HandBookLive continues our series of articles about making videos to promote and explain your products and services. Today our guest is an artist and a DIY video producer Barbara Wurden, owner of Faux Fun, Inc. http://wurden.com
Barbara Wurden is a fine artist, decorative painter and an instructional video producer. She received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from a Minnesota State University in 1985. Soon afterwords, she moved to Southern California to pursue her passion as an artist. She began by developing a decorative painting business. Wurden has collaborated with designers and homeowners leaving behind her creative signature in homes and commercial business throughout Southern California.
Friends and clients loved to watch her work and they frequently inquired about the processes. Consequently, Wurden decided to create an instructional video to show them the steps. The idea blossomed into a ten title DVD series. She does much of the production on her own as she thrives on the artistic challenges of setting up interesting camera angles and delivering clear and inspiring scripts.
Laura Beken (HandBookLive): “Barbara, thank yo so much for sharing your experience with us today! First of all let’s tell our readers what your business is and what made you decide to do an online video to promote your product (your instructional DVDs)?”
Barbara Wurden: “At first I decided to create an instructional video because I wanted to make a product to teach people how to do faux painting themselves. Then I realized that I needed a separate online video to promote my instructional DVD on my website.”
Laura Beken: “I understand you also use video to showcase your work as an artist.”
Barbara Wurden: “Yes, with my fine art business, I utilize online video to showcase my paintings and give people a view into my art studio and how I paint.
Now I’m also moving into the entertainment industry and I use online video to create and market my Handy Goddess personality. Basically, I use video as another form of artistic expression.”
Laura Beken: “Have you always shot and edited your videos yourself or did you work with a production studio?”
Barbara Wurden: “In 1989 with my first Faux Fun instructional title, I hired a production crew which consisted of an independent producer/editor, camera man, and gaffer to make the video. At that time it was impossible to do anything yourself and I was very naive on everything regarding making a product video. The final product was well done especially for the time, and even though after much persistence I did manage to get that DVD into the west coast Home Depot stores, because of the difficulty and expense of the entire process I didn’t make another title for ten years.”
With my second title, I worked with another video producer who was a one man production company. I found that by working on a more intimate level with just one person and because I had some experience under my belt, I created a much more engaging and informative video. Even though I had a great experience with that producer, I was so tight on funds that I felt compelled to produce my next title on my own. From there I went on to create 9 other Faux Fun instructional videos that I filmed and produced myself.
Today I’m producing, starring in, filming and editing all of my Handy Goddess home improvement videos. The entire process has become an artistic expression for me and I enjoy it all, however, I’m looking forward to working with a professional crew and being able to focus my talents primarily on producing and acting in my videos.”
Laura Beken: “What was the difference between working with the crew and doing it on your own? What did you learn from working with the crew?”
Barbara Wurden: “When I was working with the first crew back in 1989 I relied on the director for everything and I never saw myself on camera until the final product! That was a huge mistake because once I saw myself on camera I knew I needed to make changes to my performance, but it was too late - the video was finished. So with the second producer I made a point of watching many of my scenes before moving on and was able to animate myself better and correct any mistakes after viewing my performance.
However, when I was working on that second video I still found myself a little frustrated because I had to explain myself to the producer before every scene so he would know where to focus the camera. I had a script but when you are demonstrating a procedure there are key times when you need close camera angles and wide camera angles. I found myself sometimes frustrated trying to do the action of painting and making sure I communicate with him on what to focus on when filming. On the positive side it was wonderful because we enjoyed each others company and I benefited from his input and the second opinion on various aspects of the project. We really did work well together and I learned a great deal from observing him and the production process.
Now that I’m filming and starring in my videos I find it very beneficial because I can stop at any time and reposition the camera and get exactly what I want. The trick is remembering exactly what I was doing so I can pick up where I left off and so it looks like I never stopped the process. And because I’m doing the editing I know pretty much what I want with a particular scene so I can visualize the flow in my head as I work. The challenges are many like the paint drying because of the hot lights, or the glare from the light on the wet paint, not to mention the camera getting paint on it, or having to redo scenes because of an airplane overhead or the dogs barking - just to name a few.
