Back in the 1990's we thought having an animated gif on our web page was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but nowadays using an animated gif is considered a huge FAIL. However, by using video on our websites we are able to still capture the “wowness” of an animated gif with much better bottom line results.
Now that video production is affordable to all business sizes, we’re beginning to see companies use video on landing pages and not just their homepages.
Spinning off of Oli’s Your Landing Page Sucks! Here are 10 Examples That Don’t… I wanted to take a look at some great landing pages that incorporate video. Great landing pages explain exactly what you do in a brief amount of time, and video is a great asset for accomplishing such a task.
We are excited to be a part of another Parachute video. We worked with them on a few videos already and the guys have been nothing short of FANTASTIC.
The video was used to announce the annual 2012 Jostens Renaissance National Conference event that brings together over 1200 students and educators from across the United States and Canada to share best practices and promote the philosophies associated with Jostens Renaissance.
This week TurnHere wants to highlight the video for Creperie Saint Germain done by the filmmaker team Vanessa & Andrew. Upon reviewing this stunning video, I went here for lunch that same day. I was unaware that a crazy good crepe stand was just around the corning from the TurnHere office; I hit up Creperie Saint Germain on the regular. As a side note, check out the cameo from the lovely Alison, rockin' the TurnHere Local Ops team.
How long was the shoot?
Vanessa, Filmmaker: The length of the shoot was close to two hours, which is longer than a typical TurnHere shoot. This was mostly due to the problems we had with the location and the bit of time adapting to the workarounds.
How was the overall experience?
Z, Client: Easy and smooth.
Vanessa, Filmmaker: Two staff members from TurnHere, whose office was nearby, wanted to meet with us at the shoot so they could get a taste of how it works. The shoot location was on a corner of a busy and noisy San Francisco intersection, which would have made the audio a nightmare to work with. Because the TurnHere office was a short walk away, we were able to borrow TurnHere's conference room to shoot the interview. If that wasn’t enough, one of the TurnHere staff was gracious enough to allow us to cast her as the customer. Every time we watch the video, we think, "this woman loooves her some crepes."
What is your favorite part of the video?
Z, Client: It looks very professional. They did a great job with editing and the quality is really good.
Any other comments?
Vanessa, Filmmaker: It's always fun to learn about some of the interesting things that happen behind the scenes of a 60-second TurnHere video. We're not always lucky to have a couple TurnHere employees present at a shoot, but thank goodness they were there for this one.
This week TurnHere is highlighting the awesome video done by Anthony Puente for Dragon Books, in Los Angeles, CA. Anthony, great job on the video - you really captured how special this bookstore is.
This is somewhere I’d love to spend the afternoon curled up on a comfy chair by a fireplace with a first edition (and signed!) Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.
How Long was the shoot?
Anthony, Filmmaker: The shoot probably took 2-2 1/2 hours. According to TurnHere guidelines, shoots should take no more than 60-90 minutes, but I find that if I give the client as much time as they need, within reason, instead of consistently checking my watch and pushing to make the 90 minutes, they are appreciative and give me a better interview and overall better experience.
How was the overall experience?
Cassandra, Client: Overall, it was a great experience. Anthony was very good at what he did, put us at ease, and was very timely with the edits.
Anthony, Filmmaker: Great! The two ladies that manage and run the store were friendly and free to help out in anyway. It was such a hidden gem of a store. All of the design elements lent itself to be a great, visually interesting shoot.
What is your favorite shot?
Cassandra, Client: I think my two favorite shots are the overview shot of the store, and the shot of Rebecca and I talking.
Anthony, Filmmaker: I had a few on this project, but I would have to say that the perspective shot with the Los Angeles book in the foreground and the staff in the background was tops. A great moment to wrack between the two elements as well as a perfect match in post to a previous shot of the employees hard at work.
Any other comments?
Anthony, Filmmaker: Never knowing what is held in store for me from shoot to shoot is my favorite part of the job. Solid research, client phone call and roll of the dice are all you can hope for to prepare yourself.
I really try to pride myself on tackling every shoot with the same amount of passion, creativity and professionalism.
The opening shot to this week's video of the week is AMAZING! George Stearns did a fantastic job shooting the Wild Bites restaurant in Amesbury, MA.
And he even offers some tips on how to use things called a Pocket Dolly, tripod and slider. Can you tell I'm not a videographer? But I know a great video when I see one!
Tell us about the shoot
I'd like to start by saying Tony Ortu is truly a character and a really great guy to work with. He sent me back to my girlfriends with some tiramisu that was to die for! With that said, Tony's passion for the food he creates was the greatest challenge of the shoot. The shoot was scheduled for the evening so we could capture the clientele and vibe of a typical evening. Shooting during prime time made locking Tony down for more than five minutes really not possible, as he was running out to the kitchen to attend to every plate, and that made getting voiceover and interview footage a total nightmare!
The good news: What I lacked in VO I made up for in B-Roll. I left two cameras set up in the back room for those lucky moments when I could get interview. Then I set up a third camera for B-Roll in the dining room on a Kessler Pocket Dolly, it's a three foot sliderthat is proving to be worth it's weight in gold for these smaller one man shoots.
Can you talk about the opening shot?
I also used the slider for the opening shot of the sign out front earlier that day. The Pocket Dolly works great on it's own but mounting it on a tripod allows you to pan and tilt the slider moves. For the opening shot I used a RR Micro Blue Follow Focus with an 18 inch whip to pull focus with the hand I was panning with, while sliding with my free hand.
One Caveat: If you plan on putting the slider on a tripod use something big and heavy, that you can screw the slider into from the top.
Don't mount it to a quick release plate, they put 1/4' 20ml holes underneath on each end and in the center of the slider so you can use QR plates. But the Pocket Dolly doesn't stay level when you get out toward the end of your slides especially if you use anything larger than a DSLR.
What is your favorite shot?
I think the B-Roll footage I was able to capture that evening in the dinning room was my favorite, especially the slider move of the young couple having dinner. I also used the slider for the opening shot of the sign out front earlier that day. The Pocket Dolly works great on it's own but mounting it on a tripod allows you to pan and tilt the slider moves.
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