Ready to make an impact with video and help people change people’s lives but worry about background noises?
Learn how with Reid Mihalko from ReidAboutSex.com and SexGeekSummerCamp.com and Cathy Vartuli from TheIntimacyDojo.com.
Cathy: We had campers write in and say, “Hey, I really want to shoot videos. I really want to touch people’s lives.” They’re at Sex Geek Summer Camp, they’re inspired, they understand how they can make a difference in the world and they had some concerns and we want to address them so they can get out there and shoot videos. We’re here with-
Reid: Shoot videos.
Cathy: Reid Mihalko from ReidAboutSex.com and Sex Geek Summer Camp. I’m Cathy Vartuli from TheIntimacyDojo.com. It was so fun to geek out with these people at camp because their faces just lit up and they have this passion and these ideas they want to share, but it is hard when you go back to muggle land, when you go back to the real world, and you have these issues.
The first question we have is, “What do I do about background noise?” Cat meows, air conditioning, trucks driving by. The person who wrote in really doesn’t have another place right now where they can shoot and they’re really concerned that the video won’t be any good because of all the noise.
Reid: So it’s two concerns. One is just the, “It’s noisy. Is my video going to be a good thing?” Then, “How do you get your cat into the truck as it drives by?” That’s the second concern and that’s the most important concern because if you can get the cat in the truck as it drives by, then you won’t have the cat noises.
Cathy: Just so you know, a small amount is not a problem anyway. Reid and I have shot videos where my cat walked across the middle of the screen. You can see him walk across and then two minutes later he walked back across. We’ve had him in the background meowing because he caught a toy and then he was really happy about it. Don’t let that stop you. You can actually acknowledge it to the reader.
Like we had people at camp who are shooting next to a stream and the stream was kind of noisy, but they acknowledge it. They’re like, “Hey, we’re right near the stream. It’s beautiful. I wanted to show you,” and they actually showed it. It was kind of cool, so people could go, “Oh, that’s what the noise is and I can tune into the message.”
Reid: It’s very similar to when people are shooting videos in cars. As long as you acknowledge your surroundings and your content’s good and you’re being present with the camera and the audience on the other side of the lens, then there’s a really good chance you’re going to be fine because we’re so used to, as a culture, watching video now that’s been shot in all these different ways with all these different sounds and GoPro cameras. We’re used to it.
Where it’s going to be the biggest problem is if you’re so distracted by the distractions and you’re trying to pretend that they’re not there, that you’re not being present with the education and the message that you’re giving to people. That’s going to hurt you more than some bad sound quality or maybe a shaky camera. Endeavor to get to a place where you get a little tripod or something so that the camera’s not always shaking and put your cat in the truck as it drives away.
Cathy: The thing that I … Don’t do that to your cat. You can maybe lock it in a back room for a few hours or whatever. One thing that’s really important is, if you even acknowledge, “Hey, there’s a lot of noise here. I’m doing my best to find a new place, but my message, what I want to share with you, is so important that I want to get it out to you and I think that you’ll want to hear it even if the noise isn’t perfect.” Just honoring that. You can get it out there. If one person benefits by your video, bad noise, or background, or whatever, you’ve made a difference and that counts. Remember who you’re serving and get out there whether you have noise or not in the background.
Reid: Professional tools create professional results. Get a lap mic. There’s all kinds of things that don’t cost a lot of money so that you can shoot on your phone or shoot on a camera. We’ll do other videos about that stuff.
Cathy: You can turn off the air conditioning sometimes for a few minutes to shoot the videos.
Reid: Yep, while you sweat with your cat. Leave some comments below. What are your secrets to working around noise and distractions?
Cathy: Thanks for asking.