Let's See That Again! Breathing life into your company's video by Thomas Clifford

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The Hero’s Journey: A Metaphor for Video Storytelling

"Whoa! Those are some lights!"

9 out of 10 times that’s what the “hero,” or the person being filmed on video, will say when they walk on to the set for an interview.

A feeling of excitement in the air. Something fun, adventurous and different is about to happen.

Have you ever been interviewed on-camera?

If you haven’t, one thing’s for sure. It’s definitely not your typical day in the office.

Imagine. You’re an employee. You have a particular point of view. You’re passionate. You have a story to tell. And you've been asked if you'd like to be in your company video. You jump at the chance!

Tape is rolling. You're having a lengthy conversation while bright lights surround you. Crew members are watching closely. You’re not sure what questions are coming next. You’re editing your thoughts making sure you say the “right” thing. How do you think you’d be feeling? A bit nervous? You bet!

But something spectacular happens right after the conversation

The “hero” feels differently. More alive. Empowered.

What just happened in that hour? They shared part of their story. They shared their point of view. I believe they experienced what Joseph Campbell spent much of his life teaching and sharing with us: “The Hero’s Journey.”

Heroes are participating in more than just an interview

I like to call the people I’m talking to in a video, “heroes.”

Appearing on-camera is a heroic act

Most of us usually go through life without having to appear on-camera; it’s just not a natural part of our everyday routine.

But let’s face it. Being interviewed for your company’s video isn’t exactly like being in Star Wars. Although, for most people, it is a new and exciting journey. They leave their comfort zone, engage in a new adventure, and return to the office thrilled to share their excitement in getting to tell their side of the story. They get to share ideas that usually remain tucked away. Now they have a chance to share it in a conversation for a video.

Being interviewed is like the "hero's journey"

Changing the language from “interview” to “conversation” and “journey” relaxes everyone’s expectations and opens up opportunities for emotional surprises. What often happens is a sharing of personal points of view. The hero’s emotions move quickly from status quo to nervousness to excitement and wonder.

3 steps to the hero’s journey

While there are many steps in the traditional “hero’s journey,” for our purposes we’ll keep things simple with the three classic steps:

1. The Separation
2. The Initiation
3. The Return

The Separation

In your company’s video, the hero gets “the call to action”to appear on-camera. They leave their status quo, their “home” and comfort zone. They begin a venture into new territory. In a company video, the hero is as simple as discovering your best storytellers; from employees, to customers,vendors, volunteers, etc.

The Initiation

Lightsabers and monsters on the company set? Well, not exactly.

But the hero will certainly feel challenged simply from experiencing something so different, right from the moment they enter the room or set. While filming is under way, the conversation can take any number ofsurprising and fun turns from personal stories and perspectives to new opportunities imagined for employees and the organization. A good interviewer will ask thought-provoking questions to create an emotional connection with the viewer. New territory, indeed.

The Return

In the classic hero’s journey myth, the hero returns to common life and shares their newly gained knowledge to others. This happens often if I catch up later on with the heroes I’ve interviewed . They express deep thanks for the opportunity to tell their story and share their perspective on what matters most to them. Somehow, their lives have changed; even if things “appear the same.” The journey took place inside, not outside.

How do you prepare yourself and the hero for “the departure,” the video interview?

Do you cross your fingers and hope they say the right things? What happens if someone freezes up and they won’t talk? I’ll share a few tricks both you and your hero can use to create a comfortable on-camera journey.

The next three posts will explore ways to prepare, capture and tell a hero’s story through having a conversation.

Up next: “The Hero’s Journey: Preparing the Company Video Hero.” If you enjoyed this post, be sure to leave a comment or share it with someone. You can also hit the “Recommend This” button.

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

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Video Storytelling Toolkit: Getting Your Company’s Story on Screen

Seen enough videos by now? How can you avoid it? They’re everywhere.

Not only that, you probably feel like you’ve seen so many videos you could easily produce one for your organization, right?

So imagine this.

