I've got to keep writing in this thing. This is rather work heavy, so if you're not interested in that bit, skip down that section.
Yesterday I went downtown for some work stuff. Work stuff ended up being pushed back so I ended up with time on my hands and my camera.
Now to give a little more insight as to why I'm even doing this video stuff - I probably touched on it before, but in my last rounds of interviews for this new position, the most constructive feedback that I got was they wanted more "Jon on camera" types of communication.
So: first person, organic feel, genuine, but pro quality.
The idea is that I'm going to be doing these cool documentary type shoots, but I also want to add some variety and maybe do something a little different. Maybe a vlog style isn't for everyone, but if we're supposed to build trust with an audience, actually let them in, see a different side of how the industry works or whatever... Maybe that sort of connection isn't a bad thing.
It's a fine line. You've got to distribute some piece of information in a way that feels natural. That invites your audience to connect in a way that traditional news media doesn't get. So how do you do it?
Traditional talking head: Pro - it gets the message out and fast. Looks professional. Con - looks old, stuffy, not modern, also distances yourself from the audience and is a boring static shot that bores your audience to tears. People gain nothing.
It can be effective. Needs to have several angles and awesome B-Roll. Because it's a static shot though and can be generally one take, you're talking a quick grade, maybe some motion graphic overlays, and presto you're done. The most time you'll spend here is setting up the shot, and once you've done it the first time it's rinse and reuse territory.
Social Media stream of consciousness: Pro - information almost instant. Connects with your viewers on their home turf where they're comfortable viewing. Con - It's tricky in our industry what constitutes "work" and therefore employees need to be clocked in for, and voluntary. You can't on one hand have strict guidelines on how devices are used in store and then ask them to like a Facebook page that's work related and might post things during off - not clocked in - time. We've also got to be careful because what we want to go out immediately (as I've run into in my last major project) goes through legal and they back it down saying only management level employees can get these stats and blah blah blah. The immediacy of social is a double edged sword that can come back and bite you very quickly.
My pitch was the documentary angle with interviews. I think this bridges the gap. It will allow us to get information in that we want but not necessarily have to be immediate. Production time is heavier, so we'll have to actually sit down and cut this. So why not lets have some cool B-Roll? How about we introduce a main character that's taking you through all of these things for continuity? Obviously that'd have to be me because they're not going to let me hire someone. But lets make this something entertaining that people actually enjoy watching. Production values that are high, but not necessarily high budget, and quality cinematography that people will get the feeling that there is time and effort that goes into these shots and angles.
Me being on camera becomes less of an issue. I'm there to guide you to the story, provide context, and then let the story happen. At the end, I'll come in, wrap up, and try to reinforce the dots that should have been connected through the piece.
So that's the idea - with this project coming up for Business In Retail, I wanted to get out of the way and really let the companies themselves tell their stories. Explain the difficulties in their day to day operations rather than say "oh, and this is a cellular iPad.. This is what we do with them." I'm not going to put something out there that patronizing. We've hired these people because in my opinion a Retail Sales Consultant's job is to be a problem solver. To take what a customer says and figure out how we can make their lives easier or more secure, more informed, whatever with our products and services.
The idea for this documentary series isn't to insult the RSC by encouraging here's spoon fed "scenario A requires solution B" type mindsets. It's why I've always been annoyed with role playing sales scenarios. They don't encourage critical thinking and going outside the normal, which for me is the hardest part that people face.
So lets tell a company's story. Lets let people that do this every day connect dots in different and exciting ways and lets think outside of the box and see what we can really come up with. We've got a lot of brilliant minds that work for this company and sometimes I think we need to embrace that. We aren't robots. None of us do things exactly the same and have the same ideas about how things should be handled. Lets encourage that different thinking. Lets make a difference for a company that very well could make a difference for so many more people.
Yesterday when shooting some b-roll I ran into two guys from instagram who I'll throw their links up. You've really got to check them out. We talked cameras for a bit, but they got in my shot I was doing for a time lapse by dangling off the side of a building.
Go check out @7thcause and @daddybandz on instagram.
Video with some cool sunset time lapses will be up in the next few days.