Commoncraft Blog

Common Craft in Inc. Magazine

A few months back April Joyner of Inc. Magazine contacted me to talk about the growth of videos as a sales tool.  I wasn't really sure what the article's angle, but spoke from our experience in working with clients on videos that explain their products.  The article is now online and in the print magazine.

My big points came out (mostly accurately) as:

• It's not about how something works, it's why anyone should care about
• The script is really important, write it first
• Keep it short

The article also profiles the video experiences of iPhone app company Smule, Kiva Systems and has a mention of our friends at Wistia.  Check it out.

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Scenes from a Common Craft Video Shoot

People often wonder what it looks like to make a Common Craft video. So, every once in a while, we take photos as we're making a video. This video shoot is for a forthcoming title that's under wraps, but will come out within a month or two.

To acheive the light we want, we work with four really bright halogen lights. They're so bright that I wear sunglasses when recording - it feels like I get a bit of a tan each shoot. This is Sachi getting things set up.

Prior to shooting, we go through a phase we call "cut and color".  Basically we get all the visuals together, color them and then cut them out.  Most videos have over 100 of pieces of paper.  We try to stay organized by segregating the small pieces from everything else.

Learning to shoot the videos has been a constant experiment over the years. These days we can keep the materials in chronological order if we're careful during the cut and color process.  If it works, we can lay out the paper in little stacks for each scene and then shoot them in order. We're all about finding little efficiencies. And - I never would have guessed that I'd be so proficient with scissors.

A while back, we realized that attaching a monitor to the camera is important for seeing the layout of each scene. This is Sachi's station.

Recently we discovered something that has come be known at "the innovation."  Basically, we learned that we can write on the monitor screen with dry erase markers. This was a revelation. It meant that we could mark the exact position of images to create consistency in the stop-motion process.  When we needed to animate something across the screen, we could draw a line on the screen and follow it. It made our production lives easier.

Lastly I'd say we've changed our shooting schedule. We used to put our heads down and push through a 4-5 hour shoot. These days, we break up the work into 2-3 session over 1-2 days. As a plus, the shorter sessions create a smoother, more consistent tan. Seriously though, it's so much more manageable and made us ask why would we do it the other way?  At the end of the day, that's what doing something new is all about - always solving new problems.

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The Proposition 8 Video - NOT Common Craft

California's controversial Proposition 8 is back in the news, which means a fresh round of people asking if we made the video on You Tube that supports the ban on gay marriage. Though the video could be confused for a Common Craft video, it's not.

Let me be as clear.  We would never, ever make such a video. Aside from our own views on the subject, we recognize that dealing in polarizing political issues is not good for our business. Our goal is to be as unbiased as possible and make videos that appeal to largest possible audience.

Please don't feel the need to contact the person that made the video.  We've been in touch multiple times and he is well aware of our position.  In fact, he agreed to remove the "in Plain English" title to help avoid confusion. Part of my motivation in writing this post is to make sure that if anyone searches for "Common Craft" and "Proposition 8", this post will help them understand the situation.

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New Video: Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English

Today we published a new video called Protecting Online Reputations in Plain English.

Aimed at younger or inexperienced web users, this video helps explain the long-term risks of sharing inappropriate photos, videos and stories on the Web. We've seen the stories and heard personal accounts about people who shared an inappropriate photo that eventually caused them to lose their job or miss an opportunity. Preventing this kind of problem can come from increased awareness about how the Web works and what it means to share something with the public. This video is about taking responsibility and making choices to protect reputations. 

 

 

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Interview with Andrew Warner of Mixergy.com

Sachi and sometimes say that we love making videos and plan to make a lot more, but what really geeks us out is business models.  We love experimenting with the many ways a business can be run. I was recently interviewed by Andrew Warner at Mixergy.com and it was one of the first interviews I've done that focused purely on our business - how we market our videos, how we sell content that's available for free, how we scale the business, etc.  I came out of the interview feeling energized and excited. If you're interested in the business side of Common Craft, watch the interview.

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Nice Words from a Customer

When large companies license our videos for internal education, it's sometimes difficult to know how they're used and/or how they impact people in the organization. Thankfully, people sometimes email us to say thanks.  Below is a message from a customer from a large company that purchased a Site license for the Social Media Pack of videos.

My company is using some of your video products as part of our communications and change management structure. Through this channel, I understood for the very first time many of the concepts and differences among the parts of the new computing environment. I just had to let you know that your products are making a difference for my colleagues and me, simplifying these concepts so that we can focus on the change, not on the terminology. Job well done. Thank you.

This kind of message warms our hearts.  If you are a customer with stories, feedback or anything you'd like to share, please do contact us.

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Daniel Sevitt on The 3 Types of Online Video for Business

Daniel Sevitt of EyeView wrote a great article on ReelSEO.com called "The Three Types of Online Video for Business." The article deserves a full read, but I was struck by this simple diagram that illustrates the types of videos and their expected outcomes.

Image courtesy of EyeView

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A Big Thanks, a Little Late

Thanksgiving has come and gone here in the US and we're running a bit late in sharing the things for which we are thankful. This list could go on forever, but here are a few items that mean a lot to us.

• Our families, who are our biggest fans and sources of inspiration
• Fans who talk to about our work on the web and share links with friends
• Organizations and individuals who purchase videos
• The members of our Explainer Network
• Our friends who make us feel like family
• Sweet old dogs who we wish could live to 100
• Coffee, Friday lattes and all
• Living in Seattle, a city we truly love
• Neighbors who make us feel like we live in a community
• Good scissors
• AmazonFresh for keeping us out of grocery stores
• MioPosto, our local coffee/pizza joint
• Working with honest, hardworking people
• Being able to support local trade workers and artisans
• Each other
• Salmon - in all its forms
• Thursday night NBC TV, especially The Office and 30 Rock
• Musicians whose music becomes the soundtrack of our lives
• Listener Supported KEXP 90.3 FM
• Free and useful services like Google Apps and Twitter
• Living with a partner who is a ninja in the kitchen and the boardroom
• The list goes on...

2009 has been a great year Common Craft and you made it happen. 2010 will be even better. We hope you'll stick around!

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Time Lapse Video: The Making of Twitter Search in Plain English

This video was made from the raw, unedited footage from the making of Twitter Search in Plain English.

Watch another time-lapse Common Craft video shoot here.

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Video: Cloud Computing in Plain English

Today we published a new video called Cloud Computing in Plain English:

This title has been one of our most requested and for good reason.  Cloud Computing is a subject that has an explanation problem - people have a hard time understanding it because it's difficult to explain quickly.  Like Social Media, it's a subject that is very broad and lacks broad consensus in terms of clear explanations. Our hope with this video is to lay bit of groundwork so people can see the big ideas.

We asked a number of people for input on the video and I want to thank: Tony Wright, Chris Savage, Uri Budnick, Jeff Dickey and lots of others who I bugged over the last year.

Lastly, this video is available for embedding with a monthly subscription fee.  If you're interested, learn more or contact us.

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