We’re back to this Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos by Robot55 (pronounced: “Robot Go-Go” 「ロボット・ゴー・ゴー」) where we showcase what I think are the best three artists of the week and showcase their videos. These are all videos of bands that I have been playing on my regular weekly FM radio show, “What the Funday” on InterFM that is broadcast all over Japan! (Please come and “Like” our FB page if you like cool Alternative sounds and get information as to how you can hear the show anywhere in the world for free!
First off, I’d like to introduce this delightful band from London, England. They released their debut album “Out of View” on 28 January 2013, which went in at number 8 in the UK Indie Breakers Chart, and number 2 in the UK Record Store Chart. I’ve been playing today’s song every week for the last three weeks. I love it!
The History of Apple Pie – You’re So Cool (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-_O5K7rOU)
The Just Joans are David, Katie, Chris, Allan, Doog, Fraser. They are named after the Daily Record’s “Agony Aunt” and make music about everyday angst. Currently the are based in Glasgow, Scotland. I love the song but also appreciate how they did their video production on the cheap and were still able to pull my heartstrings and give me a chuckle.
Just Joans – Hey Boy…… Your oh so sensitive (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn1YBRmmXig)
Next up is a fab Garage Punk band from Los Angeles, CA who are really making a name for themselves. Adam Bones on guitar & Rikki Styxx on drums are from L.A. and recently have been touring and opening for some big names.
A review in Buzzbands LA says: “The Two Tens serve up lightning-quick garage rock that turns the clock back to first-wave punk. The single “Scene” persistently asks “Where’s your scene?” and delivers an answer in just over two minutes: Wherever you’re keeping your old Ramones vinyl.”
The Two Tens “Scene” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLVXDPSdGD4
And now this week’s Freebie. Today is Glen Matlock, the original bassist for the Sex Pistols. The “Original” Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, performed “Yeah Right” live at O-WEST, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on 5, February, 2014. By the way, did you know that Glen Matlock was actually the one who wrote the Pistols’ classic, “Pretty Vacant”? Here he is doing his original song that was released as a single, “Yeah Right!”
Well that’s the Top 3 for this week.
Check out last week’s Top 3 here: This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos & Shonen Knife!〜ミュージックビデオも制作 robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-shonen-knife/
See you next week with more cool alternative/underground/new artists!
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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. This video was made by the team at Robot55. Our starting price is ¥80,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too!
In yesterday’s post, “6 Easy Tips For Making a Viral Video” (robot55.jp/blog/6-easy-tips-for-making-a-viral-video/) I mentioned that after making your video, you simply must have a promotion plan. Here is a snippet from that article:
Once the video is made, you must promote! And that means getting everyone down to the computer keyboards and posting the video link anywhere and everywhere possible. And I don’t mean just do it one day and then drop it; you must have a thought out plan of action that runs a few months. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know! This doesn’t happen by magic, it takes effort. The video on the company webpage, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, company blogs, Linkedin, all social media and everywhere is critical for your success. Get your team to think about possibilities. Make a daily schedule showing assignments.
Of course you could spend a ton of money on promoting your video, but, then again, doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose? You intend upon making a viral because it is great promotion; it is believable (because regular people are promoting you) and, so, it is cost effective. So we don’t want to spend a ton of money on advertising for our advertisement (sounds absurd when it is put that way, doesn’t it?)
To that end (not spending a ton of money and making an effort) I then introduced dear reader to an artist named Stefano who has made the effort to make a name for himself by making drawings on Euro Bank Notes to promote himself and to make his artistic impression (and protest). His costs must be close to a few dollars but the biggest cost is time, toil and sweat…. But what is the price of fame? Today, Stefano is all over the news and has a reputation of ill-repute, or honor – depending on who you talk to. He is a big name all over the European press.
Stefano Art: No Trespassing!
Now, I hear that defacing or drawing on a Euro Bank Note is not a crime, so I think this is a great way to Guerilla Market your name. Even if it were a crime, good art offends someone and good art might often be considered “dangerous” to the Powers that Be. So I don’t want to get into a discussion on the morality of drawing on bank notes or spray painting trains (that’s a subject for discussion concerning private property rights and not for this space!) After all, wasn’t Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols all considered dangerous at their time and they were subject to book burnings and bans?
Stefano, just by himself drawing on bank notes, isn’t such an original idea. In fact, I remember seeing bank notes that had illustrations on them when I was a child. In my teens, I used to draw pictures on bank notes hoping that, someday, they’d come back to me and I’d see them. I never did see any because they never came back and I drew on hundreds of them.
The point I want to make in showing Stefano is that he made the effort. Can you imagine how many bank notes and how long and how often he had to draw on them, over and over and over? How tedious it must be. Is he still doing it? Yes, it seems. Stefano has been doing this since Feb. 2014. He draws his art and then scans it and then puts the notes back out into the public!
