Learning Center

How To Make a Brand Video......That Isn't Boring!

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The problem is that when people think about their businesses, they suddenly get into a “professional” mindset and close the world off from their personality, character, and essence – the most valuable and differentiating assets any business owner has.

Don’t deprive the world of your awesomeness.

In this 5-lesson section course, participants will learn: 

  1. What Makes it Good?: How to identify the difference between a boring brand video and an awesome one (and be able to explain that difference, and more importantly, execute it)
  2. Video Vs. Text: Exactly what content belongs in a killer brand video and what’s better left to other mediums, like your website
  3. The Deadly Video Sins: The 7 most common pitfalls that tank almost every marketing video out there (and how to beat them!)
  4. The Commodity Trap: How a great video can teach viewers to see your company as a brand (that they’ll pay more for) instead of a commodity (where only price matters)
  5. To DIY or not to DIY: A detailed description of what it takes to produce a professional-quality brand story video yourself and how much money you can save doing it, so you can decide whether it’s worth it to hire a production company.

Each of the five video lessons vary in length from 9 to 16 minutes.  The total time for the entire 5-lesson video course is about one hour, five minutes.  We recommend setting aside about 45 to 60 minutes for each lesson if you really want to dig into the bonus material.

Jeff Feazell

Co-owner

Authentic Advisor Video

Jeff Feazell is co-owner of Authentic Advisor Video, a video production company that helps brands establish trust through authentic testimonial and brand videos.

Key:

