In this issue: • Video of the Week • Feature Article • As Seen On • Recommended Resources • Video Gear Review • Members Only • About Mr Video

It's About Time

Working in advertising and broadcast video for so long, I look at time a bit differently. Take for example timecode. In an edit suite, timecode clocks zip by measuring time of the video in 1/30 of a second increments. It seems super fast and takes skill to "hit" your mark on the fly. A 30-second commercial must be exactly 900 frames. Compare that to Olympic time clocks. They fly by at 1/100 increments - over three times more accurate and yet races are won and lost based on this tiny slice of time.

Time Flys.
President Obama has been in office a full year.
Jan 15th was the anniversary of Flight 1594 that landed in the Hudson River with zero casualties.
On January 12, 2010 - Haiti was struck by the most violent earthquake in a century

As the extent of the devastation in Haiti continues to be revealed, I am again reminded that life is precious, people are amazing, and time is short.

We are 19 days into 2010. 1/24th of the way through the year. If we were using an annual "Clock" we would already be an hour into things.

Tick Tock Where Are You?

I have three questions:
By what increments do you measure your progress?
How have you used your first 19 days of 2010?
How will you use the next 19 days?
(side note: I'm on a 17 day weight loss program http://lose17in17.com/)

Olympic champions measure success by 1/100th of a second. Think about the increments of time that you measure your success. Is it annually? Monthly? Daily?

There is a quote that goes something like "If you manage the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves." Well I believe that the same "budgetary" skills apply to minutes. If you manage your minutes, the years will take care of themselves.

Drop me a line (perry @ askmrvideo.com) and let me know how your 2010 is going so far. I'm eager to hear!


Perry Lawrence
Mr Video
 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Mr Video Says: "I recently produced a very high quality movie for a client of mine. What I find interesting (and super effective) is the use of a celebrity endorsement (Oprah) on their sales page. Having a celeb speak on behalf of your product is genius - watch and see how you too can make use of this cool technique."
 

FEATURE ARTICLE

Lighting Tips for Videos

When shooting your video it is wise to pick an optimum spot that will give you the best amount of lighting. If you are unsure about the lighting in your room, you may want to do several test videos to find the best spot.

Below I share some tips that will definitely help:

Be aware of your backgrounds - try to avoid doorways and messy rooms, simply be aware of what's behind you.

Avoid white backgrounds - not only will white backgrounds tend to wash your skin out but they are quite boring.

Notice the overhead lighting - some overhead lighting will give your skin different shades and shadows, be aware of the type of overhead light as well, too bright is not good either.

Avoid lights in the background - lights in the background will create shadows and will be distracting

Natural lighting is ideal - standing in front of a window with natural light shining in and a dark background make the best settings, giving you the best natural look

Most importantly think about your setting - do you want a more professional look, perhaps your office is the ideal spot with bookcases behind you, if you want a more natural look go outside, but be sure the sun is not shining behind you or directly overhead.

Best tip is to practice, practice, practice - the more often you take videos, you will soon know which lighting will work best for your complexion and which setting will be ideal for your video project and most importantly - HAVE FUN!

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ABOUT MR VIDEO

Perry has been in video production for over 20 years and has produced, shot, and/or edited videos for companies like Merck, Maxwell House, Nickelodeon, P&G, Ogilvy & Mather, IBM, and many others. Perry is also the "Go To" video expert for the top names in internet marketing such as Yanik Silver, Carrie Wilkerson, Barry Dunlop, Ryan Lee, Dean Hunt, and many others.

Perry has taken the steps used by professionals and distilled them down to an easy to use formula that guarantees better videos, each and every time.

As a proud member of the Video Marketing Association and "Mr Video," Perry has quickly become the definitive resource for helping business owners and marketers strategically leverage the power of video.

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