Internet & Video Marketing Internship at Skillman Video Group

This week concludes my time at Skillman Video Group. Three months ago, I signed on as a Internet & Video Marketing  Intern with the company. In the beginning I was not sure what to expect, however, I am happy to report that it could not have been better. Like all young people pursuing internships, I was looking to gain real-world experience and at Skillman Video Group I got experience, real experience. At no point was I relegated to busy work; I did not make one photocopy or get a single cup of coffee. Instead, I was given the chance to explore many different avenues, both creative and professional.

I worked as a production assistant on many video shoots, working with a crew,  setting up lights, moving equipment, and learning the intricacies of professional video production. I was able to produce a  “behind the scenes ” video press release and edit it myself for the company website.  At the same time, I was given the chance to write for this blog and learn SEO and online marketing techniques. Perhaps most noteworthy, was my opportunity to create my own original viral video from start to finish. The Producers at  Skillman Video Group gave me the leeway to be creative and funny and I wrote and produced our  first ever viral style video Gerry’s Waterbed Emporium. Making this video was a great experience and a lot of fun. I was given the chance to explore new styles of shooting & editing, like utilizing a green screen, in a safe and educational environment.  This internship was a wonderful opportunity. It gave me the chance to work on the professional level in video production, writing, and marketing. I would recommend working for or with Skillman Video Group to anyone.  I can’t believe my time is over already and would like to thank everyone at SVG for making this experience so positive.

Mike McGuinness

Online Marketing Videos

At Skillman Video Group we believe, when used correctly, online marketing videos are of the most successful and cost effective way to market your company on-line. We will soon be releasing a case study on our new service, Social Video Marketing. Social Video Marketing combines the use of high quality video marketing with Internet marketing technology to convert web visitors into new leads.  As we have mentioned before, Internet Marketing works in two ways.  1) getting people to first come to your site through SEO and social media and then 2) once on your site, the content must be engaging enough to compel the casual visitors into a valuable lead.  This is what we call at Skillman Video Group the “video conversion point” .  Combining the power of the video medium with the power of the Internet gets our clients the best return on investment possible!   We focus not just on producing the highest quality video, but also  on the importance of routing as many viewers as possible to that video thereby expanding your presence in the marketplace. By using the right keywords and tags, we make sure your videos can be found on the web. Also, by incorporating a  blog posts and web announcements on your site, you can keep your content fresh and Google relevant.

We started implementing these techniques ourselves in October 2009. Google ranks website traffic and searches on a scale of zero to ten, with nines and tens being the Facebooks of the world. When our new site launched in October 2009, our website was ranked a zero by Google. Our old html site was static and we weren’t generating leads from the web. In October 2009 we started an agressive Internet marketing plan using the services outlined in our soon to be published Case Study.  By the time our case study had concluded, we were coming up as #1 in 9 targeted key words.  Within 6 months of us launching our new program, our paged jumped to a number four ranking on Google, a very impressive feat for a company of our size. The results of this online marketing effort is that our traffic is up, our content is fresh, and it’s helping our business grow. For example, our recent blog post on Video Legal Depositions was the direct source for Duane Morris LLP locating our services (please read about that job below) though a Google search and booking us just a day later. Our Social Video Marketing program is the most efficient way to market on the web. Our online efficiency techniques direct maximum traffic to your site, and our quality videos tell your story in the most effective and dynamic way possible. Call us today about your Online Marketing Video!

Corporate Viral Video Of The Week: SVG’s Gerry’s Waterbed Emporium

Welcome to Skillman Video Group’s Corporate Viral Video of the Week. This week’s video is…. us. Skillman Video Group recently produced it’s own viral style video, “Gerry’s Waterbed Emporium”. When producing this video we focused on two key attributes, i.e. relevance and mass appeal.  As a corporate video production company, it is important for us to set a standard for clean, professional video that can be taken seriously. Everyday, we see other video that does not meet our standards. If you own a television, chances are you’ve seen hundreds of cheap local furniture ads that are poorly produced and awkwardly scripted. It is something that everyone knows and universally mocks. Our video provides a familiar setting that has mass appeal, while clearly juxtaposing our services to the other guys. These are two of the most important tasks when making a viral video. You need to find a subject that is recognizable to a large number of people; if its not pertinent to them, they won’t watch it. It is also necessary for the video to relate back to you and your services. A video can be very funny, but if it’s not clear that you made it and why, you won’t see any of the benefits.

