We are always updating our hardware and software to keep our studio and edit facilities up to date. We have recently been enjoying the new features of our 16-channel Presonus digital mixer. We selected this model and features so we could use it on location and in the studio. Our last console was a 10 channel Amek analogue console. She had truly served us well but a lot has changed since her installation and we needed the versatility of digital mixer for multi-purpose requirements as an A/V company.

When choosing a digital mixer there are two main questions to ask – does the feature set meet my current and future needs? and does the experience of using it match the features of the tech spec? What we needed was a mixer with the ability to function in a range of scenarios, i.e. for a conference or in house voice-over. It would need an ergonomic and easy to use design, Firewire input/output, with flexibility of its connectivity and on-board effects processing. We wanted a well laid out design that felt at home in the studio or on location.

With every mixer there are pros and cons however the Presonus is a good solid product, a pleasure to use and its feature set suited our needs.

Its integration into our studio was seamless, simply re-routing our connections. We have been enjoying creating pre-sets on the mixer for our clients, so when we have a studio session or conference we are ready to go or if we have a new task ahead of us we can easily program as session on the go.

A few years ago we were asked to work on a video production called ‘Titanic Voices’. As is usual we created a file of all the materials from the production and stored it in our archives. There it remained for many years until a couple of weeks ago when we were looking at its contents.

We were surprised to find a copy of what looks like an old newsreel video ‘loop’ of the Titanic. We are unsure why we have it as the editor who worked on the ‘Titanic Voices’ years ago has now retired and does not remember where the newsreel came from or what it was going to be used for.

We contacted to the SeaCity Museum for any information but they were unable to help so we edited a 1 minute ‘show-reel’ (see below) from the near 12 minutes of footage we have got.

We understand that following the disaster such newsreel footage would have been shown in public. It is likely that the footage is not all that it purports to be. Scenes of Captain Smith inspecting the ship and her leaving the harbor may not be of the Titanic but probably her sister ship the RMS Olympic which he also Captained before transferring to the Titanic for her maiden voyage . The clues are  images where ‘scratches’ appear. They seem to overwrite signage that may show it is not actually shots of the Titanic. For example in the video below at 00.16 to 00.19 seconds in there is a scratch to the right of the captains head as he looks over the side. What was there that someone wanted to hide?

If anyone knows about the film please contact us and let us know.

So what images are on the full film?

• It starts with images of crew member Richard Geddes and his wife Sarah Anne and a letter he sent her from the ship. Sadly he was not a survivor.
• Captain Smith inspecting the ship on the day of its sailing
• Views of the First, Second and Third Class Promenade Decks, telegraph and ships equipment
• Passengers boarding the ship and walking around
• Passenger baggage being loaded onto the ship
• The ship departing with passengers and shore people waving her off (probably the Olympic as the tugs have had their names scratched out)
• Tugs moving the liner away from the dock

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

There is then newsreel of the RMS Carpathia which rescued survivors from RMS Titanic. This part of the newsreel shows what appears to be members of RMS Carpathia’s crew, her Master - Captain Rostron, what appears to be rescued passengers from Titanic including the Reverend Stuart Collett of New York and life belts and lifeboats from RMS Titanic. It is interesting to note that details of the survivors do not mention that Mr Collett was a Reverend and came from New York.

A final personal link to the Titanic is that one of our team who worked on the ‘Titanic Voices’ production lives in the house that Walter Perkis lived in. Walter was a Quartermaster on the Titanic and crewed one of the lifeboats and so survived.

The studio had to be kitted out the other day for a special video and audio recording task.

A video had been shot on location at Mithril Racing at Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit. As sometimes happens with location shooting last minute issues overtake carefully prepared plans. In this case the ‘talking-head’ recording with Chris Taylor, the Managing Director of Mithril Racing, had to take place in a room with acoustics that produced an echo. Although sound dampening was used on location it still left enough echo to make us unhappy. The shots of the motor cars in action and interviews with customers enjoying days out on the racetrack were perfect.

The challenge was how to improve the sound. Whilst there is a lot our sound engineers can do post-production in the edit suites it was impossible to remove all traces of the echo. A re-shoot at the location was not justified economically so it was decided to use the studio for a re-shoot. This also meant we could use green screen to give us flexibility for special effects such as the ‘talking head’ against the background of cars racing on the track.

You can play the two sound tracks below to hear the difference between the on-location sound versus in-studio.

In some cases location sound is preferred to studio sound as it is live and so can enhance the authenticity, the rawness and the feeling of it ‘being in the moment’. In this case the production was improved by having clearer sound in the voice-over especially when combined with Chris as a ‘talking head’.

The studio already has a fixed rig to take lighting units suspended from ceilings and columns but in this case a series of free standing Ari lights (150W, 300W and 500W) were used with reflector panels. The panels are used to bounce-back diffused light so giving an overall glow effect rather than being focussed as a ‘hot spot’ on the presenter. This helped the presenter stand out more against the green screen which makes chromo-keying images later much easier and more effective (chromo-keying is used extensively in feature films for special effects. Either Computer Generated Images or second video is ‘keyed’ around the outline of another video shot against a ‘green screen’. For an example of us using green screen for some TV adverts with David Beckham see here).

By varying the light intensity via the built-in barn doors and a fader mechanism on the lights we were able to ensure the outline of the presenter against the green screen was very sharp and clear.

Ari lights

The ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots below show the process.

In the first shot is a still from the video shot on the day at Mithril Racing. The second shot is taken from the video recording made of Chris in the green screen in the studio. The third shot is taken where we have blended the video from Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit with that of Chris to make it appear that the cars are racing around just behind him.

When working with green screen the higher the resolution of the video camera the better. The BBC has a standard of 50Mbps. The Sony XDCAM 350 camera used on the studio ‘talking head’ shoot is  rated at 35Mbps internally but with a Nanoflash box attached this can be boosted up to 280Mbps.  This means it exceeds the quality needed for even the highest resolution TV available. In effect the output can be projected onto a cinema size screen and look fantastic. It also means the file sizes are enormous! This exceeds the quality people can watch videos at on their computers, tablets or smartphones but if you shoot at high quality levels you can always reduce the quality to match the viewing capabilities. The reverse is not true. Poor quality video cannot be scaled up for use on HD TV or projected onto large screens. It will look ‘pixelated’ and rough.

After post-production in the studio we have a video that can be used on the clients web as well as in DVDs and data projected onto large screens without any loss of quality.

Being in business for over 30 years means we have a fair amount of ‘archive’ material but we love it when people bring their old cine film and VHS tapes into our studio and ask us to convert them to DVD and online content.

We were lucky enough to have someone from The Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club come in the other day. The Club celebrates its 60th Anniversary this weekend (March 24th/25th 2012) and we were asked if we could help with some cine film of what was probably their first production for Christmas 1953.

The Club used to meet and use the old Southampton Ice Rink. This was situated alongside the old speedway stadium at what is now called Charles Knott Gardens in honor of the founder of Southampton Vikings ice hockey team and owner of the land – Charlie Knott Jnr. Click here for more details. Footage of the speedway stadium can be found here.

The Rink itself opened in 1931 and finally closed in 1988. A history of the rink from 1931, through its rebuilding after war time damage in 1940 and its use for ice hockey can be found here

The original Cine film had been converted to VHS. We digitised it and converted it to DVD with some additional document scans for use at the Clubs reunion.

We are sure it will bring back happy memories for many people.

We thought it would be nice to share it with a wider audience by putting it out as webvideo on our site and we were kindly given permission to do so. Some people may remember the Christmas show of 1953 or even spot themselves on ice!

We have been reliably informed that the barrel jumper that can be seen at 02.35 to 02.53 was one the UK’s leading experts in this skill!

Details of the Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club can be found here. A book on the history of the club by Eileen de Lisle and Brian Cox can be found here.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

At the start of World War II it quickly became apparent that all the trained and in-training RAF and Royal Navy pilots would be needed for combat roles and the important task of ferrying freshly built aircraft from factory to Maintenance Units for armament and radio fitting or moving them between airfields would need to be given to non-RAF and RN pilots. As a result civilian pilots were recruited and the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was formed. The ATA web site explains the history in detail.

Initially only male pilots were recruited but within a few months this was expanded to include women who were qualified civilian pilots.

At the FlyToThePast 2011 airshow at Oxford airport were lucky enough to meet two of the former ATA female pilots and interview them.

Molly Rose joined the the ATA in 1942 and Joy Lofthouse joined in 1943.

In the interview below Molly and Joy talk about how women ATA pilots achieved a notable first when they were awarded equal pay with men (to lose it after the war was over). They also talk about how lucky they feel they were to have the chance to fly and seem almost embarrassed to been singled out for media attention in the last few years when everyone did what they could during WWII, even if was working in a wartime factory. They share their experiences of having no radio contact with the ground and relying on a compass and map reading to find the airfields they were delivering the aircraft to. They talk about the value of visual objects such as railway lines, tree clumps and checkpoints for navigation when airfields were camouflaged and all signs for road and railway stations had been removed for security. They also talk about the risk of death and injury when flying at low altitude and avoiding wires from barrage balloons especially over Southampton Waters. They also talk affectionately about the Hamble airfield where they were based, the multinationals represented there and the hobbies and pastimes they undertook while waiting to take off and the availability of locally picked fresh strawberries in the summer.

The interview was recorded on location at the FlyToThePast airshow held at Oxford airport in 2011. Post-production and editing was done at our audio-video studios in Southampton.

For more information visit the ATA museum at White Waltham in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

At the start of World War II it quickly became apparent that all the trained and in-training RAF and Royal Navy pilots would be needed for combat roles and the important task of ferrying freshly built aircraft from factory to Maintenance Units for armament and radio fitting or moving them between airfields would need to be given to non-RAF and RN pilots. As a result civilian pilots were recruited and the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was formed. The ATA web site explains the history in detail.

Initially only male pilots were recruited but within a few months this was expanded to include women who were qualified civilian pilots.

At the FlyToThePast 2011 airshow at Oxford airport were lucky enough to meet two of the former ATA female pilots and interview them.

Joy Lofthouse joined the ATA in 1943 when they started recruiting people who would be trained to fly as all qualified civilian pilots had already been recruited and were in service!

In the interview Joy talks about how the women ATA pilots progressed from being allowed to fly single engine training aircraft to single seat fighter aircraft (Hurricane and Spitfire), twin engine aircraft and in some cases even 4 engine heavy bombers (Lancaster). She also talks about how important the Ferry Pilot Notes were in helping explain handing characteristics. Very important when you cannot be trained to fly a single seat aircraft. Every flight will be solo – even the first one!

For more information visit the ATA museum dedicated at White Waltham in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

At the start of World War II it quickly became apparent that all the trained and in-training RAF and Royal Navy pilots would be needed for combat roles and the important task of ferrying freshly built aircraft from factory to Maintenance Units for armament and radio fitting or moving them between airfields would need to be given to non-RAF and RN pilots. As a result civilian pilots were recruited and the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was formed. The ATA web site explains the history in detail.

Initially only male pilots were recruited but within a few months this was expanded to include women who were qualified civilian pilots.

At the FlyToThePast 2011 airshow at Oxford airport were lucky enough to meet two of the former ATA female pilots and interview them them both.

Molly Rose was an experienced pilot before the war having gained her civilian licence by learning to fly her brothers Tiger Moth. She joined the ATA in 1942.

In the interview Molly talks about how the women ATA pilots progressed from being allowed to fly single engine training aircraft to single seat fighter aircraft (Hurricane and Spitfire), twin engine aircraft and in some cases even 4 engine heavy bombers (Lancaster). She also talks about how important the Ferry Pilot Notes were in helping explain handing characteristics. Very important when you cannot be trained to fly a single seat aircraft. Every flight will be solo – even the first one!

The video interview was shot on location at the FlyToThePast airshow held at Oxford airport in 2011 and edited at our audio-video studios in Southampton.

For more information visit the ATA museum dedicated at White Waltham in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

At the recent FoodRisC project meeting in Dublin, Dr Wim Verbeke, Professor of Agro-Food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at Ghent University, was interviewed by Dr Josephine Wills, Director General of the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) about the research he is leading.

