Multimedia on a budget

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

First half Second half

Five ways toadd multimedia to

your websiteon the cheap

21 best tips anyone gave me when I

started producing

multimedia

1Photo by Tony Hisgett released under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Creative Commons

Anyone can make a creative work, e.g. photos, videos, a podcast etc and release it under a Creative Commons licence.

Anyone can then use that work on their website as long as they follow the terms set out in the licence.

Pros Free + lots of great stuff available

Cons Can be time consuming to find something appropriate + must be able to credit the creator on your website

Useful links

Creative Commons http://search.creativecommons.org/

Flickr Creative Commons images

http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

2

Photo by memoriesbymike released under a Creative CommonsNonCommercial-NoDerivs

2.0 Generic licence

VolunteersSome of your volunteers may have

multimedia skills you can utilise.

Or find new volunteers with multimedia skills e.g. media students, keen amateurs, budding pros looking for more experience.

Pros Free + large pool of talent who want do something good for charity that they enjoy or will help them develop a career

Cons Volunteer multimedia creators may have less experience with professional commissioning e.g. taking a brief or delivering on-brand content.

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

3Photo by memoriesbymike

Released under a Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic licence

Low budget stock

Online libraries such as iStock or Shutterstock sell photos, illustrations and video for relatively low prices.

Pros Cheap, professional quality images, illustrations and video

Cons Can be difficult to find something suitable. Content tends to look generic and not personal to your charity

Useful links

iStockhttp://www.istockphoto.com

Shutterstockhttp://www.shutterstock.com/

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

4Photo by Birch Bay Hostel

Released under a Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic licence

CommissioningThey may not be as expensive as you think. They will always attempt to fit a quote to your budget e.g. scheduling all the filming for one day in one location.

Ask colleagues and contacts for a recommendation. If you can take on some of the work yourself e.g. interviewing, a freelancer might be within budget when a full production company is not.

Pros Professional quality content

Cons Not free

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

5Photo by David Blaine

Released under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence

DIY

Plenty of one-day courses available or web tutorials to teach you the basics.

Cost of decent kit and software has fallen greatly over the past few years.

Pros Free or very low cost. Full control over what you create.

Cons DIY content creation can be a time-sucker so set yourself some limits.

Useful links

Lynda (online training courses)http://www.lynda.com

YouTube (great for free tutorials)http://www.youtube.com

Apple iMoviehttp://www.apple.com/uk/mac/imovie/

Adobe Creative Cloudhttp://www.adobe.com/uk/products/

creativecloud.html

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

Part 2

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

ONE Know your limits - it is good to be ambitious but start with something basic

TWO Prepare, prepare, prepare

THREE When taking a photo or video of a person make sure your back is to the sun or brightest light source in the room

FOUR Show people the photos you’re taking to help them relax

FIVE Take a step closer to your subject than you would normally

21 best tips anyone gave me when I started producing multimedia

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

SIX A simple way to improve the photo you are taking is to move your subject slightly off-centre

SEVEN Take 10 photos of the same scene and choose the best one for your website

EIGHT If you are working on your own, audio clips are much easier to produce than videos.

NINE The best free software for basic editing of audio clips is called Audacity

TEN Golden rule of sound recording is get your mic as close to your subject as possible

21 best tips anyone gave me when I started producing multimedia

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

ELEVEN There are lots of types of microphones but the most useful are shotgun and lapel mics

TWELVE Echo is the arch enemy of sound recording. You can’t remove it later

THIRTEEN Sound is 50% of your video production - spend time getting it right

FOURTEEN If you’re planning on making a video or editing some audio, practice with the software before you go out and record your footage

FIFTEEN This is how you set up the chairs and camera for a sit-down video interview

21 best tips anyone gave me when I started producing multimedia

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

SIXTEEN When interviewing someone don’t ask them closed questions. Not “Did you enjoy shopping today?” instead “How was your shopping trip today?”

SEVENTEEN If you’re interviewing someone and they are giving long answers ask them the question a second time and ask for the answer in half as many words

EIGHTEEN Don’t be afraid to direct your subjects when you are taking a photo or recording video of them

NINETEEN Backup your photos, audio or video as soon as you can

TWENTY YouTube tutorials are a fantastic and free resource

21 best tips anyone gave me when I started producing multimedia

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

TWENTY-ONE Enjoy it

21 best tips anyone gave me when I started producing multimedia

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer

Thank you!

Any questions?

Sam Care | Freelance Digital Producer