In the last few weeks I’ve seen some video experts talking about how long should a video be. One suggested talking head videos be from two to five minutes long. Another talks about creating an infomercial as the right form of video. Or some say they should be longer. So should video be 10 to 20 minutes long, 20 to 40 minutes, five to ten, or…?

The real answer is not one of time. It’s one of keeping your audience watching. A one minute video can be too long and a forty minute video can be too short.

Basically, it’s how entertaining is the video?

You see, the real reason you create video is to be in the ENTERTAINMENT business. As one of my mentors, Bill Myers, told me nine years ago, “You are in the entertainment business - when you stop entertaining your audience leaves!”

And making entertaining video is hard. My first video back in 1992, done under the direction of Leonard S. Smith, Emmy winning member of the Directors Guild of America, had thirteen hours of raw video. It took us one month to edit it into a tight 40 minute video. Leonard had an impressive background both onstage and behind the cameras. One of his credits was Assistant Director of the M*A*S*H* Television series. Believe me, learning how to edit from a professional was a life changing event for me. Yes, we used an analog A-B roll video editing suite. Completely different than working with today’s digital video editing software.

One of the laments of a veteran video/movie editor was that with the new digital video editing software everyone thinks they are an editor. In fact, it’s getting harder to find a professional editor today. Everyone thinks they can learn some software and become the next Steven Spielberg.

Right now I’m not teaching how to create “full motion” video. Sure, I did do that when I first got into showing how to create digital video editing back in 1997. But that was mostly for people who were already videographers… who knew how to create good looking video and wanted to upgrade to digital editing.

Today most of those teaching how to create full motion video are not videographers, they are marketers. They recognized a hot market and are ready to show you how to do what they just learned.

And yes, people are watching their poor videos. Even buying products from those videos. Why? People are desperate and video is hot. But wait until the professionals come forward and see how long today’s video experts will last. (I’ll tell you a secret: When the professionals move into the market today’s video experts will be off becoming an expert on some other hot topic.)

One of the reasons I teach how to create screencast videos is that they are pure training tools. You don’t have to keep your customers entertained as much as you need to teach them valuable information. Big difference. Just about anyone can make a screencast video. Few people can make a good, entertaining full motion video.

As one of my customers said when he saw my raw videotape of him talking, “Boring!” But one month later, after I edited it into a tight forty five minute video that he fell in love with, that video became his major product. What you are being taught today by the “experts” is how to make boring video. What you want is to make entertaining video. And that takes superior editing skills, something that no one is teaching you.

My recommendation is to do what you do best. If it’s marketing then focus on that. Get a good videographer to record you giving your message to your customers.

And do make sure the videographer knows what he or she is doing. Check out their work. Not just the camera work. Check how well they edit their videos. Do they know how to do good A-B rolls? Do they know the trick of creating a good ChromaKey video (green screen)? Because those are the things that make the big difference.

Remember, you can be “boring” or “entertaining” in your videos. The difference comes in edit. That’s why they give Oscars to film editors!

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Last weekend we attended something that most people have never been exposed to. It was the Old Engine and Tractor Show in Minden, Nevada. Admission was $4 per person. And they had lots of people attending. The day was hot and few shade trees around. So you knew that those at this event really wanted to be there.

Especially since most of those old engines were running, putting out a tremendous amount of popping, banging, and other engine noises as well as belching smoke and fumes. These engines ran everywhere from small units that you’d be hard pressed to know what to do with up to huge units that ran generators and pumps.

The high point was the tractor parade around the compound. There were all types and sizes, including big crawlers and some that needed a shove to get started. None were the new babies that cost more than any Lexus on the road today.

Oops, I forgot to tell you about the tractor pull. Now that’s something that was really exciting. Almost up there with NASCAR stuff. The tractors are connected to a big sled and when the “go” flag is waved the driver races down the track, pulling this big sled behind. Racing rules say they can”t go over four miles per hour!

Sort of like watching a sailboat or turtle race.

So what’s the big deal about this Old Engine and Tractor Show?

Mainly the fact that they get some four thousand people at this event every year. And for northern Nevada, that’s a big number of people.

But the real important reason why this type of event is valuable is that those people involved are spending lots of money on their hobby. We met one fellow who was restoring a 1965 emergency response vehicle. He said all his money was wrapped up in that unit. And was he ever passionate about his vehicle. He dragged us over and started showing his collection of pictures of the restoration work he had done to get it to it’s present shape. And no, it’s not finished yet.

If you want to make a lot of money with any product on the Internet (or anywhere else for that matter) then the type of customer you should be looking for is like those people at this tractor show. Find a group of people who are passionate about their hobby. Find out what they want and create a product just for them.

