Editors Note:  I wrote the article below sometime in 2004 as a promo for my “9 Steps to Produce a Quality Internet Video” ecourse.  Whats changed in the 6 years since the orginal article was written?  The first few steps are still the same.  Whats changed is the video encoding, player setup, uploaded to a web page is now often done in one step.  In fact, some web sites will handle all three steps as a video file is uploaded for viewing!  Here’s the orginal article…..

Big business and smart internet marketers are rushing to create online videos, infomercials, product demos, and a lot more.  The battle for internet consumer eyeballs is sizzling now that the majority of consumers have broadband connections and flash video plug-ins.

The good news is that you can produce quality internet video inexpensively in just a few quick steps.  You probably already have the camera and most of the software you’ll need.

Here are the key steps you need to follow to produce an internet video that represents you or your product in the very best light.

Plan Your Video.   You’ll save lots of time if you plan your video project in advance.   Since you’ll be recording both video and audio you’ll want to consider such things as location, lighting, background noise, presenters dress (simple is better), needed props, cameras, microphones, special software, or computer support.  Putting your plan on paper will crystallize your project and shorten the time to posting it online.
 
Write a Script – Then Rehearse.  Very few people can just walk in front of a camera and ad lib a smooth presentation – even a short one.  Those that can get paid big bucks – the rest of us write out a script to make sure we hit the key points and then we rehearse a number of times to smooth out the rough edges.   Let your personality come through. Using small words and short phrases will make retakes and editing easier.
 
Ready – Action – Review – Retake.  First, expect to do a number of takes and retakes.  Your first take or two is to adjust your camera, check the sound level, and look at the background and lighting.  This will give you or your “On Screen Talent” a chance to rehearse in front of the camera.  Even the Hollywood Pro’s do this to achieve their best work.
 
No need to yell “CUT” if you have a screw-up – just pause – with the camera rolling, regroup, and start again right before the point that the screw-up occurred.  You’ll edit out that bad footage later.
 
Capture Your Video to Your Computer for Editing.   Capturing simply means copying your video to your computer for editing, flash conversion, and later uploading to your site.  Depending on your digital camera and computer combination you may be able to record (capture) your live video footage directly into your video editing software as you’re shooting.   That’s the best approach for your first video or two – because you can quickly replay the scene on your computers large screen. 
 
Most XP and Vista PC’s with Windows Movie Maker allow you to capture live video from a digital camera using a fire wire connection.  The same is true for MACs.  Some Logitech webcams do this using a USB connection.
 
Editing your footage is the key step to producing a quality video.  This is where you put together your best video footage to create a finished video product.  While editing you can add video from other sources, your web site or company logo, make transitions between clips, add background music or other audio, and create intro and exit text.  The key editing point for streaming video on the internet is to keep everything short and sweet.  (See our video editors page for details on easy to use editors.)
 
Convert or Encode Your Video to FLV Format.   Flash FLV format is the most common way to show video on the Internet.  Since most video editing software saves files in the .avi or .wmv format you’ll need a converter or encoder to change it to the FLV format. (See Video Tools Page for integrated software that handles this and the next few steps for you)
 
Playing Your Internet Video.  The Flash video player is what your viewers will see at your web site.  You’ll need player generating software to plug your FLV encoded video into a player of your choice.  Player software pricing can range from free to expensive. 
 
Quality players will provide flexible buffering of the streaming video to compensate for poor internet conditions.  They will also let you add clickable clinks or redirection urls so you can automatically direct your viewer to the next step in your marketing process.
 
Upload Your Video To Your Site.  Your player software generates an HTML file that you or your webmaster can copy into any web page or any over media that will support FLV such as eBooks, CD’s, DVD’s, etc.  If your video is headed to a web site then you upload your page and related FLV file to your site as normal and your video will be ready for its first viewer.  uTube and other video sites have an easy to use upload tool.
 
Test and Review.   The first viewer should be you – checking out load times with various internet connection speeds, making sure your urls work, and that the page content around your video player supports its message.  Make changes as necessary to provide the best viewing experience.
 —————————————————————————————–
Steve Beard is a 30 year computer industry veteran, internet technical expert, webmaster, and the co-owner of an award winning video production company producing TV commercials and company videos.  Click below to get Steve’s Free 9 Step Video Training Program plus a list of recommended equipment, video capture and editing software, and player generating software.
Copyright Steve Beard 2006-2010 All Rights Reserved