"You can pack a lot of information into a video that is less than ten minutes long."
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The Video Bible by Barry Casson Trafford Publishing
book review by Donna Ford
Barry Casson has packed a lot of information about creating corporate videos into this 115 page book. This information comes from shooting video for a variety of clients since 1975. His dramatic films have aired on TV. He was nominated three times for Best Cinematography awards. Now Casson loves sharing this knowledge through his Victoria Motion Picture School and at speaking engagements.
A corporate video is an important business tool in this day of YouTube. Creating a professional image requires a great deal of preparation before the first shot. The business owner needs to consider the audience to be reached, the best way to distribute the video, its content and length, a script, and even the actors. The owner could read this book and become the producer. A better choice is to hire a professional video producer. This person will help with decisions and make suggestions based on actual experience. Just determining the best video length takes into consideration both delivery methods and people's attention span. The producer will ask if your company plans distribution on CD as well as on the web. And do you want a 10-second TV spot or foreign language versions? Casson advises that several 3-minute videos are received better on the web than one 10-minute version (fine for CD). The producer will provide a script as well.
Casson explains that a "Scene" is not what you might expect. It includes all shots taken at a specific location. Shots are not likely taken in script order. "Postproduction" starts with a rough cut of shots assembled for your review. Music may be added at this time for emotional impact. The Glossary at the end of the book is helpful in understanding lingo used when a film crew is onsite. Casson scatters TIPs throughout the pages, such as: "The average shoot day is twelve hours."
Whew! Thanks for the advice.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review