Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic. ~Author Unknown
Last week, we unveiled our very first Matchmaker Logistics web video. For most of us, filming a video was a first! Some of us were quite nervous (Pam, Mary, Shelly and me), but our camera crew did their best to put us at ease. We learned a lot about what goes in to creating a short video clip as well as what doesn’t work on camera. For example, we were advised not to wear white shirts (they bounce light and create shadows on the face); not to wear stripes or prints (they look too busy on camera and pull focus off the face); and not to wear visible logos (due to copyright issues).
Mary said: “It was nice to get the star treatment in having my hair and makeup done professionally“. I, however, didn’t like getting my face powdered or having hairspray sprayed all over my glasses (a trick that is supposed to cut down on the glare that glasses can create)!
My glasses weren’t the only challenge; there was a construction crew next door to our film set which meant we had to occasionally do additional takes because the first try was ruined by the sound of buzz saws in the background! And, as Shelly put it: “It’s amazing what lights and cameras can do to the fluidness of thought. Something you would generally be able to speak about without much thought becomes jumbled in your brain and slops out of your mouth.” Mary felt the same way: “Because I was nervous, I could not seem to get the right words out of my mouth. Trust me, that has never been a problem in the past. LOL!”
Like Shelly and Mary, I also felt a bit tongue-tied. I am so passionate about my business and my team that usually the words just flow, but it is a bit different when you have two cameras in front of you and a team of people analyzing every word and expression.
As fate would have it, just as we were scheduled to launch our video, I sat on an airplane next to a woman who works in video production. I told her about our recent filming experience, and she agreed to critique our about-to-be-released video. She offered some great insight and taught me a lot about what we could do differently next time with camera angles, extra video footage and more.
What made me happiest about her critique was this sentence: “The messaging was clear, informative and authentic. I came away thinking–‘This is a group I could trust’.” Our video may not have all of the bells and whistles of a perfectly produced commercial, but it has heart. And that’s something to be proud of.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. ~Neale Donald Walsch
You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. ~Wayne Gretzky
Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. ~James Bryant Conan
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Try something new this weekend,
~Bob