Genius! See? He used the internet to promote his art. By scanning it, the images wind up all over the news, blogs, and social media such as Facebook. I love it!
Interestingly, there is another “Buzz” going in related to bank notes, and drawing on them. This time from Canada! Everyone knows who Mr. Spock is, right? Well, the guy who played Mr. Spock in TV and movies, Leonard Nimoy, passed away a few weeks ago. Rest in Peace.
Well, as with many cultural icons of the modern age, it seems, in some places, especially Canada, Mr. Spock might be more famous in death than in life.
The Canadian government has asked people to stop drawing Mr. Spock on $5 dollar Canadian bank notes. The practice of doing so has become so popular that there is even a name for it and it is called, “Spocking.”
Canadians have been asked to stop drawing Leonard Nimoy-inspired Mr Spock pictures on their $5 bank notes. For years, fans of the famous Star Trek character have been scribbling on the face of former PM Wilfrid Laurier – Canada’s first Francophone prime minister – on $5 banknotes. This gathered pace last week with the death of the actor. Canada’s central bank said earlier in the week that it was not illegal to add Spock’s pointy Vulcan ears, sharp eyebrows and signature bowl haircut to the notes. However, it did encourage citizens to stop their scribbling.
Yeah. The government of the EU and Canada are destroying the value of their respective currencies by money printing and deficit spending, but they don’t want you scribbling doodles on the money. Ha!
Canada destroys the value of the currency by money printing but they don’t want you scribbling doodles on the money. Ironic?
Anyone else see the irony in all this?
Anyway, enough of my political statements. I merely wanted to show you these things and perhaps help kick-start your creative mind to think of new and novel ways to promote without spending so much money! I hope these ideas help you.
See you next time….
Now where is that stack of ¥1000 yen bills and that permanent black marker I bought the other day?
Well, have you ever wondered why some videos go viral? Have you ever wondered how to make a viral video? Well, today, you might be in luck; here’s more free tips.
We been working on producing a viral video for a famous Japanese company. I hope to be able to show that one to everyone soon; we are all expecting that it will be a hit. But in the meantime, to that end, I have been researching data and studying how to make a viral video. You know making a viral video isn’t just blind luck; there is a method to the madness. The making of a viral video comes down to three things: 1) A scientific approach (understanding your target audience and they way they think) and; 2) The artistic touch (humor or a great idea) and; 3) Luck.
Yes, of course, like with everything in life, luck is important. While I cannot guarantee that you will make a viral video by following my points below, I can guarantee that these points will increase your odds of making one. There are 6 key factors in making a viral video and that you definitely will benefit by reading this article.
1) Be funny or outrageous!
Funny and outrageous is probably the best way to go viral. Problem is, how many of us are “funny”? And, even if we are, for business use, is it widely acceptable? (I mean is it “family friendly?)
I write, produce and direct an extremely popular Sunday morning show in Japan. We are pretty outrageous (by Japan standards) for our humor. In our program, we often make “corners” in our show for sponsors. I’ve noticed one thing about big company sponsors; they love you doing outrageous stuff and think it’s hilarious on your show, but they don’t want you doing that on their sponsored part of the show! I mean, they laugh out loud when you make jokes that they are not a part of; but when they get involved they suddenly become VERY conservative.
It reminds me of something I was told many years ago by a Program Director at a big Tokyo radio station (when my program’s rating were breaking the charts). He called me to his office and said, “I want you guys to be funny… But try not to be so funny.” No kidding. I told him that we are either funny or we aren’t… But it is important to keep your target audience in mind!
Like I said, people at companies like it if you do wild and crazy stuff, and “push the envelope,” but they don’t like it when they are a part of it, and their (your) boss is breathing down their (your) necks. So keep that in mind.
Being funny but being widely acceptable? Wow! Of course, that ups the ante quite a lot and makes things much more difficult: How to be funny, yet not take the chance of offending anybody? I suggest talking with your staff! Use the funny and crazy people inside your company or hire professionals (and I mean people who do write humor or comedy for a living! It can be expensive, but it ups your odds of success.)
Here’s a good idea that can’t possible offend anyone (except this kid’s mom!)
2) Think “How would a Las Vegas Magician do it?”
When making your video, remember to try to think like a Las Vegas musician. Remember the last time you saw a good magician? When the magician showed you a trick that made you go “Wow!” You immediately wanted to see it again and you wanted your friends and family to see it too, right? That’s a secret to getting a video go viral.
3) Promote ONE idea and ONE idea only. Don’t Hard Sell!
This is actually kind of easy. Of course you all have heard the “KISS Principle”? The KISS Principle is: Keep it simple, stupid! If you have a great idea, then don’t clutter the message with extraneous information. A great example is the video below. At the end, it shows the product. Simple and sweet!