In the interview he discusses his teams research dealing with the conceptualisation of food risks, benefits and crises. His team interviewed consumers, stakeholders and experts to discover their perceptions surrounding these issues in the context of food. Also explored was the use of social media in food risk communications and the barriers experienced by stakeholders and experts. In this interview, Wim explains the findings of these in depth interviews, their impact and the next steps in the project.

During the interview Wim talks about the size and scope of the research (160 interviews across 6 countries) and the findings. His team discovered that experts expressed concerns about the value and use of social media communications during a risk or crisis but understood that increasing use by consumers would mean that it would have a role to play. They were also cautious about their use due to their lack of experience at using it and the time they needed to invest to understand it better. They were also concerned about the fact that everyone could express opinions which meant that misinformation and errors may be likely to circulate widely. Consumers interviewed said they used social media to keep in touch with friends and family, for entertainment and information sharing and seeking.

The podcast interview can be heard here:

The whole project was completed in less than a day and the result can be seen here

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

What did the client think?

Benita Playfoot of TeamBP said ‘Focus were great to work with. They were fast and creative in what they did. We were very pleased with the result’.

Last summer (August 2011) we helped the Fly To The Past event organiser use social media to maximise the numbers of people attending the airshow/family fun day at Oxford Airport. In the end over 10,000 people attended. It was so successful that another event has been planned for 2012 – but this time over two days on September 1st and 2nd.

Before last years event we are able to do a number of phone interviews with the organisers, members of the Oxford Airport team, aircraft pilots and owners as well as a number of the ground exhibitors. You can listen to those interviews at this blog post.

We were also asked to film the event on the day. We are able to meet many of the people we had spoken to over the phone and others besides. We were asked to make the interviews available and also create a short video recording what had happened on the day and use it to help promote this years event. This is the video below. It is also on YouTube and on the FlyToThePast blog site together with all the video interviews we recorded on the day.

The integrated use of audio podcasts, Twitter, blogging and Facebook and now these online and YouTube videos are a great example of how social media can help make an event successful and promote follow up events cost effectively.

The video was shot on location at Oxford airport with post-production and editing done at our audio-video studios in Southampton.

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

Last year we were asked to help promote the Fly To The Past event at Oxford Airport and we are delighted to have been invited back to help again this year.   Due to it’s popularity, this year’s event will be held over two days at Oxford Airport on 1st & 2nd September 2012.  Ticket details and more information can be found on the Fly To The Past website here.

Prior to the event Focus arranged a series of audio interviews with the pilots, organisers and ground exhibitors so the public could learn more about the people involved, and the aircraft they own and fly.

You can listen to the audio interviews here on the Fly To The Past blog.  These interviews were produced in the weeks before the event when planning and preparation for the show was underway.

Focus filmed a variety of interviews at the event.

An interview with pilot, Alex Smee, who was flying the Bücker Jungmeister (see above) is available on the video interview section of the The Fly To The Past blog – here. 

Alex talked about the Jungmeister and how it’s wonderful performance and flying characteristics helped ensure it was the trainer of choice by the German Luftwaffe in the mid 1930′s.  He also tells us about his aerobatic routine in the near 80 year old Jungmeister, and how he uses smoke to help the audience follow the plane.

For more information on the Jungmeister see http://incomparablejungmeister.weebly.com/index.html

We have now updated our schedule of half day Social Media Overview and Getting Started Workshops and half day Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshops for Q1 2012.

The Overview and Getting Started Workshop aims to give everyone a good understanding of when and why social media started to grow as rapidly as it has done (and continues to do so), what the usage patterns are across Europe and review a number of case studies to understand how other organisations – public and private sector – are using the various tools successfully.  The second half of the session focusses on setting up and developing content for Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and blogs. We will also look at the value of LinkedIn for online community networking. The Workshop is kept small – no more than 4 people – to ensure that the needs of each attendee and their organisations can be addressed.

The Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshops are also kept to a maximium of 4 people so that we spend the maximum amount of time in the studio working on planning, recording, editing and producing a podcast and then learn how social media can help promotion to maximise audience engagement. In the Workshop we will cover the use of audio and video for e-Learning and for internal and external communication.  We will look at case studies of organisations that are sucessfully using podcasts, web video and webinars.

The dates for the next workshops are:

Date                                                                                                                                

February 21st 2012                       Overview and Getting Started Workshop                          10.00 – 13.00

February 21st 2012                      Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshop               14.00 – 17.00

March 13th 2012                           Overview and Getting Started Workshop                           10.00 – 13.00

March 13th 2012                           Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshop                14.00 – 17.00

Details of each workshop are are shown below:

Overview and Getting Started Workshop

Using a mix of case studies and practical examples delegates will learn how to:

• Develop a business case for senior management and boards
• Prepare a social media strategy and plan
• Provide usage guidelines/training for employees
• Maximise the value of communities for employee recruitment, retention and skills development
• Understand the dynamics of online communities
• About the role of influencers and ‘crowd sourcing’ ideas and content
• How to use key tools effectively to engage with online communities (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Flickr, and Podcasts)
• How to generate regular content to attract and retain audiences
• How to integrate social media communication with traditional marketing campaigns
• How to set and measure ROI
• How to track and analyse what people are saying about you and your industry and 3rd party organisations/competitors

The session will be interactive with exercises, use of internet resources and examination and exploration of case studies and practical examples from a range of public and private sector organisations.

All delegates will gain enough knowledge and understanding to either start or improve their organisations use of social media.

Who should attend?  Marketing managers, customer service managers and others involved in talking to and engaging with customers and prospective customers and influencers.

Lasts 3 hours.  Refreshments provided.

Cost – £75 plus VAT

Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshop 

Using the technical facilities in the studio as well as practical examples you will learn

• How to plan and organise podcast production
• How to script, prepare and conduct interviews
• How to develop ideas for a series to help maximise the opportunity for community growth
• How to prepare to be interviewed and conduct interviews*
• The practicalities of audio and video production in offices, studios and on location
• The value of audio and video in e-learning (internal and external) and employee communication
• About audio and video recording equipment
• How to editing and finalise audio and video
• Post production – the power of music, voice-overs and advanced editing techniques
• Publishing online – YouTube, iTunes and self hosting
• Engaging with the audience and crowdsourcing content
• How to use social media to help establish and grow communities
• The value and use of webinars and web video

(* Note:  For details of our Advanced Presentation Skills course please see here)

During the session extensive use will be made of the recording and editing facilities in the studios and in-house technical resources.  All delegates will be actively involved in the production of an audio podcast about their organisation. This will be post-produced and hosted by Focus free of charge for 12 months so providing organisations with a way to help promote their business and evaluate the value of podcasts.

Case studies and practical examples will also be used throughout the session.

All delegates will leave with enough knowledge to be able to plan and start scripting audio and video content and to evaluate the value of web based video and webinars to their organisations.

Who should attend?  HR specialists with a responsibility for employee communications and training/skills development, communications and CSR specialists, marketing and customer services managers.

The Workshop lasts 3 hours.  Refreshments are provided.

Cost – £145 plus VAT

All are held at our studios in Southampton where we have ample parking in our onsite car park or free on the local roads.

We filmed ‘The Big Event’ event and will soon be editing footage to make a variety of videos to capture the event for their website.

For information on Brendoncare and how you can get involved visit: brendoncare.org.uk

‘Jext’

We worked with White Communications who provided us with the script. We prepared all the relevant material to deliver a clear and succinct video to complement the presentation. We filmed all the close-ups in our studio, then added bullet points, still images, and, text on top of the footage.

Due to  the nature of this device, clear and direct instructions on how to confidently recognise symptoms and follow all the necessary procedures when administering intramuscular adrenaline were key. Some careful editing of the narration was applied to ensure the instructions conformed to their guidelines.

Some custom images also helped sections of the video to flow nicely and deliver the key points on instructions. The video can be found at Jext.co.uk where they have posted it on the page for healthcare professionals.

Try Focus for your next audio or video studio session.  Contact us

Did you know that Agencies and Producers in the South of England use Focus studios in Southampton? 

Everything you need to make great audio and video content is right here – no need to travel to London.  Great news for Clients, Talent, and Budgets.

But don’t take our word for it!  Just this week Fred Dinenage was in the studio, recording Voiceovers for  Fred Dinenage’s Murder Casebook which Talent South are producing for the Crime and Investigation Network.  Fred’s links were recorded direct to our SADiE audio workstation, and edited right away.  From start to finish the session took less than 2 hours, far less time than it would have taken to commute to London and back …

Dervla Kirwan has been in to record Commercial Voiceovers for Agencies in London and Dublin … Louise Minchin and Nick Knowles recorded Voiceovers here for BBC1′s ‘Real Rescues’ for Topical Television … and Chris Packham pops in every now and then.

Our studio is great for Voiceovers, Interviews or as a TV Presentation Studio. It has a lighting grid and green or blue screen backgrounds for video work, and with ISDN audio links to connect with Studios, Clients and Voices worldwide.  Clients can record to picture, syncing with tape or video files, we ‘top and tail’ all audio files so they can be used directly in an edit.  We usually deliver final audio files by email or FTP.

Try Focus for your next audio or video studio session.  Contact us right away.

Presenting to an audience can be a challenging experience for many people.  Even for people who do it often!

Getting the right message, ensuring it is delivered with maximum impact and then understood and reacted to positively by the audience is a skill. In my 20 year career in marketing and corporate communications I presented to audiences all over the world and was interviewed live on TV and radio.  After all that time and literally thousands of presentations I still get ‘butterflies’ before I have to speak publicly.  The trick is to control the nerves and use them in a way that adds value to the message communication and hence benefits the audience.

The same is true when recording video and audio podcasts except you do not have an audience in front of you to interact and engage with.  Some people will see having no audience as a positive but actually it isn’t. An audience can be interacted with and so provide feedback and energy as well as being able to refine the message in real time and check if it has been received.  You can see that best illustrated in a comedy routine where a top entertainer can reach a different level because of the rapport and engagement achieved between them and the audience.

So how can you enhance your performance and impact and actually enjoy the experience at the same time?

We run coaching courses for people who want to excel at presenting and communicating to audiences via the internet. We run podcast and webinar presentation and communication skills training in our Southampton studios – making full use of the audio and video recording and editing suites we have available to assist with review and feedback.  Whilst the coaching is targeted at audio and video over the internet the coaching is just as valuable when working with a live audience rather than a virtual one.

What will you learn?

Based upon our own experience of presenting to audiences as well as many years recording audio and video content and messages for our clients in Europe we have developed a comprehensive coaching session covering the following:

• The key elements of a successful presentation
• How to plan a presentation
• How to structure a message and use variable pace
• Preparing presentation and interview scripts
• How to evaluate and work any audience (including those you cannot see!) 
• The best type of language and phrases to use to maximise impact
• How to develop rapport and empathy with any audience
• How to manage nerves to enhance performance
• The power of body language (even when the audience cannot see you)
• Posture and stance to help maximise voice projection and impact
• How to occupy a space and project yourself
• How to work with props and Powerpoint slides

The course lasts a day.  Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

The course is limited to a maximum of 4 people to ensure everyone gets maximum chances to practice and review all audio and video recordings made.

Cost is £375 plus VAT for the day.

Note:  This course is usually run in association with the Audio and Video Production Workshop held at our studios in Southampton.  In the Workshops delegates learn how to script, record, edit and produce audio and video podcasts.  The Advanced Presentation Skills coaching is aimed at helping people perfect their presentation skills in front of an live audience as well as a studio camera or microphone.

We have now updated our schedule of half day Social Media Overview and Briefing Session and half day Audio and Video Podcast Production Workshops for the rest of 2011.

The Podcast Workshops have been designed to complement the half day Social Media Overview and Briefing Sessions by focussing on the practical side of producing audio and video podcasts, webinars and web video.

The Overview and Briefing Sessions aim to give everyone a good understanding of when and why social media started to grow as rapidly as it has done (and continues to do so), what the usage patterns are across Europe and review a number of case studies to understand how other organisations – public and private sector – are using the various tools successfully.  The objective is that by the end of the session everyone will have enough knowledge to go back into their organisations and advise their management on what strategy (or not!) they should adopt.  We also ensure that practical experience is gained on how to use some of the most popular social media tools – Facebook, Flicker, Blogs, Podcasts and Twitter.

