Yes, I said Video…and don’t give me that lame: “Well, I’m a voice-actor, and I don’t USE video” argument.
I try to hammer away at this theme at least once a month. Video is the new air, food, and water. It’s the hottest content going anywhere online, and you can’t afford NOT to be using it.
Basic video shooting and editing skills should be part of your toolkit….and you already have a smartphone (or tablet), right?…so you don’t need much more than that to get going. Sure spend some bucks on a real video, webcam, or digital cam if you want very crisp pics, but YouTube has changed all that. HD is nice, but YouTube has proven that people are quite accepting of video that’s shaky, grainy, unprofessional, and poorly-framed.
You won’t allow that, of course, because you believe in a quality product, no matter the medium, right?
EDITOR
OK, so you have the camera, now you need an editor. There are AMAZING apps for editing on smartphone or tablet. Apple’s iMovie, ReelDirector, or Splice for iOS. I don’t know about Android phones, but for Android tablet, there’s Magisto Video Editor.
But really, you’re gonna want a full-featured video editor for your computer, because they have all the bells and whistles. I have no idea what to use for Apple/Mac ’cause I’m a Windows guy, but there are about a-million different 3rd-party programs for ANY OS. My favorites are Serif’s MoviePlus, and Adobe Premiere Elements. Both are amazingly rich in features, and Serif’s MoviePlus is ridiculously inexpensive for what you get.
POSTING, STORING, SHARING
Now comes the fun part. How to post, store and share videos. YouTube. Hands-down. Google friendly, easy as pie, and everyone uses it. Vimeo is a wonderful alternative; also very popular, and in my mind, ScreenCast probably comes in 3rd.
Mentioning ScreenCast (by TechSmith) gives me the opportunity to also mention the value of screen-capture software. In my estimation, no other program comes close to CamTasia. Not cheap, but Holy Buckets…it just does everything in screen capture video editing. Unbelievable what it can do, really.
TECHSMITH, FTW
TechSmith also is just now debuting a new video service that does it all…from start to finish. It’s called TechSmith Relay, and it appears to have been designed for teachers, instructors, and educational team settings. Of course, Voice Actors have to adapt everyone else’s software to THEIR needs, and this one looks to be perfect for our uses too. TechSmith is anxious to gain acceptance for Relay, and are offering a free 3-month evaluation. ‘Not sure how much it costs after that, but, as I said, it’s quite a package.
I X’d through the above lines, because this system is waaaay too expensive, and designed for huge groups. I apologize that I did not research better. For TechSmith, two other products are probably more suited to VO’s.
Jing (free pop-up screen capture)
SnagIt (rich-featured screen cap for a decent price)
Screen Captures from both Jing and SnagIt can be shared to Screencast. I adore SnagIt, and use it every day. A warehouse of add-on widgets and sharing apps make this so useful in a myriad of ways. Well worth the price!
IT’S THE BOMB
Finally, in the video realm, I just have to mention BombBomb. BombBomb is a video email service that has developed a full set of marketing tools. So, think MailChimp for video. You can make your own templates, mail to lists, and keep track of metrics…all built around your video message.
You can also hire a videographer, rent a studio, and have an editor do a professional job. Obviously, that’s tops, but certainly more pricey.
I’ve posted some suggestions for maximizing your appearance on camera as someone making a personal appeal. You can see it all for free…no strings attached at OnCamTips.
Video. For marketing, for promotions, for telling your story, or just for bringing attention to your voice-acting. Consider even putting your commercial demo to video as a way to post your wares on Pinterest, FaceBook, and Twitter.
CourVO
