Camera Ready with Val Brown

The first step in creating a video strategy is creating a video content mission statement. It will answer three questions: what you do, how you do it and why.  Once you know these three things you can then create your video mission statement what type of information will you deliver and why. A video content mission statement will help you stay on target when you are developing content for your videos. Do you want to educate, entertain, inspire? What does your audience need? What are their pain points? Getting really clear on this does two things. It lets you plan and deliver a cohesive body of content and develop a content calendar that supports your business strategy. When you have a road map it defines what you should be doing as much as what you should not be doing. What is the outcome your audience will receive as a result of consuming your content? In this episode, learn how to write your video content mission statement. Once you do, it will guide your content decisions whether you're doing a quick video on Instagram or a longer format education video. You will know who you are talking to, why they need what you are delivering, and what outcome will they achieve from consuming your content.  Most importantly, you will know how your content supports your company's mission.  reference: Episode 42 - Why you need a video strategy

Thinking about using video in your business can feel OVERWHELMING. There are so many moving parts, it's not always easy to figure out where to get started or where to focus your efforts to get the biggest return on your time and budget. You want to be sure you are creating the right content for the right audience and delivering it in the right places.​ When you have a video strategy, you will ensure you are creating content that's in alignment with your business goals and where you'll see the biggest return. It's no different than having a business strategy. It's a map to reach your goals.  When you have a strategy aligning your actions with your business goals, it makes it easy to know the next step to take.  In this episode, I share my top three reasons for creating a video strategy.

We're all busy, whether we're running our own business, leading our team or building our career.  Taking time to figure out how to put on makeup for video seems like a huge time suck. What about makeup when I'm on camera? is the question I hear most often behind what should I wear? And it's a good one, because most of us don't spend a lot of time under hot lights or in front of a lens that can change our skin tone or highlight our less than flattering attributes. If you could just learn a few basic makeup tips, to take the mystery out of how to you show up looking your best on camera whether you're indoors or outdoors or taking photos for your headshots.  It would be so much easier to get your videos done. Look great on video without spending a ton of time and effort on things that don't work. Wouldn't It Feel Great To Know It's Not A Lot Of Work To Get Ready To Be On Video?  I want you to know that you can show up as you and that you KNOW how to look your best. And that's what we are aiming for on camera, a look that's natural, easy to achieve and one where you feel amazing about how you look. Think of your face as a painting where the elements are in balance with your best feature being the star of the show. Whether that's your eyes, cheekbones or lips. On this episode of Camera Ready With Val Brown you'll learn: how your lifestyle will affect how you look on camera (yes ladies I know I covered this last week, AND it's that important) things to know about makeup and the camera some tips on keeping your look fresh throughout out your shoot. If you missed last week's podcast covering on camera makeup tips for men,  you can listen to part one here. >>>You can listen to this week's episode, On Camera Makeup Tips Part 2 - For Women here or here. Or if you prefer, you can read the blog here.  

Creating videos on the fly is something I get asked about a lot, whether its for your product or a business message or idea you need to deliver quickly and effectively. And, as I was going through my morning ritual the other day I thought wow, wouldn't it be awesome to create a video ritual that would let you get clear about your message and make sure you look and sound great before you hit the record button. It would be something that was especially good for situations when you don't have a lot of time to think. Having a quick framework to reference allows you to collect your thoughts and energy and show up with intention and confidence. So I got to thinking about my morning ritual, one I got from Mel Robbins, the author of the Five Second Rule.   I created my own version of her morning ritual, Take Five, so you can gather your thoughts quickly and turn out great looking videos, every time. For a refresher on how you can use Mel's five second rule to stop procrastinating and get your headshots done, listen to episode 21.  Here's my take on Mel's Take Five ritual, this one is for video.    

  Video is the fastest way for you to create a connection with your audience - the sound of your voice and body language allows your audience to connect with you instantly. Using video lets your audience get a better sense of who you are. When they can see you, it helps you to build trust with them, and when done intentionally, you reinforce your brand.  When you use video, your personality and voice are center stage, and that's critical to building your know, like and trust relationship with your audience. It's also a great way to showcase your expertise and share what you know that can help people live better lives and build better businesses. On today's episode learn: ​How to quickly organize your thoughts to keep viewers watching A really cool tip on audio The best way to position your camera It actually goes back to the basics - the 3 p's Purpose, Plan and Presence. If you want a review, check out episodes 2,3 and 4. Being intentional will save you from the shoot and pray and shoot and spray mindset and make sure you shoot and score with the audience you want to reach.  And at the end of this episode I have a very special challenge and opportunity for a select few of you who are chomping at the bit to start doing video as part of your marketing program so that in just  6 weeks, you can be on camera without looking awkward or like an amateur to your audience and peers. Check it out here: How To Prepare For Your Next Photo or Video Shoot Contact:  Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisualBridgeCommunication... Twitter: twitter.com/valbrown08 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valbrownvisualbridgeco...  

