Chicago Video Production

Thanks to the wonders of the English language, video success stories could mean two things. Either success stories about video or success stories told with video. Today we will address both.

If you’ve ever had a conversation with anyone, you’ll know that people like talking about their accomplishments. Occasionally, hearing another’s success story isn’t as annoying and condescending as you would think. Sometimes, these success are actually interesting and helpful. Some might say that success breeds success. But before you go mate with a wealthy entrepreneur, see what Richard Sexton did with Google Ad-Words to boost his bottom line by 50%.

Video can be used to tell a success story about video. It’s like a dream within a dream, about video. Here is a video about OhVeryNice’s from building model airplanes to making a bunch of money with YouTube. It’s about to get pretentious up in this blog…

Let’s be honest, video success stories aren’t the most exciting things on YouTube. At best, OhVeryNice’s is somewhat interesting, but mostly because he can talk so quickly. And yet, sitting through these videos is neither a challenge nor a bore. In fact, I learned something from OhVeryNice (the importance of trend and market research before pursuing a business venture).

If you have an inspiration business story, consider filming it and uploading the video to YouTube. Not only could it inspire people to reevaluate their own business, it might get noticed by someone who wants to do business with you. They say that lonely venture capitalists explore the Internet at night for investment opportunities.

Do any Chicago businesses have a web or video-related success story they want to share? Please only Chicago people, we don’t want any more comments from anyone in Cincinnati. Yeah we went there! Not literally, though. At least I’ve never been to Cincinnati. Can’t speak for my coworkers.

Our Video White Paper series is designed to help you use online video successfully by achieving your business goals. Although the first installment was just an introduction to online video, the second installment discusses a specific type of video: virals.

Basically any online video can go viral, and it’s an ambition for most people creating videos for the web. However, achieving viral status is no easy task, and any vendor promising to make you a viral video is stealing your money.

Based on past viral sensations, it’s clear what a video needs to become one. It usually takes good timing, humor, novelty, and most of all luck. While anyone can make a video that is strange and funny, there’s no guaranteeing that people will feel inclined to watch and then share it. In fact, the more popular online videos and YouTube becomes, the more challenging it will be for videos to go viral. In short, the odds are against you.

However, there’s more to online video than being a viral hit. Just like there’s more to writing a novel than being on the New York Times best sellers list. Professional online videos should be made with a clear purpose and a specific audience in mind. Whether it’s for people who accidentally stumble upon your website, a person trying to learn about your business, or a consumer looking for product reviews.

Though it’s certainly good to strive for a viral video, don’t let that be your only goal. It’s better to work on making a video that has purpose. In fact, many of the web’s best videos were never viral hits, they just had a clear purpose that people responded to. As this Mobile Roadie demo shows, you don’t need to be the biggest viral hit to get thousands of views.

So be ambitious and careful when you’re making a video for the web. But if you’re only in video production to be a hit and appear on the Ellen Degeneres show, you’re in the wrong business.

The next installment of our Video White Paper series will come out on September 10. Be prepared!

Just when we thought New Zealand finally sank into the deep waters of international, post-Lord of the Rings obscurity , this comes out…

DELIVER ME TO HELL is an interactive video series that uses YouTube’s links and annotations feature to create an interactive choose-your-own adventure. At the end of each video, viewers decide the character’s next action. One option will lead to his bloody death, while the other option progresses the story.

The videos are part of a campaign to advertise Hell Pizza’s online ordering service. Although the pizza chain is exclusive to New Zealand hasn’t reached the United States yet, these videos are bound to become a viral phenomenon. They’re gory, funny, and actually engaging.

For creating a well-written and beautifully edited video series that will surely set the bar for video marketers and pizza companies everywhere, Hell Pizza has earned this week’s Video Professionals Award.

I wonder how much delivery to Chicago will cost..?

Lots of YouTube updates this week. On Wednesday, we blogged about the fact that YouTube is starting a streaming paid movie rental service. Well, here’s a couple more YouTube tidbits that hit the web today.

First off, if you’ve watched a YouTube video recently, you’ll notice that the video time bar has been given a thinner appearance. Check Reelseo.com for screen shots of the old and new video player as well as for information on additional redesign info.

Secondly, comScore has released their March 2010 online video rankings, which has the stunning statistic that last month YouTube users watched 96 videos on average. That breaks down to 3.2 YouTube clips a day. Additionally, over 180 million U.S. internet users watched video, and 136M of them, or 96%, went to YouTube to watch. Check Reelseo.com for additional stats and commentary on the comScore rankings.