The following are the five most important factors to consider when creating an effective video event promotion.

Clear Message and Goal

Start by defining the ultimate purpose of your promo video, before you even grab that camera. Do you want to create hype, deliver critical facts, or discuss the big picture of your event? Your message should be self-explanatory from the beginning. This does not mean attempting to stuff every detail into the video but also means moving away from more about this later and just focusing on why someone should attend your event.

Engaging Visuals

What can be stated about the video is that the picture paints a thousand words. Right, consumers are known to have eyes and will be attracted to objects and pictures with nice and quality seizure Ensure that you have a high quality of the promotional video. Good footage flowing transitions, and creative camera angles sets the atmosphere for your event.

If you have any previous footage of the event, use that footage to show how promising and energetic the event can be. Or, you could leverage creative animations, strong text overlays, and invigorating graphics to substitute for the absence of prior event material. Interactive visuals help to hold the attention of your audience, making them far more likely to stick around and watch all the way through.

See also: Technology’s impact on the evolution of visual content

Strong Storyline

A good video to promote an event should not just be information, your creator can help you weave some of the arbitrary observables into a story. What the event promotional video is about, why it matters and what attendees will experience can all be part of storytelling that makes viewers identify with content on a personal level.

Perfect Use of Music and Sound

Audio is one of those little things that seem to be overlooked in your promotional videos. The music you use can create an atmosphere of emotion for Energy that will give your video its message. For example, a professional but exciting corporate event might benefit from some uplifting and powerful music to help convey this mood, while the soundtrack in a video that was shot at an energy-filled concert or music festival could greatly thrive off of lively, upbeat tunes.

Be mindful of voiceover, sound effects, and ambience apart from good audio and music is a powerful demographic to create a good viewing experience where viewers can simply get lost in the video so make sure that music compliments your visuals and not take over from whatever you are creating grams.

Call to Action

On the same note, if there is a weak call to action, even an excellent video, presentation, design, and even professionalism in the making of the video are wasted. A call-to-action persuades the viewer to make a move, either flying out their site where they would now be able to provide them with your details, enrolling for this event, or observing tales on their social channels. Your CTA should be said clearly or scripted at the end of your video.

An effective your event promotional video the more attendees you are likely to drive to come, which leads directly to building up enthusiasm. By building a deep, clear message with powerful visuals fueled by great storytelling and music, paired up are the proper calls to action that give you a video that ignites excitement in hopes of moving people towards making things happen. If properly executed, a promo video is like a secret weapon; it speaks directly to your fans, increases the exposure of your event, and gets things off on the right foot.

Also read:

• • Effective strategies to promote your videos and grow your audience
  • How video transcript generators can improve SEO for your video content
  • How video marketing can improve your website conversion rates

High-Quality Visuals and Audio: Professional-looking visuals and crisp audio are non-negotiable. Whether it’s filming a speaker in action or showcasing event features like comfortable office chairs in a sleek, modern setting, make sure the imagery is appealing. Highlighting comfort elements such as ergonomic office chairs in a conference room can subtly reinforce the idea that your event is thoughtfully planned, ensuring attendees will feel both physically and mentally comfortable.

The post 5 Key Elements of an Effective Event Promotional Video appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

Time and money-saving marketing ideas
One of the biggest misconceptions about video – as a business promotion tool – is that it will take forever to come up with a concept, then it will take moons to record and edit the footage, and by next week you’ll be expected to start all over again with something new.

That’s not how this works.

When you embark on a campaign involving video content, you plan the whole campaign around a theme. That means your video content will all need to be filmed at once with the same settings and actors and even products in mind. What you come away with is essentially one big video that can be chopped up and edited into smaller pieces to be released throughout the campaign.

This saves time and money on designing new elements to the promotional campaign as you progress through the weeks and even months that your campaign is expected to last.

Competitive edge
Did you see that video your competitor put out on their website? Of course you did. Everyone with a vested interest in your field did. But here’s the big question. What was your response?

If you and your staff responded by criticizing the video and making comments like, “Who’s going to pay attention to this nonsense?!” then you are not alone. Business leaders react in this way all the time. The problem is when you look down, beneath the video, at the viewing stats. Viewed 2,408 times. Or 10,588 times. Or maybe even 1.2 million times. Get the idea?

Where you don’t leverage video as part of your business’s promotional activities, you are missing out on a huge slice of the pie in terms of visibility. Get out there. Let everyone know about your newest offers. And let the competition make their comments while you get the views and leads.

Cross channel marketing
When we talk about cross channel marketing, what we really mean is making good and sensible use of different outlets such as social media, search engines, and email campaigns.