When you create a video to tell a story, do you sometimes feel like you are shooting in the dark? Or, because you're not sure what to shoot, you record everything and it makes it hard to edit? Wouldn't it be great to know the secrets behind creating stories that connect with your audience? Here's the good news, it doesn't have to be that way for you! On this week's podcast I interview Emmy award winning documentary producer and director Kenneth Kebow about his secrets to Creating Stories That Connect. Learn Ken's secrets including: the importance of using sound to make a connection with your audience how to help people you interview look and feel comfortable what you need to consider before you hit the record button Ken is a friend, colleague and mentor who has been in the television business for more than 30 years. He's worked with Google, American Airlines, Ford, CBS and the United States Marines. He's also been honored with numerous awards for his corporate and documentary work including The Whimsical Imagineer, which is about one of of the original Disney Imagineers, Rolly Crump. He also produced and directed a documentary about Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address with Academy award winner Richard Dreyfuss. They are both amazing pieces of work. In part one of my interview with Ken he shared tips on how to create great looking videos on a budget. If you missed it you can listen here.  

Interview with Emmy award winning documentary producer, and director Kenneth Kebow about how to create great looking videos on a budget.  Ken is a friend, colleague and mentor and has been in the television business for more than 30 years. Some of his clients include Google, American Airlines, Ford, CBS and the United States Marines. He has been honored with a number of awards for his corporate work as well as his documentary work which includes one on of the original Disney Imagineers, Rolly Crump, and another with Academy Award Winner Richard Dreyfuss in a documentary about Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. Both are amazing pieces of work. At the end of today's podcast there will be a link where you can find out how to watch them both. Learn his production secrets including: the importance of pre-production before you shoot how to help people you interview look and feel comfortable an inexpensive way to create high quality, branded backgrounds References:Kenneth Kebow    

We all  use filler words. It's normal to pause in between thoughts and use uhms, ers, and other filler words.  It's when you use too many of them it interferes with your effectiveness in delivering your message. It also makes your listeners work harder to get to the heart of what you have to say.  When filler words fill your delivery, they undermine your credibility and authority, make you sound less confident and distract from your message.  Used to the extreme, filler words become verbal white noise the brain has to filter out to get to the meat of your message.  When you are delivering a message about an important project at work, or your service that will change lives, that's a distraction you can do without. Learn:  Why we use filler words How they affect your credibility What you can do to stop saying uhm It's a quick listen so you can put these tips to work right away. Research: University of Missouri 

Using gestures is an effective way to emphasize a point, add energy to your delivery, increase your confidence and connect with your audience. Used poorly, gestures can have the exact opposite effect and create a disconnect with your audience. Learn: Why you often hate the way you look on camera How to think about using gestures What gestures can help you support your message and your brand. The secret to keeping a great attitude on camera Here's a PDF you can download. Use this to make notes of the gestures that work and those that are distracting. Record yourself and work to eliminate distracting gestures.

With podcasts and video being such an important part of your brand platform today, it pays to pay attention to your voice. It's an important part of your brand. Veteran radio personality and voice actor Jeff Gelder shares some of his vast experience with us about developing your vocal brand and how you can work to make sure you sound your best on camera and on your podcast. Jeff is a big believer in the power and influence of the human voice. He's worked with Sony, ESPN, Dell, Jenny Craig, and Toyota and interviewed celebrities from Olivia Newton John to Woody Harreslon. This is a big topic, so we are really are going to just scratch the surface and give you some tools to get started.  On this episode you'll learn: The elements of a vocal brand Why you don't like the sound of your own voice Voice exercises to make sure you sound your best Here are links referenced in the show where you can find some more resources on this topic. Voice Over Achiever, What Is A Great Podcasting Voice?

Interview with graphic designer Jason Clement on how to select your fonts, filters, photo, colors and logo for your visual brand identity. Jason is an art enthusiast, color savant, and unreasonably obsessed with great design. He works with with well known on-line influencers including Ray Edwards and Mike Kim. Jason helps us pull together all of the work we did on How To Find The Key Elements of Your Visual Brand Part 1 (episode 19) so you can start identifying the specific elements of your visual brand.   Resources: jasonclement.com Visual Identity Brand Planner   

If you think you want to use a teleprompter for video, there're some things you need to know before you do. On this episode of Camera Ready with Val Brown you'll learn about The importance of: knowing why you are using a teleprompter pacing, volume, pauses and body movement positioning your teleprompter You'll also need to be sure you write conversationally and spend time practicing your script before you hit the record button.  Easy tips you can put to use right away.

