Annette Richmond (00:04.16)
Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Thanks for joining me today. Now today I'm going to dive into how to document instead of performing. Now will you simple B-roll that you can film in minutes? To do this, we'll use simple B-roll that you can film in minutes. So let's first talk about the power of documentation. Most people treat video like a performance. That's where the freeze in front of the camera comes in. Documenting is a whole different thing.
You capture what's already happening. So there's low pressure and the clip, the video can be more human. And it's a repeatable process for busy weeks. And here's some simple swaps in thinking. Think about what am I doing right now? Where can I park my phone for just 10 or 20 seconds? And what three beats or ideas can I show or tell?
Annette Richmond (01:03.552)
Now, when it comes to B-roll, I always call it the creator's lifesaver. And if you don't know what it is, B-roll is simply background clips from your everyday life. It might be you at your desk or walking your dog. Now, what happens then is a normal moment becomes a use... And what happens then, a normal moment becomes...
Annette Richmond (01:39.288)
So let's dive into B-rolls, which I always call the creator's lifesaver. If you don't know, B-roll is background clips of footage from your everyday life. Might be you at your desk or walking your dog or even cooking. Now what happens is a normal moment becomes useful content. All you have to do is hit record. No scripts, no pressure and no recording. And no performance.
And here's five easy ideas.
Annette Richmond (02:18.348)
Behind the scenes, you at your desk drinking a cup of coffee. might be you reading, it might be you reading or flipping through a book. Perfect for maybe those thought leadership posts. It could be something funny and relatable, like the dog interrupting you or spilled coffee or maybe just a tiny text snafu. Just, it could also be you walking out and about.
Natural movement makes great backgrounds and you can create a day in the life mini montage. Maybe you're drinking coffee and then walking and then work.
Annette Richmond (03:17.038)
You
Annette Richmond (03:28.376)
So here are five easy B-roll ideas. It might be a behind the scenes of you at your desk working, typing, writing, scrolling through your telephone, scrolling through your...
Annette Richmond (04:10.071)
Here are five easy B-roll ideas. It might be behind the scenes, you at your desk, typing or writing or scrolling or drinking coffee. Maybe you're reading or flipping through a book. Perfect maybe for a thought leadership post. It could be something funny, relatable, like your dog interrupting you or you spilling coffee or maybe even having a tech snafu It also could be you walking out and about. Natural movement makes great backgrounds.
You can also create a little day in the life mini-montage. Maybe you're drinking coffee and then at your desk working, then walking your dog and maybe unwinding with a good book. So when you're capturing video, think of 10 to 20 seconds per clip. And it's not necessarily about you. It's what hap- And it's not necessarily about you. It's what about-
Annette Richmond (05:16.075)
and it's not necessarily about you, it's what's going on around you. And make sure that you're recording in video.
Annette Richmond (05:26.549)
and make sure you're recording in a video. God.
and make sure you're recording in a vertical or portrait format as that is the preferred format across all social media platforms right now, even LinkedIn. And I'll give you a quick example of what I did with some B-roll. Over the summer, I was not feeling well. I was laying on the sofa and I saw my husband going outside to grill a steak. Now what made this interesting and potentially funny to me is that it was pouring rain. So he's walking outside.
with the steak and an umbrella with our dog, Katie, you know, following behind to supervise. So I grabbed my phone and I just went out and took a video of him standing at the grill, holding an umbrella, cooking his steak with, course, Katie supervising him. Now I took that clip. I laid over some Mission Impossible music because Mission Impossible was actually just coming.
Annette Richmond (07:46.358)
for fuck's sake!
Annette Richmond (07:56.215)
For fuck's sake!
Annette Richmond (08:03.469)
Jesus Christ, my God.
Annette Richmond (08:14.061)
You
Annette Richmond (08:29.421)
So let me give you an actual example of using a B-roll footage from my life. Last summer, I was not feeling that great. I was resting on the sofa and I saw my husband going outside, out to the grill with a steak. And what caught my attention and made this a potential B-roll footage in my mind is that it was pouring rain. So here he goes walking outside with his steak and umbrella.
