Presentation to Annex Business Media on adding video to magazines

1. Storytelling with Video
Annex Business Media
Cambridge, Ontario Nov. 2, 2012

2. Why video?
• Broaden your storytelling
• Extend your brand (seamlessness between print,
online and mobile editions)
• Extend to new audiences
• Extend opportunities for advertising (pre-roll,
sponsored segments)
• Drive traffic to your website –stay longer= BOOST
engagement=Boosts Google SEO

3. You are already…
Doing many things right!

4. Great story IDEAS
A series about Canada’s safest
employers

5. Promos for forums

6. Tons of product videos…

7. Showcasing your audience to themselves

8. Annex Bus Youtube
channel

9. Putting Your EditorS on-air

10. FIRE videos
• http://youtu.be/88ucQzm1RS4

12. Some of you
• Are going GANGBUSTERS
• Others, can certainly improve
• Many are at the same stage as your competitors,
i.e.Rogers-owned publications: extremely limited
use of multiplatform storytelling

13. AWARDS

15. No time for videos…

16. Need $$ resources
Lightweight, versatile, cheap

17. Want training in shooting and
interviewing…
Tip:keep camera beside you during interviews

18. Need some training in
editing

19. More host/reporters on camera on location
and more DIY videos

20. How to shoot a better
Video story

21. Think visually

22. Video storytelling
• FIND A COMPELLING CHARACTER/SUBJECT
• Make us care about them, in the first 20 seconds
• Let us hear from them very soon: min by 20 seconds
• Next, tell us the reason we are doing the story:
issue/conflict/drama/problem/ over b-roll
• Then add one (or two more) interviews with experts.
• People make the best video BUT not boring talking heads.
Video works best with Action. Emotion. Natural Lines.
Movement.

24. How to choose….Different formats
• Steal a lot! –Masthead Magazine publisher.
• Experiment!
• Choose a compelling location (get out there)
• Find compelling guests
• Have story meetings about video

25. So many possibilities
• Vlog : Sean Mallen, GLOBAL NEWS
• Round table with industry leaders; ―At issue panel on CBC‖ :
create celebrities that readers won’t want to miss (EPIC
Mealtime—BACON STRIPS)
• Discussion with editorial staff: find articulate people
―Take a tour with me‖ – Globe and Mail’s Mississauga story
• Insider subscriber perks eg: different magazine covers/web
exclusives
• Industry/market updates: as often as daily, weekly, monthly
• Guest features (CAJ does a regular profile of a new member or
newsroom)

26. Decide on format Self
contained Promo for
Interview mag event
Host on
Product
camera in
showcase
studio
Host on
location

27. Structure of a Full Video
package

28. For a 2 minute story:
• You need lots of different kinds of video shots
• Probably 10-15 different video shots –each held for
between 8 to 10 seconds
• Plus an interview and a stand up (reporter /you on
camera)

29. Wide/Establishing Shots
• Tells the viewer “Where are you?”
• Locates the action for a viewer
• Shoot each shot and hold it for about 8-15 secs
• DON’T ZOOM OR PAN in every shot

31. Medium Shots
• More interesting.
• Viewer can detect some specific activity but still not
100% sure what is happening--this needs
your/someone’s narration to help explain it better.
• Shots last approx 8-15 sec each

34. Close ups
• Even more interesting visually. You now care about
the person/thing being shown.
• Usually introduces an SOT(sound byte/excerpt of
interview)

36. Extreme Close up
• Used to show extreme emotion.
• Not used in every story but good to shoot these just
in case you need it later for editing purposes.

38. cutaways
• Related to the story but not the main action.
• Often used as reaction shots to action.
• Medium shots and close ups

40. Use varied shot angles
Make your shots visually interesting

41. Use lines to make it
interesting

42. Subjective shots
• What the subject sees

43. Point of View
• From behind the subject’s head

44. People are most
interesting
• Medium and close up shots with people are
engaging for viewers and work best for t.v. esp. on
the web/mobile phones

46. Interviews (SOTs)
Framing is important

47. In interviews
• the reporter IS usually NOT on camera but can be
• We use an interviewee’s ANSWERS only

48. Keep the camera behind you/to the side, and at eye level with guest

49. SOT/Interviews FRAMING
Left side or
Right side
Looking in

50. How to frame them:
eyes at top third of screen

51. Framing of the face
Bad Good

52. Height of tripod
• Tripod
• At the guest’s eye level
• Not at Videographer
level

53. SOT-
History/f
protago
acts/stat
nist/
Best s
Hero nutgraf
video
intervie Voice Your
And
w over SOT s Your voice
closing on-
audio :02 gives more
video Experts/oppon camera
sec then info over
ents/witnesse stand up
Voice video
s
over pix
Start end

55. On Location Do’s….
• Use a tripod! Shaky video looks amateur
• Hide the audio mic cable UNDER the person’s shirt.
Loose cables distract the viewer from the content.
• Use an external mic! Poor audio is annoying. They
will click off.

56. DO White Balance
Good-white balanced
BAD-blue indoor

57. • Always WHITE BALANCE when changing locations
• the camera needs to reset its white colour in
different light conditions (daylight, indoor light etc)

58. Do
• Listen for loud background audio when you are
shooting (if there is a loud hum from a generator,
move!)
• Take CLOSE Ups and Medium shots for web video.
Beautiful wide shots are great for big screen tvs but
not for mobile screens (IPADS, Phones, Laptops)
• Use video sequences…to tell a story. Video is
different then photography.

59. In Post prod: After
• Use Background sound/natural sound on Videos –it gives
the story credibility.
• Adding a musical track can be distracting –so do it only
for a good reason.
• Use TAGS, proper File naming conventions, and make
the story SEO friendly. People won’t click on a file name
of a video that says “Gala Intro”.
• Help the viewer know immediately where this video is
(LOCATION subtitle) and who is speaking (guest and or
interviewer subtitles)

60. DON’T
• Don’t use same shots twice in the video. Viewers
hate that.
• Don’t jump around chronologically. Viewers hate
that.
Do show one sequence, then move to the next area or
scene. Don’t show snippets of an indoor scene and
then go outside, and then return to the indoor trade
show next, 20 seconds later. Viewers get confused.

61. My Other hats
• Our students make great interns
• Launching 7 new niche and b2b
• magazines in December
• Would love your feedback
Paul Grossinger’s or mine?

62. Canadian Association of
Journalists
Membership $45 :
Training, events, advocacy, Media Magazine (needs a home)
Mags panel at CAJ2013# in Ottawa, want to plan it/sponsor it?

63. Thank you!
• Ebessner@gmail.com
• Ebessner@centennialcollege.ca
• @Ebessner on Twitter
• http://ellinbessnersblog.blogspot.ca/