Briefing sessions are kept small – no more than 6 people – so that the case studies and practical side of using social media can be reviewed and discussed with every delegate relevant to their own organisations need.

The Audio and Video Podcast Workshops are kept even smaller – only up to 4 people – so that we spend the maximum amount of time in the studio working on planning, recording, editing and producing audio podcasts and then evaluate how using social media can help promote them to maximise traffic.  We will cover the use of audio and video for e-Learning and for employee as well as external customer communication.  We will look at how to develop content so allowing a series of podcasts to be produced.  We will look at case studies of organisations that are sucessfully using podcasts, web video and webinars.

Details of what each session covers are detailed below:

Social Media Overview and Briefing :

Using a mix of case studies and practical examples delegates will learn how to:

• Develop a business case for senior management and boards
• Prepare a social media strategy and plan
• Provide usage guidelines/training for employees
• Maximise the value of communities for employee recruitment, retention and skills development
• Understand the dynamics of online communities
• About the role of influencers and ‘crowd sourcing’ ideas and content
• How to use key tools effectively to engage with online communities (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Flickr, and Podcasts)
• How to integrate social media communication with traditional marketing campaigns
• How to set and measure/track ROI

The session will be interactive with exercises, use of internet resources and examination and exploration of case studies and practical examples from a range of public and private sector organisations.

All delegates will gain enough knowledge and understanding to either start or improve their organisations use of social media.

Who should attend?  Marketing managers, customer service managers and others involved in talking to and engaging with customers and prospective customers and influencers.

Lasts 3 hours.  Refreshments provided.

Cost – £75 plus VAT

Audio and Video Podcasts – Studio based workshop

Using the technical facilities in the studio as well as practical examples you will learn:

-         How to plan and organise podcast production

-          How to script, prepare and conduct interviews

-          How to develop ideas for a series to help maximise the opportunity for community growth

-          How to prepare to be interviewed and conduct interviews*

-          The practicalities of audio and video production in offices, studios and locations

-          The role of audio and video in e-learning (internal and external) and employee communication

-          About audio and video recording equipment

-          How to editing and finalise audio and video

-          Post production – the power of music, voice-overs and advanced editing techniques

-          Publishing online – YouTube, iTunes and self hosting

-          Engaging with the audience and crowdsourcing content

-          How to use social media to help establish and grow communities

-          How to create video from audio and still images

-          How to maximise audience attendance at Webinars and produce them

(* Note:  For details of our Advanced Presentation Skills course please see here)

During the session extensive use will be made of the recording and editing facilities in the studios and in-house technical resources.  All delegates will be actively involved in some part of the production – planning, participation,  production and promotion.

Case studies and practical examples will also be used throughout the session.

All delegates will leave with enough knowledge to be able to plan and start scripting audio and video content and to evaluate the value of web based video and webinars to their organisations.

Who should attend?  HR specialists with a responsibility for employee communications and training/skills development, communications and CSR specialists, marketing and customer services managers.

The Workshop lasts 3 hours.  Refreshments are provided.

Cost – £145 plus VAT

Dates for Briefings and Workshops in 2011:

September 27th – Social Media Overview & Briefing

October 11th -  Audio & Video Podcasts Workshop

November 1st (AM) – Social Media Overview and Briefing session

November 1st (PM) – Studio Audio & Video Podcasts Workshop

December 6th (AM) – Social Media Overview and Briefing session

December 6th (PM) – Studio Audio & Video Podcasts Workshop

To book call 023 8044 8822

Overview and Briefing Sessions cost £75 + VAT

Studio Audio and Video Podcast Workshops cost £145+ VAT each

All are held at our studios in Southampton where we have ample parking in our onsite car park or free on the local roads.

Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bucks -The Learning Ladder (01865 893354)

London - Digital Marketing Institute -  module as part of a digital marketing training - 5 day full time course and 12 week evening course. (+353 1271888 – Dublin)

Its been really fun talking to the organisers, pilots and other participants of the Fly To The Past airshow that is happening at Oxford airport on August 21st. The podcast interviews can be found here.

We have spoken to:

Robert Pleming, CEO, Vulcan To The Sky Trust about his organisations mission to keep the last remaining Vulcan bomber flying.

Martin Willing, pilot of the T28 Fenec about his career as an RAf and then commercial airline pilot and the aircraft he is flying

John Miller, leader of the John Miller Orchestra and Big Band Sound

Chris Orphanou, MD of London Oxford Airport and his role and the airports to suport Oxfordshires economy

James Dillon-Godfray, Development Manager at London Oxford Airport on the continued investement and development

Francis Rockliff, Creative Director of FlyToThePast on what creative content is being developed as part of the show

David Hurst, Commercial Director, Fly To The Past on what is happening with the event

Mike Orr, Photographer on the technololgy behind ‘instant memories’ – taking pictures with planes and printing immediately

John Davis, Flying Display Director on what is involved in ensuring the safety of aircraft, pilots and the audience

What has been great fun is watching how this event has develooped over the last few months or so and having the opportunity to meet and talk to those taking part.

On the day we will be at the show with a number of camera crews, photographers and audio recording engineers to capture the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the event and share some of the flavour to those that maybe unable to attend in person.

We have been interviewing speakers at the OxFocus business leaders networking meeting for a while now.

The October OxFocus speaker is Rob Lindley, VP and MD of Harley-Davidson, European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).  I got to meet Rob at their Oxford Science Park offices. The reception area, meeting rooms, hallways and walls either have images of motor bikes or the bikes themselves. (See pictures here). To support the branding impact most employees I saw had a working ‘uniform’ of branded clothing.

In my interview with him (on the OxFocus site) Rob talked about his own background in the motor car industry and how despite the recession they are growing in the EMEA region. He talked at length about the reasons for the continued strong financial performance.

Rob will be discussing the reasons for the continued strong performance at the October OxFocus meeting.

It looks interesting.  Google says “The +1 button combines word of mouth with the power of Google search by incorporating personal recommendations right into search results and ads on Google.com. By putting the +1 button on your pages you can help your site stand out, bringing you more, better qualified traffic from organic search results and search ads.

“Let’s say you run a travel review site. Brian is having a wonderful time at the Grand Hotel in Madrid, and he visits the Grand Hotel page on your siteto find out what other guests are saying. He sees your +1 button and clicks it, recommending your page to his friends and contacts. Six months later, Brian’s friend Ann is planning a Spanish vacation of herown. She signs in to her Google account, searches for Madrid hotels, andsees your review site – along with the personalized annotation that Brian+1’d it. Knowing that Brian recommends your site helps Ann decide whereto start her travel research.

They go on to say ” Since January 2010, we’ve been using public data from social services, such as Twitter and Flickr, as signals in organic search rankings. Now we’ll use+1’s as an additional signal in organic search to help users find recommendations from their friends and contacts.As results become more personal and relevant, we believe that users are not only more likely to visit your site, but they’re more likely to interact with it as well. Personalized annotations bring you pre-qualified users,who are not only actively looking for your content, but are actively engaged after seeing recommendations from friends and contacts. This powerful combination may result in deeper engagement with your site overall.You can add +1 buttons to your site in a matter of minutes! Simply add a small snippet of JavaScript to every page where you’d like the +1 button to appear. To configure the button code for your site and generate the snippet, visit http://google.com/webmasters/+1button”

For organisations, Google+1 looks like an important new tool.

But for users there’s a question hanging over these things.  ’What’s in it for me?’  Why would an individual bother to click ‘Like’ or ‘+1?

And crucially ‘What are the privacy issues?’  After the saga of Google Buzz, we need to know!

We presented at the Social Media Conference in Bracknell yesterday. Our subject was using the internet to deliver audio and video to a wide audience (even globally) cost effectively.

The other speakers covered a wide range of speakers and I learnt a lot or was reminded again of a number of important points.

This is what I learnt/relearnt:

Ant Hodges (Twitter)

Grow your followers organically. Avoid automated tools.

Grow through conversations – teach, help and give – to the community. If you are valued – you will be followed.

Listen before ‘talking’

Don’t try and balance your following with followers

Do a little a day

Use scheduling tools and platforms such as HootSuite and TweetDeck.

I was struck by how similar to sort of thing you hear ‘networking gurus’ say about how to work a room.

My own personal experience of Twitter is this. I look at every ‘Follower’ to see how active that person is and what their profile says and read some of their Tweets. I avoid the following:

Any that send out a stream of ‘Quotes for the day’

Any that ‘Follow’ but have no personal profile or picture

Any that have irrelevant topics for me (or my clients)

I actively follow people that post useful information and comments as well as those that link through to information, research and other interesting news. They may not follow me back but that does not matter as they are in effect acting as ‘market researchers and analysts’ helping me improve my knowledge and awareness. I also use it to keep in regular touch with contacts.

Nigel Morgan (Facebook) 

Nigel gave great advice on how to get people to ‘like’ you and clearly explained why personal and business pages should be kept seperate. I must admit I try and keep my personal account to people I know, consider friends and keep in touch with as well as family so I try and keep business relationships on our company pages.

Nigel advised that you consider having a welcome video on your Facebook site. As a video production company we can vote for that suggestion!  He also recommended competitions. From working with clients I know that they work very well but I would caution that whilst bring traffic you have to remember that a percentage of the traffic will not stay around or actively engage with you. Finding topics and threads to contribute to or suggest works well. Within the larger B2C brands – Pringle, Starbucks, and Coca Cola have very popular and active sites. 

Nigel also gave good advice on how companies can provide much more content than they may realise and often do not maximise the synergy between traditional marketing/PR and social networking.

Graham Jones (LinkedIn)

Graham pointed out that whilst LinkedIn maybe has less members than the two above it is a professional social networking site that really does make a ’6 degrees of seperation’ a reality. He aslo pointed out – using personal stories and refering to research that for many it is less than 3 degrees of separation.

Graham advised that the free version was powerful enough for everyone except recruitment consultants but that most people did not fully complete their profile or make use of friend-of-a-friend introductions.

He pointed out that he always checks who has been looking at his profile and checks back on them to see if what he does could be of service to them.

He pointed out that setting up a Special Interest Group can be very powerful and once active the membership themsleves usually drive the content and conversations.

He said that the built in search tools helps target his services and also finds relevant Groups for him to join, enter into the conversation and so gain credibility.

The final recomendation I noted down was to make full use of LinkedIn Answers. By participating in the online Q&A you can see who has interesting things to say on the subject and also raise your profile and get support from the community.

Paul Allen (15 productivity tools)

Paul demo’d a number of products he has used/uses to enhance his productivity.

Google Alerts – to track down sources of information and have it delivered to your desktop via RSS feed

Twitter Grader – to identify people active in your local

TweetAdder (not recommended by Ant) – used to find Tweeters on specific subjects

UnTweeps – identify those Followers who are inactive

TwitCleaner – as the name suggests

Audioboo – for recording audio podcasts via ‘smartphone’

Animoto – a tool for video editing and production

He also mentioned Digg, StumbleUpon, and Delicious as great social bookmarking and highlighting tools.

He also talked as others did about using TweetDeck and Hootsuite to manage data columns and scheduling of Tweets during the day or week.

As Paul was one of three people doing ‘breakout workshops’ I was not able to sit in on the other two by Dave Griffin and Sarah Arrow. However if you are interested in what they said you can always check out the podcast interview we did with them a few weeks before the conference asking what they planned to talk about. Sarah also kindly did a second podcast where she shared a number of the ‘tricks of the trade’. You can listen to them here.

You can also listen to podcasts by:

Tracy Thomas

Ian Hendry

Debra Mann

Graham Jones

Paul Allen

I will cover the afternoon presenters in a later post.

The July speaker at OxFocus is Professor Colin Mayer who is Dean of the Said Business School, Oxford University. OxFocus is sponsored by The Learning Ladder, OTCN and Charles Russell.

We interviewed Colin earlier this month about his presentation. A recording can be found here.

Colin will be talking about the role Said plays in educating local businesses at a number of levels and how it has worked successfully to become a top ranked UK Business School and well on the way to being in the elite of global worldclass providers.

Colin will also be talking about the importance of innovation for both the local and UK wide economy.