We had a lot of fun making the video. We shot in front of a green screen and super imposed the ridiculous backgrounds to give it that extra “cheesy” feel. We used goofy neon graphics to really sell the tacky style and even took a cheap shot at Ralph Macchio, but I think that’s fair game at this point.  We wrote the original script and found a devilishly handsome young actor to capture to true essence of Gerry (hey if you write the blog post – you get to toot your own horn!). Pass the video on to your friends to help us reach viral status! “Do you want a wicked awesome viral video for your company? Then come on down to Skillman Video Group today!!”

Video Depositions

We’d like to highlight a new service at Skillman Video Group, Video Depositions!  A “deposition” is defined as “The sworn testimony of a witness taken before trial held out of court with no judge present. The witness is placed under oath to tell the truth and lawyers for each party may ask questions. The questions and answers are recorded. When a person is unavailable to testify at trial, the deposition of that person may be used. This can also be part of the pre-trial discovery (fact-finding) process.”

Legal depositions are yet another area exponentially improved by the medium of video. Video provides the judge, insurance adjuster or jury, the ability to both see and hear your claimant tell their story in a controlled yet powerful format.   This can especially be relevant in personal injury cases.  For example, we recently completed a Video Deposition for the personal injury law firm of Parker Scheer LLP.  Our camera crew spent a half day with a team of lawyers from the firm, interviewing the claimant about the accident and its immediate and long term impact.   The video was later edited down to the most essential and meaningful facts of the case.  What are the important facts of the case?  How has his life changed since the accident?  Thanks in large part to the power of the claimant’s story, as told through the video legal deposition, the case was settled out of court just a week later.  Call us today about our Video Deposition Service and see how it can help your upcoming case!

Corporate Viral Video of the Week: Awareness Test

Welcome back to Skillman Video Group’s Corporate Viral Video of the Week. This week’s viral video is the London government’s Awareness Test video. This video was first released two years ago, however, it has maintained a steady hit rate since it’s debut and has over eight million hits on YouTube. This video does a lot of great things. One of the most important aspects of this video is that it’s interactive. By asking you to count the passes, it ensures undivided attention from its audience. Visually, it is a very interesting video. The constant movement and weaving of the players catches the eye. The white shirts and arching passes keeps you focused on the action of the players. The production work is very simple. The whole video is only one shot. As we’ve mentioned before, the at home, hand held camera look is very effective in viral videos. This is because it’s reminiscent of a sense of accessibility that’s associated with distributing content over the internet. The “re-wind” feature adds to that at home, viral feel.

Another great attribute is the “ Aha!” moment. Without slowing the video down or changing it in anyway, the viewer sees something they completely missed the first time (I know I did). This is the kind of mind trick video that people love to forward to their friends. In this case, the “Aha!” moment has the added bonus of being hilarious. They were not afraid to be silly and it paid off. Check back in for next week’s Corporate Viral Video of the week or contact Skillman Video Group today to see how your company could use a viral video!

Video Press Releases

Skillman Video Group is now offering a Video Press Release service! Video press releases (VPRs) are essentially an a video version of a traditional press release.   They are a fun, easy, visually stimulating and high-tech way of keeping either previous, potential or existing clients updated on your activities. VPRs can be used by businesses to inform,  shape public opinion, or to promote and publicize individuals, commercial products and services, or other interests.  In a few short minutes, you can provide your clients with a first hand look of  any new events, products or services that your company is offering. You can send these press releases out in emails, put them on your website, or post them on your social media profiles. Video press releases are also a great way to keep your blog or website fresh and interesting with new content on a regular basis which is important for SEO.  As a basic example of a video press release, check out the video from our recent shoot for Kitchen and Countertop Center of New England in Providence, RI shoot (below).   The idea is to keep the VPR simple and easy!  What is your company doing that is newsworthy or relevant to your clients?  Call us today to do your own video press release!

