Increasing the life of your video content.

The SCOTT Treatment:Your Video Content Professionally Repackaged for Profit, Promotion and Education

Most recent work here:
MAKING your social videos SHAREABLE *

Video is the most memorable and engaging content on the web.

The SCOTT Treatment is born

 

Welcome to the Wonderful World of
Google’s Free Video Production and Distribution Services

(also known as Hangouts on Air)

Hangouts on Air are (1) easily accessible, (2) affordable (free), (3) immediately indexed by Google Search, (4) can grow your online authority, and (5) engage your virtual community.

The SCOTT Treatment creates a custom open/close for your HOAs, removes dated, repetitive and/or unwanted material including verbal ticks (ahhs, umms, you knows, etc.), and will help keep your content as fresh and relevant in years to come as it was the day it was recorded.

Golden Nuggets

Randy Bowden Interviews Mark Schaefer

 

Ask Chef Dennis Virtual Bloggers Conference

 

Small Business Owner Interviews – Matt Pentecost

 

More Golden Nuggets and other The Scott Treatments

 Praise for The SCOTT Treatment

Resources

• The Art of Evergreening

  Reasons HOAs inherently fade away
  Let’s face it, unlike broadcast quality television shows, most HOAs (Hangouts on Air) are produced by amateurs who serves both as both technical crew and talent. Whether acknowledging the live audience or upcoming events, live HOAs are often interspersed with dated material. Perhaps most importantly, most HOAs are no more than spontaneous discussions, in other words, first drafts.

  For these reasons, HOAs are rarely “evergreen,” meaning they won’t survive the test of time and will likely fade from relevance within a week or two from original broadcast. But don’t despair. You too can rescue your HOAs from the vault of obsolescence and obscurity.

  The Art of Evergreening HOAs is mostly the exercise of subtraction. Like a fine sculpture, chip away at what’s unnecessary, and what you’re left with can be a work of art. This is done through skillful video editing.

  In a sentence, to evergreen your HOA, increase production values and edit out dated, awkward, repetitive and irrelevant material. Leave only enough small talk in the program to smooth out rough edges and to give it its personality. Remember, shorter is better.

  A few evergreening tricks:

  — Clean intro and exit, preferably with pre-produced open/close with music.
  — Most host questions are too long. Keep the core question. Throw away everything else.
  — Most guest stall while mentally formulating their “real answer.” Dump the filler material and keep only the answer.
  — Panelists will make their point, then illustrate it with examples. Usually only keep the point, truncate or edit out everything else.
  — People repeat themselves. If it’s been said once, then discard other ways of saying the same thing.
  — If the speaker takes a long pause to think, edit out the pause.
  — Remove almost all “verbal ticks” such as ummms, ahhhhhs, “ya knows,” etc.
  — Remove audience shout outs.
  — Retain audience comments only if they add value.
  — Don’t include “upcoming events,” though you can keep, “find me at …”
  — Try very hard to avoid or minimize jump cuts (where subject’s body appears to jump in the frame due to editing)
  — Don’t be afraid to group and reorder material if that improves clarity and flow.

  Follow these guidelines, and their’s a good chance your Hangout on Air will remain as fresh and relevant as the day it was recorded. Expect however to spend up to five or more hours to evergreen a typical hour talking heads HOA.

• Everything I Know About HOAs: Production Tips
  HOA Video Production Tips

  MINIMUM PRODUCTION VALUES
  [ ] Subjective: You know it when you see it.
  [ ] Contextual: Depends on circumstances (ie: family vs business).
  [ ] Maturing: Professionalization of HOAs, always rising standards.
  [ ] Unforgivable sin: Poor audio.

  ACHIEVING MINIMUM PRODUCTION VALUES
  [ ] Equipment:
  (  ) Laptop webcam, maybe. Industry standard: Logitech C920 or C930.
  (  ) Tip: Consider buying top of the line last generation equipment used.
  (  ) Audio: External or headset Mic. Industry Standard: Yeti or Snowball.
  (  ) Audio: Almost always either ear buds of headsets.
  (  ) Lighting:  Fluorescent lighting and/or LEDs, made for video production. Light kits good too.
  (  ) Lighting: 3-point lighting (key, fill, back). No bright light behind subject.

  [ ] Aesthetics:
  (  ) Proper framing of subject, usually medium to medium close up paying attn to headroom.
  (  ) Background and clothes not too busy, not distracting. Use common sense.
  (  ) Camera close to eye level.
  (  ) Avoid background objects that might look as if they’re growing out of your head.

  CONTEXTUAL VIDEOS
  [ ] Context is relationship between host and audience:
  (  ) Early GPlus adopters sympathitic to HOA Hosts. Gave lots of slack.
  (  ) With the maturing of the platform comes rising expectations for higher production values.
  (  ) With increased number of quality HOAs, tie breaker will be the personal relationships thing.

  [ ] Contextual viewing in the real world (outside the GPlus platform):

      (  ) Little tolerance for poor production values.
  (  ) Will require decent open, close and transitions.
  (  ) Will require proper framing, no inappropriate blue boxing, decent audio and video, etc.
  (  ) Doesn’t have to be perfect, but can’t be amateurish.