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Lesson 1: What Makes it Good?
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Open to view video. Note: Video samples included in this section are works we did not create; they are publicly available, to be considered for reference only. Please contact us if any links are broken. In some cases, videos are meant to illustrate contrasting examples of how easy it is for business owners to fall into these traps--even great businesses can create boring videos. Other examples showcase great videos!
Sample A- Chexplore- Start-Up Pitch
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. Watch this video when prompted during the lesson.
Sample B- How Great Leaders Inspire Action
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin.
Lesson 1: Article- Why Discovering Your 'Why' Is the No. 1 Business Move
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Select the "Access Article" button to begin.
Lesson 1: “WHY” statements cheat sheet
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Open to download resource.
Lesson 2: Video vs Text- Take Advantage of the Advantages
Lesson 2: Video vs Text
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Note: Video samples included in this section are works we did not create; they are publicly available, to be considered for reference only. Please contact us if any links are broken. In some cases, videos are meant to illustrate contrasting examples of how easy it is for business owners to fall into these traps--even great businesses can create boring videos. Other examples showcase great videos!
Sample A- How to Violate Every Principle in this Lesson
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. Extreme example, yes. But why go in this direction to any degree? Enjoy!
Sample B- Another Great Brand Story Video
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. This is another high-end production by Koan Studio in the SF Bay Area. Notice how it’s much less about the company and more about MaryMar herself, with no real “call to action”. This video knows its purpose – to make you feel a connection to MaryMar and what she believes. It takes advantage of video’s strengths and leaves everything else out.
Pond5
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Royalty-free music resource One of the favorites for a range of price and quality. Really nice browsing experience.
AudioJungle
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Royalty-free music resource This is the one I use most for brand story projects because they offer “Music Kits”, which are musical pieces divided into modules so you can arrange the sections of the song how you like, letting you easily time transitions with specific moments in your video.
AudioNetwork
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Royalty-free music resource; More expensive licenses, but very high-quality music.
StoryBlocksAudio
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Royalty-free music resource; StoryBlocks has subscription plans that offer unlimited downloading (from a certain collection) for a flat monthly price.
Lesson 3: The Deadly Video Sins
Lesson 3: The Deadly Video Sins
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Note: Video samples included in this section are works we did not create; they are publicly available, to be considered for reference only. Please contact us if any links are broken. In some cases, videos are meant to illustrate contrasting examples of how easy it is for business owners to fall into these traps--even great businesses can create boring videos. Other examples showcase great videos!
Sample A- UNTUCKit, the Brand Story
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin.
Sample B- Bee Loved Natural Skincare Products Brand Story
Recorded 03/23/2022
Recorded 03/23/2022
How Being Vulnerable Can Expand Your World
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Select the "Access Article" button to begin. Being yourself around people who might be critical is a habit that begins with self love. If you start your video project in a headspace of self love and self acceptance, not only will you get a better result, the process itself will be more enjoyable. I love the anecdote in this post because the writer’s external and internal circumstances both changed dramatically when she gave up the sheen of professionalism.
The Deadly Video Sins Chart
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
Lesson 4: The Commodity Trap
Lesson 4: The Commodity Trap
Open to view video.
Open to view video. Note: Video samples included in this section are works we did not create; they are publicly available, to be considered for reference only. Please contact us if any links are broken. In some cases, videos are meant to illustrate contrasting examples of how easy it is for business owners to fall into these traps--even great businesses can create boring videos. Other examples showcase great videos!
Sample A- A contrasting furniture builder video
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. This video commodifies the business by focusing on features while ignoring the entrepreneur’s values and beliefs.
Sample B- The Apple October 2018 keynote
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. I’m not suggesting you watch the whole thing, but from the beginning up to 4:20 is well worth watching. That’s how long it takes before anything about any Apple product is mentioned. Notice especially how Tim Cook begins his speech. Apple knows its customers are bigger than itself, and that’s why Apple has been able to keep itself out of the commodity trap.
Sample C- Another Great Brand Video
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Select the "View On-Demand Recording" button to begin. I love this one. It doesn’t once make me think about competitors, and it’s an ultimate antidote to commodification. Notice how everything is framed through the owner’s personal views, reactions, and beliefs.
Lesson 4 Article: Luxury vs Commodity Purchases
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Select the "Access Article" button to begin. This article is a bit heady, but if you feel like taking a deep dive into this concept, it extrapolates in compelling detail the challenges and choices faced by brands who want to stand out in an increasingly competitive and price-conscious marketplace. There’s some great Apple stuff in there, too.
Lesson 5: to DIY or not to DIP- All the Information You Need to Decide
Lesson 5: to DIY or not to DIP- All the Information You Need to Decide
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Open to view video. An overview of everything you need to do before, during, and after you shoot to create a professional-quality brand video; plus, what to ask production companies before you hire them.
Resources for Hiring Crew- ProductionHUB
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. A crew listing site that allows vendors to post credits and detailed profiles. You can also post gigs. They vet both vendors and projects thoroughly, and I’ve used this service very successfully to find some amazing crew.
Resources for Hiring Crew- Crewrr
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. A nice-looking site that lists crew members by category and lets you post gigs. Seems legit, but full disclosure, I’ve never tried it.
Resources for Hiring Crew- Craigslist
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. I’ve had plenty of success finding crew by posting gigs on Craigslist. However, the challenge is that you’ll get tons of emails immediately (if you live in a saturated market) and you’ll end up watching a lot of reels. And of course, there is no feedback or vetting system.
Peer-to-peer gear rental sites- Sharegrid
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin.
Peer-to-peer gear rental sites- KitSplit
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin.
Resources for learning to edit video- Lynda
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Although you can find a lot of free tutorials for the various software packages on YouTube and Vimeo, Lynda’s tutorials are second to none. If you want to learn to edit, I strongly urge using beginner tutorials prior to starting your first project, rather than going until you get stuck and looking for situation-specific tutorials. Having that foundational knowledge will make everything go faster.
Resources for learning to edit video- Adobe Premiere Pro
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Adobe’s official tutorial series on Premiere Pro. I learned Premiere this way back in the day. It’s quality, and it’s free.
Resources for learning to edit video- FCPX
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Select the "Access Site Here" button to begin. Excellent series on FCPX. You can get the basics for free, and then a subscription is required to continue your learning.
Pre-Production Checklist
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Open to download resource.