Posts Tagged ‘TV’

Creating effective television advertisements

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

As a business owner you want to attract more customers at a cost effective rate but also you want your to convey a clear message to your future clients that will entice them to visit your store or to call you. Some of the first steps to creating a good television or web commercial is to start out by writing out 5-10 positive points of why customers should visit your business. Start outlining this in script form. In the script you want to first introduce your business, explain who you are, how long you have been in business and where you are located.

In the body of the script, this is where you want to list all your positives about your business, keep emphasizing your name throughout the script, now comes the conclusion this is where you want to close the sale. This is where you can come up with a creative closing statement, such as. ” For authentic Mexican cooking from our family to yours, come visit us today and experience the tastiest Mexican food in your neighborhood”. Something similar to this to close out the commercial.

Now that you have an idea of what you want to say, it is time to hire a professional video production company, to make the commercial. A professional video production company, will utilize broadcast quality video cameras, professional lighting and professional audio equipment. Once they have shot the commercial it will be edited with professional graphics and a voice over will be added. Blue Shadow Group can help you with your advertisement every step of the way, from scripting right through to getting it on air. So get in touch with us to get the ball rolling!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2496408

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What is Motion Graphics?

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

The term motion graphics seems self explanatory. It is defined as “graphical communication that incorporates motion over time” – which of course sounds much less straightforward!. It encompasses a lot of distinct style disciplines, such as moving type, traditional cel and cease-motion animation, film, digital video production, 3d and Flash animation and 3d and elements.

All can be utilized individually or together by a designer to generate what we now know as motion graphics. A designer can convey a lot much more than he or she would normally be in a position to with a single image using a time frame, and can take a viewer on a visual journey utilizing a narrative.

You will have seen Motion graphics all over the place; in advertisement spots and introductory system sequences, title sequences for tv shows and movies and a lot of other areas. In fact, it is so pervasive that you’d be tough pressed not to come into contact with motion graphics when watching television these days.

Does this mean the end for print? No, not just yet.

But graphic layout and communication are pulling away from the printed page and embracing new technologies and the moving image, expanding their boundaries into regions not yet explored.

The advent of high quality DV cameras and software program applications such as Adobe After Effects and Flash, Cinema 4D, Premier, and Apple’s Final Cut have provided designers the chance to explore this region without having the require for separate editing and post production departments.

Visually gorgeous footage can be produced making use of this new media – high good quality video can be shot and treated, edited and mixed with animated elements, 3d, typography and particular effects so that a business can add narrative and energy to their promotional material, as effectively as place their message in a multitude of locations alongside their print or web campaign.

This could contain dvd menus, sending dvd video alongside existing brochures, developing titles for a trade show or generating a corporate sales presentation a lot more engaging. Your clients’ imagination will be greater captured making use of effectively developed and slick motion graphics than it would a drab Powerpoint presentation or poor display boards.

Motion graphics are now an inexpensive, viable alternative for these wanting to market their enterprise and excite their customers in a different way. Rich broadcast quality visuals and presentation are no longer the sole domain of big organizations with enormous budgets and production teams geared for making large screen and tv. You may have noticed yourself responding to motion graphics in the same way that it could work for your potential viewers/customers: motion graphics can pack a lot of punch and add a polished looking “wow” factor to pretty much anything. So get in contact with us to find out how to make it work for your next production.

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Some Tips to Help You Choose the Right Video Company

Sunday, August 14th, 2011

Most people will go about choosing a video production company in the same way they would purchase any product; They get 3 different quotes from local video production companies and choose the most appealing offer, which is normally the cheapest one. The problem with this approach is that it is often extremely difficult to truly compare apples-to apples in the creative services industry. At Blue Shadow Group we often encounter clients coming to us for a second try after having had a poorly produced video made elsewhere that they are unhappy with.

We feel it’s important that our clients trust that we can deliver the job that they envision and within the budget and time frame that has been set out from the start. That’s why we’re providing you with these 5 guidelines to help in making an informed decision when hiring a video production company.

1) Do they have specific experience in the type of video (corporate video, sales video, training video, etc.) in their portfolio that you are wanting them to produce? While this may sound basic it is easy to get caught up with a demo reel filled with special effects and forget that at the end of the day your video must accomplish its intended purpose.