Now that I’m experienced with technical difficulties of filming myself as I work – creating my Handy Goddess videos is a breeze. I’ve gotten the filming process down so well that I can now focus more on me and developing my flirtatious character. This is a whole new process for me.”
Laura Beken: ” Do you write a script or improvise on camera?”
Barbara Wurden: “For the most part I do not use a script anymore. I start by doing the demonstration as freely as I can and then start the rough edit. Then I sit down and write out scenes that will add to the entertainment value of the video. I then go back and shoot the extra scenes and then insert them into the video. It’s an interesting process and I have a lot of fun with it but again I’m looking forward to working with a crew and being able to focus my talents.
With the my very first video I wrote a script and there were only a few “on camera” scenes – the rest was voice over. With the second video I had a script because the producer had to have something to follow. And then when I went out on my own, I produced my video without a script. But if I had introductory lines to give I’d sometimes write out my thoughts before I delivered them but for the most part I just spoke as I demonstrated. It really worked well and I think I explained my demonstrations much better without a script.
When you’re demonstrating a process things come up and you must explain them as they happen and if I was trying to stay with a script then I would loose the natural flow of the process. That is another advantage of working alone too. I can completely control what is being shown on camera and because I have the image of the process in my mind I know what needs to be added and I know what needs to be focused on. To have to stop and constantly explain to a camera man or to a producer the reasoning behind something I was doing was distracting me from teaching the techniques. However, if these types of videos could be shot with 2-3 cameras that would alleviate the problem.”
Laura Beken: “How do you prepare for the shoot? (picking the location, rehearsing, etc)”
Barbara Wurden: “When I went on my own with my instructional videos it was easy to prepare for a shoot because I created a set with three walls in my art studio to demonstrate and film these techniques. With the first video I had to build artificial walls and we also filmed finished products at actual job sites that I’d done in the past. With the second video I made use of my friend’s entire house for the demonstrations and that worked really well. Today I find places around my home and property to use as a set for my Handy Goddess videos, and sometimes I film at a client’s home.”
Laura Beken: “What equipment do you (or the crew) use?”
Barbara Wurden: “The advantage of working with a production company is that you don’t have to worry about any of that stuff. I’m not as knowledgeable or skillful in the areas of sound, lighting and filming but I couldn’t afford to hire someone to work sporadically on my projects. So I did the best I could with the resources I had. I highly recommend to anyone to get the best possible equipment they can afford.
I used flood lights on tripods for lighting and fortunately my art studio is a converted greenhouse so the roof is made of polycarbonate panels and is transparent. The natural light was a huge plus for filming.
I used a lavaliere mic for the instructional videos but unfortunately it wasn’t the best quality. Now I use a quality microphone and I highly recommend to anyone that you must have a good quality microphone. Sound quality was the biggest weakness in my instructional videos and was a source of great aggravation. I do not have a sound proof studio and would highly recommend to anyone to film in a sound proof environment if possible with a good microphone.
I used a quality 3cc camera for the instructional videos and I’m amazed at the quality produced with that camera even though it wasn’t a professional one. For the past few years I’ve been filming with a semi-pro camera and it has made my job much easier and now it’s time to move into high definition.”
Laura Beken: “Was it easy to be on camera at first? Any tips and suggestions? Anything you learned that would help others get comfortable on camera and look their best?”
Barbara Wurden: “In 1989 I was horrible in front of the camera and I remember the crew being nervous and tense thus making it even more difficult to relax. I got one review on that video that stated something like “Despite Wurden’s wooden narration the demonstrations and techniques are good”. Because of that, I suggest to anyone that you must watch yourself on camera and see how a change in your presentation can change how you are viewed on camera. You must also relate well and feel comfortable with the people around you and just forget about the camera and be as natural as possible. It’s helpful to just pretend your talking to your best friend.
I’ve been interviewed and filmed in professional situations where they really kept the camera out of my line of sight. This was done for several reasons, one being to keep the person from feeling like they are being filmed but for me I found this frustrating because I wanted to talk into the camera. I’ve trained myself to become more animated when I’m in front of a camera.
