Creating Videos: An Introduction

In my last post I talked about how videos can add a whole new dimension to your documentation efforts and help you connect with customers, users, and prospects. If you think making videos is difficult, I want you to think again. Yes, making videos requires skill, creativity, and of course proficiency in using tools of the trade. But it’s no rocket science.

I made my first corporate video about 5 years ago. It was a marketing-cum-training video for a suite of products developed by my then-employer. I then went on to create a range of short How-To training videos that in essence covered all aspects of working with the products. It took a lot of time to get them done, particularly the first one. I think I spent almost a month on it.

I guess it took that long because that was the first time somebody was trying to make a video in the organization. I had nobody to look up to for guidance and more importantly, I did it as an “initiative” – not part of my regular appraisable tasks for the quarter.

Over the years, I have made several videos and have learnt to avoid mistakes that I used to make in the past. The quality of both the visuals and the audio is improving; and I must confess that I still have a long way to go. There is nothing like attaining perfection and you will always find somebody who can do it better than you. But that doesn’t deter me and I don’t want it to deter you either.

In my next post, I will share with you the steps I usually follow while creating videos. Do come back and read on.