StoryTeller Media & Communications
StoryTeller is a public relations agency specializing in media relations, social media and video production and web video
Heidi's Blog
Video Blog
Another video blog is up via Chad and Heidi. Lots going on again in the past week. The highlight includes a litter of some seriously adorable golden retriever puppies. Watch our vlog to see just how cute they are and why they made their on camera debut.
Video Blog 03.26.10
We’ve posted another video blog. This week Chad and I are talking about projects we’re finishing up and what we’ve been working on with some of our PR clients. Check it out and feel free to let us know your thoughts.
StoryTeller Vlog 03.19.10
Chad and I found a bit of time to put together another video blog. We’ve been pretty busy the last couple of weeks in the video department. Check out what we’ve been working on and let us know what you think.
My Top 4 Tips For To Make Being On Camera A Little Easier
I’ve worked in video production for several years now. As a producer I’ve always been a behind the scenes kind of gal. I’ve never liked being in front of the camera because - lets face it - it can be uncomfortable and intimidating. While working here at StoryTeller this past year I’ve found myself in front of the camera a couple of times and realized it doesn’t have to be such a tough experience.
A client of ours recently came up with a list of tips to share with its employees so they would know how to plan and what to expect for future video shoots. I thought that list would make a good blog.
So, here goes: 4 good tips for making an on-camera interview a lot less trying of an experience.
- Smile and relax. Feeling relaxed will help you feel more comfortable. The more comfortable you are the easier it will be for you to communicate your message to your intended audience.
- Practice makes perfect. Okay, maybe it won’t make you perfect but it’ll likely put you more at ease. Practicing will familiarize you with what you want to talk about and how you want to say it. Also keep in mind that many interviews or videos may be taped in segments. There may be multiple takes shot from different angles which will give you different opportunities to get your message just right. Remember too that you’re being recorded - so if you screw up - you can always stop and start over.
- Tell your story. Make sure you know your main points and be concise when trying to get them across. It’s often best on both your end and the production end to keep it short and sweet.
- How to dress. This one is really more helpful for the photographer and/or producer. Try to avoid white or patterned shirts. These tend to wreak havoc with the video camera. Solid colors work best.
There you have it. I know I’ve used these tips and found them helpful when I’ve had to take a turn in front the lens. I hope you’ll find them helpful too.
Edina Public Schools Are Getting Into Video
This morning I stepped back in time. Okay, it wasn’t actually back in time so much as a personal flashback to a time when I was much younger than I am now. Chad and I spent the first part of our day going back to high school. We were shooting a video that highlights the extra-curricular activities and clubs offered to students through the Edina Public School system. Today’s focus was on athletics and student clubs at the high school level. This video is the third out of three that we’ve produced over the last several months for EPS. › Continue reading
Looking to future without forgetting the past…
On a recent trip to Chicago a couple of friends and I decided to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. If you’ve never been, I recommend checking it out. I spent four hours wandering around the different exhibits and only made it about three quarters of way through the museum. There is plenty of cool stuff to check out.
My favorite exhibit and the one that inspired this little blog post of mine was The U-505 Submarine Exhibit. It walks you through the American capture of the first German U-boat on June 4th, 1944 off the coast of West Africa.
Now, I have a pretty good handle on my World War II history so I found myself more interested in the presentation of the exhibit. What made it so great for me (besides actually seeing the German sub itself) is how the exhibit tells the story of the submarine’s capture. It’s done through a series of wall writings, videos and even a little old school hologram action.
Doing what I do for a living, the videos caught my eye. They might not be considered special by today’s standards. In fact, they were simple documentary style. They didn’t have any flashy graphics, the lighting wasn’t great and there weren’t any fancy editing tricks. They were just plain old black and white video with a voice over and a music pad underneath. I’m sure you can imagine what I’m talking about, but just in case you need a visual click here.
I guess I can’t say for sure why… but I was captivated by these videos. Perhaps it’s my love and fascination for stories and lifetimes that were before my own. It also may be that after years of working on different sides of video production where the goal is to stay ahead of the game and be on top of the next best thing to make your video look bigger and better I just wanted to be reminded of how easily a great story can be told.
It made me think about how easy it is to forget about the place where we came from when our sole view is continually on where we’re going.
A Little Creativity Can Make Online Video More Interesting
If you ask around most people would probably admit that every now and then they have a day where they don’t like their job. It may be too slow, too fast, just plain boring or there could be any other number of reasons. I guess I’m lucky. I can honestly say that in the 15 months that I have been working in my current position I’ve not had one day where I didn’t like what I was doing, even at times when my work has involved talking to people about radiant floor heating or selling and buying commercial laundry equipment… you know the kinds of things people tend to think that only other people who work with this stuff would really care about. That’s what I thought until I started producing videos for these companies.
One of my favorite projects is a video we produced a couple of months ago for Cambria. This fall the Eden Prairie-based company launched 16 new colors in it’s quartz countertop options. It was the company’s first new colors launch in a couple of years so it wanted to share the news in a way it hadn’t before. That’s where StoryTeller came into the picture.
Cambria hired us to produce a fast-paced, fun minute-and-a-half video that it could use online to show off its great new color line. So early one morning in late August my trusty photog Chad and I hopped in the car and headed south on Highway 169 toward Cambria’s 300,000 square foot plant in Le Sueur, Minnesota.
We spent half a day walking the plant, talking with the plant manger, videotaping the new colors as well as the inspection process that goes into checking each slab of quartz as it comes off the line. All in all, I found it to be a pretty cool process. That made producing the video pretty interesting too. For me it just went to show how a creative mind (or two), a little video work and some great music can make something that could be potentially interesting to only a few more interesting to many.
The Business of Junior Achievement and its Business Hall of Fame
It’s been a very busy couple of months on the video side of the things at StoyTeller. Since September… we’ve produced and completed nearly 40 videos for at least eight of our clients. We’ve covered everything from commercial laundry equipment and the launch of new countertop colors by Cambria to how things work behind the scenes at CobornsDelivers.
Right now, I want to tell you about a project we recently finished for Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. This is one organization that’s easy to get on board with. Junior Achievement or JA first formed in 1916. It’s been making a name for itself in Minnesota since 1949. If you’re unfamiliar the organization’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. They do this in a number of ways. One way is by seeking out the success stories of Minnesota’s business leaders and honoring them for their work and their contributions. Each year JA hosts its Business Hall of Fame event. For the past two years, we here at StoryTeller have had the pleasure of producing videos for the hall of fame inductees. This year I interviewed three laureates who are each amazing and inspiring in their own way.
What Kind of Life Exists After a Life in TV News?!
I’ve had a job every year of my life since the age of nine. It started with a paper route - six days a week rain or shine or minus 30-degree wind chill. After that came four years of baby-sitting, followed by a stint in fast food before spending the next seven years in retail.
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