Just wanted to post an update about feature film, Life Just Is.
RBM has been helping with this film for a couple of years now(!) on the social media promotion, and we have seen it go from scripting, to casting, to filming, to post production, through all the stages of promotion, and now to it’s world premiere two days ago at the Edinburgh International Film Festival!!
Life Just Is is the debut feature film of writer and director Alex Barrett.
The film was nominated for Best British Feature and was listed in ‘Best of the Fest’ at EIFF.
So a massive congratulations to all the cast and crew, and a big thanks to all who have supported the film so far.
If you’ve not seen it, keep an ear out for screenings or for the DVD release.
For those of you who want to add films into your business in a cost effective way (and who doesn’t?) we have some tips to get the best result when investing time or money into making films.
Tip 1 – Maximise your shoot day
The crew is there, you’ve got the equipment set up and you’re ready to go. So why not scale-up and make the most of your shoot day by filming multiple videos? Maximise your shoot time by being rehearsed and fit in a few different clips.
Think about a) Filming a series of clips for your own business, or
b) Partnering up with another business, shooting a video for the both of you and sharing the costs.
Simple.
Here are some shots from a shoot we did recently at the Poggenpohl Studio. Two very different businesses, Aquafront Aquariums and a new healthy muffin company, came together to use one stunning location and create a film for each of their businesses. Clever cookies
You may have noticed the very specific blog title! There are filmed interviews where interviewer and interviewee chat on-screen; this is a free-flowing, natural, conversational style. But many times in business, you will be interviewed on-camera, yet your interviewer is off-camera. The film will be edited so that the interviewer’s voice is cutout, and your responses will be pieced together to make a narrative. So, a specific topic, yes…but an important one!
Being a good interviewee in this genre is a powerful skill. If you already are a go-to person in your industry, or you want your business to attract more media attention, then it’s worth investing time into mastering your interview ability. You can even make your in-house YouTube videos more dynamic, when creating content for your social media output.
Being a good interviewee is inherent but to a lucky few. The good news is, you can learn techniques to make it look like you’re a born natural. It’s about striking a balance between being your authentic self and tweaking a few aspects to get your message across powerfully on screen. You will make the job easier for filmmakers and editors, and add more gravitas to the end result of your produced film.
Here is one of our recent films produced for SubHub, where we interviewed several members of their team:
Try out these pointers next time you’re being interviewed on-camera and your interviewer is off-camera.
1. Context
This is an easy one. Always repeat the question in your answer. If you are asked what you favourite colour is, don’t just say “blue”. Your might say, “my favourite colour is blue”, or, “I have always been attracted to the colour blue”. Making sure your answer is stand-alone is the goal here.
2. Crisp, Concise Speech
When asked a question, pause and think for a few seconds before answering. This is to avoid umm-ing, ahh-ing and darting your eyes upwards to remember details as you go along. By thinking of a few key points before answering, you will come across with much more credibility. If you mix up your words (don’t worry, that’s why we have the wonderful tool of editing!), pause and start again from the top of that sentence.
3. Solid Points
Keep talking for as long as you want, giving the editor more to work with, but don’t ramble all of your sentences together. The editor will really appreciate you taking pauses between points AND it will make your responses much more hard-hitting. Be concise in your sentences but long in your answers, elaborating in lots of different ways.
4. Express Yourself
As a rule of thumb, the camera flattens out your expressions, so you have to be quite animated in real life to come across engaging on-screen. Smile, be animated, and yes- even move your eyebrows! You may feel strange doing it, but it will look great in the finished edit.
5. Relax
Before being interviewed, make sure you do everything you can to be comfortable and relaxed. If you have the opportunity to see the questions prior to your interview, practice a few responses. Stretch and loosen up your body first. Before the interview starts, if possible briefly chat with your interviewer to build rapport and get comfortable with them. Importantly, when being interviewed, sit comfortably in your chair and don’t rock or swivel around!
By employing these basic techniques, your performance in a filmed interview will be greatly improved. As with any new skill, practice makes perfect. Let us know if you have any other pointers that you have picked up along the way! Tweet us @Really_Bright