I knew a videographer who had a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. He used to create videos showing how to modify that motorcycle and sold a bunch to that niche market.

Yes, my favorite way to create products is by using video. It can be either a screencast or full motion video. The reasons are: (1) you can create a multimedia product much faster than any ebook, (2) the multimedia product has a much higher received value, and (3) you can easily make copies as you sell them (print on demand) and send them to your anxious customers.

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For years videographers have been trying to get the computer monitor image on video to show on a television. Capturing the computer’s monitor on video has become the standard for teaching how to use software, websites, and other tools. And with more newbies online there’s the desire to put those videos on a DVD that can be played on a television screen.

The major problem is that your computer’s monitor has a much clearer picture than your television. The resolution of a television set is really pretty poor. That’s one of the reasons why HD television is being pushed. But even then your computer’s monitor will still be far better.

About fifteen years ago one solution was a genloc that captured the computer’’s monitor signal and transferred it to video. At best the picture was blurred and hard to read. But at least the signal was transferred directly from computer to videotape. Another solution was to actually use your camcorder to videotape the motion on the computer’s monitor. This too was a poor solution but at the time the best available.

With the extensive availability of CD’s on computers it’s become pretty easy to record video of your computer’s screen and play it back directly in your computer. Programs like Camtasia, Captivate, and many others all make it easy.

But today the “gold standard” for products has become the DVD. And while DVD players on computers is not as widespread as CDs, most households have a DVD player hooked to their TV. So why can’t we record the screen action and play it back on your television’’s DVD player?

Here are the suggested settings for transferring your Camtasia screencast videos to a DVD:

1. When making a screen recording to save to DVD, make sure the resolution of the recording is 720 x 480 or greater.

2. For best results for DVD-saved videos, produce your video as an AVI file and uncompressed PCM audio. Make sure to produce the AVI with a standard DVD video 720×480 width and height and let the DVD authoring tools convert the AVI into the DVD video format using the default options in the DVD authoring tools.
3. For best results for DVD-saved videos that include Zoom-n-Pan that will be played on a television, zoom in to a 320×240 area to allow the viewer to see detail and read text. Record the screen originally using the TSCC AVI video codec with Camtasia Recorder (this is the default setting), do all your editing in Camtasia Studio, and produce as AVI video. This way, the DVD authoring tool will convert the AVI video to DVD video with its own compression making for a clearer video.

As you can see, the problem of being able to read the words of your computer’s monitor when viewed it on a television has not been solved. It’s just like trying to read those small “credits” on one of the movies you watch on TV. But by using the zoom feature in Camtaisa you can make it a bit easier to see.

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That is one headline that the “full motion video experts” will never be able to use. Not unless you want to become a porn star. My headline is the title of the popular Jeff Paul book written a number of years ago where he showed how he made $4000 a day sitting in his underwear. And of course, his principles still apply.

But not when you’re creating full motion video.

You see, it’s nearly impossible to shoot a “talking head” video without getting some part of your anatomy included. For those who don”t recognize the term “talking head”, the best examples are shown every night on the evening news. Or just about all day on CNN. Usually the “talent” is shown from the waist up, So it’s hard to create those talking head videos while sitting around in your underwear!

But wait.

There is a simple way of creating videos while sitting around in your underwear. You can be “on camera” dressed or undressed with no problem.

As long as you use screencast videos.

Often during the summer months I’m making screencast videos in my studio wearing just swim trunks. Not quite the same as being in my underwear but for me it works out well.

In fact, I usually dread having to make a talking head video during the summer since that means I have to get dressed!

Beyond being in your underwear or not, let’s take a look at the difference between making those full motion “talking head” videos vs a simple screen cast video.

Tools

For full motion videos you’ll need a mini-dv camcorder, a video tripod, lights, a microphone, video converter and editing software. Total cost from $825 to $2000+.

For screencast videos you’ll need a software program like Camtasia and a microphone. Total cost is $325.

Setup Time

With full motion video you need to set up your camcorder, lights, set background and tripod. Total setup time from one to two hours.

With screencast videos it take about five seconds to start video recording.

Video Recording and Edit

Full motion video editing is really an art. Remember, good movie editors get Oscars. So editing to create a good looking full motion video does take talent and training.

Screencast video editing is easy since this type of video is a simple video conservation with little editing.

Converting the video into Flash is about the same for both full motion and screencast videos. Except for the full motion video you’ll need an additional $150 software program. For the screencast video converting to Flash is built into Camtasia.

So there you have it. As you can see, it’s much easier to create screencast than full motion videos. And you can make screencast videos in your underware, just like Jeff Paul!

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