Every month business people in Oxfordshire gather to listen to a keynote speaker and network over lunch. The event is sponsored by The Learning Ladder, Charles Russell and OTCN. The event is held at the Oxfordshire Science Park. Focus interview each speaker a months or so before the event about their organisation and what they will be talking about.

Martin Dare-Edwards who is Site & UK Country Manager for Infineum spoke at the June OxFocus Business Meeting today in his capacity as Chair of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

Martin explained the role, the key objectives and its progress to date. He was clear that it would be a real challenge to step into the role SEEDA had played especially as they had in excess of £330m pa and the LEP has none.

He said that the guidelines from the Govt had been short and sweet…

1. Ensure the Partnership is led by business

2. Follow what was stated in the bid

3. Gather input from all local sources

4. Focus on collaboration

5. Don’t keep seeking advice from Govt

6. Provide advice on business needs back to Govt

7. Leadership in the local community is critical

Without a budget the LEP has to bid for Govt funding and focus on collaboration and facilitation projects.

Martin described the strategy as ‘Row, Steer and Cheer’.  The focus is

- Support and champion inward Investment by new and established companies

- Drive the development of  Infrastructure (broadband and road/rail transport)

- Ensure skills needs are met by skills development

Oxfordshire already has significant technological leadership in a number of areas such as pharma and eurospace but has also to address the mismatch of local employee skills to the future needs on these growth industries.

Slides of Martins presentation are available on SlideShare

A podcast interview with Martin talking about the LEP can be heard here. (Recorded May 2011)

The meeting will be hosted by the European Virtual Institute for Integrated Risk Management (EU-VRi).

The special theme of the conference this year is “Multi-risk analysis in a global world”.

The paper we will be presenting will be based on our work on the EU FoodRisc project. Our role in this is to evaluating the use of social media and online news media for Food Risk and Benefits Communication across the EU.

We are contrasting and comparing the dioxin contamination incident in Ireland in 2008 and the one in Germany in January 2011 as well as looking at the use of social media across the EU.

We will be presenting an update of our research work and findings so far at a session on Monday June 6^th.

Our research paper and presentation is called:

Risk Communication: Managing a real time crisis in the social media age: observations from the recent EU dioxin contamination.

The research has been conducted jointly with the European Food Information Council who are based in Brussels, Belgium.

The research, which continues throughout 2011, has involved the evaluation of close on 100 social media tracking and analysis tools for use in the project.

Variety Events has organised a follow up Social Media conference to the previous one in Feb.

The next one will again be in the Blue Mountain Golf Centre in Bracknell on June 17^th.

Booking details are here.

Debra Mann of Variety Events has invited some additional speakers who will be running Workshops on specific social media tools so answering the feedback previous delegates had requested.

The full line up of speakers and Workshop Leaders during the day is as follows:

You can listen to Debra explain what the feedback was from people who attended the event in February and what will be happening this time and why she has chosen additional people to run Workshops and present.

You can also listen to podcast interviews with the following presenters at the same place here:

I asked them about their background and what they will be sharing with delegates in June. So check them out….

-         Graham Jones

-          Paul Allen

-          Dave Griffin

-          Susan Arrow

Over the next week or two I hope to catch up with some more of the presenters and Workshop Leaders and get their input on what they will be covering in their sessions.

This year is the 30^th anniversary of Oxfordshire ArtWeeks.

From a concept in 1981 to the first public event in 1982 ArtWeeks has continued to grow and been replicated by similar programs across the UK.

For 3 weeks in May – starting on 7^th over 500 artists and craftspeople throughout Oxfordshire will open their studios or have their work on display publicly.

All the events are free and allow visitors to view art in a huge variety of different locations, from barns and halls in Cotswold villages, to city studios, galleries, open spaces, schools, homes and even the a castle.

As the web site says:

‘For three weeks, you will be able to visit open studios in towns and venues across Oxfordshire for free. The first week of the festival will take place across the south of the county, with exhibitions along the Thames from Faringdon to Henley and the Ridgeway from Wantage to Thame. The second week will focus on beautiful North Oxfordshire where venues can be found nestled from Burford and Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds across to the historic market towns of Bicester and Banbury. The final week of the Artweeks 2011 is centred on Oxford itself, where nearly 200 art spaces in and around the city open their doors to the public.

Artweeks is the opportunity for a wonderful day out: expect the unexpected, be inspired, diverted and delighted – and come home with a unique artwork of your own. You’ll be able to meet artists, talk about their work, watch demonstrations and maybe have a go yourself. Or simply feast your eyes on a huge range of creative activity, from painting, photography, textiles, sculpture and ceramics, to furniture, glass, mosaics, jewellery, digital art and much more.’

A quick look at a map of events shows the whole of Oxfordshire covered almost to the extent it is impossible to see where they are located! Helpfully you can search by media type (creative activity) and location.

A few weeks ago I interviewed Esther Browning, the Director of ArtWeeks as part of the Woa!Rhino project. I was also able to talk at the launch event to a number of artists and supporters who are involved. (You can listen to interviews with them at the above location)

As part of ArtWeeks, a rhino is being decorated by Sue Cook while on display at Oxfordshire Castle (on the Castles web site you can see a picture of one of the rhinos, Sue and some of the school children who will be helping Sue decorate it). You can also listen to podcasts with Sue and Sarah Mayhew of Oxfordshire Castle which is actively supporting ArtWeeks.)

Examples of Sues paintings in oil and acrylic can be found on her web site

Next week I hope to go and see Sue as she is publicly decorating the rhino and do an audio interview with her. Watch – or should that be ‘listen’ – to this space?

On Monday I went to the April OxFocus meeting at the Oxfordshire Science Park to listen to Stuart Miller, MD of ByBox talk about being an entrepreneur. (For photos see here)  

OxFocus is organised monthly by Oxfordshire Town Chamber Networks (OTCN), Charles Russell LLP and The Learning Ladder. They have great speakers each month and it also provides the audience with an opportunity to network – and have some great food!

Last year we started audio recording the speakers about what they planned to talk about before they spoke. The idea being that potential attendees could get a flavour of that they would hear. You can listen to the archive here and to Stuart here.

This year we are trying something a bit different. We will still pre-record the speakers but we plan also to record an interview with them after they have spoken. The idea being that people who were unable to attend can at least hear some of that was said. It is also an opportunity for us to do some interviews with members of the audience.

Stuarts was a really interesting speaker. This is a guy all of us in business can learn from. From failure 10 years ago to a £40m PA profitable company today – having seen off his competition along the way –  there are lessons there for everyone in business. Stuarts presentation style was very engaging – not least because he rewarded the audience with free bottles of wine and books for correct answers to his questions (Note to self: Do not sit at the back next time Stuart presents). Rather than a plod through the history of the company he choose to look at the Wine industry, Cycling and Jazz and draw lessons from them that he feels are the essence of his success. He did not gloss over how poor his timing and judgement was in launching the company in the US in 2000 and how desperately close to melt down it came as they had to retreat to the UK and cash support from friends and family to keep going. It is hard to do justice in writing to what Stuart manage to get across to the audience but here goes:

Wine – the industry is always willing to experiement whether it is blending different grapes to perfecting the screw cap. Challenge the status quo. Think outside the box. But be realistic in what you want to achieve – set challenging goals. 

Jazz – working within a framework do not be affraid to improvise. To accept individuals who are ‘left field’ but not in a egotistical way. Said a challenge to hire ‘change agents’ but rewards are great. To be a good boss you need to manage your ego. 

Cycling – its about pushing yourself and equipment to the limit and being able to call on reserves of energy and will power when it gets tough. Its about making minute changes to a set-up in search of that extra competitive edge and accepting it is lonely sometimes even when part of a team.

The fact that Stuart had a queue of people wanting to talk to him after the Q&A session (and was still there talking to people after 25 minutes so risking missing his plane) gives you an idea how well his presentation was received.

Note: Stuart has agreed to do an interview so I can capture in his own words what he presented and share that with a wider audience.  

At the meeting I managed to also catch up with Dave Beesley, MD of B-Line Office Supplies to talk about his involvement with Woa!Rhino. You can listen to my conversation with him here. Dave is now the proud keeper of 2 Rhinos in his offices. I think he can safely claim to be the only office supplies company in Oxfordshire in that position. Maybe even the UK.

I also met up with Anthony Lloyd, MD of Fallowfields Resturant and Hotel who co-incidentally was attending OxFocus for the first time and was only just getting back into business networking after almost a year of absence. I met Anthony a year or so ago at one of his regular ‘Tweet-Ups’ at Fallowfields so I knew he was interested in social media. But I never imagined what sort of ROI he was getting. In the interview here you can hear him say that Twitter has been the source of £100k+ business in the last 12 to 18 months. Looking at the maths Anthony has EARNED over £170 per hour he has invested in social media in the last 18 months. Not a bad ROI.

I also met up with David Hurst who (when he is not being Biggles – see photo above) has just set up a company ‘Fly To The Past’. After a number of years at Blenheim Palace this years event is taking place at Oxford Airport on Sunday 21st August 2011. It features historic fly-overs from early bi-planes, fighter planes of the world wars, as well as modern jets. There is also a collection of vintage aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes, and historical aviation films on giant screens. ‘Theatre on the ground’ will include a vintage fashion show, re-enactors, famous look-alikes from the past and the Glen Miller Orchestra with dancers inviting the audience to join in.

The Challenge

When a client wants special effects but cannot get to our studios there is only one thing to do. Take the studio to them!

Whilst we would love to take shots in the Arctic or on some South Seas beach paradise we know that sadly the budgets and timescales do not always stretch that far. The alternative is to use a Green Screen and match in stock footage or special graphics to replicate what you would get in real life.

For this project we had to turn an office conference room in Leeds into a full length Green Screen studio so we could shoot a video for later special effects editing.

The client

We often work with agencies on behalf of their clients. They are able to get used to our technical, production and directorial skills in video and audio production. In this case our client was Hampshire based White Communications, who we do a lot of video production work for.

The Equipment

Sony ex3
10 lights of varying sizes from arri 150′s to 2k
Tele-Prompt
Sound equipment
Green screen cloth

Setup

We travelled up the night before and started at 7am in the agencies clients offices by clearing the conference room and setting up the green screen, lighting, sound and then the video equipment. Within 2 hours we were ready.

The result

Within 1 hour of the start we had filmed three verions, full length, mid and head and shoulder shots of the script, ready to be edited and then add in the special background effects. The agency client was then all done.

Within a couple of hours we had cleared the room, packed our stuff up and were on our way back to Southampton.

As they say – all in days work.

For an example of Green Screen in action check out the video on our web site, click here

(Post updated on 13th March 2012)

We will be running half-day social media training courses for The Learning Ladder at their Oxfordshire training facilities in Chalgrove.

We will cover the history of social media and why human pyschology and behaviour means this is not simply a passing fad. We will look at the key steps an organisation can take to evaluate and deploy a social media communications strategy and study a range of case studies on what others have done successfully.

The objective is that at the end of the session delegates will be able to go back to their organisation and have enough knowledge and confidence to start to plan their own strategy.

For more information call The Learning Ladder on 01865 893 354

In 2011 The courses will run on 23rd March, 14th June and 7th July.

In 2012 we will run the courses as two half days on 21st June (click the links below for more details)

The format is changed from 2011. This year we will run a half day Getting Started session where we will look at the background and trends and also what is needed to start using social media tools. It will focus on what sort of content attracts and retains an audience and how to best manage the time you invest in ‘social networking’ and to set and measure Return on Investment.

The second session will be ‘hands-on’ where we look at setting up key social media accounts, posting content, moderating comments and integrating social media alongside your communications and web strategy. It will also take the opportunity to look at the value and use of audio and video podcasts and other forms of content.

Both sessions are designed to be self-contained but can be booked together so providing a ‘concept to participation’ in a single day.

Social Media – Getting Started & Planning (morning)

Social Media – Participation & Podcasting (afternoon)

Call The Learning Ladder on 01865 893 354 to discuss your needs and reserve your place.

Before I joined Focus in 2005 I worked for 2 years for one of the UK’s top Communication and Presentation Skills Training companies in the UK – The Aziz Corporation. My academic qualifications in Psychology, Counselling and NLP were sharpened considerably by working not only with some great fellow Consultants but also top management and executives from the FTSE 250 in the UK. I even worked on assigments in with global organisations in Germany and the US.

