August 2011 Newsletter
Video Newsletter
BizThinking
After 23 years of owning a business, you learn a lot! CK has started a business blog to share some of the fun and interesting things she knows from a business perspective. It’s called BizThinking. It’s sort of like having your own personal business coach! The tips you’ll find on the site aren’t just for start-ups... and they don’t just apply to business owners. They’re unconventional strategies for anyone in the business world. So, check out the blog, and if you think it’s useful, think about subscribing!
Amp Up Your Annual Report
It happens once a year... companies and organizations scramble to collect facts and figures to report to shareholders how far they’ve come... and give them a preview of where they’re going.
Sometimes the results are delivered in a glossy 4-color report or in a long, drawn out PowerPoint presentation. But, there’s hope. A number of organizations we work with have ditched the old way of doing things, and this year will “wow” their board, shareholders and others with a fast paced, high-energy video recap of the year.
South Central Michigan Works is changing things up. Here’s what they wanted:
- a way to visualize the successes of SCMW this year... and look to the future.
- a marketing tool
- a website video to help people understand all this organization does (hint: they go far beyond helping people find a job)
Annual reports are filled with required information, but don’t always help the reader connect to the organization or get a feel for their mission.
We understand that, and created a piece we think meets all of SCMW’s needs. So next year, think about amping up your year-end report!
International Training Videos
We create lots of training videos…but training in a different language is a whole different ballgame.
We’re in a global society, and many of our customers are international organizations. For Dematic, we’ve created a series of training videos for installers that are in English, German and also have closed captioning.
Need to create video that goes beyond the U.S.? Here are some tips:
- Use native speakers: We’ve developed a good, solid relationship with an organization that has access to native speakers in almost every language. It’s very important that the narrator understands that country’s dialect, and isn’t just translating word for word. Sometimes there’s a different way to say something and native speakers can help with that.
- Give translators access to the video before recording: Of course, things are said differently across different languages. Dematic uses the term RAT as an abbreviation for Right Angle Transfers…and they say it like the rodent. Well, in German…it obviously doesn’t make any sense to translate “rat” word for word. This is just one example. If the translator can see the video, they’ll use their judgment to find the best way to communicate the message.
- Prepare for length variation: When translating from English to almost any other language, the length of the script changes. For example, Spanish uses about 25% more words to say the same thing, so adjustments have to be made to the length of the shots. To be efficient, we create both the translated and English versions of the video at the same time so we can make those adjustments simultaneously.
- Add time to your production schedule: The process of matching the translated script to the video can be time consuming. We have to move through the script very slowly, comparing the English version to the translated version to ensure accuracy.
9/11 Tribute - 10 Years Later
It’s hard to believe the attacks on the World Trade Center & the Pentagon happened 10 years ago. This September, we’re producing the Cascade Community Foundation’s 9/11 Tribute Concert. There are so many tributes going on nationwide this September in honor of those lost…and CK & CO is glad to be a part of one.
The event tells the remarkable stories of local Red Cross volunteers who went to ground zero shortly after the terrorist attacks. It’ll also feature a video of members of the community, from firefighters to children too young to remember, sharing a special reading of the poem, The Heart of America.
The event will also feature nationally known pianist Sam Stryke, Voices of Freedom & the Great Lakes Chorus.
For more information on the event, visit the Foundation’s website.