2) Did they take the time to ask you questions about your target audience and your business goals before discussing the specifics of your project? You want to hire a video production company that is market oriented and understands how to sell your product or communicate your message.

3) Do they care about the success of your project? Look for a production company that has integrity and builds long-term partnerships with their clients. These companies enjoy ongoing relationships with their clients.

4) Did they provide a professional proposal that clearly explains in sufficient detail what you are paying for? Are they shooting in HD or SD? Is it a 2 camera shoot or 3 camera shoot? How many days of shooting are involved? These are all questions you should ask so you can understand how each company arrived at the quoted price.

5) Did you receive prompt and professional customer service? When you called the video production company what were your first impressions? Did they listen to your needs and offer helpful recommendations? If they are difficult to communicate with during the beginning stages imagine how hard it will be when you are under pressure to meet a deadline.

Following these guidelines when evaluating video production companies will improve your chances of success and ultimately enable you to identify the company best suited for your needs.
We take each of these points very seriously because they are about maintaining a high level of service and production for you, our clients. If you choose to consult with Blue Shadow Group for the production of your next video, you can be confident that we will meet and where appropriate, exceed these guidelines.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2005730

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Why animated video is a great sales tool

Sunday, July 31st, 2011

Animated video provides a punchy, concise and straight to the point way of explaining topics and products and this is why we are seeing it used more and more in advertising and online video. Once an expensive mode of production, new software tools such as Adobe Flash and After Effects allow for much faster production, while retaining high quality standards and therefore animated video has become increasingly accessible to a much wider client base.
The possibilities for utlising animated video in your business are endless, contact us to find out more!
Check out this funny but effective video from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Reinvent the Toilet | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

And don’t think that you need to animate people or characters either, some of the most effective sales and promotional videos out there at the moment only utilise animated typography.
Or here’s a couple of examples of some we have recently completed:

Unigames

Blue Shadow Group Promo

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Making your Youtube Video Stand out

Saturday, June 4th, 2011

Video marketing is a great way to get your message out to your prospects, leads and customers. Internet users like the aspect of multimedia in video and search engines like them, well, because people like them. YouTube is the biggest video sharing site so if you’re doing any form of video marketing, you must have a YouTube channel. Here are some tips to get more hits to your YouTube videos.

Do the proper keyword research. Search engines look for content. If your videos don’t have a relatable title or description, chances are they may not be found or if they are found, they won’t be seen. Create a good title from your keyword research and then write a nice description with related keywords. No spam!

Use social book marking services such as Digg or StumbleUpon. These sites are popular places for you to bookmark your content whether it’s a blog, video or other type of online real-estate. The more users that like your content, the higher your video will get in the rankings creating more hits. I would do a search for the top book marking sites for 2011 to find the most visited sites.

Market your videos using article marketing. I see a lot of internet marketers marketing their blogs using articles but most don’t understand is that sites like You tube are already seen by the search engines as authority sites so it’s much easier to create links to videos and get them ranked in the search engines than it is to rank a relatively new blog. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be marketing your blog, it’s important to get your content ranked as well but if you’re not marketing your videos I would have to say that you’re loosing valuable search engine traffic.

Create valuable videos. No one is going to share your video if it lacks substance. If you’re in the network marketing niche, educate people on how they can get more leads for their business or how they can get more traffic to their website. If you sell pottery, give people tips and other information on pottery. Doing this will increase the possibility of your videos getting shared and even going viral.

Video marketing is one of the most powerful forms of internet marketing and if done correctly and consistently, you can receive more hits to your videos and more traffic to your website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6266649

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Using a Presenter in Your Corporate Video

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

If you are blessed with articulate, charismatic executives then consider yourself lucky. If you are like most companies (large or small) however, you may want to consider hiring professional presenters to represent your company in your corporate videos.

Television Commercials. Most companies (of all sizes) use actors for their commercials, for good reason. Stephen Jobs is arguably one of the best presenters on the planet but Apple doesn’t use him in their ads. Justin Long ( the “I’m a Mac” guy ) is a much better embodiment of the Apple attitude, style and demographic than Jobs. Linking your brand to the CEO is not always a good strategy (especially if he/she leaves the company).  Unless you have a compelling, articulate leader – one that your target audience identifies positively with, you are better off to use a Video Presenter or actor for you TVC.

