Secrets of the successful promo video

by Buzz Wolfe at Sundance Video

For the past 10 years, pretty much every day, somebody asks me how to put together the perfect promo tape. From variety acts to singers, jugglers to emcees, comedians to serious thespians, producers to choreographers, and of course magicians, magicians, and more magicians, all are looking for the perfect way to present their idea effectively on the medium of video.

Truth is, there is no chiseled in stone answer, as every presentation is original. Every singer has his or her own interpretation and every magician works his or her own magic. There are many different facets to consider in the construction of the perfect video. One of the first topics to come to mind is the length.

IS BIG BEST? How long should my video be???

The Zen Master might answer, “How much video is necessary to convey your idea?” I would agree with the Zen Master.

It may not be necessary for the comedian to go through his entire repertoire in order for the agent to get an idea of his delivery and personality. One bad joke could kill ten good ones. Perhaps think in threes. Three really good jokes, three good routines, three good juggling tricks, three great songs, choreography from 3 different shows… This is not an industry standard, but merely a workable guideline, if you have trouble deciding.

Keep in mind that in life, there are many distractions. If an agent is watching your tape and gets called away in the middle of it, he may be left with an incomplete feeling. When will he/she get the chance to watch the rest of it? If the tape is fairly short, perhaps the time it takes to make a decision will be shorter as well.

Remember that the purpose of a promotional video IS marketing and marketing has a strong element of psychology. A tape that is too long might suggest insecurity. Uncertainty as to what may be your strongest point may be your weakest point. A short, concise tape suggest that you know where your strengths lie, and you can get right to the point. Remember that age old showbiz phrase, “Always leave them wanting more.” Perhaps the greatest compliment would be if they would call and say, “we’d like to see more, please.”

SOMETIMES BIG IS BEST!

There are times of course when you need to keep enough length for them to get the idea. If you are pitching a show concept, they may need to believe that you have enough show material to cover an hour to an hour and a half impacting production. A serious actor may need some character development before they blow you away with that big emotional scene. A comedian may need to show that they can hold the audience for more than five minutes.

Bottom line: let the concept dictate the length.

Keep the objective of your message in focus throughout the video. The narrower the subject, the more clearly your point is made. The broader the subject, the more varied the points are. Remember that one bad scene can destroy ten good ones. Put in just what you need; what you are confident with. If you are wary of a particular scene, it’s out. The way you feel as you hand over the tape is 90 percent of the sale.

Suggested lengths:

Variety Act 2 – 4 minutes

Comedian 3 – 6 minutes

Singer/Band 3 – 7 minutes

Actor 4 – 10 minutes

Show Concept 8 – 20 minutes

Secrets of the successful promo video; Part Two

by Buzz Wolfe at Sundance Video

Okay, let’s jump right in. Last issue, we talked about how long the video should be. This time, let’s talk what’s in it… CONTENT!

Obviously, you want your best video clips to represent you. You must try to lean towards the best visual and audio content possible. Remember, it is a video, and you may be unfairly judged by the quality of your tape. Not everybody has good quality, professionally-shot footage of themselves. So, what do you do if you have substandard videotapes to go from? Again… CONTENT!

We’ve seen excellence emerge from substandard films. Mel Gibson emerged a superstar from the poorly constructed “Mad Max.” Robert Rodriguez won raves from the critics and fans alike for his $7000.00 “El Mariachi.” With wise choices and judicious edits, you can emerge with a winning promo tape.

So, what’s in and what’s out?

What’s in is the material that you think best represents you. This can get pretty tricky. Perhaps you have great footage from a TV special or something and you fumbled for an extra second pulling the bird out, or tripped on a piece of dialogue. Your perception of that piece may be that it is horrendous. So, in place of that, you put in an 8mm handycam tape of yourself performing flawlessly while the cameraman rocks back and forth with his overexposed, out-of-focus shot. Production value often equals perception to some busy person who doesn’t know your act inside out the way you do.

What’s out is any obvious ego-stroking. It might be best to avoid opening your video with “Produced by –name-“ “Conceived and Directed by –same name-,” “Costumes by –same name-,” and “Starring –same name.” That just might kill your credibility before your segment even begins. Anything else that has nothing to do with getting your face and abilities on the screen is also out. That includes elaborate special effects, such as page peels, etc., between the cuts. There’s no need to remind someone that they are watching a video. Don’t risk losing the viewer’s attention with some cool transition; you want to keep the viewer focused on your talent.

A slick graphic is most definitely in. It doesn’t need to be ‘over the top,’ but you do want them to remember your name. Simplicity is often very classy and confident. Nice bright, bold letters can emblazon their way into one’s memory. Good quality pictures can be added. A nice logo or animation can be helpful. And, of course, any reviews that were in print help to add credibility.

Mainly, keep an eye on your content. Get to the point of who you are and what you do. Don’t be vague! Assume that people have no idea of who you are or what you do, or why. Don’t be redundant! (People are not that stupid.) Really weigh out the differences between good video/bad performance and bad video/good performance. Don’t search for extra material to throw into your tape. If it doesn’t spring to mind right away, chances are it is not that great. Also, keep it current. If you show something old in your video, the viewer may request costumes or styles that you discarded years ago. Think of it as honesty in advertising.

IN SUMMARY…

What’s In:

Go with the better-quality, professional-looking video clips, unless the performance is totally unacceptable.

Any printed show reviews.

Good quality photos.

Good quality music bed.

What’s out:

Obvious ego stroking

Special effects and transitions that have nothing to do with your story.

Poor quality clips (clips that are out of focus, overecposed, or pan and zoom too much) can be turn-off to watch.

Secrets of the successful promo video; Part Three

by Buzz Wolfe at Sundance Video

We’ve talked about length, and content of the perfect promo video. Now let’s talk about that dreaded idea that your current promo video could hurt you. I’ve noticed that many artists need to update their video regularly. Magicians obviously need to constantly update. Comedians are always developing their sense of timing. The singer finds a new way to hit that troublesome note (or finds a halfway decent sound-man). The point is, an artist isn’t an artist unless he finds a new or original way of looking at things.

Many of us, myself included, are asked to present a videotape. We ponder over whether or not it adequately represents us. I try to go with what I think best represents my work. Many of the clips on my video reel are 10 years old (back when I was crazy enough to hang upside down or be dragged across the floor to get the shot). But I’ve got the urge to make sure I also show off my latest compositing software or graphics. The music sounds good and the video quality is good so that should be enough, right. Well, things are changing fast in this world, and many of you don’t believe we will be here much past midnight of the year 2000. So lets think about this…

So how can my video hurt me?

Many people outside of Vegas, such as NY or LA, don’t take Vegas seriously. Ironically, they are struggling to get work here, just like the rest of us. What is the Vegas stereotype? Webster’s dictionary describes Vegas stereotype as “Over the top, gaudy, full of flash and lacking in content.” Well, thank you, Mr. Webster. So lets be careful not to let our videos fit that stereotype. Be serious in your presentation. Pay attention to the audio. Use nice, tasteful graphics, and don’t fill it with a bunch of cheesy effects. In other words, don’t make it “Vegas-y.”

Another way of hurting yourself is by sending out pure crap. You know who you are!

I’m talking to the people who have never bothered to have a video professionally edited.

Those who send out a copy video of some recital from 22 years ago, which starts off with static and snow before the picture wobbles into view. (If you can call it a picture) And it is so many generations of copies down that you can barely make out who it is, anyway. You probably won’t get the job. And those of you who video tape yourselves in the garage with the walls masked off with black and some K-Mart lights hoping that it will look like a live performance. If you are in the garage, that’s okay, just don’t try to trick us. We appreciate honesty in advertising!

Okay, you get the picture...…

Sending out a video like that will definitely hurt you. If you are unaware that it is bad quality, you’d better educate yourself. People are sending out excellent quality videotapes. Maybe your act is better, but if it is scratchy and horrible to watch, they will have doubts about hiring you. I’ve been in agents offices, talking about some of the videos they get. They put in a tape, it’s scratchy and horrible, and they say “Look at this crap, can you believe it?” and then they throw it right into the wastebasket. I’ve seen three different agents do that. Don’t kid yourself, you need to have a decent quality video to make the cut.

It doesn’t have to be Betacam, and it doesn’t have to be from a TV show. It just needs to be a fairly good picture, where they can tell it is you. Reasonably stable, some people get seasick if the camera is too wobbly or zooms in and out too fast. And the sound needs to be decent. Often the ambient, live sound off the camera is adequate. Maybe a little music from a CD to underscore your picture or voiceover could add a little pizzazz.

It just needs to clearly tell the story in a pleasant way which makes the viewer want to continue watching. Then you are home free, and the phone will be ringing.

Listen to your instincts…

If you are thinking that your video doesn’t represent you well, it probably doesn’t. And be very careful of saying, “Well, I’ll just send a copy of this old thing for now, until I get my new video done.” You will be judged on your video submission and they may never watch the slick, new video. Talk to them, send them an audio tape, send them pictures, call them on the cell phone, do anything. Just don’t send that old video if there is any chance that it will do you more harm than good.

In summary...…

DO send the best video you can afford, using the best quality clips, pictures and sound.

DO send audio cassettes, pictures, etc., until your new video is ready.

DON’T send out a crappy video. i.e., any video that does not start off with black and come up with a fairly decent picture and sound.

DON’T send out a video that isn’t current. You can have old clips but if you have at least three new things you do which are not on the video, it may be time to think about updating.

HOW DO I GET THE AGENT TO WATCH THE TAPE? We’ll talk about that next time…