The issue with cross channel marketing is that it’s rare to find an angle that will work well from platform to platform. For example, let us take Instagram as a marketing tool. Everybody knows that Instagram is all about images, with a dollop of video thrown in for good measure. Right? The returns from a text-based campaign over Instagram would be minimal, as the audience doesn’t expect text. Instead, you would perhaps be better off using that text in an email campaign.

But when it comes to video, you can tick all the boxes all of the time. Every social media platform allows video. Every website should contain video. Your email campaigns can contain links to your videos. You can even embed video in e-newsletters and text messages. And the great part is, it’s always expected and never ignored. Missing out on those kinds of engagement levels is nothing short of poor decision making.

The post Why You Should Invest in Video Making Software appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

Creating a basic video streaming or filming setup doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive — although it certainly can be. Setting up an efficient DIY space at home for shooting videos that include sets, lighting, sound, and editing software can be achieved quickly and inexpensively if you’re crafty about it.

What to Consider Before Jumping In

When you’re planning your home video setup, keep these things in mind.

Your budget. What is your budget for your video studio, equipment, and software? While you can definitely get creative on a small budget and make a professional impact for around $100, the quality of your lighting, camera, and editing software does matter. These elements make a huge difference in the finished look. Weigh out the cost of various options, keeping in mind your skill level and your space at home. 

Space. How much space are you willing to commit to filming your videos and editing them? If you have a dedicated spare room for a studio, that’s best, but you can also transform a corner of a room into a video production area if you’re willing to part with the space. 

The return/results. What are you hoping to get out of your video productions? More customers or clients? More income? Or is this a hobby project? Spend and commit to a space accordingly.

Video style. Are you vlogging and speaking directly to the camera? Will you be demonstrating an activity that needs a certain viewpoint, such as cooking in the kitchen, gardening outdoors, yoga in a studio, or building in a workshop? Do you need props or special equipment? The setup you are creating for your videos needs to make sense for the project. Before you plan out what you need for video gear, (set, lighting, and editing, etc.,) decide on the best scenario for you and your video production.

Equipment Required for Your Social Media Videos

One of the reasons why video is such a popular method of creating content is because literally, anyone with a smartphone can do it. In theory, you can shoot an effective social media video or online class with no more than a phone, an app, and an internet connection.

In reality, though, educational, engaging, and entertaining video content creation is more successful when it is more planned out and curated. A good place to start upgrading for better quality in video and sound is with your recording equipment. 

The Camera

A smartphone is an easy and popular choice for recording videos. If you have one, you can pretty much achieve any basic type of video for social media or instruction. Even if you choose a video camera or DSLR for your video recording, having a smartphone on a tripod for a second camera view is an excellent way to maximize your video studio options

Using a DSLR camera in video mode offers great video quality. Try out different lenses for cinematic quality: A 50mm lens will provide a view that is well-designed for waist-up shooting, while a wide angle lens, like a 35mm lens, can make up for the lack of space in the room.

You’ll need a tripod for your smartphone or DSLR. Consider using a clamp-on, “mount anywhere” design, which offers flexibility and the ability to change the position of the camera easily.

The Sound

External microphones are best for filming high quality videos. A camera’s built in microphone has limited capabilities and can decrease the overall quality of your video. 

Depending on the setup of your studio, here are a few microphone options to consider:  

A USB desktop or clamp-on, adjustable microphone arm is an excellent option if you are speaking directly to the camera and your head and shoulders won’t be moving around too much while you’re filming. You may want to consider a pop filter for your desktop microphone to eliminate the POP sounds in your speech. 

A lavalier microphone (wired or Bluetooth) is an excellent option if you are demonstrating while standing or moving around.

Sound treatments. If your filming room is echoey or noisy, add carpeting, blankets, or professional sound panels to the floors and/or walls to muffle external sounds. 

The Lighting

Video lighting professionals use a 3 point lighting technique which includes a:

1. Key light for primary illumination
2. Fill light opposite the primary light to fill in shadows.
3. Background light to add three-dimensionality.

Other elements that will help improve lighting include: 

• A light box, which will diffuse the light and maximize overall scene brightness
• The angle of the light
• The type of bulbs you use in the fixtures to create brighter or dimmer light
• Blocking out natural daylight and using artificial lights only 
• Using strip lights on low ceilings where lamps are not possible
• Halo lamps for up-close, primary light in small spaces
• Natural light — it’s free and easy!

