If you want to learn how to edit your own videos, then watch this free tutorial demonstrating Windows Movie Maker. 

WMM is similar to most other programs so no matter what program you use, this tutorial will help you.

Video editing is not terribly difficult once you learn how.  But as with anything, if you do not know what you are doing, then it can be terribly confusing.  I personally do not think video editing is intuitive at all and beginners often get so frustrated they give up.  In order to avoid that, I made this free tutorial that clearly explains the basics.

If you get the basics down, the rest comes more easily.  First, you need to fully understand the layout of a video edit program.  The user interface of video editing software is more detailed than any other genre of programs and that really confuses beginners.  This video editing lesson shows you exactly what the multiple windows do and how they are all used together in the process of video editing.

This video tutorial will show you all the basics you need to know in order to use Windows Movie Maker and other, similar programs.    Different editing programs share many similarities so even if you do not use WMM, you can learn a lot by watching this eight minute tutorial.

Thanks and Happy Editing!

Lorraine Grula

Why, out of the 60,000 videos uploaded to YouTube daily, does this or that one become super popular?  This video of the wedding couple dancing down the aisle is a perfect example.  It has nearly 32 million views!  Why?

Most videos on YouTube don’t get anywhere near  32 million views.  I think most folks are lucky to get 1,000.

What makes a video stand out from the crowd?  Dynamic Logic studied popular online videos and concluded that the acronym LEGS answered the mystery.

LEGS stands for:

• Laugh
• Edgy
• Gripping
• Sexual

To that list I would like to add:

• Unusual
• Real
• Something People Can Relate To
• Compelling
• Joy Inducing

Of course URSPCRTCJI doesn’t spell an easy to remember word, but I still think all those attributes go into viral video sensations just as much as the LEGS attributes.

For the wedding dance video REAL, JOY INDUCING, and SOMETHING PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO seem to me to be the characteristics that propelled it to 32,000,000 views!

If you are trying to manufacture a hit video, the hardest one of these attributes to include would probably be REAL.

No matter how much it is studied and quantified, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s not entirely predictable because let’s face it, RANDOM is indeed part of the equation!

But as a producer, it pays to know what common traits are found in popular videos.  Then, you can make sure those traits are part of your video.    Sorry that URSPCRTCJI is not as easy to remember as LEGS.  You’ll just have to write it down I guess!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

According to Comscore research, the average viewer watches a total of 158 minutes worth of video in a month’s time.   The average length of an individual stream is 2.6 minutes.

So where do you fit in with all that online viewing?  Are you a watcher?  Commenter, Producer?  All three?

Here’s the facts and figures on what everybody else is doing so you can see where you fit in.

Out of 100 people who are involved with online video, 90% of them are watchers.  They only watch.  They never comment or make video themselves.  A passive group.

Out of this same 100 people, nine of them are commenters.  They watch video and make their opinion known by leaving a comment.

So that takes care of 99  out of 100.

That leaves one lone person out of the whole group as the video producer. That’s right, only one out of one-hundred people actually make a video and put it up online!

So, if any portion of those 14 Billion videos being watched online are yours, then congratulations!  You deserve the proud distinction of being one in a hundred. (Although if we add in all your other attributes, no doubt you are indeed one a million!)

If you are part of the 99% out there who has not yet made an online video, don’t feel bad.  There’s still time!

I hope this blog gives you all the information  you need to successfully get a video produced and online.

We are all special in some way.  Upload your very own online video today and put another star on your “How am I special?” chart!

Heck, even if you just go leave a comment on  You Tube on the video I posted above, you’ll suddenly be in the top 10%.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Video Editing Software Basics: Watch this Free Tutorial

Video editing software has a fairly high learning curve, but if you master one program, you will probably find others easier to learn since most edit programs have similar layouts.

Just like cars all have the same basic features: a steering wheel, brakes and an accelerator; video editing programs also have similar features and layouts.

In this free video editing tutorial, I demonstrate the similarities between three programs: Sony Vegas, Camtasia Studio, and Windows Movie Maker.  Although turned around a bit, all three programs have essentially the same basic user interface.

