Originally published on May 3, 2009 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.
TechnoScore: 1.0
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
California immigration attorney Brian D. Lerner has good information in his video. However, the poor quality of his video overshadows this information.
It appears he's using a Webcam. The video quality is poor. The pixelation is high. The lighting is extremely dim. The background is even worse. The positioning of the camera places the top of the attorney's head somewhere in the bottom half of the frame, leaving tons of free open space in the top half of the video frame.
Lerner sits in a reclining executive chair which is a major drawback when creating video. You'll notice him bobbing back and forth while he talks. Always use a straight fixed-back chair. I could not tell whether he used a built-in microphone on his Webcam or computer, but the audio is sorely lacking.
Each law firm video I review starts out with a full five points. What happens after that is up to the video. Here is how Lerner lost all his points: Poor audio, -1. Poor video, -1. Poor lighting, -1. Poor positioning of the camera and bobbing chair, -1.
Tip #1: Prospects Will Not Watch Webcam Video
When YouTube started posting high definition video, many other video sharing sites followed suit. As a result, the the bar for creating online videos has risen.
If you create videos using your Webcam, no one will ever watch them. Using your Webcam to create attorney video is simply not a good idea. HD cameras are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Even pocket cameras (which I do not recommend) like the Flip, Sony Webbie, or Kodak Zi8 are markedly superior to any Webcam.
Importantly, if you're going to create your own videos you must learn everything possible about video technique, lighting and audio. If you're not willing to spend the time and effort to learn everything you can about how to improve the quality of your video, and importantly what content to put in it, skip the do-it-yourself part and go straight to a video production company with a track record in the legal market.
Tip #2: Content Is King, Including Video
When lawyers first started creating Web sites, they didn't realize the importance of publishing educational content. That's what search engines like to index. Today, social media is all the rage. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have emerged as publishing platforms to use in conjunction with your Web site. But content remains king. And the next big thing in content is video because it's becoming increasingly searchable.
For example, YouTube recently started using closed captioning, and now uses voice recognition to turn speech into text for newly uploaded videos. I had a chance to try it out with this video and some other videos. It's pretty cool to see it in action. If you hum and haw during a video, the text translation doesn't know what to make of it and gives you gobbledygook.
Tip #3: Create An Ongoing Series of Videos
It's important to create not just one or two videos, but an ongoing series. Doing so will help boost your search engine visibility and increase the chances that someone will find one of your videos. To his credit, Brian Lerner has created multiple videos. Of course, he should scrap and recreate them using better equipment.
Till next time, see you on video.
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "This is a horrible video! Bad sound quality. Bad picture quality. I think my BlackBerry takes better videos. In addition, the guy is off-center the whole time and the lighting is non-existent. I would never hire this guy — he cares so little about the quality of himself — why would he care anymore about the quality of the work he does for you?"
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "Brian Lerner should save the amateur hour videos for Chatroulette. Get a better camera and turn on a light or three."
Written by Gerry Oginski of The Lawyers' Video Studio.
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