  NO FREE LUNCH
  [ ] Production values result from great pre-production planning and/or great post production:
  (  ) Quality production execution comes from pre-production planning and experience.
  (  ) The better the production execution, the less post production is required.
  (  ) The less experience you have, the more pre-production planning is required.
  (  ) The better the pre-production planning , the safer it will be to spontaneously go “off script.”
  (  ) In short, the more work you do up front, the less work you’ll need to “fix it in post.”

  [ ] At minimum have a format sheet:
  (  ) Open, segment, transitions, close.
  (  ) If interview program, then have a list of questions.

  [ ] Live vs Taped Programs:
  (  ) Live HOAs have a different look and feel than taped programs.
  (  ) Live HOAs have a brief shelf life as the connection between host/panel and audience dissipates.
  (  ) Usually you can “evergreen” a well produced live hour HOA by editing it to 40 to 50 minutes.
  (  ) Consider producing your live HOA with post production in mind.
  (  ) Consider two “opens,” one for the live audience (like a warm-up act), the other for the taped show.
  (  ) Ask a concise question, pause, then elaborate. For the edited program, include only the question.
  (  ) Guests will tend to “fill” while thinking of the “real answer.” For edited program, edit out the “fill” material.
  (  ) HOA host can always say, “great answer but can you summarize?” For edited program, use the summary.
  (  ) In the event of repurposing HOAs for podcasts, provide station break language during HOA.

  [ ] Post Production Deliverables from a live HOA:
  (  ) Promo or Tease: Anything good from show with a call to action to watch. 15 seconds to 1 minute, maybe longer.
  (  ) Golden Nuggets: Usually single subject snippet. Typically 2 or 3 minutes from 5 or so program minutes.
  (  ) Featured Topic: Various comments around a single topic, often 10 to 15 minutes drawn from an hour HOA.
  (  ) Highlights Reel: Some of the more memorable moments from program. Total time varies.
  (  ) Evergreen: Remove dated, awkward and repetitive material. Often 40 to 50 minutes from a well produced hour HOA.

  [  ] Post Production Deliverable from a private HOA (no live audience):
  (  ) Consider using Private HOAs to record program material intended for post production.
  (  ) In this case, you can record multiple takes of the same material if needed.
  (  ) If fully scripted, consider recording it multiple times, pinning (aka blue boxing) one person for each take.
  (  ) Then, piece final production together in post production using each persons “take” as needed.
  (  ) Do not use the Toolbox lower third. You can always add a better lower third in post.
  (  ) Loosely frame your subjects. This gives you options to digitally zoom/reframe in post.
  (  ) Depending on your production, you may want to keep or hid the filmstrip. Use Cameraman App.

  [ ] Always keep a “local” copy of all video you cherish. Just sayin’.
• The Hidden Benefits from The SCOTT Treatment

  Find the Hidden Benefits from “The SCOTT Treatment”
  

  Simply stated, anyone who summarizes a video through video editing has to dig deep and really understand the program content. Think of it like mapping your neighborhood rather than just driving by.

  So here’s the deal.

  If you have a school-aged children, encourage them to learn video editing. Then ask them to choose and summarize documentaries or other educational videos. This exercise should benefit them in three ways: (a) they will learn video editing which is an important 21st Century skill, (b) it will develop their critical thinking skills, and (c) through this exercise your son/daughter will deeply learn the subject matter content.

  And here’s the bonus if you produce HOAs
  Once your students are skilled at summarizing videos (a.k.a.The Scott Treatment), they can then apply their TST skills to your HOAs. Call it a 21st Century chore, not unlike mowing the lawn.

   

  It’s not only HOAs with which you can perform “The Scott Treatment.” By applying TST principles to the written word, you can “evergreen” truly brilliant posts. Just remember, always, always. always give proper attribution.  Want to see an example? Check out this TST:Text from 2012 (below). 

  
  

   

  For those seriously thinking about using TSTs to help students really learn the content at hand, here is my  TST summary of a set of brilliant articles originally posted by author and writing coach Daphne Gray-Grant. Even though summarizing videos as I’ve suggested above is not exactly like deliberate practice (see below), I feel the same or similar dynamics are in play. Thanks to Daphne for originally researching, writing and sharing this information.

   

  How to use Deliberate Practice when writing

  Better Writing  ♦  Continual Improvement

  Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and editing coach and the author of the popular book 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. She offers a brief and free weekly newsletter on her website. Subscribe by going to the Publication Coach.