The user interface with any video editing program consists of multiple windows that all function independently yet work together. No other genre of software has so much going on in so many windows at once.   That confuses a lot of people.

Why are there so many windows?

One way you can think of it is to remember that before computers, it took at least five to fifteen different components to edit video.  Once computers came along, all those different machines were duplicated inside the editing software, but each one required its own window.  This photo of WMM below shows four separate windows open.

Once you learn what all the windows do, how they function apart yet together, video editing will make a lot more sense. If you do not understand this basic concept, then video editing will befuddle you to no end.

No matter what video editing software you wish to use, this free editing tutorial from Video Production Tips will help you learn how to use the program.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.

As You Like It Act 2, scene 7, 139–143

That’s the way Shakespeare described life and I absolutely concur.

Whether or not we ever appear on stage, we all play multiple roles in daily life.  Parent, worker, friend.   Add those basics to a few others out of a infinite number:  (athlete, politico, adventurer, gardener, hunter, church-goer, bargain hunter, football fan, etc., etc.,)  and that combines into one unique individual, called YOU.  (Or ME.)

Most of you reading this blog want to appear in our own videos. Whether the video you make features you acting as a fictional character or presents you realistically as the best choice in local attorneys in the Boston market,  going on camera (and doing it well) requires you to hone the skill of presenting yourself so a short video conveys exactly what you want it to.

I know just the guy who can help you do that!  He has helped me a lot.

If you are looking for coaching to improve your on-camera persona, my buddy Thom McFadden is someone you should meet.  He is a lifelong Hollywood actor who now helps folks wishing to develop on-camera skills, from “real” acting to professional image development.  He has helped me tremendously and I feel very fortunate to have his advice.

As an example of my stellar on-camera ability,   here is the testimonial I taped for his soon-to-be-released online acting course.

Thom’s new course will be incredible.  In addition to learning all about creating “characters” with speech, body language and mannerisms, you just might get a total Hollywood video production package!  A few lucky folks will get to go out to Hollywood to have his one-on-one professional help.  PLUS, his sons, who own a very successful production facility specializing in high-end online video content, will shoot and edit your video!

A professionally produced Hollywood video.  How fun and exciting is THAT?!

Sounds like an awesome opportunity.

Even if you do not need to go so far as a professionally produced Hollywood quality video, Thom’s course and advice can still greatly help you.  I promise you will get much better at presenting yourself on camera and also discover a few tricks for any role you play in life.   Then, I am here to teach you simple video production techniques so you can set up your own Hollywood production studio in your basement!

Here is a link to sign up for his FREE online acting classes, which will get you started and he will let you know when the full fledged course is ready.

My character’s role in this particular sage is to help you with do-it-yourself aspects of making video that complement what you will learn from Thom.

To that end, here are some links to some blog posts here at Video Production Tips that will help you learn all the basic of video making.  From lighting to cameras and file formats, you can discover the DIY joys on online video production!

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN ONLINE VIDEO!

Here is a post that covers a lot of basic video production techniques. Discover easy tips for getting good lighting and sound while you learn to produce a talking head video, one of the most common shots in all of video production.   This post is like a mini home study all by itself.

Here is one of my most popular posts describing all the possible video equipment you need to set up a fully functioning TV studio.

Here is an article to help you decide what’s best to wear for digital video.

Here is a post on how you can enhance your video with online interactivity. Video interactivity is the latest and greatest way to boost your video’s effectiveness to the next level.

This post that explains how video interactivity turns your video into what amounts to a traveling website.

Here is one that describe online video distribution, using Traffic Geyser, a paid service that zaps your video out once to about 70 sites.

Here is an article covering basic video editing on Windows Movie Maker, one of the most common free editing programs around.

Here is a article on the technical aspect of digital video file conversion.

In addition to all the above articles and tutorials, you might also want to sign up for my free home study video production course. It has well over an hours worth of video tutorials.  The home study course will give you a good broad overview on all aspects of video making, from the technical end to storytelling.  It’s free!

