Making Use of the Expertise of a Audio and Video Specialist

[peppie]

Recently comments have been made both here and on the Flying Solo main site about the techniques of audio and video recording of interviews, talks, conferences and the like and their presentation on web sites, blogs and for sale online and on CD/DVD. In the interests of trying to clarify some of the issues here that for most people would not be obvious and because I believe much more needs to be said on this subject, I decided to post a Rick Willmot style of expert informational comment. (My apologies Rick if I seem to be taking your name in vain!)

Members of this forum working in areas as diverse as business coaching, copy writing, web site design and virtual assistant etc. have made comment as to the special value of their expertise when it comes to getting a good end result. We all have our specialities, areas in which we hone our skills and spent time discovering "trade secrets" that establish us as experts in our field.

But while we recognise our own expertise and may urge others to use us because we can do that job so much better and much more efficiently, why do we tend to cut corners in some other area doing it ourselves thinking that it shouldn't really be that difficult?

I can write a reasonable bit of a promotional article, but I realise that I am no copy writer. Such a person has ways of communicating my message in a way I never could, unless I was to do some serious training. I can and do carry out a lot of my own computer repairs, but I also use a local service guy to do work that he can do much quicker and better than me. He has the expertise and he saves me time, and money.

So, in terms of audio and video let me give you some examples of ways in which an experienced practitioner can not only save you time and money, but also present you with a better result. And there is a subtle point here, because the better result will translate into better reputation and sales etc.. Most of your clients will appreciate the difference, but will be not be able to understand why.

Videoing weddings and funerals can be interesting and for various reasons I do prefer funerals. One recent funeral service presented a challenge sound wise when group of the deceased's grandchildren fronted to the microphone. The range of voice volumes was very wide with one girl in particular so quiet that I don't think anyone in the congregation heard what she said. Later at the computer I was able to increase the level and clarity significantly in such a way that you would not think there had been a problem in the first place.

My wife and I attended a conference in Sydney that travelled the country and videos were to be made available as part of registration that had been made at the Brisbane venue. As time went on it was obvious that there was a problem and so I approached the organisers to offer assistance. It turned out that the videos had indeed been made but apparently because it was known that the videos would be distributed on DVD it was decided to record direct to DVD and then duplicate them. The problem was that they had 7 discs with no way of being able to edit the beginning and end at minimum. I was able to extract the video from those discs, re edit the material and present it all in a neat 4 DVD package and as an added bonus on one of the discs I put the PDF files of conference notes saving the extra cost of printing.

If you do prefer to Do It Yourself I am fine with that, but please do realise that if a quality presentation is really needed and also if your business is going to benefit from a quality product then please do seriously consider what an expert can do for you. After all an expert, apart from being a drip under pressure, is someone who can do a much better job than you can.

[Ric Willmot]

Paul,
Thank you.
On a personal note for me; this post is worth the price of admission.
I am grateful for your expert comment.
Rgds,
Ric

[peppie]

Thank you Rick for your comments.

Even though I use the term Expert a far bit, I also realise it is often overdone and possibly by some who are doing nothing more than big noting themselves.

Apart from describing such a one as a "drip under pressure" it also used to be said that an expert was a speaker from overseas with slides. Nowadays it would be Powerpoint, but then again, even Powerpoint is becoming a bit out dated. I can set up the same sort of thing with a video DVD and be more versatile.

I think it is probably kinder to say that a decent expert is someone who knows their subject better than their audience. By the way, I hope what I have said above does not come across as me big noting myself, on a bit of a band wagon maybe, but really I just like to see a job well done. Water torture for me is having to sit through a less than half baked presentation of some sort.

[BB]

Paul -

I found myself nodding my head whilst reading your post and, no, you weren't 'big-noting' yourself.

My business is quite unique in that there is nobody in Australia that does what we do. Yes, you can buy "get and forget software" and set up your own budget, but the sad fact of the matter is that while most people SAY they know what to do - they actually don't do it and then they wonder why they get into financial difficulty because they seem to have no money.

Maybe it's a case of - "Jack of all trades, Master of none".

Yes, maybe you CAN do it - but if you want it done properly, and professionally, then it's best to get and expert in! It'll save money in the long run!

B.B.