Product Demonstrations. This category is much more complicated because there are many types of product demonstrations and many different audiences. Your Corporate Video, might benefit from using the product manager in the video but then again, his nerves lack of presentation skills etc might end up distracting the audience enough to not take note of the key points in your Product Video.

Corporate Overviews. This is one of the broadest and most common Online Corporate Video Categories – usually the first point of entry for companies using online video to market themselves. Corporate Overviews are the best place to show off the executives or employees because the business purpose of the corporate overview is to highlight the company (not necessarily the benefits of the products or services that you produce). In this case authenticity is very important. The challenge however comes when your owner/CEO/ executive is just not that compelling. Some video production companies will claim they can make anyone look good on camera, but the truth is that not everyone does well on camera. Feel free to chat to us locally or visit our offices on the Gold Coast and Brisbane to get an honest opinion We are here to make your video production work well for its purpose.

The desired format and structure of the video should determine the need for a Autocue. If you are looking for a personal, unscripted style then it might make sense to give the executive some talking points, roll film and cross your fingers. If however, you have a very specific, detailed or structured message you should consider using a teleprompter with either a company spokesperson or an external presenter.

Give us a call to discuss your video production needs and we can help you out with all the advice you need to make an informed decision on whether to use an employee or an actor for your next video.

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Mobile Video

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

We all know that video content is big on the Internet and that is no different for mobile content. Cell phone companies cannot move fast enough making sure that video is viewable on their devices with larger screens, super high resolution, and the space to allow for clean, clear, and even streaming viewing of video. The creation of apps to allow mobile users to view various kinds of content are being created every day.

If your blog or website is engaged with education of your market, and your target market uses mobile devices, video content is a great way to educate your potential clients. Creating short video lessons, two to three minutes long, are the perfect mobile content for your potential and clients to view while they wait on line at the doctor or grocery store.

Mobile technology is here to stay, so why not make the most of it with mobile video content which enables your visitors to quickly view your content, take in your lessons. Hopefully your viewers will make the choice to purchase your product since you went so far out of the way to make sure they can get your information and content even while at the grocery store.

Mobile video content can help you connect and engage your site visitors in a brand new way that you couldn’t do just a couple of years ago, it’s the best that mobile content has to offer. There are over 5 billion mobile users globally and people are buying mobile devices at a much faster rate than they are even buying computers. Knowing this, mobile content should be one more bullet point in your over all content marketing strategy.

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6 Advantages of using video in your marketing campaign.

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Statistics provided by YouTube reveal that 67% of internet usage is based on videos and 70% of online users are interested only in watching videos. Online video production is one of the best avenues to drive huge traffic to your website. Videos enable you to convey your message through various methods, such as via action, gestures, visual images, visual text, music, animation and speech.

Advantages of Online Video Production

Online video production offers numerous benefits to businesses looking to increase their brand recognition and gain a competitive edge. Let us have a look at these benefits:

1. Sense of belonging: Through videos, people come into contact with the real person instead of text and pictures. This creates a sense of belonging between the company and its clients, and it is an opportunity to enhance customer loyalty.

2. More appealing: There is a famous adage, “Seeing is believing”. When people hear something said by a person, they tend to believe it faster than they do after reading information.

3. Wide audience: YouTube states that people view 2 billion videos regularly. You can also reach a huge audience with the help of videos and create your brand awareness.

4. Interesting: Some people find videos more interesting than text. Even if the video is little longer, people may view it patiently.

5. Video sharing: If people like the video, they tend to share it with their friends through social media sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. This creates the opportunity to spread your business without any serious effort on your part.

6. Client feedback: By putting your video on YouTube or other media website, you can actually involve viewers. They can put their comments, which will help you to adapt your offerings according to your customers’ preferences.

Online video production can result in growing sales and building the reputation of your business. Video marketing is a powerful way of gaining online visibility because it is cost effective and appealing to customers. If you have an online business, it is favorable to adopt this strategy along with other marketing strategies.