Editing Technology

If you are editing your videos yourself, evaluate what paid and free software is available for your equipment — Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android. From free apps on your phone to more expensive software that you use on your computer, finding the editing solution that works best for your needs, budget, and skill level will help ensure success. If you’re new to editing, start small and simple, and upgrade as you learn what you need and want in an editor. Depending on your skill level and tools, it’s easy to find options for the right fit. 

The Best Places for a Video Setup at Home

When you are choosing your studio space, here some things to consider: 

• Is it practical to convert this space?
• Is the lighting adequate? The sound? The accessibility? 
• Can I store equipment here easily?
• Will I need a remote setup for some scenes? 
• Is it easy to tear down equipment and set it back up?

If you’re making a cooking show, you’ll obviously need to set your kitchen up for filming — same thing if you’re doing a gardening show outdoors. Clean out a spare bedroom, basement storage room, or even a shed or garage that you can convert into your studio. If you’re on a tight space budget, carve out a little corner of space in one of your existing rooms — you may need to do a little rearranging, but you’ll be surprised how much you can do with a small space. For example, in a corner of the living room, hang a backdrop — a tapestry, a blanket, a sheet — to create the impression of dedicated space. Adequately lighting your small space will go a long way toward making it look professional. Whether you have a large or small studio space, make sure the surrounding scenery isn’t distracting, and keep your area organized. 

Tips for Planning Exceptional Video Content

You can have all of the tools, but without a plan, your content will lack structure, cohesiveness, and development. Planning is paramount when it comes to great videos.

• Create a content calendar to set up in advance what video topics you want to cover in your series.
• Create storyboards to plan out each video from intro to outro with a Storyboard Template.
• Create social media posts and stories using clips from your video to promote your content.
• Check out trends from other video influencers and brands you enjoy.

Other ways to expand your reach using video content production:

• Encourage your viewers to like and subscribe. Social media is meant to be social! Ask for feedback, and give your viewers a call to action, such as following you or opting in to your email list.
• Engage with subscribers. When they comment, reply!
• Collaborate with other influencers. Expand your reach by partnering with another video influencer or online expert.
• Teach a class online to engage new viewers and expand your audience.

You don’t need expensive tools or equipment to make great videos. With some planning, a little creativity, and a bit of craftiness and know-how, you can create professional-looking and engaging videos for any audience, on any platform. The whole point of video content is that it is a straightforward, quick, and easy way to convey information and educate your audience — yet it’s incredibly flexible and invites creativity. With the right camera, sound, lighting, and tools, creating videos to grow your audience is easy and fun.

Originally posted on Porch.com

The post How to Setup the Perfect Space at Home for your DIY Social Media Videos appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

These can be streamed or downloaded and watched on a wide range of devices; smartphones, tablets, laptop/PCs, smart TVs, gaming consoles, media boxes, and DStv Explora (depending on your plan). Notably, live streaming services may not be supported on certain devices such as older gaming consoles or smart TVs.

This is an Internet-Based service —in layman’s term, you need an internet connection to use the service. You need reliable internet with at least a minimum speed of 5 to 10Mbps. You can use Wi-Fi/data, it’s up to you. You can however, control how much data you use by choosing from 3 streaming qualities. To manage this, simply go to Bandwidth Capping in your Showmax app Settings. You can also save data by downloading shows to watch offline on your mobile/tablet but downloading using Wi-Fi is the best option as it saves you some costs.

To watch the downloaded shows or movies offline you need a Showmax app which is available for Android and Apple phones, tablets, smart TVs, media boxes, Xbox One and PS4. Go to the app store on your device, search ‘Showmax’, select and download.

Once you have your preferred device for the service and an internet connection enabled, you still to pay to for the service; so you’re in position to stream or download. Showmax offers a variety of plans to suit different preferences and pockets;

Showmax Standard Plan (General Entertainment): For USD$7.99 (roughly UGX30,000) you can register up to 5 devices and watch on 2 devices at the same time. While using your mobile, the pay is USD$3.99 (roughly UGX15,000) and supports watch on one mobile at a time.

Showmax Pro Plan: For USD$17.99 (roughly UGX68,000) you can register up to 5 devices and watch on 2 devices at the same time. While using your mobile, the pay is USD$8.99 (roughly UGX34,000) and supports watch on one mobile at a time.

While with the standard plan you’re given a 14-days free trial, after which you’ll be charged a monthly subscription fee, for the pro plan, it doesn’t include a 14-day free trial due to sports licensing.

To pay for the service, there are many safe and secure ways to pay, debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, and the recent added mobile money (for Ugandans). You can cancel your subscription at anytime.

