Angry customer on line 1
Do you REALLY want to say that?
The screen is blank and the cursor is blinking, waiting for your input. But you’re frozen, waiting for that spark of inspiration to hit. And so your fingers remain hovering just slightly off the keyboard, twitching slightly as the first ounces of self-doubt seep into your mind.
Where do I start?
How will it all come together?
Anyone who’s ever written anything has come face-to-face with the seemingly invincible foe of the blank page. I remember this feeling quite well when I was in college, wrestling with that all-encompassing assignment known as the research paper. I had spent weeks in the library, culling through all kinds of source material, pulling quotes, scribbling notes, jotting down ideas, roughing in an outline. But at some point the research had to give way to the actual writing and I had to find a way to mold all of this material into one cohesive theme.
Well, the medium may change, but that same feeling lingers still.
In my career as a video producer, I’ve created my fair share of promotional, sales, and marketing videos, along with short-form documentaries. And after logging through hours of footage and listening to hours of sit-down interviews, I’m faced with the same challenge that any writer is faced with: putting all the material together in a narrative structure that makes sense, meets the needs of the client, and encourages the viewer to act in some way.
And so I fire up my editing software, load in all of my media, organize the project, and then stare at the blank timeline looking right back at me.
Where do I even start?
But after a great deal of thought and a lot of procrastination, the video slowly starts to take shape. It can be a long process (depending on the size and scope of the project) and since I’m so close to the material, it isn’t surprising that I usually become very emotionally invested in the video I’m working on (maybe you’re the same way). I want it to be perfect and I want it to be as effective as possible.
But that’s when you, as a creative, need the outside input of an objective voice. That individual will help you to see things you never even considered. Case in point:
I once edited a short-form corporate video for a client that featured a true story of a customer whose family benefitted greatly from the services the client offered. It was a feel-good testimonial piece of an individual recovering from a serious injury and I really enjoyed working on it. I had the chance to meet the customer and spend a full day with her and her family capturing all the necessary interviews and b-roll footage I would need for the final piece.
So, as I was editing, I wanted to make sure I ended the video on a high note. J wanted to tug at the heartstrings of the audience and encourage people to act. I found a fantastic closing sound bite from the customer that conveyed the sentiment that she and her family were in fantastic shape and that everything from here on out would be great. And it was all thanks to my client’s services. I took that soundbite and placed it underneath a touching b-roll shot of the family smiling, enjoying time together.
Cut to logo.
Fade out.
The video was approved and it went out the door. I felt pretty proud of the work.
But then only a week or two later I was talking to one of my contacts at the client’s office and she told me that they had received a call from another customer who took issue with the video. Apparently the caller had been in the exact same situation as the subject from my video and he knew from his own experiences that the road ahead would be a long one, with no guarantees of long-term success.
Some time later I repeated the story to a veteran video producer I knew. He was someone within the industry I respected greatly and I wanted to get his take.
I never manipulated anything in the edit to make the subject of the story say something she didn’t say. I felt confident that I had stayed true to her story and her family’s experiences. I captured their genuine satisfaction and shared their positive outlook for their own future. Sure, the individual who called the client’s office to complain had a different outcome, but that was no guarantee that the subject of my video would experience the same hardships down the road.
My friend listened to my recap and thought for a moment (and this is when having an objective voice is so important; helping you to see the things you might not have considered before) then essentially told me this:
The sentiments that individuals express in an on-camera interview is what they choose to say. And they have every right to say what they want. But the minute that an editor chooses to use it in the final video, those same sentiments become what the company says. So yes, the interview subject said it, but the question is, “Should the company say it?”
Years later and I still think about this piece of advice. And it’s valid. Now, to be clear, my client did approve the video. No red flags were ever raised about the way I edited the piece. And you will never, ever, please everyone. But I do think it’s an important point to consider when you’re producing short-form documentary videos for companies. Is this something that the company should say? I think it can help you in making editorial decisions the next time you’re staring at a blank timeline, wondering how you will pull all this material together into a polished video.