And of course, one of our girls, Katie, was following behind him. So I grabbed my smartphone and I go and I'm looking out in the yard and there he is standing over the grill, cooking a steak, holding an umbrella with our dog supervising. And so I grabbed my camera and I took a few seconds video of him doing that.
Annette Richmond (09:25.965)
Then I took a clip and I labeled it Mission Grill Possible. And I added some music from Mission Impossible because Mission Impossible was just hitting the theaters at the moment. And that became a video content, a little behind the scenes peek into my life content, which got a lot of views and engagement even on LinkedIn.
Annette Richmond (09:58.094)
Ahem.
Annette Richmond (10:03.861)
And that's what.
Annette Richmond (10:07.935)
And that's what you'll be doing, turning your clips into posts. Pick one format and ship it. Text on screen, six to eight short lines that solve a problem.
Annette Richmond (11:18.273)
And that's what you're going to do. You're going to take those clips and turn them into posts. So you might want to pick one format. you want to just pick one format.
Annette Richmond (11:34.273)
And that's what you're going to do. Just take those clips and turn them into posts. Pick one format, create the video and
Pick one format, one clip, add some text on screen, six or eight short lines. It might be solving a problem or a small fix for something, something that the viewer can apply today and maybe a call to action at the end.
Annette Richmond (12:14.273)
Another thing you might want to try is doing a voiceover on a B-roll. And then on the... You also might want to try just doing a voiceover with your B-roll footage. And you might just have three bullets of things that you want to...
Annette Richmond (12:39.137)
Another idea is to take that B-roll and do a voiceover with maybe three bullets on screen and you add 20 or 30 seconds of voiceover.
What the fuck is this?
Annette Richmond (12:58.091)
Another idea is to take that B footage and maybe add some text and do a voiceover talking about something where you're solving a problem or you might just add some music.
Annette Richmond (13:12.749)
Okay, this is just stupid.
Annette Richmond (13:18.487)
And the next thing you're going to do is you're going to take those clips and you're going to turn them into content. You might take a B-roll and just add some text on screen. Each B-roll might be 15 seconds and each one might have text that solves one problem or answers one question that your clients or potential clients are asking you.
Another idea is to just add a voiceover to your B-roll. You don't even need to be on camera. And you might, in your voiceover, share...
And you might in your voiceover share one tip or one technique. Again, something that people are asking.
Another way to use this is to do a screen demo. For example, I have screen recorded my
Annette Richmond (14:21.301)
Another idea is to use a screen demo. Now I have screen recorded my YouTube channel on my phone and then just added a voiceover talking about what people are seeing or can see and find on my YouTube channel.
Annette Richmond (14:48.447)
And a few things to remember, if you are doing a voiceover, make sure that you caption the video. If you're adding music and also doing a voiceover, make sure that you choose music without lyrics because it can be confusing and keep the music low enough so that it's not interfering with your speaking. And also, again, as I mentioned before,
Make sure that you create these videos in a portrait or vertical format because that is the platform.
Annette Richmond (15:27.955)
And as I mentioned before, make sure that you create these clips in a vertical or portrait format because that is the accepted format everywhere now, even on LinkedIn.
Annette Richmond (15:53.037)
And when it comes to length, because I get asked about that a lot, you can do a seven or eight second video or maybe something that's 20 seconds. I like to do them around 20 seconds. If you're actually teaching something, it might be 60 or even 90 seconds.
Annette Richmond (16:21.559)
So I have a quick win that you can do today. Right after listening to this podcast, record one 10 second clip. It might be you sitting at your desk or walking your dog, whatever captures your attention. And then add one on-screen tip and post it. Done.
Annette Richmond (16:53.687)
Thanks again for joining me for this episode. I hope you picked up a tip or two. And if you did, please share it with a friend. I know they'll thank you.