Now, imagine if, at the end of the commercial, they went through a litany of information like: ingredients, a sale, what grocery stores were carrying the product, their new gallon can? That would just ruin the short and simple message. So keep it as short as possible. Remember: “Brevity is the soul of wit” – Shakepeare
4) Use highly quality production
There’s nothing that more of a turnoff to your video than poor production. The three worst offenders are: Poor lighting; poor sound; and poor or out of focus camera work.
Now, if you are a small company, then professional video services might be just out of reach of your budget. But fear not! I give free video tips every week on this very webpage! Please check out our regular column: Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 2〜ビジネス動画を自分で作ってみよう！その２〜 (robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)
Here is a TV commercial that I worked on and that is my voice at the end. But I think this is a fine example of the kind of idea that is “cute” and could go viral (if it weren’t on TV constantly already). The idea is simple and funny and I think everyone can relate to it and it is a hit TV commercial.
The guys can especially relate to the second one where they were embarrassed in front of the beautiful women because of their silly antics!
5) Promote!
Once the video is made, you must promote! And that means getting everyone down to the computer keyboards and posting the video link anywhere and everywhere possible. And I don’t mean just do it one day and then drop it; you must have a thought out plan of action that runs a few months. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know! This doesn’t happen by magic, it takes effort. The video on the company webpage, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, company blogs, Linkedin, all social media and everywhere is critical for your success. Get your team to think about possibilities. Make a daily schedule showing assignments.
Of course you could spend a ton of money on promoting your video, but, then again, doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose? You intend upon making a viral because it is great promotion; it is believable (because regular people are promoting you) and, so, it is cost effective.So we don’t want to spend a ton of money on advertising for our advertisement (sounds absurd when it is put that way, doesn’t it?)
But what to do? Need a good idea? Need to “think out of the box”? Check this out:
Ever heard of a Greek artist named “Stefano”? He is drawing pictures on Euro bank notes and has become famous for doing so.Will he become rich? I don’t know, but he has very wide name recognition and hasn’t spent much money, only time and effort.
Stefanos has hijacked the euro banknotes including small characters to transform the traditional engravings into scenes to protest and promote himself (lots of good art is protest, is it not?) Of course, I won’t condone this (wink! wink!) but, you have to admit that, by doing this, Stefano has made a big name for himself… A what did it cost him? Not much. He’s all over the European and worldwide press.
Here’s a few examples. This is pure genius in viral marketing.
Stefano and skateboarders. This is some of his “safe” designs.
According to research conducted by Jun Group (2011), videos that are 15 seconds or shorter are shared 37 percent more often than those that last between 30 seconds and 1 minute. If you make your video longer, that stat goes down. Those shorties are only shared 18% more often than videos of longer than 1 minute.
Also, according to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. And it doesn’t get a lot better than that. You’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes.
So keep it short!
And finally, #7! (OK, I said there were six tips, but there’s 7! So sue me!)
7) Use a cat!
(Chuckle!) When all else fails, then use a cat. This is, I think, the Hail Mary pass of all ways to do a viral video… But hey, Grumpy Cat has over 7.5 million “Likes” on Facebook, so who am I to argue with a successful cat? I wanted to use a cat for the top photo of this blog post, but we don’t have a cat…
So, I’m hoping instead of always peeing on the rug, our dog can get a few million Facebook friends and start making millions too! I’m going to name him, “Sort of Grumpy Dog.”
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me, Mike, or Ken at Robot55: Email: contact@robot55.jp
We promise to help you, even with free advice, if you need it. Let’s have fun and make fun videos for our lives and our businesses! Because having a good life and making money is fun too!
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Want to see some videos we have made for happy customers in the last few weeks at a reasonable price?
Just over a week ago, I posted an article that featured some very cool animations by a Stop-Motion animator named Adam Pesapane who is better known as simply, “Pes.” That article featured one animation in particular that is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar. It is called, “Fresh Guacamole.” It is a fantastically fun animation and you can watch it and a couple of others here: Need a Break? Watch These Three Fantastic Short Animations! (robot55.jp/blog/need-a-break-watch-these-three-fantastic-short-animations/)
That article was extremely popular (thanks!) so today I decided to give you some more by other well-known Stop Motion Animators. Of course, this isn’t a Saturday morning kids channel matinee, so these video productions are for adults as they are kind of bizarre and, maybe a tad bit scary, for kids… Especially kids who are used to something like Disney Cartoons.
First up is a guy named Dillon Markey. Dillon Markey is known for his work on The Mr. Men Show (2008), Robot Chicken (2005) and Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (2010). Dillon has also worked with many famous animators and even Pes, so I thought he’d be cool to kick us off.
I think if I were a little kid, Dillon’s animation might give me nightmares!
