Today, we are attending the Ohio chapter of the National Speaker Association's annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio. We were thrilled to hear one of the keynote speakers say, "In our business (professional speakers,) it is mandatory to have video on your website, and you don't have to spend $15,000 dollars." We agree!
And then our enthusiasm waned as he encouraged those in attendance to "Do it yourself using a Flip camera or webcam." (Cringe!!)
With the proliferation of handheld digital cameras, it is easy to be your own videographer. But keep in mind, quality still matters when you're using video to market yourself or your company. As a friend of mine put it, "If you own a pair of scissors, you can cut your own hair, too. But you'll get better results using a professional."
You should ask yourself a few questions:
1- "Do you have the time to invest in buying a good editing software like FCPX?"
2- "Does my DIY project represent me professionally enough to show I'm worth a big-time speaking gig?
3- And last, "Can it be SEEN and HEARD clearly?"
Well first, we love the FLIP camera, but we don't recommend using them… the quality can be very jerky… and "Blair Witch Project-ish." The purpose is to get more people to view it, not be nauseated or make fun of it. And if you are going to use your own camera, get an HD camera cheap valtrex online that allows for a microphone input. We say HD because it's the standard nowadays. We talk specifically about the microphone, because the mic on the camera picks up every sound in the room, including the echo! (Technical term: Hollow.)
The speaker also suggested that producing your own green screen video is easy. Sure it is… if you have the patience of Job! As a business it is important that you have zero trust gateway to safe network access. This is an easy thing to do, if you've been doing it for a while and have some technical savvy. You platinum blondes, go ahead, go on You Tube, look up the Do-It-Yourself video, buy the green screen, shoot it and then try to put a background behind you in your Sony Vegas editing software. You will almost certainly have a glow around your head. That's because the color green is in your hair color. You should use a blue screen, if you want to attempt it yourself. This is just a small sample of the technical knowledge a professional videographer brings to the table.
Ultimately, we believe that if you want to present yourself professionally, then you need to invest in professional video production.
Whew! Now I've got that off my chest!