Whew!  That’s a lot for you to study.  Together, all those links will give you a first rate education in the art and science of video production.  For free!

Now, I end this post with another videos I did for Thom.  This one is designed to go on his website and introduce me to his web visitors.   This video is a simple talking head that uses interactivity to increase the amount of info I can squeeze into one simple video.

Look closely and notice how this video has a blurry background and the testimonial video has an in-focus background.  The two videos were shot at the exact same time in the exact same way, so how did I do that?  That’s a digital editing effect you can learn by reading that article.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

Here is an example of an interactive video I did recently as a promotion for this blog.

Interactivity is really catching on and lots of people are talking about it. My favorite SEO expert, Nick Stamoulis, had an article on his blog today wondering whether links inside video will create more spam.  Interesting question.  As someone who has used a lot of interactivity in my videos, I told him I had not noticed any increase in spam at all.

Now I know they can get pretty sophisticated with this stuff, but the email address is actually buried fairly deep inside the interactivity so it might be difficult for spammers to extract.  When I add my email address inside of a video, it is only one of about six different bits of info inside the single interactive spot.

Even if links inside video does result in a bit more spam, the benefits derived in terms of increased sales and conversions makes it worth it.  Research shows that on average, interactive spots inside of a video result in a 24% click through rate.  That’s the average.   One guy got an unbelievable 63%.

The service I use for interactivity and online video management is Veeple.  They offer not only the best and most comprehensive video interactivity, but somehow they manage to do it for a smaller fee than any other online video management system.

Veeple is constantly improving their service.  Today they are doing a major upgrade and adding all these features.

• Veeple’s interPlay API – Now get all of Veeple’s interactivity an analytic capabilities in your own player or content management system.
• 3rd- Party CDN Hosting – Use any Content Deliver Network with Veeple by simply pointing to where the video content is already stored on your CDN. No re-uploading to your CDN.
• Interactive Spot Scaling – You now can edit your spots once and deploy your video at any size and the interactive spots will automatically re-size. Great for editing and embedding.
• Upgraded Veeple Media Bin – We have improved the look of our icons, added new ones, and made them all vector-based so they will scale to any size without any loss of quality – Beautiful!
• Native Customer Image Upload – All uploaded customer images now come in at their native size with no loss of quality. You can also upload any image without limitation on size – Great for full screen slates and post-video call-to actions.
• Unlimited Information Panel Text – Enter as much text as you wish into the Interactive Information Panels and extend your messaging as deeply as you wish. Prefect for sharing additional information with your viewers without having to send them to another website link or download additional information, it’s all in the panel.

Every single one of these new features is a fantastic addition, but probably the best is the first one listed, the interPlay API.  This allows you to use Veeple’s interactivity even if you do not use the rest of their video management system.  The best part is they are giving interPlay away for FREE.  Now there is absolutely no reason to not add interactivity to all your online videos.  Ain’t life grand?

If you would like to watch a video giving some real world examples of how to use video interactivity, check out this interview I did with Scott Broomfield, the company CEO.

Thanks for reading video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Making video is not only fun, but can be profitable too.  Here at Video Production Tips, we have all the information you need.  For FREE.   There is no need for you to spend a lot of money learning how to make your own videos.   This website has hundreds of free tutorials and information tips.  Whether you need information on video cameras and other equipment, video editing or storytelling techniques, you can find it here.

Browse through the site and you’ll discover everything you need to know.  The video on this page gives an overview on the information here and introduces you to Lorraine Grula, longtime video pro.   As you watch the video, look out for the interactive icons that you can click on to visit other relevant websites.

As much FREE information as we have here, there is often no substitute for personalized help.  So we also offer one-on-one personal consulting.  Video production is definitely not a cookie-cutter affair.  Every video is unique, involving different circumstances.  It can help whole lot to speak directly with someone who can answer your specific questions.    So don’t waste any more time, contact us for personalized, direct help.

Thanks for visiting Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal