5-1/2 Questions to Ask Before Producing a Video: The Pagano Video Method

5-1/2 Questions to Ask Before Producing a Video: The Pagano Video Method - Part Two

Who are You?

Question 1 in the Pagano Video Method:
Who are you?

Welcome back to my multi-part series, 5-1/2 Questions to Ask Before Producing a Video:  The Pagano Video Method.  These are the questions I ask my clients when they approach me about producing a video.  The answers provide insight into the client's goals, needs, and purpose, and help me as the producer to make intelligent choices during the production process. 

Although I'm concentrating on corporate videos in this article, the five-and-a-half questions of the Pagano Video Method can be applied just as effectively to your home videos about vacations, birthdays, and even your kids' college application videos.  The five big questions are always the same. 

Question 1:  Who are You? (Part One)

We kick off our five-and-a-half questions with what I think is the most important question of all.  It's so important that we ask it twice:  Who are you?  Though this question may seem  simple, and you might think you already know the answer, don't be so sure.  Take the time to answer it and its sub-questions completely.  You'll gain valuable insight. Here's why:

When actors prepare for a new role, they often create a backstory for their characters.  Although the script might describe the character Julie as "a confident, pretty, single woman in her 20s who is trying to make a living as an artist," actors know this description isn't detailed enough.  They compensate for the lack of detail by creating their own story about the character they portray.  This backstory could go back as far as the character's childhood and may describe where they grew up, their family, personal style, and even key incidents in their lives:

Julie is a 20-year old brunette.  Most people would consider her pretty, but she wasn't always so.  She grew up with a hooked nose, a rather large one at that, and it always made her self-conscious.  She was a plastic surgery success story, because following the operation she had two years ago, she began to like herself more, others found her more attractive, and the dreaded "Mama Hooknose" taunts she had endured through childhood ceased ... 

Wow!  That's a lot of information we didn't have before.  Now we know that Julie's confidence is due to an action she took two years ago -- getting plastic surgery.  We also know that before the surgery her peers teased and taunted her for her funny nose.  They even called her "Mama Hooknose."  None of this is in the script, but it will come out in the actor's portrayal of the character.

The back story gives actors knowledge they need to make the characters come to life.  It's a window into why the character thinks and acts a certain way and what its little foibles and personality quirks might be.   Though Julie is a confident young woman, something inside might still bristle whenever someone tells her that she has an excellent sense of smell. 

And so it is with video.  To make a great video, whatever the subject matter or purpose is, we need an answer the question "who are you?"  We need your back story. 

So, who are you? 

To answer that question, we ask more questions:

• What business are you in? 
• How long have you been at it?
• What's your primary service or product?
• Who uses it?
• What other products or services do you offer?
• How did you get involved in this business?
• Who are your competitors?  The biggest?  The up-and-comers?  The one who most makes you nervous?
• What successes have you had?
• What have you done that hasn't been so successful?
• What problems are there?
• What opportunities exist?
• What do you value?  Customer service?  Profits?  Providing a service or product that improves people's lives? Something else?
• What is your mission?
• And finally, can you describe your company in fifty words or less?

You can probably think of many more questions to ask yourself that will drive you to answer the big question, "Who are you?"  Ask them!

When you're done, you'll have your backstory.  Though it may not overtly come into play in the video that introduces your new widget, the knowledge of who you are will be there, lurking in the background and influencing a myriad of factors that go into a successful video -- specific word choices in the script, camera angles, background music, even whether you are best served by animation or live action. 

That's the first question in the Pagano Video Method.  It's not limited to just corporate videos, either.  You can apply my method to videos about your wedding, family vacation, Aunt Edna's 70th birthday party, or anything else.

Learn your back story.  Ask the big question, "Who are You?" 

Come back next week for a discussion of the next question in the Pagano Video Method, "What do you do?"

Thanks for reading!

 Fred Pagano

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Don't want to wait for the next article in this series?  Get it from the horse's mouth:  Learn more about the Pagano Video Method and how it can help you produce great videos direct from the source.  Contact Fred Pagano at Brown Cow Studios today!  

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Copyright 2013 Fred Pagano & Brown Cow Studios of Boston.  All rights reserved.  This copyrighted article may be redistributed provided all text, credits, and this copyright notice are intact.  Please let us know you've linked to us. 

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Out of Season? Then Think Out of the Box!

Last time in BullShots! we talked about the effectiveness of advertising during the off season.  This week, we'll take a look at some possible campaign ideas.

Off-season advertising campaigns lend themselves easily to humor.  The disconnect between the current season and advertising something unseasonable sets up a situation that's ripe with possibilities.  Although not all off-season campaigns need to be humorous, humor is a great way to avoid annoying your audience.

What does Santa do in the off season?  He plays golf!

For example, we've all had the conversation in which a friend tells us that she's been to a certain store, and by golly, they've already got their holiday merchandise up -- and it's only August!  Everybody shakes their head and wonders "what is this world coming to?"  The store seems greedy. 

But had the store added a touch of humor -- maybe putting out signs or tent cards with a little joke about Santa running out of room so he asked us to hold on to some things for him -- the result would be different.  The joke would become the topic of conversation, not the retailer's greed.   

You can use a serious approach too.  For example, here in New England there's not a lot of home remodeling going on during the winter.  January just isn't the best time to rip out all the doors and windows!  But it might be a great time to generate some new business.  Perhaps mention that drafty window that's bothering them right now, and that they don't have to put up with it.  "Why not book with us now and put a stop to the chills!"  Or, make a special off-season offer: "Book now and we'll save you 20% ... and, you'll be first on our list come Spring."  It's a good deal and I bet you'd get a lot of takers. 

A winter business, such as a ski shop or resort can apply the same techniques.  Why wait until ski season starts to tell the audience about the improvements you're making to Bunny Hill?  Tell them in the summer, and get those dedicated skiers excited about how great the coming season at Bunny Hill is going to be.  "Hey skiers, we just wanted to let you know that we're hard at work making Bunny Hill better than ever..."   Just keep it light.  Off-season ads aren't the place for the hard sell. 

Educating your customers can work too.  A bike shop might talk about new models and features that manufacturers will introduce next bike season.

A public service campaign is a great way to keep in the public's mind and do some good at the same time.  A seasonal specialty shop might offer safety tips:  "When your kids are walking home from a friend's house at night, make sure they carry a flashlight so they'll be seen by oncoming cars.  And by the way, this fall your spooky friends at Halloween Scene will have the most ghoulish flashlights and lanterns you've ever seen...."  Maybe Dracula should be doing the voiceover for that one? 

One of my favorite promotions was done by a tavern in a resort area.  They did most of their business during the summer, and most of that was over the Independence Day holiday.  Another holiday during the summer would be great for business.  So they decided to host a New Year's Eve party -- in August!  Complete with hats, streamers and noisemakers, they did a pretty good business that night as we all counted down "10...9...8... Happy August 17th!" 

Keeping your seasonal business front and center in your customers’ minds during the off season can be tricky, but it is good marketing.  There is always a way to do it.  Just get your creative juices flowing, think out of the box and have fun with it. 

Was this article helpful to you?  What ideas have you come up with for your own seasonal business?  Need help?  Let us know!  Your feedback and links to this page are always appreciated (just let us know where to find the link).  Thanks!