One of the key services we provide for industry clients is the production and distribution of press releases on their behalf. Very often a client will have a great news story, but not be aware of how to publicise it to best effect, or not have the resource in-house. We have been writing press releases for clients for many years, and know what makes a great story and who might be interested in it.
For example, we have just written and distributed a press release for one of our industrial clients – Aish Technologies. Aish has recently appointed a new senior management figure into a new role at the company and wanted to make sure the industry knew about it. Our service involves interviewing the individual to find out more about him, where he has come from, what are his first impressions of the business and where does he see the future of the company heading. From the interview we will write a draft press release, take some photographs that can be used for the PR and in future marketing activities, and then distribute the release to our established database of local and industrial trade press contacts.
We’re starting a Pro Editing series, aimed at those who are serious about creating slick, professional looking photography and video content.
We will be sharing top tips from our highly skilled team, with tricks on how to get the best out of editing software and our thoughts on new developments and programs. We also have a lot to say about Mojave – but we shall save that for another day. Today, we are going to be talking about Colour Grading.
Colour grading is a powerful tool when it comes to telling a story. The whole mood of a video can change with some simple colour grading – providing you ensure all the frames flow and have the same look. Our 5 pro colour grading tips will give you a good understanding of what to look for and where to start.
The Key Light
The key light is the term given to the main light for your photograph, whether that be natural light (a window) or artificial (a lamp for example). You need to establish where the key light is coming from before your colour grade begins.
White Balance
It’s really important to balance the exposure and ensure the white balance is correct at the start. This, in simple terms, is getting the white, white. It may not sound that important, but it sets the tone for the whole frame.
Use Hue/Saturation Curves Tool
Using the hue and saturation curve option enables you to make precise, easy adjustments to the saturation/brightness of specific colours. For example, if you want to increase the saturation of red in the frame, simply use the RGB Curve to alter the levels of red.
Consider using LUTs
A LUT (Look Up Table) is a modifier between two images. There are some great ones available online and if used well they will give your video a great effect (more in-depth post on using LUTs effectively soon)
Don’t go over board
When it comes to colour grading it is very easy to get carried away. Subtle changes are often the most effective. You want to achieve a polished professional look, not a fake one.
The world of website design never stands still, which is why we should take a moment to review what the current trends in design are heading into 2019. How many of these boxes can your website tick?
Mobile First
Since 2015, mobile searches have exceeded desktop searches, making mobile search the highest worldwide. As a result, Google changed the way in which they index sites and now they prioritise mobile friendly sites, even over the loading speed of a website. This has created a methodology whereby websites are designed for a mobile device first and then adjusted for a desktop second. Not only does this benefit your SEO and ranking, but it gives the consumer a much better experience.
Think simple
Clean, minimalist designs are characterized by loading quickly and are currently sought after for two very important reasons. Firstly, both the mobile users and desktop browsers can experience a website that loads almost instantaneously. And secondly, they are regarded as having a high SEO value, as a clean, minimalist design will help a site fulfil a lot of the speed requirements that search engines require.
Minimalistic needn’t mean boring though; the use of contrasting colours, icons, bold headings can look fantastic. It’s all about prioritising content and getting creative.
Grids & text overlay
Grids with a text overlay are quickly replacing the usual side bars and menus, due to their modern look and particularly asymmetrical designs. They point viewers to the content they are looking for and also help to keep the home page looking simplistic and fresh.
Video backgrounds
Despite the trend towards clean flat designs to improve speed and responsiveness, video backgrounds continue to grow in popularity as we head in to 2019. There is strong evidence that video backgrounds increase conversions, as they are far more engaging for visitors than text or images will ever be. Interested parties will land on your home page and watch the video, therefore decreasing your bounce rate and, because Google loves video, improving your SEO.
Single Page Design
A final trend for 2019 sees the growth of single page websites, to tap into the requirement for minimal design and faster loading speeds. Definitely not suitable for all businesses, the single page website is a great tool for those looking to drive visitor traffic to a contact point, without them getting distracted by other content.
Check out our website design page to view some of the websites our team have designed and as always if you need any help with bringing your own web design ideas to life give us a call on 01202 682322 or email team@thecollectivegroup.co.uk.
With the summer holidays in full swing, we know that the camcorders are out and filming away… but alas, the results may not be as good as you want them to be! So, we have come up with some simple tips to start taking better videos. We have assumed you have read your manual first!
Have a plan
It’s all well and good thinking let’s create a video but you need to have a rough shot list and know what you want to capture before you start. Think about the length of the video you want to create and the key shots you need included.
Think frame
Frame your shots well. All pros start with the Rule of Thirds – imagine a 9 box grid over the lens – your subject should cross one of the intersect points to make your subject off centre. Use wide shots sparingly, a wide shot is good to establish location but after that try and get a little more specific. Think angles… shoot from high on a subject to make them look thinner, shoot from low down to give them a more powerful look.
Shoot from several different angles
Get creative with your shots and try from a few different angles. It will create an interesting mix of shots and keep your viewers engaged. Try changing it up with some close up’s as well.
Use a Tripod
Stabilise your shots to remove the shake. Invest £20 in a tripod or monopod and your videos will instantly look better.
Think about your lighting
Video producers are ‘painting with light’ guys! As you would with photography think about where the light is coming from. Shooting into the light will make your subject appear dark and shadowed. If you get the lighting right you will save yourself a lot of time in the editing process. Remember, if you need more light, add it! Use light sources you have i.e. table lights, ceiling lights or invest in some reflectors to control natural light and some cheap lights… you do not need to spend much!
Too much footage is better than too little
Take your time and make sure you have plenty of B-roll to fill in the gaps.
Hopefully you have found these simple tips useful to start taking better videos. If you have specific video or editing topics you would like us to write or vlog about, please drop us a line and don’t forget to check out our most recent blog posts.
Video is still viewed as a relative newcomer to a company’s marketing toolbox; however, 2018 has seen an enormous leap in the use AND importance of video with an estimated 60% of companies using video content in their marketing strategies.
Now, marry this to 80% of marketers believing video is an important part of their strategy, you have to ask yourself, why?
The simple answer is – it works.
And here is why….
Video has become the preferred way of consuming content online, with 79% of people watching videos every week… and mostly on mobiles. That’s 500 million hours watched on YouTube EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Video Boosts Conversions & Sales; for instance, putting a product video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%. That’s not a typo, we’ve had clients that have seen results like this.
Video has a fantastic return on investment; you can measure the statistics easily and continue to use the content again and again.
Video builds trust with your buyers; which must be the ultimate goal of content marketing? Video engages and produces emotions like no other form of marketing.
Googles loves and adores video; video keeps visitors on your website longer…longer time spent means search engines are alerted to good content meaning you’ll rank higher! Yippee video can really help your SEO.
Video Marketing can explain anything and everything; Launching a product or service? Want to tell the story of your company? 98% of users watch an explainer video to learn more about service or products. It’s the next best thing to seeing it in real life.