I always liked to feel I brought personal and practical experience to my clients as I had been a senior executive and board member of a Fortune 500 IT company (Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations in Europe) prior to my time at Aziz.  Before to that I had spent many years in sales and marketing in start-up businesses and business divisions on both the client and marketing agency side.

Over the last few years I have worked in Social Media. Helping organisations and senior managers make good use of what has grown into a powerful communication medium. For many this ‘brave new world’ of social media is rather daunting. Others find it easy as they are natural communicators.  They take to blogging, Twittering, podcasting and webinars as if it is simply another way to talk to customers, prospects and employees and other stakeholders. Which is all it is really….

Other managers and executives need more support to refine their techniques. They are so used to ‘managing the business’ via spreadsheets and meetings that they have lost the ability to ‘network’ and ‘converse’ with their stakeholder community easily. To be honest some others think it is beneath them. That is a shame. They probably come from the  ‘I have my e-mails printed out so I can write a reply and have my PA e-mail it back’ school of management I would guess.

It is interesting to work with senior executives and help them find their ‘social media’ voice especially when using webinars, audio and video podcasts. It is a new skill as many senior managers give energy to an audience and take it back. That is not possible in a studio – faced with just a camera or microphone – and a technical crew. They need help projecting the energy, passion and clarity  they have when communicating ‘face-to-face’.

If I also look back at how we used to distribute messages and learning content to customers and employees via audio and video tape and then CD/DVDs I shudder to think of the time, money and effort that went into it. In one company every product launch needed thousands of kits and major training events in multiple European countries to support their pan-European offices and network of dealers and distributors. We spent hundreds of thousands of pounds making and distributing materials. Now much can done by webinars and podcasts plus e-Learning tools for probably less than just the shipping costs! What is even better – in the old days if an employee or channel partner missed the roadshow they had to catch up as best as they could – but now if they miss a webinar there will be another one along soon or it will be available as a ‘podcast on demand’.

Fast forward to 2011 and I am going to be mentoring Executives again witn a training company!

We are teaming up with The Learning Ladder in Oxfordshire to bring Executive Coaching and Mentoring to their clients. I will be running a series of ‘one-on-one’ and small team sessions covering Communication and Presentation Skills. These skills will be invaluable for use with both live audiences and also for use in podcasts and webinars if required. 

We are also running Social Media training courses with them on 29th March, 14th June and 7th July.

If you want to find out more information about the Executive Mentoring program or Social Media training courses give them a ring on 01865 893 354.

We have been asked to present the Social Media session at the Digital Marketing 5 day bootcamp in London starting 21st Feb. Details are here

The Bootcamp – and a 12 week evening course starting in April – are being organised by the Ditital Marketing Institute of Ireland.

I will be running a morning and afternoon session on Social Media Thursday 24th Feb. In the morning I will look at the history and trends of social media and looking a variety of case studies to show what others have done.

 In the afternoon we will move into a workshop session where will look at the 3 phases of creating and running a social media campaign and get some practical experience of using tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Flickr plus using podcasts and webinars to create and sustain online communities.  

It is being held at The Hatton which is a great looking conference and training facility.

I am presenting at a Social Media workshop in Bracknell, Friday 18th February at the Blue Mountain Golf and Conference Centre. It is organised by Variety Events.

Click here for a link to the details and booking form.

The agenda looks good (and not because I am on it) as it covers most of the key Social Media topics that everyone would want to learn about.

It covers:

• YouTube
• Blogging
• Podcasting (yep – that’s Focus)
• The App Economy
• SEO
• Community Building

In the afternoon there are three seperate streams – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I am not sure which stream I will go to. Even though I have been using all these tools for a few years I always pick up some neat ideas.

The only topic missing is ‘Social Media Measurement Tools’. This is an area growing in importance as it not only can help identify and quantify Return On Investment but also provide valuable market and business intelligence and help manage an organisations online brand reputation. There are many free tools as well as paid for ones in the market place today.  With ever greater numbers of people being online and using social media to talk about brands and share their thoughts and feelings on sites such as TripAdvisor and other Forums it is critical companies use tools to monitor the publics sentiment and comments about them.

In the podcasting session I will be talking how the internet allows all SME’s and micro-businesses to compete on a level footing with the global brands as the internet provides a free media delivery service. I will be talking about how well prepared, presented and delivered audio and video content can help build an online audience at a fraction of the cost and effort of traditional TV or radio ads. Even better many companies have shown how they can use podcasts to develop and support subscribers and online communities. In the session I will be looking at some case studies that show what is possible and sharing our experiences of producing podcasts for a variety of clients.

In production terms the most challenging and demanding projects have to be a live emergency exercises and broadcasts. You only get one chance to get it right. In the exercises we have filmed for the fire brigade it is not possible to burn the house down again!

So it is with webinars. When the ‘green light’ goes you are live. That is always a ‘heart-stopping’ moment no matter how many checks or practice run throughs you have done.

So it will be on Friday 18th February when we are doing another live webinar for one of our clients – The European Food Information Council (www.eufic.org). Even though we have done a number before for them and other clients it is always exciting. What is even more exciting is that they are based in Brussels and we are streaming them via our studios in Southampton to our  servers in London and from there to to a global audience of hundreds.

As usual we have been helping EUFIC with the logistics of the event. Helping to register the virtual delegates and check that they can link in to the webinar on the day by having a test page ready and running. We know that some delegates have problems getting access due to their company ‘firewall’ stopping links to streamed audio or video. A simple test page with a Powerpoint slide, music and voice-over will allow people to test their systems and ensure they can get access on the day.

We need to make sure people know what the link is to the web page and remind them a few times to ‘attend’. While people are likely to be able to sign-up to webinars (no travel time and costs) they are more likely to be in meetings or be busy in the office unexpectedly – so miss it. A few well timed reminders really does help increase attendence on the day.

So there you have it….. only a few days to go until the ‘green light’ goes on for EUFIC. No matter how we much we practice and test the systems the gremlins will have to be watched closely on the day.

After it is all over I expect we will have a nice cup of tea and biscuit and enjoy the moment.

Over the last 2 years our average delegate satisfaction score has been between 4.5 and 5 out of 5.

The latest group of delegates gave these comments:

‘Nice to have case studies and tutor with lots of knowledge and experience so we can relate to’

‘Great briefing – very informative and easy to follow!’

‘Very good insights, lots of ideas and practical examples’

To hear what other delegates from one of the Workshops had to say listen here to an audio podcast discussion.

A few years ago I was the Producer/Director on a video recording project of one of the largest peace time emergency exercise held in the UK since WWII. It was organised by the UKs Health Protection Agency (HPA) and involved hundreds of people from all the emergency services dealing with a collapsed building and a simulated biological/chemical leak in a motorway service station. A follow-on exercise was held where a hospital and local GPs surgery had to handle simulated casualties who were potentially and actually (in exercise terms!) contaminated and had started to present themselves or were ferried in by ambulance. We captured literally hundreds of hours of video footage to be used for future training and review/analysis of the exercises equipment, command and communication procedures. That gave me a real insight into the challenges the emergency services face in trying to find out what the situation is, what has caused it and how best to use the resources available and what additional or specialist resources are needed as well as the challenges of clear communication between multiple services over a wide area and trying to ensure the rescuers do not become a casualty statistic themselves.  (To see some still images of the exercise click here http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianjmoss/sets/72157605074153240/)  

From my experience on the HPA projects and other client video production work including Hampshire Fire and Rescue, the NHS, Ambulance Services and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency my interest in how social media can be used to practically help with rescue planning, co-ordination and communication was sparked.  

Whilst not immediately apparent there are many shared characteristics between an emergency and a food contamination scare in terms of communication to and from members of the public, access of accurate and upto date information and clear advice to the public in terms of their safety and well being .

Some useful information sources: 

An audio podcast interview with the Head of the US Federal and Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about the role of social media to help two way communication between the public and emergency services - http://www.directionsmag.com/podcasts/fema-chief-says-social-media-aid-disaster-response-wired/152214

A video of the Head of FEMA talking about the use of social media in Haiti by citizens and people directly effected to help the rescuers understand the issues and focus search and rescue resources http://www.eventuresincyberland.com/2011/02/using-social-media-for-emergency-response/

A blog posting summarising the use of Twitter in the recent Austrialian floods (http://www.parttimepolymath.net/masthead/archives/103)

A research paper into the use of Twitter in Haiti earthquake  http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~palen/voluntweetersStarbirdPalen.pdf

A useful resource site for social media ‘best practice’ for Emergencies  http://www.sm4em.org/best-practices/

The Workshops were developed to meet the needs highlighted by delegates at the Briefing sessions who said they wanted help to put the learning into practice.

The Workshop series aims to take people from an overview of social media and an undersanding and appreciation of the possibilities to a point where they are participating and measuring ROI.

The Workshops are small – with a maximum of 4 people. Delegates are encouraged to bring their own laptops. Internet access is provided. Full use will be made of the studio facilities in Workshop 3 – Podcasting & Beyond.

Sessions will be open from 1.45pm for a 2pm start. The Workshop will end at 5pm. The dates of the Workshops and Briefing sessions are here.

For more details on cost, to book or answer any questions please call us on 023 8044 8822.

Workshop 1 – Planning

The topics covered will include:

• Strategies and deployment of social media
• Employee training programs
• HR policy and guidelines and ‘best practice’ to protect an organisations reputation.
• Reviewing how organisations have used social media behind ‘the firewall’ to improve team work, internal communication and effective learning.
• The value of developing and supporting user communities
• Looking at social media use by R&D, marketing and sales, customer service and support, investor relations and corporate communications.
• How to identify internal content generation sources
• Identifying  key words to be used to maximise web site SEO
• The key role of a Web 2.0 site
• How to ‘curate’ content to maximise ROI

Workshop 2 – Participation

Topics covered:

• Getting started with Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter and blogs
• An overview of other useful tools
• How to use free tracking and reporting tools like Google Alerts together with paid tools from Radian6 and Meltwater News to both track and analyse online conversations.
• How to use internal resource to generate and ‘curate’ content
• Analysing the practical issues of developing and supporting social networked communities.
• We will look at how to segment and service different types of people within community networks

Workshop 3 – Podcasting & Beyond

Topics covered:

• We will look at the rapid rise of on-demand audio and video content (the BBC iPlayer now exceeds 145m downloads per month)
• We will look at audio/video web and podcasting – what makes a good program, the value of voice-overs and captions, the power and use of music.
• We will consider the roles of the producer, director and technical people – how to plan and manage a recording session
• We will look at techniques to maximise audience reach and enhance listening figures
• We will look at the practical steps to make and promote a webinar

We have been running Introduction to Social Media Briefings at our Southampton studios for 10 months now. During 2008 and 2009 we were helping a major UK IT company run social media courses and consultancy projects for their public and private sector clients in the UK, Northern Ireland and Eire. In just under 3 years we have trained over 700 people in 200 organisations - helping them understand what social media is all about, how it can work in their organisation and the practical steps to start using it.

During that time we have also run social media communication programs for Government Agencies, the NHS, major commercial organisations, Not For Profits and many small and medium sized businesses. Our audio and video podcasts and webinar productions for clients are listened to by many thousands of people each month. That level of practical experience through working with such a wide range of clients means that our Briefings are always fresh and grounded in reality. No mere text book theory but theory and practical blended to maximise the value to you and your organisation.

Based on the feedback from all those who attended our Briefing Sessions we have developed a series of ‘hands-on’ Workshops that take you from the classroom to the reality of setting up and using social media within an organisation. In the Workshops we look at all aspects of deploying and using social media tools.

The Workshops are delivered in a series of 3 with a maximum of 4 people in each Workshop. The 3 modules are Planning, Participation and Podcasting & Beyond. The hands-on nature of the Workshops perfectly compliment the Briefings. The Workshops build on what is learnt in the Briefings to show you things such as how to create a HR and Company Policy on Employee Use of Social Media tools and look at how others are doing it, how to identify content and create it from within the organisation, how to set up Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and other accounts and use Measurement and Analysis Tools to track your online brand reputation as well as how to create and produce podcasts and webinars and measure ROI.  The idea is to put into practice what is learnt in the Briefings and give you and your organisation the practical skills to deploy social media. Rather than cram it all in over a day or two we decided a ‘learn and apply’ format was better so the modules are delivered over a 3 month period –  a month apart from each other – giving you time to practice after each session and bring your learning to share with the others at the next session.

