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 ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 90 Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 4:30 PM
“C’mon. How hard is it, really, to ask a few questions to someone when the camera is rolling?”
Asking questions is easy.
Asking the right questions is the hard part
Your audience is begging to hear something ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 70 Sun Aug 24, 2008 at 3:05 PM
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” ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 70 Sun Sep 21, 2008 at 7:44 PM
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. ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 60 Sun Feb 8, 2009 at 9:02 PM
While I shared the basic concept behind Tony Schwartz’s “Resonance Principle” in a previous post, I think it’s worth sharing and taking a direct look at some of Tony’s most important quotes from his books and interviews that ...READ»
It’s bound to happen. It’s just a matter of time. Imagine you are about to interview someone for your company’s video.They enter the room. Your interview guest sits in their chair. You sit in yours. The camera rolls. You fire ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 49 Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 2:29 PM
The conversation ends. The camera stops. The lights cool. You feel good. You caught it: a real candid conversation from an employee, a customer or senior management.Here’s the thingThere’s a pretty good chance your head is ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 45 Sun Jan 11, 2009 at 9:50 AM
"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” T.S. Elliot
“Are we in sync?
“I hear what you’re saying."
“Are we on the same ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 44 Sun Feb 22, 2009 at 5:10 PM
For some reason, we’re born to think that whatever we learn first about something continues to stay true.
“According to the first law of knowledge, people continue to believe whatever they learned first, regardless of later ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 42 Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 7:17 PM
So I’m on the phone with a fellow producer the other day and out of the blue I say…“Finally, after all these years, videos now have a home on the web…and they’re not homeless anymore.” “What do you mean?” he ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 42 Sun May 17, 2009 at 11:52 AM
How would I describe myself?
What were my dreams as I child?
What am I most proud of?
What are my plans for the future?
How would I like to be remembered?
What is the most important thing in my life?
Do I have any ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 41 Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 1:10 PM
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 ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 39 Mon Jan 26, 2009 at 1:46 PM
“How do you want your audience to feel after watching your film?"
I ask that question to every new client.
Intellectually, I never understood why I asked that question.
Emotionally, I understood why I asked it.
Your viewer ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 37 Mon Nov 3, 2008 at 7:30 PM
The crew is ready. Your interviewee, or hero, is ready. You’re ready.
Now, the second part of the “hero’s journey,” the “initiation,” is about to begin.
Of course, this initiation is not a series of tests in ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 33 Mon Oct 5, 2009 at 10:21 AM
It’s the small things that can make a big difference. Anyone can implement these ideas. And the cool part? They’re free or next to free. See if you can sneak a few of these tricks into your next project. It will help your video ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 33 Tue May 5, 2009 at 9:36 AM
"The eyes have one language everywhere." George Herbert / Welsh poet
Hooked. Captivated. Hynotized.
That’s exactly how I felt the first time I interviewed someone looking directly into the camera. And I ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 33 Sun Mar 8, 2009 at 3:07 PM
I don’t know how I missed this, but I did.
In February of 2007, The Washington Post launched “onBeing.”
The concept?
We need to get to know each other better and what better way to do that than by capturing ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 30 Sun Nov 1, 2009 at 10:14 AM
I’m a big fan of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” site. The minute it launched, I felt it offered a simple yet highly effective way for organizations to integrate social media concepts into their internal communication ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 28 Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 9:47 AM
Have you checked out Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” mini-documentary series? The video series features several big ideas in a series of mini-documentaries. And yes, they’re beautifully produced.But here’s the thing.If you ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 28 Sun Sep 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Think today’s filmmakers are stuck behind the camera? Or the edit room? Think again.Many filmmakers are harnessing the power of the web to tell another side of the story– their story. Readers enjoyed my earlier post, “7 ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 26 Sun Nov 15, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Here’s part two of my conversation with Ellen McGirt, Senior Writer for Fast Company magazine and Dean of Fast Company’s “30 Second MBA” website.Part one can be found here.5. Many organizations see and hear the potential ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 25 Mon Aug 11, 2008 at 8:54 AM
“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 ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 25 Mon Dec 29, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Hats off to Hitachi and their team of filmmakers.
Why?
Because they used the simplest code in corporate filmmaking.
Here’s the code:1. Real people.2. Real stories.3. Real emotions.It's pretty simple, yes?“Hitachi | True ...READ»
BYThomas Clifford Relevancy Score: 22 Mon Aug 24, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Let’s say you’re about to bake a cake. You have a dozen eggs, 1 lb of flour, a carton of milk, etc. The recipe only calls for 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 2 cups of flour. What do you do with the remaining ingredients? Throw them away? ...READ»