Learn to pay attention to the details that will help you attract the types of audiences you'd like to speak to in the future and what you need to do ahead of time to make sure you look, feel and sound your best on stage including: Who is in the audience Where you are in the room  What you will wear With a little planning and some homework, you can make sure your audience focuses on you and not what you are wearing. References: Nick Morgan Study - Psychology of Objectification Rando Martins Resources: CR 5 -  What to Never, Ever Wear on Camera... pdf CR 6  - Are You Ready For Your Close Up? pdf

Learn how to write a script quickly and consistently and create more content!  Using a script template makes to a lot easier to be consistent in getting your content out on time. Having a format to write your videos is a great way to make sure you are including essential information.  It also gives you the freedom to write in your own voice and connect with your viewers.  Learn how to  create an effective opening identify your key points write a close that gets your audience to take action  And using video also increases your traffic from search engines and ups your click through rates.   pdf script template 

The number one reason I see keeping people from being on camera is the stories they tell themselves about themselves!  They usually go something like
 I: hate the way I look on camera
 don't know what to say
 always forget what I'm going to say
 mess up and then people will think I'm stupid  
 I'll share some of the things I've learned about self limiting beliefs and how they hold us back from doing the very things we need to do to move us toward our goals and dreams. Especially, being on camera. 
 Learn about how you:  choose your thoughts and shape your reality
 determine whether those thoughts are holding you back from your goals and dreams
 can reframe and re-write your story to increase your self awareness and confidence Reference: Kary Oberbrunner Resource: How to Rewrite Your Self-Limiting Beliefs

You need a good headshot whether it's for your LinkedIn profile, Facebook or Twitter, marketing materials, a website banner or personality shots for your website. And your headshot needs to support your brand visually and verbally.  When people look at your photo, they are looking for an emotional connection. Your headshot invites them to learn more, it says I'm approachable. That emotional connection builds trust and that's why it's so important to have good headshot and the right photographer take them. Learn about: defining the purpose for your photo shoot brainstorming and planning locations matching your camera presence supports your brand Be sure to join us next week when I interview photographer Stephanie Marie about how to choose a photographer that's right for you and how to work with them to maximize your investment. Reference: John Lee Dumas Ann Vertel Resource: Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 8

Wouldn't it be amazing to know how to use your nervous energy to fuel you, not hinder you when you are on camera? Imagine how would it feel to be able to get in the right emotional place, where you can't wait to share your message - every time you are on camera? Get clear about your on camera jitters and how to calm them. Learn about: why we get nervous what you can do to get over it exercises to help you crank up your energy. It's a quick listen and you can pick up some tips to use right away in your next video or photo shoot. When you know your purpose and have a plan - you can go from being shy and scared to feeling fearless and confident on camera every time! References:Barbara Niven Resource:Camera Ready Planner

Depending on the purpose and message for your video and photos, location makes a big difference. Learn what you need know when you choose a location for your video or photo shoot including what: the location you choose says about your brand time of day is best to shoot a video or photos to do ahead of time before you select a location  Here are links to the videos I referenced in this podcast. Mike Kim video Jeff Walker  

Learn about the elements that that create your on camera Presence and how you can ensure that you are in alignment with your brand. Learn about the visual, verbal and value aspects of presence Exercises you can do to define your brand presence How to ensure your authentic self shines through when you are in front of the camera. If you aren't sure what your brand presence is, listen to today's podcast and go through the exercise to define your on camera presence in the .pdf download. References: Michael Hyatt Jasmine Star Resources:  Color Psychology  Contact Val 

Take the mystery out of being in front of the camera and ensure you look, feel and sound your best, no matter what.   In this episode we'll take a look at how to create a plan so you are prepared to look your best. This works for Facebook Live videos too! Learn what you need to plan for: environment (location, audio, lighting) messages visuals Download the Video/Photo planner .pdf your next video appearance.  Here's the link to Mike Kim's podcast on getting ready to present. If you liked this episode, please leave a review. Please leave your questions for future episodes in the comments section below and I'll be sure to give you a shout out on a future show. I'd love to connect on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisualBridgeCommunication... Twitter: twitter.com/val.brown08 LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/valbrownvisualbridgeco... Email: [email protected]

Learn the questions you need to ask before you say yes to your next on camera appearance whether it's for video or photos. Why are you doing this? Where will it be used?   Who are you speaking to? Will this align with my goals and strategies? Knowing the answers to these three questions will help you to create a plan to fulfill your purpose. Download your .pdf here to help you work through these questions and get clear on your purpose.  

Look, feel and sound your best in front of the camera. Whether it's for business, social media, headshots or television, learn what you need to know to support your brand and deliver your message effectively with credibility and authenticity to your target audience.   Special thanks to Scott Holmes - "Follow Your Dreams" music track