We held the first series of those Workshops late last year. To listen to the podcast made by delegates on the course talking about what they learnt and the value to them and their organisations click here.

The dates for 2011 Briefings and Workshops being held in our Southampton studios are:

For more infornmation or to book call 023 8044 8822.

‘Think! FIRST’ is one of a series of twelve short training films designed to encourage crew to think about their own safety while they’re going about their work. Each scenario looks at a specific task or risk area and our trainer goes through the most basic precautions necessary to prevent an injury or accident.

Presented by a Trainer (actor Brian Bowles), the presentation is kept deliberately brief as an aid to memorising three key safety points. The film can be used as a standalone training aid or as a discussion starter for a training session with the onboard Safety Officer, where the subject can be covered in more detail.  Each film has 3-4 memorable learning points.

Production of these short films took the Focus crew on location in Liverpool and aboard ships crossing the Irish Sea.

MORE INFO …

The objective is to help you understand social media and its potential value to your own organisation and decide what sort of social media strategy and programs you could implement.

The sessions will last 3 hours. You can choose from either a morning or afternoon session.

 The morning session will be from 9.45am for a 10.00am start and finish at 1pm.

 The afternoon session will be from 1.45pm for a 2pm start and finish at 5pm.

 Each briefing will be divided into three sections.

• An overview of social media, its history and its current state

• A review of case studies from a range of organisations

• A discussion on practical issues associated with using social media

We limit the numbers in each session to only 6 as it generates maximum interactivity and time to discussing everyones thoughts and feedback on what they have learnt and how it may impact their own organisation.

We now have arranged additional dates for the 2011 program. The Briefings will be on: 

• February 8th

• March 8th

• April 5th

• May 10th

• June 14th

Morning sessions will be from 10am – 1pm.

Afternoon sessions from 2pm – 5pm.

Refreshments, coffees and teas will be provided.

We have  off-road car parking and there also plenty of free on-road parking around the studios.

The cost of the Briefing is £35 plus VAT.  

Call us on 023 8044 8822 to book your place.

Southampton is an ancient city and this short programme was made to tell the City’s story.  It was to be shown on a big screen to the gathering crowds on Millennium Night, but unfortunately the weather was terrible and the whole thing was cancelled!

The programme was put together from various sources and directed by Steve Hudson.  Our client was Southampton City Council with funding from the Millennium Lottery Project.

The rise of the smartphone has seen a rapid rise in the use of Applications on them. 

A recent report by Pew as part of their contuing series into Internet Usage found that 43% of mobile phone users had ‘apps’ on their phone but only 2/3^rds used them.

With 82% of the population having mobile phones and most new handsets being smartphones both the number with ‘apps’ and peoples use of them will grow.

As part of the research the uses of the apps was looked at.

As can be seen from the above social media is a popular application and over 1/5th are using it for video consumption.

More….

Being of a certain age myself I was interested in an article that had the headline ‘Older workers drive social networking in the office’ (link here).

The item refered to a number of surveys where it has been found that it is older workers who are seeing value in using social media within a business setting.

We were recently selected to work on a pan-European project looking into the communication of food benefits and risks to consumers in Europe.

We are part of a 14 partner consortium from 10 European countries. The consortium is supported by an Advisory Board made up of representatives from organisations in health communication (including the European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization) and is coordinated by Professor Patrick Wall of University College Dublin’s School of Public Health and Population Science.

Our role in the project is to research the role of social media across Europe. As stated it is to:

Explore the potential of new social media (e.g., blogs and social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter) and provide guidance on how risk communicators can best use these media for food risk and benefit communication 

The project is being undertaken as recent evidence suggests consumers are concerned about their food supplies and communication of information and advice. As the food industry (broadly termed ‘farm-to-fork’) is one of the largest employers in Europe and accounts for a significant percentage of the EU27 economy, it is important to understand current barriers to communication.

 The outcome of the project is to:

Propose a strategy and communication toolkit for the effective communication of coherent messages across EU Member States.

The research is looking beyond the media channels (broadcast, print and online) and includes the active role of recipients of the information, and incorporates the way in which various demographic variables (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status, age) serve as barriers to consumer understanding.

One of our areas of research will be to look at how social media is developing as a ‘citizen news service’ and its potential synergetic relationship with traditional media. We are also considering how new forms of social networking news services are growing alongside traditional media’s own use.

Another area of research is to look at social media’s use in Emergencies and Disasters. How are citizens using it for ‘self-help’ and advice as well as for news? How are the authorities using it for ‘crowdsourcing’ breaking news and helping plan and deploy their resources? How is traditional media using social media to ‘curate’ breaking news?

Another area we are actively researching are the tools such as Meltwater and Ushahadi, that are emerging to help monitor, track and analyse the real time social media ‘newsfeed’ together with tools such as Radian6 and Alterian which are targeted at monitoring online ‘buzz’ for brand mentions and conversations.

One of the biggest issues in a developing crisis is the provision of timely, accurate and updated information. How do Local Authorities, Government Agencies and other official sites adapt to a socially networked world with the challenges and opportunities that brings? What are the best practices and procedures? What are the best tools to use? How could it integrate with traditional communication methods and traditional media?

That is what we hope to help answer with our research.

Further information

Listen to coordinator Professor Patrick Wall talk about the FoodRisC project at www.focusbiz.co.uk/clientarea/foodrisc/

Read more about the project in the August issue of Food Today from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) in the article ‘Evaluating perceptions and communication of food risk & benefit across Europe’.www.eufic.org/article/en/page/FTARCHIVE/artid/Evaluating-perceptions-communication-of-food-risks-benefits/

Our training programs continue with an Introduction to Social Media briefings on October 5th, November 2nd and December 7th.

This is what some of them have said:

‘A great overview’

‘Very well presented, extremely enthusiastic – making it easy to learn’

‘Case studies were very interesting. I definitely gained new ideas’

‘Knowledge greatly increased’

‘Enjoyable discussion which will be extremely useful in my marketing’

‘Very interesting. Got the message across how important social media is’

‘Enjoyed the session. Learnt more than I thought’

‘Superb. Really got me thinking about social media. Very clear, informative, practical and challenging. An excellent session’

‘Gave lots of ideas for our business to go forward’

‘Great session. Would have liked more time and some practical help using the tools’

‘Wasn’t sure if a small group format would work but I loved how it meant we could talk about our specific business issues and needs with everyone. You cannot do that easily in a big seminar format. I realised our challenges were often the same as others.

In August 1982 a production company called Lens & Co, run by ex-BBC soundman Bill Hammerton, was asked by Southampton City Council to make a film (yes, 16mm film!) to record the impact the finish of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race at Southampton made on the city.

It was presented by round-the-world yachtswoman and subsequently best selling author Clare Francis. It was shot by cameraman Ian Clarke, and directed by Focus’s Ian Ward.  Ian has some great memories of flying over the final ‘parade of sail’ in helicopters, and then working nights in the edit suite surrounded by rolls of film (‘that unique smell!’), and having a ‘real giggle’ with Clare Francis in the studio when they recorded the voiceover!

For older Southampton people this film will bring back many memories, as it features the world famous Ocean Terminal, built in 1950 and opened by the Prime Minister, Clement Atlee.  It was eventually demolished in 1983, and is  now replaced by the spectacular QEII Cruise Terminal, with Southampton once again hosting some of the most famous ships in the world.

The Tall Ships arriving in Southampton from Lisbon were, as ever, a magnificent sight in full sail, and the film starts by joining a Polish ship on its journey up Southampton Water. It later shows some of the practical arrangements the City had made for what were expected to be two million visitors to Southampton.  In the event there were probably nowhere near that number, but it was a wonderful occasion for everyone who was there.

Copies of the full film on DVD can be obtained by contacting us.

The Film “The Trouble with Handovers” has been made to highlight the vital importance of clinical handovers to patients’ safety.

We follow the story of David, an elderly man with dementia, after he develops pneumonia and a crush fracture in his thoracic spine. David and his partially – sighted wife have been coping OK at home with support of their daughter. But an admission to hospital goes badly wrong due to important information being lost at various handovers between staff.

The Patient Safety Federation (PSF) is made up of, run by and funded by the healthcare organisations of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Its members collaborate to address those wider patient safety issues of particular relevance to them, bringing to bear on these a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary approach.

The No Needless Ignorance (NNI) workstream is one of ten work streams under the PSF and consists of clinicians from different backgrounds with a common vision who have come together to create this innovative piece that can be used right across the NHS to illustrate how handovers between services can go wrong. Giving clinicians the opportunity to reflect on individual day to day practice and therefore improve handovers and communication to ultimately affect patient safety.

When Headland Media Ltd, owners of Walport maritime training DVD library, wanted to produce a new series on Risk Assessment they asked Focus to tender for the work.  This was our second commission for Headland, the first being about Lifeboat Drills.  One reviewer of that programme commented that ‘training doesn’t have to be boring’.  But the real success was the fact that it sold extremely well to shipping companies and operators.

This first new title in the Risk Assessment series made by Focus is ‘Slips, Trips and Falls’, and not surprisingly it wasn’t an easy commission.  Demonstrating how a seafarer can be seriously injured or killed through a slip, trip or fall wasn’t easy.  Focus considered everything from using stuntmen to animation or puppetry.  In the end the programme makes its point in a variety of ways, and hopefully will also sell well for Headland.

Crucially though, in the end, what really matters is that injuries are reduced and lives are saved among seafarers.

• September 14^th
• October 5^th
• November 2^nd
• December 7^th

There are two sessions each day. Each session will last 3 hours and costs £30 + VAT and will be held at our Southampton studios.

The morning session will start at 10am and the afternoon session at 2pm.

Refreshments will be provided.

The studios have ample off-street car parking.

Each session will be divided into two. In the first half we will look at the background and history of social media and Web 2.0. We will then look at the latest research into social media use and the continued growth of social networking as well as the research into psychology and human behaviour that shows that this is no passing fad.

In the second half we will look at a number of case studies from a range of public and private sector organisations into their use of social media. Some of the case studies will be from the public domain and some from our work with clients such as Poundland, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the European Food Information Council. We will use this as a basis for exploring how delegate organisations could use social media themselves.

The objective will be to ensure that all attendees can go back to their organisations much clearer on what social media is, how others are using it and how best they could start using it.

To book your place please call Nicky on 023 8044 8822.

Please note we limit numbers in each session to 6 to maximise the value to each attendee in the case study section.

 Source: The Conversation Prism, Brian Solis/Jesse Thomas  - www.theconversationprism.com

A few years ago we started attending MeasurementCamp in London. It was great as it was very much in the early days of social media but everyone who attended cared about measuring activity and the results of campaigns.

We were able to share our experiences of helping organisations such as Poundland (we did their blog and social media campaigns via their PR agency), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (we did video podcasts) and the European food Information Council (we did their audio podcasts and webinars). As we hosted and managed the campaigns we were able to use Google Analytics and other tracking tools to report back to clients the ROI.

Sadly we (doesn’t is sound grand rather than saying I) have been unable to make the London meetings as often as we/I would have liked and the event itself stopped happening so it was great to find that they will be meeting again on 21st July. As a result of those earlier meetings information was put online.

For anyone interested in tracking the online ‘buzz’ about themselves, the competition or their industry generally they can check out the details for measurement tools and social media monitoring tools

The US Military are already active users of social media with their blogs, Twitter and Facebook pages. In fact their most senior officers do not just use the tools themselves but actively encourage all ranks to do so too – with due attention to security and operational sensitivity. All new recruits to the US Air Force have an introduction to the use of social media as part of their basic training!

Now the US Air Force Base at Maxwell Alabama has announced it is launching a series of audio and video podcasts.

Lt. Col. Michael Coleman, director of Air University Public Affairs said “…We’re excited to share the Maxwell story across the Internet, and we hope these productions will help communicate further what our mission is all about…”

For additional details of the US military use of social media, the guides they produce and their strategy see here and here. 

We were recently asked to help with a project by BOTTLE PR.

One of their clients were hosting an industry and media round-table.