Management just told you and your team to get a video done for the company. Lots of eyeballs will be on this one.
•    What are you going to do?
•    Where do you turn for help?
•    How does the video process work?
•    Is there a quick reference to help you?

What’s missing is a video storytelling guide.

Clients don’t usually produce videos often so they need a coach. A “story sherpa.” A guide to help you discover your organization’s story and capture it on video.

Getting the story out of your head and on to the screen.
To help clients get started in the video storytelling process, I published a 24 page manifesto and collaborated on two other eBooks. All three publications were designed specifically to ignite your imagination and create awareness about the possibilities your organization’s video story can have.

What exactly is the video storytelling toolkit?

I’ll first tell you what it’s not.
•    It is not about how to make a video.
•    It’s not technical.

It is about discovering the power of story.

It’s a series of three eBooks (yes, they're free) that will inspire you to think differently about telling your story through video. By raising your awareness of what’s possible, you can make the right choices to the heart of your story.

Guide #1. ContentWise: Corporate Video 101
•    How do you measure your video’s impact?
•    Do you know how to work with a producer? (featuring yours truly!)
•    Should you hire an in-house producer?
•    How do a craft a basic script?
•    Are you ready to produce your own video?

Guide #2. Ask(?)Way: Take Your Brand from Commodity to Community
•    How do you find and retain talent using the power of video?
•    What is the role of management in the creation of a video?
•    How to use video to expand your community.
•    Using documentaries as a source of inspiration.

Guide #3. ChangeThis Manifesto: Bring Your Brand to Life! Harnessing the Power of Remarkable Corporate Video Stories
•    What are the five myths of corporate videos?
•    10 reasons why corporate videos matter.
•    What are the two biggest dips in every organization’s video?
•    6 ways to make your video pop!

There you go. Your own video storytelling “toolkit.” Make sure you download these beautifully designed PDF’s and keep them handy.

You will find these guides helpful and inspirational while providing you encouragement to capture authentic and meaning films for your organization.

What do you think? Is there something not covered in the books that you’d like to see in the future? Did any part of the material spark an idea?

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to drop me a note and hit the “Recommend This” button.

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

12:10 pm | 0 recommendations | 3 comments

Are You Using Your Ears to See Your Company’s Video Story?

You might not believe this, but video isn’t everything.

The fact is, until you discover your company’s story first, video doesn’t mean much.

One of the secrets to discovering and eventually “seeing” your company’s video story before you produce it is by first “hearing” it.

There are five common ways to imagine your video story through sound:
1.    Interviews

2.    Themes

3.    Hooks

4.    Feelings

5.    Ambiance

The ears have it.

Let’s say you’ve recently been commissioned to produce a recruiting video. You bend over backwards determining what your company’s video story will look like.

Your team begins picturing everything they want to show in the film; the general facilities, people, training rooms, classrooms, call centers, weekly team meetings and so forth.

Then you hit a wall.

You realize seeing the scenes do not tell your story. What do you do? Do what I do.

Forget about the video.

Forget about the visuals. Forget about the scenes. Forget what it will look like.

Think about the sound.

Imaging the sounds you want to hear in your video is a powerful technique that puts you on the road to developing your company’s story or message.

Here are five ways you can “see” your company’s video story by first imagining the sounds you “hear.”

5 Ways to See Your Company’s Video Story by Imagining Sounds

#1 - Imagine hearing the interviews
Since interviews are the backbone for most corporate videos, write down phrases or points you are hearing from the interviewees, or “heroes” as I call them, in your film. Imagine hearing the answers to these 11 stimulating questions. Once you capture these ideas, you might be at the heart of your message.

#2 - Imagine hearing the themes
What topics will your heroes talk about if you were to interview them? What themes come up? Customer service? Performance metrics? Mentoring? Training? Culture? Career advancement? See what common themes reoccur to help you decide what to address. You might think about using themes that are less frequently shared.

#3 - Imagine hearing the” hook”

Here are a few questions to help think about your “hook;” the thing that gets your audience to pay attention!

•    What is that “thing” that first made you think you might have an interesting story?
•    Why would someone else care?
•    What unique comments do your customers keep telling you?
•    What myth do you want to crush?
•    Do employees have a common thread in their conversations?

