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First of all, I am in the middle of rebelling against so many people promoting power, crushing your goals, being a powerful go-getter, being excellent, self-improvement, even people promoting health and weight-loss. This may just be inspiring stuff to you, but I think there’s an undercurrent of aggression against the self going on here. We…
Why is storytelling so compelling for us? According to Christine Hennebury of CBC Nfld. & Labrador, “We all share stories. Of family, work, and of our experiences. We refer to myths, folklore, and characters from TV shows to explain things to ourselves and to others. We construct internal narratives to help us make sense of…
For many reasons, September is a time of new beginnings. In addition to the Jewish New Year taking place this month, many people are affected by schools starting up – children, parents, teachers, college students, and the rest of us who have the memory of these beginnings in our bones. It’s the beginning of a…
Know your audience Who is your ideal customer? Who are you trying to reach with your marketing? Once you know the answer to those questions, you can tailor your content to meet their specific needs for service and support. What are their pain points? What problems are you solving for them? All this is great…
The Video Business Card (VBC) is the primary offering of Personal Story Films. It is the signature statement of who you are as a business. It goes beyond that, however. In 2-3 minutes we answer these questions: What is your name and business? Why did you start your business? (Your deepest “why”) How does your…
My passion is for telling stories, both visually and through sound. When I interview people, I elicit their stories, whether it is about their business or their lives. Stories are one of the ways we connect deeply to each other and the world. As human beings, we crave stories, going back to our origins as…
A client asked me a question today about shooting outdoors and the sun. If you are shooting yourself outdoors should you have the sun behind you or in front of you? First of all, the best lighting happens in the morning and late afternoon these days. Midday sun washes things out and makes things evenly…
Hold the Camera Still. Most amateur shooters will follow the action everywhere it goes. This causes jerky video. Also, how do you make a clean edit between a shot of the person (or dog) in the frame while the camera is in motion and another similar shot? Here’s a trick: let the subject exit the…
When you are shooting things that you make happen, such as actions you can get your subject to do, plan on doing multiple takes. First of all, you want to make sure you have a good version. Second, you want a variety of shots and angles of the same thing. For example, when my client…
As an editor, I implore everyone who shoots video to “Shoot-to-Edit.” This means you are thinking about what will work in the edit room. These are some shots you want to be sure to get, even if you might choose to leave them out when editing: Establishing Shot (ES) – the exterior of the building…