The plan was to capture the discussion and 0transcribe it.

Our technical challenge was to ensure that the audio was of high enough quality to be able to create a podcast series that an audience would enjoy listening to despite being recorded in an office environment and not a sound proof studio.

Our audio engineer needed to rig the room with microphones and a multi-track recorder and yet ensure they were discreet enough to not distract the participants or make them become self-conscious or ‘tense’ during recording. As in any ’round-table’ format it is the flow of the discussion that is important. Whilst a chair can help moderate the proceedings without a clear audio feed from each speaker comments may not be recorded clearly enough to hear.

While setting up the equipment they checked for external noise sources such as air conditioning, nearby phones, electronic background hum from lights or equipment and mobile phones! Whilst an office or meeting room will always be a challenge in terms of noise ‘pollution’ the type of mics used, their stands, the general set up and use of mini-mixing desk can help compensate. We also had a laptop connected with special digital recording and editing software installed.

One of the biggest mistakes people make on this type of recording is that they try and use a single central mic or a few shared by multiple people and recording onto one single stereo audio file. Our set up was to have a separate mic for everyone present and to be recording onto individual audio tracks. For this we used a Sound Devices 788t Multi-Track Digital Audio Recorder (see picture below) which not only produces an audio file for each microphone but allows us to give the client an initial stereo mix straight away to help the review and editing process if required.

Whilst a multi-track recording makes it a bit more complex than a single file it gives us ultimate flexibility for cleaning and editing the recording. After each file has been ‘cleaned up’ we can combine it into a master for transcription to a text based record of the meeting and use in the podcasts as required.

The client was really satisfied with the end recording, but don’t just take our word for it:

Just a quick note of thanks for your support at our recent round table. With our increased attendees and changes on the day you professionally dealt with our changes and provided a perfect recording of the discussion as normal! Thank you very much once again.

Patrick Ryan
AXA

The lessons learnt from the examples in the article can apply to both the public and private sector. One thing that social media has done is reduce the time organisations have to respond. News moves faster and wider than it used to do. This means pre-planning is critical including social media pro-active monitoring and its use for public communication.

An analysis of any emergency or crisis will show that ‘lack of information’ is always at the heart public concern. Incorrect information and rumour grows very quickly in the absence of any news.  Social media can be a powerful tool to help with this.

For details see here

We still have a few places left on our Social Media training session on July 6th at our audio/video production studios in Southampton.

There are morning and afternoon sessions. These last 3 hours.

The morning session starts at 10am and the afternoon one at 2pm.

The cost is £30 plus VAT.

The sessions have a maximum of 6 places to allow us time to look in more detail at how other companies experiences and case studies can be applied to the attendees own organisation. After the session we can spend time discussing matters further – if people want to!

Over the last few months we have had a variety of businesses and organisations attend our sessions including car dealers, accountants, solicitors, recruitment agencies, PR and marketing agencies, local councils, manufacturers, management consultants, tourist boards and publishers. All have been able to see how social media can help them.

During the case study section we look at our own experiences of helping clients use social media tools internally and externally. This has included blogging, Twitter, podcasting, photo-blogging, webvideo and webinars plus creating a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn and helping them build their own personal communities.

What top 6 things will you learn?

1. The origins and growth of Social Media and Social Networking
2. Academic research into human behaviour and our need to socialise (no – this is not a ‘fad’ that will go away!)
3. Latest business research on the growth and trends
4. The rise and rise of the Club Penguin generation – those 8 – 15 year olds who will be tomorrows employees and customers (or maybe they already are customers!)
5. Case studies on what other people and organisations have done, why and what they found works (including some of our own) – the really practical and valuable bit!
6. How to integrate social media communications alongside traditional tools and the added value that this brings

Depending on time and interest by attendees we can spend a few minutes in the editing/production control room so you can see the technical side of things and talk to one of the staff about recent webinar and podcast production projects.

If you want to book a space please contact

Nicky Anderson on 023 8044 8822

One place is still available on the May 26th afternoon session at 3.45pm for a 4.00pm start. Ends 5.30pm.

Sorry. The morning session is full.

The additional dates:

June 10th – morning 10.00am for a 10.15am start with refreshments and ends at 11.45am.

June 10th – afternoon session will be from 2.00pm for a 2.15pm start with refreshments and end at 3.45pm.

July 6th – morning session will also start at 10.00am for 10.15am and refreshments. Ends at 11.45am.

July 6th – afternoon session from 2.00pm for 2.15pm with refreshments. Ends 3.45pm.

What will the sessions cover?

In the session we will share our knowledge and experience of working on social media campaigns with our clients as well as case studies from other companies active in this space.

It will mix the latest academic and business trend research together with a background overview.

What will you learn?

•  The origins and growth of Social Media and Social Networking
• Academic research into human behaviour and our need to socialise (no – this is not a ‘fad’ that will go away!)
• Latest business research on the growth and trends
• The rise and rise of the Club Penguin generation – those 8 – 15 year olds who will be tomorrows employees and customers
• Case studies on what other people and organisations have done, why and what they found works – the really practical and valuable bit!
• How to integrate social media communications alongside traditional tools and the added value that this brings

The objective is to share our practical experience and knowledge so you are better able to understand the real value and use of social media to your own business.

Refreshments will be provided. Choose the time that best suits you.

Each session will last 1.5 hours.

Cost? £15 (including VAT)

The studio has ample car parking. 

Book early as places are limited to 6 people per session to maximise the value to attendees and allow a quick tour of the studios.

To book your place please call Nicky Anderson on 023 8044 8822 or email her at nicky.anderson@focusbiz.co.uk

As part of our ongoing relationship with NHS, we were asked to film a recent Patient Safety conference at the Ark, the NHS Conference Centre in Basingstoke, and to carry out and record some interviews with staff beforehand which were to be used as part of the day.

This material and more will shortly be available on the NHS Patient Safety Federation website.

EUFIC, the European Food Information Council, provides authoritative information on food safety and quality, health and nutrition.  They commission research and in the last year have been looking at  food labelling.  Across Europe and the rest of the world, people in the food industry are working on ways to to make sure consumers know about the fat, salt and sugar content of their food.  So EUFIC held Webinars to announce the outcome of this research, and found their audience only too willing to make the time to ‘attend’ online.  It just means providing security details to signed-up attendees so they can listen to the live presentation, watch the slides and ask questions at any time using an online form.  For people in other timezones the live webinar may have been at an inconvenient time, so they just watched the online recording later.  Surprisingly the recording opened up a whole new audience even larger than the original number, and the views are still clocking up several weeks later.  The message reached people that other media just couldn’t find.

Of course nobody would put on a physical conference for just one seminar, expecting their audience to fly in for it.  Which may be why we’ve found  more people attending webinars and the recordings afterwards than would ever make it to a conference.

So what are the real advantages of a webinar?  Well obviously, whether you’re making the presentation or viewing it, it involves less time, and arguably the retention of information is better.

Presenters like it because, although the session can be live, presentations can be recorded beforehand, with just the Q&A going out live – so the pressure is less.  At the end the presenter and moderator run through the Q&A live, an exhilarating way to engage with what could be a worldwide audience!

For each person joining with their laptop, the engagement experience is unique.  The Webinar has real immediacy, with the expectation of acquiring knowledge before anyone else.  And the Q&A are like Instant Messaging with an audience!  More important – it doesn’t cost anything!

For the organisation running it, the cost is much less than a physical conference, the lead time is shorter, and the shelf-life sustains its benefit for months.

Contact us if you want to know more.

This edition of the monthly MCA Video News Podcasts explains why membership of the UKSR is such a benefit for ship owners.

The Brief was to build a green screen space from scratch in several European cities.  We were to meet certain people in each of those cities and they would perform for us.

But lighting and shooting green screen is an art-form.  Here, Andy on camera and Dave on lights put on a show of their own.  But then, they’ve done it once or twice before.  So naturally it all worked beautifully.

If you want to shoot green screen – call the boys.

‘Training doesn’t have to be boring’ is the message behind a new DVD that aims to increase safety during lifeboat operations.”

“The film will grab seafarers’ attention about a complicated subject“, Walport’s maritime training producer, Jill Tinsley told SASI.  The film certainly makes an impact. The opening narration takes place over footage of a familiar scenario: a lifeboat being recovered following a drill.  Then the lifeboat plunges suddenly and terrifyingly into the sea, showing just how badly operations can go wrong.

Focus producer Ian Ward said:

“This was one of the most challenging projects we have undertaken.  Many seafarers’ lives have been lost during lifeboat drills in recent years, so we had to be sure our crew could work safely within a lifeboat being deployed from a container vessel.

“But even more importantly we simply had to produce a DVD for seafarers that would help ship owners prevent more loss of life.  Time will tell if we have achieved that.

“Walport is a great client to work with and we were delighted with their professionalism and commitment to achieving high standards of production.”

Focusbiz produces video material and podcasts it for some quite unexpected organisations! For several years The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists has  used Video Podcasts produced and hosted by Focus Business Communications to keep their wide membership ‘connected’ and up to date.   The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists is the 100th Livery Company of the City of London, and their members are all senior IT professionals who joined the Company in order to give something back to the IT sector and the wider community.

Charles Hughes is the new Master Elect of the Information Technologists’ Company. He has been a Freeman of the Company since 1996, has chaired several committees, and is currently leading the team seeking a Royal Charter for the Company. His theme for the year will be “professional values”.  The is the second video podcast from Charles as he becomes the new Master.

See more WCIT Podcasts

Our challenge this time was to help one guy with a real Passion to start building support for an event that he hopes will take the City of Southampton by storm in 2011.

Into our in-house studio came Neil Maddock, pioneer of Passion 2011 in Southampton.  Using some tricks of television we filmed Neil in the studio as he very skilfully presented his case.  It’s a great talent for Neil to make it look this easy – not many people could sit in front of a camera and be this convincing.

Over the next couple of days Ian Williamson, who’s become a master of special effects, edited the sequence that would promote the Passion and get people involved ready for Good Friday 2011.

Neil will be sending DVDs to churches and organisations across Southampton to promote the event and seek volunteers to get involved.

Nice job to do and a great project.  Well done Neil.  (Oh … and well done Ian!!)

It was another busy week in the studio …

Dervla Kirwan returned for another helping of M&S Foods over ISDN to Grand Central in London.  Dervla is  famous for roles in British television shows such as Ballykissangel, Goodnight Sweetheart, and the Doctor Who Christmas special!

Then we had Jack McKenzie recording a promotion relating to next year’s 150th Open Golf Championship at St Andrews.  Jack gave us his mellifluous Scots and he was directed remotely by the client in the US.  Our thanks to Wessex Translations, for whom we’ve produced many similar multi-lingual projects.  The transition from US English to Scots still presents a few linguistic challenges!

Jack is a Scot from Edinburgh who was Cal Alder in ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘. He’s been ‘murdurred’ three times in ‘Taggart’, and appeared in ‘Gandhi’, ‘A Bridge too Far’, ‘Secret Army’, ‘Sweeney’, ‘The Professionals’, ‘Blake’s 7′, ‘Quiller’, ‘Emmerdale’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Sharpe’, ‘The End of the Affair’ …  whew!    Oh – ask him how he helped Mickey Rooney to get to meet the Queen … !

Meanwhile in our London ISDN studio, Soundtracks, Martin Glynn Murray delivered his gentle Welsh English for a project linked to the Ryder Cup, just held at the Celtic Manor Resort.  Again it was directed from the US. Tracks were finished in our sound studio and uploaded via our client area to a video suite in the US.

Martin Glyn Murray appeared in ‘A Very Social Secretary‘, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life’,  ’Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’, and ‘Enigma’.

Focus is contracted by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency to maintain their very sizeable archive of video footage of incidents attended by their Search and Rescue helicopters.  We also have the job of licensing and making the footage available to news organisations, broadcasters and programme makers around the world.

This rescue story is just the latest example of footage of an incident, which we received from the Portland-based helicopter, edited and uploaded it within minutes to a secure web area for BBC TV Plymouth to use in their nightly news programme ‘Spotlight‘.

