Video Introductions to Web Sites

Written (at least in part), designed, shot, directed, and edited by yours truly.

Intro Video to EclatEntertainment.com
Introductory Video to Eclat Entertainment   .com

Because she admired the video I shot for the introduction of my own Web site (at right), the creative director for this multi-service music management company wanted a similar video for the home page of the Web site I created for them.

 

We decided that the best location was in her musician-partner’s home/office, with some of his extensive collection of professional music equipment in the background. I used my portable lighting outfit, its bright light softened with diffusers, by bouncing the light off the white ceiling, and by her (uncharacteristically) wearing some make-up. She chose clothing, jewelry, and hairstyle that were comfortable for her and appropriate for a professional in the music business.

 

Because she wanted the monologue to feel “loose” and unscripted, I prepared only bullet points for her, summarizing the major themes of the Web site, concepts she and the business director and I had discussed at length when we originally designed the site; the key was to speak to the needs and concerns of their target audience: artists / potential clients, potential venues, and music lovers in general.

 

Because she was intentionally unrehearsed, we took a great many takes, to assemble enough material for me to later edit together into a logical narrative. To make the editing easier, we shot the entire narration through almost four times — twice as a mid-shot and almost twice as a close-up — so that cutting (actually dissolving) between the shots (mid to tight, tight to mid) would not be so jarring (as mid to mid or tight to tight, which I did have to do a few times as it worked out).

 

For branding, as on my video, I included their logo in the front and end titles. And because the “Man in the Moon” logo she had selected was a still from a vintage black-and-white movie in the public domain, I cut some of the footage from the original movie into the start of this video, to draw the viewer in with a somewhat familiar, very entertaining scene.

 

In addition, because this is the introduction to a company devoted to music, we have encouraged the business director, who is also a longtime composer, to write and record some background music, which I will mix into the soundtrack of the video, balancing it with the narration (which itself I had to enhance, given the poor acoustics of the on-location shoot). We hope to have that music soon.

 

Finally, to maximize the exposure of this video and, thus, their new company, I posted the video in the creative director’s account on YouTube, with lots of descriptive keywords so that it might be readily found.

My Web Site Home Page

Introductory Video to Douglas Drenkow.com

I wanted to put a very human face on my Web site (this site), particularly because as my online portfolio, it presents such a large amount and variety of text, image, audio, and video content.

 

For the location, I chose to stand in front of one of our bookcases, in my home/office. I must admit that I rearranged the books somewhat, to create a somewhat less cluttered, more professional appearance than in everyday life.

 

I found the acoustics in this small quarters with wood (and book) walls to be superior to those in other rooms of the house, whose larger size creates a lot of echo (“reverberation,” which is extremely difficult if not impossible to eliminate in post-production).

 

In this tight space, I needed to use my lighting kit (originally purchased for taking references photos in my portrait painting) to provide a balanced frontal light; however, because it is a rather harsh light, I used diffusers on the lights, bounced the light off the (wood-paneled) ceiling, and even wore some make-up (to prevent shiny nose, cheeks, etc.).

 

Unlike the video for the music management company (at left), I wanted this video to have a very tightly scripted narration, since there was so much material and some very important concepts — as defining “communication” itself — that I wanted to cover, in as short a period as possible (so as to not lose my audience).

 

In addition, to help “grab” my audience, towards the beginning of the video I listed the categories of wonderful clients and others I have been honored to serve — everyone from presidential candidates and senators to CEOs and everyday people worldwide.

 

In order to best demonstrate what I have done, I included a sequence of screenshots from my Web site, with my narration offscreen (put together in post-production).

 

Finally, in order to brand my video and Web site, I included my logo in the front and end titles.

 

Since I was a youngster, I have always enjoyed making “moving pictures”; and in my professional life, I have appreciated their value to draw and keep the attention of an audience. We live in a remarkable age, in which almost anyone with a personal computer and a video camera (Mini DV tape with a Firewire connection is easiest to edit at home) can create a very involving production. I hope to continue this work, for fun and (mutual) profit.

Video Introductions to Web Sites

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