5-1/2 Questions to Ask Before Making a Video: The Pagano Video Method, Part 3: Intent

The Pagano Video Method - Part 3:  Intent

In this edition of BullShots!, our multi-part series on the five questions to ask when you want to make a great video continues.  These are the questions I ask my clients to consider whenever we talk about videos.  I call it the Pagano Video Method.

So far, we've asked two important questions:  1) Who are you? and 2) What's your product or service?  The answers help to give the video a back story or history.  The back story probably won't make it into the video, but does provide useful background information that influences the message, flavor, and feel of a video.  

Today, we move beyond the back story and talk about intent.

Question 3:  What do you want to do?

"Well, I want to make a video!"

Of course, but to what end?  In other words, what's the intent of the video?  What purpose will the video serve? 

Here's a quick quiz:  Of the three possible answers below, which one(s) refer to intent?

1. I want the video to show my skill as a dentist.
2. I want it to show my beautiful new office.
3. I want people to understand why I'm the best at what I do. 
4. I want a wedding video.
5. I want a video for my kids to send with their college applications.
6. I want a video to put on my web page.

If you answered both one and three, you're right on.  The other responses don't speak to intention.  Response two refers to what should be on the video.  Four tells us what sort of video the client wants, but says nothing about its purpose. 

Response five gets a bit closer, but it's still off the mark because it doesn't speak about the intent of the video -- it refers to the reason for making a video, but not its actual purpose.  Number six is way off the mark.  A video of a dog barking would suffice, but it wouldn't make sense on a dentist's home page. 

But number one, "I want the video to show my skill as a dentist" and number three, "I want people to understand why I'm the best at what I do" both discuss the video's intent.  That's important, because it guides us to the story of the video. 

For example, the video showing one's skill as a dentist might have content showing the dentist filling cavities or examining x-rays.  It might show him or her in a classroom learning the latest techniques, or might not even have the dentist in it at all -- it could be testimonials from patients.  Each of these approaches fills the intent of the video, to show the dentist's skill.

To achieve the intent of number three, showing why the subject is the best at his or her profession, might show the client's trophy case full of professional achievement awards, or perhaps actually being presented with one.  It could show clips from newspaper reviews or thank you letters.  Perhaps it shows the client tackling a difficult problem, like designing the world's longest suspension bridge.  While each of the stories is different, the intent is the same. 

So before committing to an investment of hundreds or even thousands of dollars for that video for your web site, ask yourself:  What do I want to do?

Next time in BullShots! we talk about your competition.  See you then!

-Fred

---

Learn more about my method.  Call me anytime at +1 (617) 230-4019,

or drop me an email:  Fred@BrownCowStudios.com

---

For more useful information, be sure to visit the Brown Cow Studios website:  www.BrownCowStudios.com

---

Copyright 2013 Fred Pagano & Brown Cow Studios of Boston.  All rights reserved.  

This copyrighted article may be redistributed provided all text, links, credits, and this copyright notice are intact. 

 Please let us know you've linked to us. 

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

---

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!  

---

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. 

---

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

I love my business of creating great videos and sound designs for business.  It's hard work, and I often put in long days and work well into the night.  But I love it, and that's why I do it. 

It can be frustrating sometimes, however.  One of the biggest frustrations is when my client's aren't clear about what they want in a video.  Sometimes the only thing they know is that having a video is a good idea.  They're not sure of the message, the desired result, or what they'll use it for. 

They depend on me, a creative professional, to flesh out the answers and get them on the right track.

In response, I've developed a set of five-and-a-half questions -- they're part of what I call the Pagano Video Method -- that every client should answer at the beginning of a video project.  Together, these questions create a roadmap to a successful video.  They cover everything from the basic purpose of the video to its style and flavor.  They help crystallize ideas, generate new ones, and lay the foundation for scriptwriting.  One of these questions is so important that we ask it twice -- or one-and-a-half times.  You'll find out why later on.

When the answers to the five-and-a-half questions are clearly thought out, the direction of the video becomes clear.  We've got the information necessary to begin production of a great video that accomplishes its purpose.  By this stage, things are often so clear that the video almost writes itself. 

The end result is a more effective video and a happier client. 

So, what are the five-and-a-half questions? 

1.  Who are you? (Part One)

2.  What do you do?

3.  What do you want to do?

4.  Who do you want to do it?

5.  How do you convince them to do it?

5-1/2.  Who are you? (Part Two)

They sound pretty simple, don't they?  They are, but they're powerful too.  Because without clear answers to these questions, its nearly impossible to create a video that works. 

Over the next few weeks, we'll look at each of the five-and-a-half questions that constitute the Pagano Video Method in depth.  We'll look at some real-world examples and scenarios, and put the method to work creating a mock script. 

Come back next week for the first question in the series ... "Who are you?"  It's not as simple as you might think.  In fact, we ask it twice ...

---

Don't want to wait for the next article?  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!  

---

Brown Cow Studios produces high quality video and sound designs.  To learn how we can help you, visit www.BrownCowStudios.com

---

(c) 2013 Brown Cow Studios of Boston -- All rights reserved.
This article may be redistributed provided all content and copyright notice is intact.  Please let us know you've linked to us.

Video Needs an Emotional Connection

My favorite TV show of this year's spring/summer season has to be The Next Food Network Star.  Last night the winner was announced, and while watching I found myself so invested in the show’s characters that I was moved to tears.

I don't usually do this, but throughout the season I found myself logging onto the Food Network website and voting for young chef, Justin Warner.

Justin's back story about his deceased father’s mentoring and encouragement to follow his own unique drummer struck a powerful chord in me.  As I heard him tell of his father's influence I found myself getting teary eyed.

But Justin wasn't the only Food Star contestant to move me.  Another, Yvan Lemoine, moved me with tales of his immigrant family gathering food from dumpsters behind supermarkets. "We would peel off the outer leaves and eat the rest — and I thought it was fun!  It was like a game," he said.  "And now I'm on Food Network Star!"And I thought my life was tough ...

Jake Harris of the FV Cornelia Marie

Here's another example, this time from The Deadliest Catch.  The character that moves me:  Jake Harris.  Drug problems.  Rehab.  When his father passes away, he and his brother try to carry on the family tradition of crab fishing.  Since neither is a qualified sea captain, they hire a skipper and work for him — even though they own the boat!  But it's bad fishing and clearly the hired captain is a bad fit, so the brothers let him go.  The captain's final act?  Revenge!  He calls the police on his former employer and tries to get him arrested for drug possession.

Every episode, my heart goes out to Jake.  I want him to triumph!

Great shows, both, that do well in the ratings.  Compelling.  Involving.  Powerful entertainment that hooks us right in.

So what's my point?   It's that great video has to tug on our emotions.  Whether you love the characters or hate them does not matter.  What matters is that you get emotionally involved.  Any video that can reach us on such a deeply personal level is sure to be a success.

---

How do your videos make an emotional connection?  Your comments and links to this page are welcome and appreciated!

---

Need to make an emotional connection to your viewers?  We can help!

Contact us at www.BrownCowStudios.com to learn more.