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Why adding video to your site can decrease your website bounce rate

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Online videos have rocketed in popularity over the past five years, mainly due to the impact of YouTube and the fact that it is now so easy to shoot a video for your business or product. Some of the latest webcams are so good that you simply do not need to buy really expensive equipment, you can simply plug in and off you go, but using a flip cam or small camcorder does produce the best results for businesses when using videos on their site.

Many webmasters, business owners and website managers wonder why they should be using videos on their website, worrying that replacing text with videos would be detrimental to SEO and would also increase the strain on their servers. Both of these worries are totally unfounded and in fact, websites that are selling products or services simply must have videos as it will lead to increased sales and enquiries, as long as the videos are of good quality.

The Internet has changed the way we find information. Over the past few years people would rather watch someone telling them how to do something than read a three hundred word article about it. For example, if you wrote an article about SEO and then also recorded yourself reading the article, the chances are that the video would be more popular, even though it’s the same information on offer. Internet users just seem to prefer videos to text in the modern day, as they believe it is more concise, personal and sometimes more informative.

Adding videos onto your website will increase the length of the visitor per user, simply because you have more chance of people watching your videos than reading all of your text. It is easier to watch a video on a site than sit and read through three or four pages of text when they can get the same information from a short and concise clip.

The reason YouTube, DailyMotion and other video sharing websites are so popular is really simple – they offer quick videos for all niches, meaning that half an hour spent on YouTube can often be the equivalent to sitting down for 3 hours finding and reading through tons of articles and content on websites.

Along the same lines as online games, videos offer interactivity for your website, with Web 2.0 really being about interactivity and trying to engage with the user on a much more personal basis. By having a couple of videos on your site advertising you and your services or products allows the user to see everything they need to know about what they might be buying or see the person behind the service on offer.

As the long as the videos are nicely shot, of decent quality and are informative, you can rest assured that having these videos on your site will lead to increased visitor lengths, as when users feel engaged and interested, they will stick around to find other videos and more information about you and your products or services that your website is promoting.

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Get more Youtube Views Now!

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

If you want to get more views then you need to make it easier to find your videos. The best way to do that is to optimize your videos and channel, and leverage the SEO benefits. In this article I will give you a five step process on how to optimize your videos that will make it easier to be found in YouTube and Google thus increasing your views.

1. Give Your Channel a Theme

Many channels I evaluate don’t have a theme. Even professionals that have a brick and mortar business have videos of their family barbeque and other random video that has nothing to do with their business. There is nothing wrong with showing off the big fish you caught, but people look at YouTube channels to find out more about the author. Don’t confuse people with videos that have nothing to do with your business. Make sure you have video playlists of your videos set up that direct viewers through your sales process, and leave the family videos on a personal channel.

2. Optimize Your Videos

YouTube videos follow the same exact rules as other webpages. That’s because a YouTube video page IS a webpage. Don’t assume that your unique title will be eye catching. It’s not. Use keyword research to help you decide what the best title is for your videos. You want keyword rich titles so YouTube’s search engine can find your video and know how to catalog it. Do the same with your tags, and your description. The video helps people determine the quality of your content, and the text that describes your content helps YouTube and Google determine where to put your video.

3. Put Your FULL YouTube URL in Your Description

That’s it. Put your full YouTube URL in your description. Make it the first thing you put in your description. Remember this is http://www.youtube.com/yourtubechannelname. If you don’t have the http:// it won’t be a real link, and you miss out on the SEO juice it offers. If you want to direct people to your site you can also put your website URL in there instead of your YouTube channel.

4. Put a Watermark in Your Video

Having a watermark in your video works wonders. Either a logo for branding, the URL of your YouTube channel, or your website URL not only makes it almost impossible for people to steal your video and claim it as their own, but also drives a lot of traffic back to your YouTube channel.

5. Make a Good Call to Action

Not many people really have a call to action in their videos, and they wonder why they don’t get many views. You need to gently urge people to comment, subscribe, and watch other videos. If not you will just keep making videos and hoping they will get found and watched.

By following these 5 simple steps you will be found easier by not just the search engines, but also people looking for information.

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