When I was taping the pitch America segment for the Jay Leno show I was forced to hold a hand held microphone. Now that was very frustrating for me because it’s difficult to be animated when you’re restricted to holding something to your mouth. I would certainly suggest to avoid using a hand held microphone.”
Laura Beken: “Who edits your videos? What program do you/they use?”
Barbara Wurden: “With my Faux Fun instructional videos I hired a professional editor and he used Final Cut Pro editing software. However because I didn’t have a script or storyboard for him to follow I had to do the rough editing myself first. I used Adobe Premiere for my editing and created a rough timeline and I exported that to tape so he could import that into Final Cut Pro. I don’t recommend that process at all. Most editors seems to take the Mac route and use Final cut pro but I’m still a PC person and I work with Adobe Première. They are both great programs but they are not compatible with each other.
I spent a great deal of time working with my editor and this allowed me to learn a variety of editing skills and techniques. Today I do all of my own editing with my Handy Goddess episodes and even though I really enjoy the creative process of editing it is not my strong point and I look forward to one day working with a professional editor again and a professional production crew.”
Laura Beken: “Where do you display your videos and how do you incorporate it into your own site? Do you use a custom player? YouTube embed player, etc?”
Barbara Wurden: “I use video on all four of my websites. For my Faux Fun instructional videos I use a custom player because I like to have control over the imagery the videos are linked to. For example, I have rollover web slates on my faux fun site along with static images for some of the video too. I’m also utilizing walk on video on this site. I really like this format for grabbing a customer’s attention and making a quick point. I would recommend hiring someone that is a professional in that area as they can guide you on the tips and tricks with using green screen video.
On my Fine Art and Decorative Painting websites I use both a custom player and youtube video throughout for different types of display.
On my Handy Goddess website I’m strictly utilizing youtube video. This website is a blog / V-log site so I’m restricted and I am not able to use a custom player.”
Laura Beken: “Does having a video help you get more exposure in the media?”
Barbara Wurden: “Because I had a promotional DVD for my Handy Goddess character I was chosen to pitch my show on the Tonight show with Jay Leno. There is nothing better than having samples of your work in a quick and easy format for people to get the idea of what you do.
I also have video on my Faux Fun site where I describe in my own words how I teach when I’m demonstrating on video and people find that so helpful because it gives them a first hand look at my personality and sincerity in what I do. With that video I was able to portray that I’m not an actor and that I actually do the craft for a living which gives me extra credibility.
I was also picked to be on PBS’s Creative Living with Sheryl Bordon show because she was able to immediately see that I would be an interesting guest by seeing me on camera before I came to the show.
Laura Beken: “Are your videos posted on HandBookLive? Do you have other sites that embed your video?”
Barbara Wurden: “I have just finished posting my videos on HandBookLive.com, and I also have my Handy Goddess videos posted on a variety of video sites with the most popular being Youtube. And with the Youtube videos it’s easy for people to take and embed my videos on their own sites.”
Laura Beken: “Final words of advice to anyone thinking of creating their own product video? Tips, mistakes to avoid?”
Barbara Wurden: “I’m very grateful that I was able to learn from my experiences and acquire a wide range of skills around video production but I don’t recommend for anyone else to learn the way I did.
I think that if you are going to utilize video for promoting your company it’s important to work with professionals and someone or a company that you feel comfortable with. If you are going to be the star in your own productions possibly because you know your product better than anyone else then it’s still important that you are an animated person or work with someone that knows how to bring your personality to life. It’s easy to be turned off immediately when you come across an amateur video production and because it’s a reflection of your company you need to make certain you’re reflected well.”
Laura Beken: “Barbara, thank you so much for sharing your story! I hope this will inspire others to get over the fear of creating their own videos, and it will help them get started. I think having professionals help you at first is a very smart way to do it.
I would also like to invite everyone to go to your site http://wurden.com and watch your other videos to learn more about your videos as well as learning about your art, or getting your instructional DVDs and exploring faux painting. Thank you again!”
Laura Beken,
HandBookLive, Inc
www.HandBookLive.com