The 29 year old man was taken to hospital by the Portland SAR helicopter after being winched to safety from cliffs at Portland in Dorset. It took the Portland Bill cliff rescue team and the Coastguard Rescue helicopter nearly an hour to rescue the man, who sustained serious ankle injuries.  He was found in an awkward location which made the rescue very complicated for the teams involved.

MCA Press Officers provide news releases about incidents, and now regularly use Twitter to alert news providers and other interested organisations.

Focusbiz produces video material and podcasts it for some quite unexpected organisations. For several years,  The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists has  used Video Podcasts produced and hosted by Focus Business Communications to keep their wide membership ‘connected’ and up to date.   The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists is the 100th Livery Company of the City of London, and their members are all senior IT professionals who joined the Company in order to give something back to the IT sector and the wider community.

Jo Connell, the current Master, has been in the IT Industry since 1966 when she joined Mars Inc as a trainee programmer. Her career developed with appointments as a Systems Analyst at Aspro Nicholas and a Consultant at CMG Ltd. This Podcast was filmed at the start of her year as Master and sets out her agenda.

On October 21st, Charles Hughes, who has had a 38-year career in IT including serving on the Parliamentary IT Committee, will be installed as Master Elect.

See more WCIT Podcasts

You can choose to record material yourself at your office or come into our studios in Southampton and work with us to create a great 5 minute podcast. We’ll add a free intro voiceover and music to get you started.

Have a listen to some of the work we’ve done for clients who have used a podcast series to start a conversation:

Parity Solutions

A range of podcasts looking at Collaborative Recruitment, CIM and technical business issues.

EUFIC – The European Food Information Council

A range of audio and video podcasts looking at issues affecting the European food industry.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Video podcasts created using material that we have produced for MCA, material from the MCA helicopters, or from MCA stock footage.

Contact us to discuss your free podcast.

This offer is valid for the first 20 businesses who contact us.

With this year’s PSP Southampton Boat Show upon us, it’s worth showing how we helped SD Marine, UK dealers for Maxi yachts, to create a stunning exhibit for their Maxi 1100 .

Rather than adding to the rows of vessels aligned side-by-side at the show, SD Marine gave their exhibition floor space over to just one boat plus a plasma screen showing video material shot and edited at Focus of the Maxi 1100 at sea and sailing into the sunset.

Which is kind of what sailing is all about …

Enjoy … and dream!

Fred Dinenage presents the case for helping this organisation that supports children with cerebral palsy and their parents. The Rainbow Centre uses Conductive Education to improve the quality of life for the children and their families. This programme, presented by Fred Dinenage, was intended for showing in cinemas. It was made by Focus , in conjunction with The Remarkable Group.

Contact us to discuss what we can do for you.

Focus delivers Effective Dialogues, Better Business, Reduced Costs … and a smaller Carbon Footprint.

When we were asked by Headland Media in Liverpool, new owners of the Walport Training Library to produce the first of a new series of safety training DVDs, our brief was to work with Headland to make a programme about safety during Lifeboat Drills.

The awesome truth is that 16% of the fatalities among seafarers on commercial vessels happen during lifeboat drills.  And 80% of the deaths are caused by one thing – failure of the hooks from which Lifeboats hang.  All too often Lifeboats, with men in them, have plunged 20 metres or so to the sea causing terrible injuries and death.  One rescue attempt led to a rescuer being lost from the hull of the upturned lifeboat as it floated away on the high seas.

Filming the deployment of real lifeboats from a ship presented not just real hazards for our crew but logistics problems in finding a ship available to film on.  What we eventually found was in a most unlikely location – on the River Fal near Truro in Cornwall.  Laid-up sister container carriers Santa Giuliana and Giulietta tower over the Thatched Cottage Tea Rooms at Tolverne , although laying up ocean-going ships has been going on in the Fal for many years.

Our crew, including presenter Hugh Kirby, cameraman Andrew Goode, soundman Rob Lacey, editor Ian Williamson and director Ian Ward, all had to climb aboard from the small boat that took us across to the Santa Giuliana.  All our kit had to be hauled aboard by rope using the ubiquitous Hippo Bag!

The solution to the hazards of deploying lifeboats appears to be a fairly simple strop arrangement known as a Fall Prevention Device or FPD (naturally!), evangelised by Capt Dennis Barber of Marico Marine, and about to be accepted by the international shipping safety body, the IMO.

The programme is due to be launched imminently and can be obtained from Walport Training.

Focus studios make extraordinary things happen!  Great audio, exciting pictures, creative post-production.

Our audio studio facilities are used for recording English and Foreign voiceovers for video, reading to picture or wild, or recording dialogue for Podcasts and training.  We edit ‘live’ (using SADiE) at the same time as recording so there’s not a lot to do when the session is over. We use ISDN to record live at full quality from or to another studio. And we often use phone or Skype to connect to clients anywhere in the world who listen in to the session down the line.

The video studio is great for shooting voice links and presenter pieces.  It’s soundproof and therefore QUIET, so no interruptions from phones ringing or people talking in the corridor, the things that drive clients mad when we shoot interviews in their’ boardrooms. But it’s not big – just right for a piece to camera or 1×1 interview.

It may not be huge but we have green screen (or Blue or Black or White) and that means the studio can be as big as you like and become anywhere you like – New York, underwater, the moon … you get the idea.

There’s a lighting grid and talented lighting guys who can make you look great on camera.  Green Screen techniques rely very heavily on good lighting.  We normally use Arri or Kino Flo lights.

Built-in Autocue makes it easy for even quite inexperienced people to amaze everyone with confident pieces to camera.

Oh … and to bring ideas to life we have really nice creative people behind the cameras with years of experience and real talent (but don’t tell them I said that!)

Contact us to discuss what we can do for you.

Green Screen – Autocue – Lighting – Sound proof – Air conditioning – Cameras – Voiceovers – Live voice editing – Presentations – Interviews – Media training – Viewing rooms – Control Room – Vision mixer – Encoding for DVD, Web, Podcast & PowerPoint: Virtual Studio.

Focus Studios … Bringing your ideas to life.

]]> http://www.focusbiz.co.uk/portfolio/our-studio/feed/ 0 http://www.focusbiz.co.uk/portfolio/portfolio-mithril-racing/ http://www.focusbiz.co.uk/portfolio/portfolio-mithril-racing/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:59:12 +0000 Ian Williamson http://www.focusbiz.co.uk/blogtest1/?p=876

These guys are definitely Licensed to Thrill! Enjoy this piece put together for the client by one of our producers Andy Goode. Another great use of video on the web to show what printed brochures couldn’t.

Everyone knows what a ‘Jimmy Jib’ is … at least everyone in the television industry. When we try to describe it to a client they find it hard to appreciate why we should spend their budget on one! So we put this together to show a Jib at work and the talented guys who operate it. A perfect example of how to use video to demonstrate a product that you can’t easily describe otherwise!

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency asked Focus to produce a video programme that covered the Agency’s entire UK-wide operation, describing the ways in which their Maritime Response Control Centres handle the coordination of Search and Rescue missions when ships get into trouble. You can watch the whole programme athttp://www.mcapodcasts.co.uk/mcavnrs/index.htm

TV presenter Iolo Williams meets Colin and Mandy Powell who run this fantastic 5 star B&B in Mid Wales. Incidentally, they have the three minute Podcast running on their own website, possibly a first in the B&B sector. Originally as part of a DVD promoting the town of Llanidloes in Mid Wales.
www.grandstandbandb.co.uk  www.llanidloes.com

With more people holidaying at home this year, the truck in front of you as you drive to your UK holiday will remind you to ‘Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard’.

It’s an interesting partnership between the UK’s major food retailer and the Coastguard – one of the 999 emergency services.

HM Coastguard consists of courageous and dedicated professionals and volunteers who, as well as operating a fleet of Search and Rescue helicopters, cover the entire UK coastline with teams of volunteers trained for cliff and river rescues.  Each year, these committed people save hundreds of lives.

The full story of the Tesco/HMCG partnership is covered in the latest edition of the MCA Video News Podcast which is produced and operated by Focus Business Podcasts, the UK’s major specialist in business and public service podcasting.

HM Coastguard is part of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

BT Intelligent Solutions

We are enthusiatic evangelists for the use of video in websites as a very direct way to help people understand the message.  And it’s just more interesting than a page of words!   Best practice in our experience is to give users control and this is what BT have done.  It is a very positive experience.

We use them internally so that we can all look at or amend the same document – at the same time in some cases – replacing job books, card indices, address books etc. It’s up to you to choose who you want to allow to view and/or amend the document as you have to invite participants individually.

We’ve used Googledocs to list the latest updates to archive footage for our client the Maritime Coastguard Agency. Another client, based in Brussels, monitors their web statistics from the information we upload to Googledocs.

But still, what would you have done?  Well, they got their DVDs back by return of post with an apology, pointing out that not only would it have been illegal but it would also produce a fairly poor result, doing them (and us) no good at all.   Still – we all hate to turn work away!

Podcasting is a wonderful way to share information widely, and the majority of Business Podcasts consist mainly of conversations.  Now obviously no-one would think of travelling across the globe to meet up face-to-face to record such conversations, so we’ve been using Voice Over IP (that’s Skype to you and me!) because it’s free, better than the telephone, and to many people’s amazement it works brilliantly (provided you use good microphones).  If we can get people into a studio then we can use inter-studio ISDN audio links – but that’s pretty unusual.

But many global organisations who use Business Podcasting also have a Video Conferencing network, and that’s a great way to talk across the world, and it provides good sound quality.  Our client AstraZeneca is no exception in having a huge VC network providing contact with all of their sites.  So when we started to produce Business Podcasts for them the first thing to work out was how we would connect – and someone said ‘How about Video Conferencing!’  Sounded crazy, but once we’d all thought about it and tried it – it works a treat!

So now we’ve tweaked our VC system, and we record and edit interviews  over the VC system into our SADiE audio workstation and produce great conversations for podcast – using the medium of VC.  Thanks to some clever people at Direct Visual, we’re getting great audio quality out of the Tandberg VC system.  And because everyone can see each other, the conversations flow beautifully too!

So let me thank one of the very nice people at AstraZeneca for coming up with this bright idea, and say ‘Thanks Amanda!’ (You know who you are!)

But why didn’t I think of it!

You can now view the debates on the NHS South Central website.

Want to know how we did it?  We used three Sony 500 series camcorders, two operated by camera operators Andy and Bob, the third camera was locked off at the back. Like all professional cameras each camcorder produces frame accurate timecode, so to ensure they were all synchronised and to prove we didn’t miss a single work they were all locked to the same time-of-day timecode.  At the back of the room our Datavision vision mixer was supplied with SDI feeds from all three cameras, whilst at the same time we recorded all three video streams on the camcorders for back-up.

The vision mixer was operated by our director, Ian, who switched the cameras and directed the camera operators over talkback.

All too often sound can become the poor relation on a job because nobody wants to pay for a sound operator.  That makes no sense at all because in most cases audio is even more important than the pictures, and that’s certainly true on this occasion.  Colin, the sound guy, mixed the audio from the chairman and four experts, as well as from two radio microphones which were given to the members of the audience who wanted to speak.  That audio went to the PA system as well as to our recorders.  The director checked the audio and video feeds which were recorded to DVCAM and DVD recorders.  That’s in addition to the back-ups on each camera.

The Chairman of all the debates was Peter White, who hosts BBC Radio 4’s ‘You and Yours’ as well as being the BBC’s Disability Correspondent.  Because he is visually impaired we provided him with a radio ear-piece fed from a radio microphone through which he was kept abreast of the next person in the audience to ask a question.    He handled it all amazingly well of course.  The debates were occasionally fiery, with passionate speakers on both sides.  It actually made very entertaining television – although that wasn’t the main point!

After the debates all the equipment was packed up and taken back to the studio.  It had taken four hours to rig and check, making sure all the cables were safely fixed down and not going to trip up members of the audience.  Four hours to rig but only a little more than one hour to take down and pack into the vehicles.

Back at the studio we encoded the finished programme in four half-hour clips to widescreen .wmv files with an optimised data rate using Adobe Premier and Canopus Procoder.  To prove that not one second was lost from the debates the actual time of the recording was displayed on the screen, together with the client’s logo.  It’s always nice to know the client is proud enough of our work to associate with it!

But do we want Fluoride in our water?  That’s a very good question!