How can a testimonial video help you?

As we stated in earlier posts testimonial videos are a great way to market your products,  services or live event to potential customers.  Video is simple, powerful tool to build trust and rapport with viewers before they pick up the phone to call!  What a better way to communicate how good you are then  to have your audience see AND hear why you are so good from your previous (happy) clients.

Networked Events recently used Skillman Video Group to produce a series of testimonial videos for their web page and e-mail marketing campaign.  The videos were both posted to their web site as well as incorporated in their monthly e-newsletters.  The participants were all asked the same three questions and there answers were later edited and compressed for the web.  Simple “talking head” or interview style videos are extremely cost effective yet powerful in their delivery.  Here is an example of a testimonial video we produced for Networked Events in November 2009.  It was shot at the Liberty Hotel (in Alibi) in downtown Boston.

A simple “hot shoe” light was mounted to the top of the camera (similar to what you might see used by a news crew) and attached to a battery pack  to help boost the image .  “Hot shoe” lights are are fantastic for live events because they are extremely portable and don’t need to be attached to a electrical outlet (which frees the camera person to roam around if needed).  Incorporating light is very important in professional video production because it allows the camera to record a high quality image….even in dark settings (such as a restaurant or bar).  Another important component to professional video production (of all kinds) is the audio.  What good is a testimonial video if the audio is muffled, garbled or too low to be useful?  By attaching a professional wireless microphone to the speaker, we were able to record high quality audio despite the fact that we were in a crowded, noisy room.

Utilizing such professional production equipment is what allows Skillman Video Group to produce high quality videos regardless of the environment we find ourselves in while shooting.  As we have stated many times it is very important to look and sound your best in any marketing endeavor your pursue and customer testimonials are no exception.  Contact us today to see how we can produce professional testimonial videos for your web site

How to Prepare for Speaking on Camera

Skillman Video Group specializes in marketing videos for both large corporations and small businesses in the Boston area and all of New England.  As we have said in previous blog posts (feel free to scroll down and check them out) in this day and age of Internet social media, viral videos, and Internet (or “inbound”) Marketing, a great professional corporate video from Skillman Video Group is a great way to market your product or service, build brand awareness, and increase sales.  Creating repore with viewers who come to your site by adding the “human touch” through the use of the video medium, can not only help you reconnect you with former clients, but also open the door for new clients to feel instantly connected to what you and  your business stand for.

As you can see in our Portfolio page, many business leaders and employees have courageously stepped forward and placed themselves in front of the camera  to speak  about their company and the services they offer.  For some (and maybe for you), this is an entirely new experience and as we have said before, it is not as easy as it looks!  The professionals at Skillman Video Group recognize this and are ready and willing to help!  The whole experience of “lights, camera, action!” can be daunting (trust us when we say we’ve seen it before), but if the speaker is properly prepared for the shoot, it will go quickly and smoothly.  With this in mind, Christina Skillman, Sr. Producer and Principal at SVG and the production professionals at Skillman Video Group willingly stepped out from behind the camera and created a short “How To” video to highlight some of the pre-production work and planning that goes into creating the ideal “Talking Head”/interview video.  A marketing video can take many forms, but the simple interview or talking head format is one of the easiest and cost effective forms available.  From pre to post-production they can be completed in just a matter of days!