   

  Strategies for Becoming an Excellent Writer

  Deliberate Practice – Basic tenants

  • Lack of natural ability is never an adequate excuse.
  • Hard work is more important to success than talent.
  • The hard work is vastly time consuming,
    requiring 10,000 hours according to Outliers author Malcolm Gladwell.
  • The type of work you do is even more important than the volume of it.
  • Your work must explicitly address your own weaknesses and deficiencies.
  • Your work must have clear objectives and goals.
  • You are far more likely to succeed if you have a coach, a teacher or a mentor.
  • You must be highly motivated.
  • The work is hard and tiring

  Also see:

  • Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
   • Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin, and
  • Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

   

  

  Case Study – Strong vs. weak music students

  1. Avoid Flow. Do what does not come easy.
     Weak pianists run through their pieces.
     Strong pianists drill difficult parts. Rarely play through the entire piece.
  2. To master a skill, master something harder.
     Find clever ways to “complicate” the difficult parts.
     Strong pianists with speed problems will purposefully confound the rhythms.
  3. Systematically eliminate weakness.
     Know your weaknesses and use them to create strengths.
     A strong piano player who is bad with touch will play on a mute keyboard.
  4. Create beauty.  Don’t avoid ugliness.
     Weak pianists react. Try to fix problems.
     Strong players image/strive for the perfect performance,

  Source: Study Hacks:  Flow is the Opiate of the Mediocre

   

  Applying  Deliberate Practice preparatory to writing 

  Deliberate Practice is not writing.
  Use to prepare for or to edit your writing.
  Remember, you don’t “need to edit” yourself while writing.
  Writing — which is creating — needs to remain free of  judgment.

  1. Find a writer whose work you admire.
  Start copying/transcribing his/her writing.
  Anti-intuitive, but this way you can absorb syntax and rhythms of another writer.
  Tip: Copy/transcribe 5-minutes/day rather than 30 minutes a week. 

  2a. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
  Put quality time into thoroughly understanding your writing assignment.
  Tip: Analyze your assignment by:
  –     • Purpose – Entertain/explain/persuade,
  –     • Audience – General/special interest group/business/customers,
  –     • Category – Journalism/case study/white paper, and
  –     • Tone or Style – Government/academia/legal. 

  2b. Then find a writer who has done similar work you can use as a model to imitate.
  Cast a wide net to find excellent writing that meets the same needs you have.
  Tip: Doesn’t have to be the same subject matter.

  3. Next, analyze 1,500 or so words from your model.
  –     • Verbs – How many. How specific. How evocative.
  –     • Sentence length -Typically how many words.
  –     •  Figurative language – Metaphors/similes/personifications per 500 words.
  –     •  Concrete vs abstract – Use strong visual images or more abstract?
  –     •  Stories – How often? Anecdotes or examples?
  –     • Structure -Chronological/thematic/importance/classification/cause & effect.
   Tip: Consider using your model as your copying (transcribing) exercise (see above).

  4. Create an outline.
  An outline is the perfect tool for analyzing, then imitating at a higher, more sophisticated level.

   

  Applying  Deliberate Practice to editing

  Methodically and ruthlessly eliminate “Markers of Trouble” from your writing.
  Tip: The ideal approach is to have a coach/editor. If you can’t afford one, don’t give up. Read on.

  Five “Markers of Trouble” Questions
  Pick one and stick with it until your improved performance becomes habitual.

  1. Do you use lacklustre verbs?
  Highlight then replace most of  your “to be” verbs (is, was, are, were, being, be, and been)
  Then improve/make more interesting your other verbs.

  2. Are your sentences too long? Does your writing lack rhythm?
  Avoid overly long sentences.
  Strive for an average 18 word/sentence within a one-to-five words to 45 range.
  Tip: Enable WORD’s readability stats (F7 with the grammar check turned on) or the online readability calculator http://bit.ly/sm4hc-readability .

  3 Do you fail to use what I call bridges/transitions?
  Lead readers from one idea to the next using connectors such as “because/but/admittedly/for example,”
  Tip: Use lots of them. Find examples here .

  4: Do you misuse pronouns, especially “it”?
  Stive to eliminate (at least justify) each use of “it.”
  Tip: Be sure to place a space before and after the word “it” when using WORD Ctrl+F Find function.

  5 Do you fail to understand the passive voice?
  Generally speaking, avoid using the passive voice.
  Tip: To better understand the passive voice and when to use it, visit “The Pleasures and Perils of the Passive.  and “Our Friend the Passive Voice” .

   

  FEATURED QUOTE: Deliberate Practice is not a magic bullet. It’s way too difficult to be considered “magic.” But using it is a better guarantee of success than having just about any degree of talent. — Daphne Gray-Grant

  
  

   

  Author:
  
  ♦  Daphne Gray-Grant, Principal at The Publication Coach
  ♦  http://www.publicationcoach.com/
  ♦  Twitter: @pubcoach 
  ♦  Facebook

Ronnie Bincer, known as the Hangout Helper, is a coach, master trainer and Google+ Trusted Tester. Every day he actively empowers entrepreneurs to harness technology and apply it to their own industries. Following his lead, thousands of people worldwide are mastering the use and power of social media, video, broadcast communications, and discoverability online via Google+ Hangouts and associated tools.

Whether you a passing interest in HOAs or want to attain a professional level of proficiency, you’ll want to follow Ronnie on GPlus, Facebook or Twitter. For more information on how you can gain attain HOA proficiency and network with other HOA producers, you’ll want to be sure to check out these three valuable resources from Ronnie Bincer