Any of these are signals pointing to your potential hook. The hook is already there. All you have to do to catch it is to keep an open mind!

#4 - Imagine hearing the feelings
An engaging interview can easily capture emotions that are otherwise difficult to share. What emotions do you want to hear? Joy? Frustration? Hope? Inspiration? Confidence?

#5 - Imagine hearing the ambiance
NPR uses atmospheric sounds for business stories better than almost anyone. Their ambient sounds have a “take you there” quality. Pay close attention to the sounds surrounding you. How can you use different sounds to tell part of your story? For example, are there sounds of people teaching one another? Helping one another? Is music  part of your story? Are there mechanical or technical sounds? Animal sounds? Nature sounds?

There you have it. Five simple ways to “see” your video story a bit differently. All it takes is a little imagination!

Also, if you enjoyed this post, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section, share what’s worked for you, or hit the “Recommend This” button.

P.S. You may find NPR’s book, Sound Reporting: The Guide to Audio Journalism and Production a nice addition to your library.

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

02:05 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Does Your Company’s Video Have a “Mismatch” Problem?

A “mismatch” problem?”

What the heck is that?

I had the same question as I watched Malcolm Gladwell’s recent video presentation at the 2008 New Yorker Conference.

What exactly is a “mismatch” problem?

According to Gladwell, a mismatch happens “…when the criteria we use to assess someone’s ability to do a job is radically out of step with the actual demands of the job itself.”

Malcolm’s main example points to how professional sports teams hope to draft the next future legends by measuring an athlete’s performance. The problem is these tests often fail. Why? Because the tests are measuring the wrong things. Real life is more complex than a series of tests.

Re-framing the “mismatch” problem

This got me thinking. What would happen if we re-framed Malcolm’s “mismatch” problem to your company’s video story? We would have something that looks like this:

A company’s video has a “mismatch problem” when the video story we think we need to produce is out of step with the video story our audience wants to know.

Does your company’s video have a mismatch problem?

It’s tempting to think you have the correct perspective (or criteria) to assess the demands of your audience. Perhaps you do; perhaps not.

How to avoid a mismatch

Here are a few questions you might want to think about to see if you have a mismatch or before your organization produces its next video:

•    Is your brand assumption in alignment with your audience’s perceptions?
•    Are your core values being expressed and resonating with your audience?
•    Are your passionate employees sharing emotional content?
•    Does your story reflect your audience’s expectations?
•    Can you commit the resources to support your efforts and expectations?

So-

What do you think? Would you add or change any questions to this list?

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

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7 Sure-Fire Steps for Creating Your Company’s Documentary

“Our company decided to make our own documentary.” Sounds easy enough, but do you know where to start?

“Let’s just roll some tape and see what happens.” Sounds exciting, but how much more will it cost you without using a plan?

In my last post, I wrote about three styles to consider when filming your company’s video story.

Of those three styles, I’ll now show you a process you can use to discover and capture your organization’s mini-documentary; easily and effectively.

Many people find the documentary style attractive because it has a sense of reality and rawness to it; real stories from real people. Filming your company’s story in a mini-documentary format is a compelling way for you to highlight your culture, values, strengths and uniqueness and share it in a way your audience will appreciate and connect to.

So where do you begin?

I’ve used this blueprint for years to produce many videos for companies; I call it, “STORIES.”

•    Select: your storytellers (interviewees)
•    Talk: to your storytellers (interviewees)
•    Organize: your material (your potential story)
•    Realize: your story with a script (your intentional story)
•    Imagine: the supporting footage (describe what you will see in your video)
•    Express: the supporting footage with engaging video (capture it)
•    Shape: your story in editing (your vision on screen)

You can use the “STORIES” blueprint too, to produce your own company’s mini-documentary.

Want an example?

Let’s take a peak into how the STORIES process is used for your company. You decide your video story will be five – seven minutes long.

