Screencaster

Why every screencaster needs a reel.

Why Every Screencaster Needs a Reel

(yes, even if you’re NOT a freelancer)

I’ve been consulting as a pro screencaster for 17 years now. Through dozens of clients and hundreds of projects, I can count on one hand the number of times anyone’s ever asked me for a résumé.

Specifically, three times. That’s it.

So how did all those other clients know that I was competent and able to produce what they needed?

In a couple of ways, as it happens. First, in the content creation biz, social proof is a key factor. Direct positive word-of-mouth is a resource that gets you hired more than any other. Someone that the prospective client knows and trusts tells them that…

I not only know my stuff, but also that…
I play nicely with others, and that…
I’m highly unlikely to take that sizable deposit check and fly off to Tahiti with it, never to be heard from again.

These pro-Daniel whisperings are money in the bank. But they can also be hard to come by, particularly since you don’t want to have to go constantly pestering your current client roster to go making calls on your behalf.

A slightly less effective form of social proof is a set of testimonials. It’s always a good thing to swap recommendations (provided they’re honest) with those in your professional orbit on LinkedIn, as you never know who might be browsing your profile. As a freelancer, I find it preferable to keep a dedicated testimonial page, which I regularly update.

But even the most glowing and eloquent referral can really only get your toe in the door. What seals the deal? Your body of work, of course. If you want to convince someone that you can do what they want, just show them that you’ve done it before.

For many years, I’ve hosted a portfolio of past work on my web site. And I thought that was enough. Until, one day, I got a rather enlightening comment from a prospective client:

“I’ve glanced at your portfolio, but there’s just so much stuff there. I don’t even know where to begin.”

I finally clued into the fact that I needed a show reel. Something varied and upbeat, and most importantly, SHORT. Sixty seconds that shows off your very best work.

You can check out my own reel here…

Mine is a bit longer than average because it’s pulling double-duty. It has both screencast content as well as some motion-graphics work. Based on this, I would need to be careful about whom I sent it to. This reel is perfect for corporate training and marketing departments who might have a broader needs, but an animation studio would scoff and immediately click away.

And just as your audience plays a vital role in what you put on your reel, so do your career aspirations? A career counselor once told me to, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” So it also goes for your reel content. Make sure it’s heavy on the kind of work you want to do MORE of. Because that’s precisely what your colleagues and clients will order up after glancing over your video.

And speaking of colleagues, note that you don’t have to be a freelancer or consultant in order to make good use of a reel. In corporate environments, it can serve as a powerful means of getting approval on video projects that you’ve a hankerin’ to take on. If you’re tired of explaining certain procedures for the umpteenth time, and you think you’re department (and your sanity) would benefit from a series of tutorials, having something to show to management and other decision-makers ahead of time could make all the difference.

Clip Speed in Camtasia Studio

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As my wife will readily attest, I’m not much of a multi-tasker. When I try, things have a way of falling spectacularly apart.

Perhaps you can relate.

As such, I always record my screencast footage and my audio narration separately. But if you’re not a very experienced screencaster (and sometimes, even if you are), you’ll encounter difficulty putting those two streams of information together and synching them up.

This video will help you remedy that. Along with three other editing techniques, Clip Speed in Camtasia is an easy way of both synching stuff up as well doing some cool time-lapse effects. Check it out.

Honesty in Screencast Narration

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Honestly Compelling Screencast Narration

That was lovely, Daniel. You clearly have a lot of experience in front of the mic.
But you come across like a radio announcer. Remember, it can’t sound like acting.”
Sam & Max - screencast narration
I was a little offended at that.

A few years ago, I attended a special workshop on voiceover acting for video games, put on by OMUK, a voiceover recording studio in London that specializes in video game dialogue. Aspiring performers come from all over the UK to train themselves up on the art and business of delivering a convincing voiceover performance in the increasingly sophisticated world of interactive entertainment. I had come all the way from Spain.

I had always taken pride on being myself in front of the mic, on staying genuine even when specifically creating a screencast with the goal of hard-selling a product. And yet there I was, being told that I sounded no more convincing than the schlock-jocks who hawk fan belts, fast food, and financial services down at Lite-FM.

Days after the workshop, I went back and listened to the segments I had recorded that day, and my eyes went wide. My instructor was right.

Honesty’s a rare commodity in VO delivery. The slick, singsongy warbles of the radio pitchman almost invite suspicion nowadays. Consumers have been taken in before. We’re wiser now.

Voice acting and screencasting narration aren’t remotely the same animal, of course. There are wildly different goals for each, but do remember that honesty in the delivery transcends all genres of voiceover work. It’s essential no matter what reason you’re going behind the mic.

So how to attain it, that’s the question. The cliché answer is “be yourself.” It sounds like something out of an after-school special. But sometimes clichés are so often repeated for a good reason. This one happens to be “right as rain.”

So let’s talk specific tips…

First, take a look your script. Are there 75-cent words that have no place in everyday conversation? Strike them. Industry jargon that only a portion of your audience will understand? Simplify. The goal of your screencast isn’t to demonstrate how much smarter you are than your viewers. Whether training or marketing, you need to connect on a basic, human level. That’s a little hard to accomplish when you’re talking down to them.
On a related note, try to use the first person in your narration when possible. When working for a large organization, I know this isn’t always feasible. A lot of companies shy away from letting individuals in their group be, well, individuals. But think about the last time you were on hold after dialing up some corporate entity: “Your call is very important to us.” Yeah, right. Now think about the times (increasingly rare nowadays) that you actually managed to reach a human being on the other end who was compassionate, personable, and eager to help. In screencasting, you want to be that dude (or dudette). When one person is empowered by their large, impersonal employer to spread their knowledge and enthusiasm in a personal way, good things happen. Check out The Cluetrain Manifesto for more information on this.
Try to avoid too many layers of polish. It is of course vital to be professional. But one thing that’s always bothered me about products like Adobe Captivate, with its smooth-as-glass mouse movements, is that the content looks like a robot did it. In both your visuals and your narration, try to keep it a bit loose. Make an off-topic aside or a corny joke. Show a little emotion (so long as it’s genuine). Let ’em know there’s an actual human being behind the scenes. Of course, these assorted bits of personality tend to be first on the chopping block if you’re one of those unlucky souls who must submit their storyboards for committee review. Narrow minds will always try to suck the humanity out of your work in the interest of “professionalism.” Fight to maintain it when possible.

Based on this last point, it seems even I have some work to do, if my abysmal demo tape from that workshop is any indication. Radio announcers belong on the radio. Not in your screencast.