
one place to start, but even this isn't enough to get an
accurate spec. Multimedia is based on pages of text, pictures
and voice on screen, with around 80-100 words per page,
which takes about a minute to view.
An accurate
spec has not only to total the likely number of words in
the script, but divide this number by 80-100 to obtain
the total number of pages that will need to be programmed.
This will also tell you the number of minutes runtime for
the whole project.
Following
this simple guide will help to price the project more accurately,
and consequently reduce the possibility of going over budget.
OVERESTIMATING
THE POWER OF YOUR BRAND
Many companies live under the assumption that their website will be found automatically
by people looking for their products because they're so well known in their
area. After all if your product is a household name, or a recognised leader
in its niche, then surely the power of the brand will be sufficient to attract
enquiries?
Not necessarily
so.
While
people do search on brand names, they frequently search
on function or utility. For example, for a new car, some
may search for *ABS brakes* or *7 seater MPV*, or, for
a new credit card, a user may search on *low interest credit
card* or *online banking* rather than a specific brand
name.
This
suggests that websites need to be correctly keyworded to
provide answers for all likely searches on the functions
and uses of their products, rather than just relying on
the brand name search alone.
Hands
up who hasn't done this yet!
WORK
IN PROGRESS
The New Year sees us translating a corporate multimedia into 9 languages for
recently taken over ICI Crosfield, and a French translation of a video we made
for Pilkington 2 years ago.
We also
welcome new customer, the Co-Op, who've asked us to produce
a new sales support training video for them. We are also
midstream with a number of projects including a safety
video, for constructors Carillion, called Don't Walk By.
HUMOUR
The Rules of the Air
If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick
back, they get smaller.
A good
landing is one from which you can walk away. A great landing
is one after which they can use the plane again.
You know
you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power
to taxi to the ramp.
Always
try to keep the number of landings you make equal to your
number of take offs.
In the
ongoing battle between objects made of titanium steel going
hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles
per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
The three
most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you,
runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.
Oi!
ANSWERS
TO COMMON QUESTIONS
To estimate the resources your next video production may require, try out our
free Video Quote online
To find
out how much it costs to make an interactive multimedia
CD-Rom http://www.rossiterandco.com/multimedia-production-04.htm
To reduce
your video production costs by up to 50 percent http://www.rossiterandco.com/video-costs-01.htm
CONTACT
The Multimedia and Video Newsletter is produced by Rossiter and Co, "Everything
you ever wanted to know about multimedia, video and the web, but were afraid
to ask." http://www.rossiterandco.com
If you
have any queries, questions or would like to discuss your
next production, contact Kevin Rossiter on UK 01695 726887
or mail@rossiterandco.com
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