Mobile money payment plan:

To start watching, sign up at www.showmax.com and follow the prompts. Once you’re a subscriber, if you have the Showmax app, login on your device and hit play.

Users can personalize their accounts by editing their profiles, which can be done through signing onto the website.

• Selecting the account on the top menu bar under your user name, the page will default to overview where you will see all the options related to the account.
• Select account details on the left-hand navigation menu and make the necessary changes including the name, location, contact details and password.
• Then Save changes.

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With these new features, Twitter loves to see how video creators and their fans are using them to watch the timely, entertaining video content they share.

“So it’s not surprising that video views on Twitter grew by 220X from the end of 2014 to the end of 2015.” Twitter Blog

The social media giants are previewing video stories that will be told in real time, in their first series from @video, #FFWD2016.

“We’ve profiled six rising Twitter creators in music, art, sports, food, and news, who are sure to be trending this year. Get their take on the fresh ideas, events, and video concepts they’ll be Tweeting as they look ahead to a big 2016.”

Their videos. Their voices. Your world. Watch. Be inspired. Share. #FFWD2016.https://t.co/LD60JUN8B8

— Twitter Video (@video) February 22, 2016

You can join the conversation and even share your own videos with hashtag #FFWD2016 to unlock a special emoji.[related-posts]

The post #FFWD2016: Behind the scenes with trending video creators on Twitter appeared first on PC Tech Magazine.

ne morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment.

His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked. “What’s happened to me? ” he thought. It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls.

JMAGZ Custom Gallery

A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman – and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather.

Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. “How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense”, he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn’t get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was.

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Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about the blind texts it is an almost unorthographic life One day however a small line of blind text by the name of Lorem Ipsum decided to leave for the far World of Grammar. The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question Marks and devious Semikoli, but the Little Blind Text didn’t listen.

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.

She packed her seven versalia, put her initial into the belt and made herself on the way. When she reached the first hills of the Italic Mountains, she had a last view back on the skyline of her hometown Bookmarksgrove, the headline of Alphabet Village and the subline of her own road, the Line Lane. Pityful a rethoric question ran over her cheek, then she continued her way. On her way she met a copy.

The copy warned the Little Blind Text, that where it came from it would have been rewritten a thousand times and everything that was left from its origin would be the word “and” and the Little Blind Text should turn around and return to its own, safe country. But nothing the copy said could convince her and so it didn’t take long until a few insidious Copy Writers ambushed her, made her drunk with Longe and Parole and dragged her into their agency, where they abused her for their projects again and again.

And if she hasn’t been rewritten, then they are still using her. Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth.

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They turned their professor’s own cellphone policy against him in an April Fools’ prank for the books. Macroeconomics professor Stephen Barrows insists that anyone whose phone rings during class must answer it — on speakerphone.

The students set up a fake phone call on April 1,  and  a female student answered the call, only to have her (fake) pregnancy test results announced to her classmates.

You need to see Barrows’ reaction before (and after) finding out it was just a prank.

Credit: Mashable

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Well, the “Tits and Glass” porn app was up for several hours before google sneak-changed their terms of service and took it down

Sexually Explicit Material: We don’t allow Glassware content that contains nudity, graphic sex acts, or sexually explicit material. Google has a zero-tolerance policy against child pornography. If we become aware of content with child pornography, we will report it to the appropriate authorities and delete the Google Accounts of those involved with the distribution.

Adult company MiKandi has been reworking the app to match the new terms of service

MiKandi is behind the first adult-centric app intended for the high-tech specs, allowing users to watch videos and photos filmed with Google Glass. The app is available for download now, but those without the device can still browse and interact on the site

“Unlike other hands-free recording devices, wearing Glass is easy and familiar,” MiKandi co-founder Jennifer McEwen told Mashable. “Because of that, you can forget about the technology on your head and be in the moment. The result is an authentic look at the wearer’s experiences.”

The company is also interested in making the experience more intimate for adults.

[related-posts]

“Besides point-of-view content, we’re interested in Glass’ potential to facilitate two-way adult interaction. For example, between long-distance couples, cam models and fans or strangers.”

Although the porn industry has been fast to adopt emerging technology, McEwen said it has actually slowed in terms of innovation within the last few years.

“The old adage that porn drives tech is sadly no longer true,” she said. “Over the last decade, adult companies have seen themselves locked out of more and more technologies and services — the latest being mobile applications. Adopting new technology is costly and time consuming, so it’s no wonder why some the industry have become risk adverse.”

Not all adult companies see the value of implementing time and resources into embracing the new technology.

Will the app re-adjust and finally be fit for Google Glass?

Credit: Mashable, tits and glass

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