1. Select. Your interviewees are your storytellers. Select five or six people who are as diverse in as many ways possible; their length of time with the company, their discipline, their passion to share their knowledge, their backgrounds, ages, etc.

2. Talk. Now, with the camera rolling, talk to your interviewees (storytellers) and get their story directly. Remember: it’s their point of view you’re after. If you’re not sure what to ask your storytellers, use these 11 questions as a guide to kick-start your possibilities.

3. Organize. Once your interviews are completed, transcribe them and put them in a binder. Being organized allows you to highlight and arrange your best sound bites easily and quickly.

4. Realize. Your script is realized after contemplating and arranging your best material from your storytellers. Copy and paste these quotes into a new document. This becomes your working script.

5. Imagine. Your script has been crafted. It has a natural flow from beginning to end. But what will your audience see while the story is being told? Imagine the footage you want captured in the appropriate areas of the script. Write it down in your script.

6. Express. Now it’s time to put visuals to your script. The goal is to capture compelling footage that expresses and compliments your narrative. Remember: your audience can sniff out gratuitous footage; make every scene count!

7. Shape. In editing, you shape and eventually crystallize your story using music and all the visual tools available into an emotional narrative. A story uniquely yours.

Whether you plan to create your mini-documentary yourself or hire a professional team, having a blueprint like STORIES will take you out of the guessing game and into the story game.

Now I’d like to ask you:

•    What do you think?
•    Is this something that might be useful in your next project?
•    Would you tweak it if you could?
•    What has worked for you before?
•    Is it adaptable for other projects like podcasting?

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

06:09 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

See How Easily You Can Film Your Company’s Story. Naturally.

Are you hearing this a lot? “Be real.” “Be authentic.” “Be yourself.” I certainly am. These days, being “real” and “authentic” seems to be on everybody’s mind.

While appearing natural on camera sounds simple, it is easier said than done.

When it flops, you roll your eyes. What happened?

Maybe everything was too perfect; too right; too set. That “something” was missing. What was it?

Reality. Adding a dose of reality will elevate your story from feeling staged, artificial, and contrived to feeling real.

Here are three video techniques that can successfully capture your organization’s message naturally.

Of course, there are many other approaches to consider. Just think of these styles as creative jumping off points the next time you’re considering capturing your organization’s story on video.

1. Fast Story: Take me there

Have you ever watched a documentary wishing your organization had its own mini-documentary to show potential customers, recruits and shareholders? Well, it can.

I call my mini-documentary format a “fast story.” A “fast story” lends itself particularly well to capturing a sense of “being there” for your viewers. The filming is slightly kinetic and the editing moves quickly. In most cases, without using a narrator, it is possible to capture your story through interviews of employees (or “heroes”) and other staff members: naturally and without coming across as having a “corporate voice.”

2. Virtual Story: Take me somewhere else

Have a concept that’s hard to describe? Prefer not to have a film crew arrive at your company? Feel like creating your own unique world for your message? Green screen, or chroma-key, is your solution.

While it may not appear to be “real,” featuring your employees and customers using this technique is a perfect solution for creating a unified “voice,” theme and look for your company or particular message.

3. Soul Story: Take me inside

Need a technique to capture the essence of someone in a completely natural, personal and soulful manner?

Interviews are the heart of many corporate films. Interviewing your “hero” so they speak directly into the lens is eye-catching.

Your audience will feel as if the person talking on-camera is speaking directly to them. Eye-to-eye. Me-to you. One-to-one. It’s a great technique for many types of organizations, especially non-profits seeking to share an emotional and personal story.

We’ll dive a bit deeper into each of these styles in future posts.

What do you think? Will one of these three approaches connect your brand story to your audience in real and compelling ways?

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

06:27 pm | 0 recommendations | 5 comments

Can Your Company’s Video Story Change a Life?

Do you remember the exact moment you knew what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

I do. It happened while watching a video. It took exactly seven minutes.

•    Cut to 1984.

Hot off the heels of two communication degrees, my workday was a mix of entry-level activities; pulling cables, loading gear into vans, clipping on mic’s, getting lunch for the crew, and so forth. I was a kid trying to break into an incredibly competitive field.

