video is not the future, it's the now

A session at LGComms prompted a quick review of where video is  for comms and PR people.

by Dan Slee

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your new smartphone videos won't work unless you remember these five truths of communications

Ofcom, and they should know, tell us that 70 per cent of the UK adult population have smartphones and more than half watch short-form videos. As comms people spot the need to create short videos there are still things they need to remember argues one experienced comms person.

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how shooting your own star wars video delivered a safety message

There are huge numbers of people who like Star Wars as the launch of a new film in the franchise shows. So how would they react if a fire and rescue service used the force to deliver some safety messages? Rather well, it would appear.

by Mark Roberts

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is rethinking its approach to digital communications, with a new strategy already being worked on to coincide with the launch of a new campaign calendar for 2016/17. 

As the resident sci-fi nerd in the Comms team, I managed to persuade the powers-that-be a Star Wars parody would be an interesting and fun way to do a smoke alarm safety message - which is often a hard sell due to audience complacency - capitalising on the huge exposure generated by the release of the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens.

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virtual reality video: has a powerful film just pushed it to the mainstream?

For years virtual reality has been evolving with expensive headgear and clunky footage. But a powerful new New York Times film has signposted to a new era of story-telling that you can almost reach out and touch.

By Dan Slee

It’s difficult to talk about virtual reality without sounding like I did when I was a kid the first time I watched a colour telly during the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

It was round at a friend’s house during a birthday party and athletes from Europe and Africa in multi-coloured vests were sprinting around a burnt red track.

“It looked so colourful,” I remember telling my Mum later. “Can we have one?”

We had been without a telly for two years and the images soaked into my television-starved mind. It would be another two before we did.

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an ever updated video skills for comms resource page

As video grows in importance there's an ever changing debate about the role it will take and how comms people can use it. We’re launching this page as a place to make sense of it all which we’ll regularly update.

Last update: January 7.

by Dan Slee

There’s no question that video is making a profound mark on communications.

While people are devouring video content on their smartphones most organisations are not even out of the starting blocks.

A few years ago, getting video onto the social web meant uploading to YouTube. Today, you can upload to YouTube + Facebook + Instagram + Twitter + Vine + Snapchat + Periscope + Meercat and a range of others.

We’ve collected together some resources that we think you’ll find helpful. We’ve put them into loosely into examples, strategy and tactics and as things develop we may change things around.

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making video to kill the radio star

Making videos doesn't have to be an epic production as one communications officer discovered on one of our courses.

by Rob McCleary

My memories of making videos at University mainly involved me falling asleep in editing rooms whilst my colleagues did all the work. I always had more of an aptitude (and face) for radio so when I decided to get into video making for my council’s social media page I hopped on a train and headed to the comms2point0 video course only armed with my trusty iphone 4 and a sandwich.

The day long course started off with introductions from Steve from the Film Café whose CV includes working on Dr Who and Torchwood. Our first icebreaker task was, in pairs, to go out onto the distractingly pretty corridors of the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and film each other talking about what we wanted to get out of the day.

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video for comms is now way beyond youtube

More than 70 per cent of the internet is predicted to be video by 2017. If you are a comms person it's a challenge you need toio have an answer to.

by Albert Freeman

Online video is becoming more important all the time. There are an exciting and growing number of ways that we as organisations can use it, and ways that people can use it to engage with organisations.

Video is now big news on Facebook

In no time at all video has become huge on Facebook. Organisations need to adapt and take advantage of this. It is no longer enough to simply publish your video on YouTube, and share the YouTube link on Facebook.

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video tells the story of drama at sea

Video footage of good work far out at sea is helping to tell the story of the RNLI. 

by Mike Rawlins

I volunteer as a Lifeboat Press Officer (LPO) for the RNLI at Macduff in Aberdeenshire where we have the only lifeboat in the RNLI that comes with its own truck and crane for launching, if that ever comes up in a pub quiz, you’ll ace it.

I have to say I have no affinity with the sea or seafaring blood in me, as far as I am aware. I’m from Manchester so the closest we ever got to the sea was the Manchester Ship Canal or Blackpool beach in summer. There was an incident with the pedalos at Weston Super-Mare in 1974 but that’s best forgotten.

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why video is important to comms and pr

Video is becoming a skill that comms people can no longer ignore. To mark the launch of our new round of viodeo workshops we've set out some of the reasons we think that video will impact on your world.

by Dan Slee

For a few months now I’ve been convinced that video is going to be absolutely essential for communications and PR people.

Throw a stone, it seems, and you come across forecasts, trends and predictions. Put them together and you create a powerful argument for video.

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fearless filmmaking: taking the plunge with video

Our first video workshop was a success. So we asked our man just how he got good and advice for people wanting to experiment but might be a bit wary.

by Steven Davies

I’ve made films for as long as I can remember. Honestly - I can't think of a time when I didn't shoot something for fun. I was lucky that there was always a camera in our house growing up and I was always allowed to play with it.

I was never afraid. I did forward rolls and pretended I was a stuntman, I burned train sets and pretended that melting plastic on the patio was a special effect, I even Duck Taped the camera to cars and got away with it.

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meerkat verses periscope – what do they do and which one is best?

You may have already begun to hear the growing buzz around two relatively new mobile video apps. Well here is the brief overview of what they can do, how you can use them, and which one is best.

By Russ Gethings

What is Meerkat and Periscope?
Basically they are free live video streaming applications for your smartphone or tablet. (iOS only at the moment, although Android versions are in the works).

They allow you to instantly stream live video - of an event, or any happening, or even just yourself going about your day, and instantly notify your Twitter/Social media followers. In turn your followers can engage with each other and you during the live stream.

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