So there you have it!  There are so many factors that need to be taken into consideration when making a professional corporate video -from the room selection, to the clothes, to the microphone & lighting, to the on-screen mannerisms – it can seem overwhelming to the novice.  But with this kind of preparation, and with the skill and experience of the professionals at Skillman Video Group, it’ll be a breeze!  As a business owner it is in your best interest to look and sound your best in whatever marketing endeavor you pursue,  and we will be there to help you every step of the way.   Feel free to check out our previous work to get some ideas about what Skillman Video Group can do for your business!  Contact us today to set up a free consultation on what our video production and Internet Marketing services can do to help your business grow in 2010!

Website Video Shoot with Rolf Gates Yoga

Skillman Video Group had a two day video shoot at On The Mat Yoga in Concord, MA.  Rolf Gates, Yoga Teacher &

Author, called Skillman Video Group to do a series of online yoga sessions for Yogavibes.com as well as for their own site http://rolfgates.com/pages/home.html  The result was a beautiful series of videos: one 75-minute class, three 60-minute classes, two 30-minute classes,  and 2 quick “vignettes” about three minutes long.

Skillman Video Group shot two of the 60-minute classes the first day, and the rest of the videos on the second day.  When we arrived, we worked hard to transform a basement yoga studio into a professional studio set!  We organized the yoga mats and scenery with a balanced and harmonious look, and Andrew Nelson, lighting and audio tech at SVG, set up the lighting to create warmth and balance.  The room was a wonderful space, and working together we created a welcoming, soothing environment for their yoga videos.

Rolf Gates Inc decided they wanted one main camera (A) to shoot in HDV, and a second camera (B) to get closer shots in Standard Definition.  Camera A was operated by Christina Skillman and the purpose was to get wide-to-medium shots of the whole group, but directing attention to Rolf at all times.  Camera B was operated by Andrew, who got B-roll of the yoga exercises, cutaways, and close-ups of body areas as pointed out by Rolf.  The high definition picture looked fantastic and really brought out the colors and the detail of  the exercises!

The result of these shoots will be a series of beautiful and calm yoga instructional videos for the website yogavibes.com  Current clients will be able to stay up-to-date in their yoga practices and new clients will be encouraged to sign up for classes after checking out the videos!  Skillman Video Group was proud to be a part of their online videos (and learned a lot about yoga!)  Check out the Portfolio page soon to see an example of the videos and call today to see what kind of video Skillman Video Group can do for your website!

Parker Scheer Web Marketing Video Shoot

Parker Scheer LLP hired Skillman Video Group to do a series of marketing videos for their new updated website.  They decided adding web marketing videos would be a great way to enhance their website and demonstrate to prospective clients their commitment to quality and to their clients’ cases.  By utilizing the medium of video on the web, Parker Scheer LLP is helping establish a rapport and trust with their audience – before a potential client even picks up the phone!  It’s amazing what technology can do today.

We got to Charlestown for the video shoot bright and early, and immediately worked on transforming a conference room into a studio.  Our lighting expert, Andrew, came and set up a black background, lights, and white boards to get the lighting just right for the shoot.   The clients had decided they wanted their video done in Standard Definition format, which will still look great on the web when done with a high quality professional camera.  The client and the producers collaborated on every thing from the lighting angles to the camera angles to make sure the final product was exactly what they had in mind.  When everything was set up, we invited lawyers Susan Bourque and Eric Parker to come in one by one to speak on camera.     A wireless microphone was placed on their jackets to capture the best audio possible, and we were ready to go!

During their interviews, Skillman Video Group producers asked the two lawyers a number of questions about client service, their approach to handling cases, and how they differ from their competition.

The goal was for the speakers to say a number of “soundbites”, or brief statements on each topic.  It’s not always as easy as it sounds!  A great soundbite is both clear and concise, and may require more than one take.  Speaking on camera requires a lot of patience but it’s all a part of the filming process!  Skillman Video Group producers were there every step of the way to make sure the speakers felt comfortable, and offered suggestions as needed to make each clip clear and to the point.  In the end, it was a very successful shoot and Parker Scheer LLP will soon have some new marketing videos to add to their website!

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