It’s 8:00 pm. Tuesday night. 75 aspiring filmmakers are huddled in one room for three hours to network and watch a film followed by a discussion with the director.

After networking, we watched a seven-minute fund-raising film for a non-profit hospital. I was captivated. It inspired. It educated. It dispelled myths. It featured “real people.” It was emotional. It worked.

As the show faded to black, my calling in life was handed to me. In those seven minutes, I knew I was going to inspire and educate others by producing these types of stories on video for organizations. I discovered the power of personal stories.

I was changed. Forever.

•    Cut to 2008.

It’s now been 24 years since I watched that video. I have been incredibly fortunate to produce and direct hundreds of amazing stories for remarkable organizations of every type and size. Most of the stories have one thing in common; people sharing how they see the world in ways that can help and inspire others.

It’s not about making a video. It’s about discovering and capturing your story in a way that naturally connects you to your audience.

It sounds simple. But do you know how your organization can communicate its story, brand or message through video in a way that is clear, authentic, compelling and entertaining? And solve a business issue?

That’s what we’ll tackle here. We’ll also learn how you can use video to:
•    raise brand awareness
•    help attract the right employees
•    share corporate culture and values
•    dispel long-standing myths
•    launch new initiatives
•    and lots more.

The upcoming posts will cover three highly effective video approaches:
1.    Documentary
2.    Green-screen
3.    EyeLiner

You can easily use these styles to capture your story so that it feels “real” to your audience and not contrived.

When designing your next video, perhaps you can start imagining how your story might change a life as it “fades to black.”

After all, it is possible.

Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to nonprofits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Check out Tom’s full bio for links to his podcasts, interviews and manifestos. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.

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Are You Asking These 11 Stimulating Interview Questions to Capture Your Company’s 'Honest-to-Goodness' Video Story?

• Are your video interviews compelling?
• Does your audience feel naturally connected with the people featured in your company’s video?
• Are you asking questions that create “one-of-a-kind” responses your viewers will remember for a long time?

If not, you’re not alone. Remember…

Appearing on-camera in NOT natural

It’s not everyday that we appear on-camera for an interview. That’s exactly why the questions you ask your “heroes” need to be framed in a way that makes them forget where they are. Ask questions that allow the person on-camera to share their story in a natural way.

Self-editing in NOT helpful

During an interview, it is completely natural to edit what one is saying. The interviewee is thinking of the “right” answers. That’s a recipe for disaster when trying to capture honest and real emotions from someone.

Telling our story IS natural

In capturing a story for a company through personal interviews, simply ask questions that are, well, personal. It’s that simple.

How do you get around these common traps? Easy. By asking questions that frame a business through a person.

Over 24 years of interviewing hundreds of people, I’ve developed a cache of questions I keep on hand at all times.

These are my favorite questions. These are the ones I use over and over in almost every interview, regardless of the story. You can use them, too. Just tweak them as needed.

I love them because they work. Every time.

11 Stimulating Questions to Capture Your Company’s Video Story

1. In simple terms, what did your life look like before you worked/volunteered/here?

2. Describe your “Ah-Ha!” moment that shaped your decision to work here/start this company/join to volunteer?

3. What was your biggest fear before starting this job/position/company/idea?

4. What have you learned from that experience?

5. What does this means to those watching this film?

6. What do you love the most about what you do?

7. Do you have a metaphor for what it’s like to work/volunteer here?

8. In your mind, who would be a great fit for this company/product/service/team?

9. Can you imagine a world without this company/service/product/idea?

10. If you could destroy one myth about this company/job/culture, what would it be?

11. What’s at stake?

Of course, there are plenty more you could ask. But you get the idea.

Steal these questions. Use them. Spin them to make them yours. Put ‘em to use in the real world.

Oh, yeah. One more thing.

Let me know how they work for you. Drop me a comment. I’m curious.

---Tom

01:30 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment

Bringing Brands to Life!

Stop by Tom's site to learn more about authentic, engaging and emotional corporate films and the role these films play in marketing and branding.