In the late seventies, I used to go to an Art Cinema in Los Angeles to watch movies with my friends. I remember, at that theater, was the first time I had ever witnessed a David Lynch movie. It was “Eraserhead.” Yeah. That was a freaky movie. I saw it several times
One time before “Eraserhead” played there was a short film entitled “Asparagus.” I’ve looked for that animation for years and haven’t ever found it, until today. Alas, this is not with the original soundtrack (which was much more moody and psychedelic) but this new soundtrack also works well for me. This is awesome. It is by a band called, “KR3” who used Suzan Pitt’s animation for their music. Here’s “KR3 Fractures and Sparks.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5q7M7dA24I)
Finally, these artists and their works are all very cool, but what collection would be complete without some sort of explanation or history? That brings us to the “grandfather” of all of this sort of animation who, without him, this stuff might not have ever happened. His name is Ray Harryhausen. You may not know the name, but if you were interested in 50s & 60s Science Fiction, then you definitely have seen his work.
Raymond Frederick “Ray” Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American visual effects creator, writer, and producer who created a form of stop-motion model animation known as “Dynamation.” His most memorable works include the animation on Mighty Joe Young (1949), with his mentor Willis H. O’Brien, which won the Academy Award for special effects; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), his first color film; and Jason and the Argonauts (1963), featuring a famous sword fight against seven skeleton warriors. His last film was Clash of the Titans (1981), after which he retired. Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom and lived in London from 1960 until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers including John Lasseter, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton.
Ray Harryhausen was even friends with science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury! Wow!
Here is a compilation of some of Ray Harryhausen’s many works. If you are over 45 years old or so, I think you might like this drive down memory lane!
Recently, it seems that animations are all the rage (well, duh, this is Japan!) We at Robot55 are proud to announce that we are working with the fine folks at Ninja Slayer on bringing that exciting new animation to the world! Read about that here: Ninja Slayer Animation Begins April 16th at 11pm on Niconico (http://robot55.jp/blog/ninja-slayer-animation-begins-april-16th-at-11-pm-on-niconico/)
So, until next time! Enjoy the show! I’ll have some more great videos and animations here for your pleasure next week!
A still photo of Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto who ran my favorite local fish store
(写真：格安ビデオ制作、ROBOT55, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー)
Good day, humans! It is I, Robot55 greeting you with 3 more helpful and free video tips on how to make your videos and home photos much better and professional looking.
Of course, many people will say, a great video comes from fantastic camera angles, beautiful people, and great music. But we might have a slight problem there. Most of us do not look like Johnny Depp or Angelina Jolie; we don’t play an instrument and we might have trouble getting great camera angles.
The last time I looked, I didn’t look like Johnny Depp (but thought I’d make quite a charming can of Campbell’s Soup – Andy Warhol would have loved me!) And I also can digitally compose music and my GPS system helps me to take perfect camera angles every time.
At that article you can find links that help you to take better photos and videos in just a snap if you remember the simple tips. For music? Well, if it is your own business video being made yourself, you can make your own music or, just don’t have any music at all. That’s fine too because any video – even without background music – is better than no video at all! Please refer to: 90% OF ALL PEOPLE SAY A VIDEO HELPS TO DECIDE A PURCHASE! (www.robot55.jp/blog/90-of-all-people-say-a-video-helps-to-decide-a-purchase/)
… Oh, and speaking of Andy Warhol, did you know he was quoted as saying, “My idea of a great photo is one with famous people in it that is in focus”?
Indeed. Perhaps making great photos and videos isn’t that difficult if you keep in mind our weekly tips!
Today, here are three extremely simple and important points to help you make a video for your business, service, product or organization that is sure to increase your sales or profitability.
1) Keep your video short!
Research data shows that short videos are better for getting your message out than a long video. Why? Because people will not watch long videos – especially if they are watching on a smart phone or table device. Remember the old Shakespeare line from Hamlet: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
How many times have you been to a meeting or a wedding where someone had to give a speech and they were boring and kept on talking and talking until you… ZZZZZZzzzzzzz…. Oops? Where was I? Oh, yeah. Keep it short.
For online videos on Youtube, Facebook or your company or business page, three important key numbers are “10 seconds,” “30 seconds”, “60 seconds.”
A ten seconds video? No. But that’s how long you have to grab the attention of viewers in a video marketing clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. After that, you’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and anearly 60% by 2 minutes. So it is obvious that your video should be 30 seconds to 60 seconds in length at the most!
Of course, with your business, you probably have several hour’s worth of great information that you want to share with your viewers and potential audience. But, keeping in mind Shakespeare, that means you have to give your audience the most important information they need within a few seconds. Brevity truly is the soul of wit. It takes a great mind and skill to create a good message in a short amount of time.
Catch your audience or potential client’s attention within 30 ~ 60 seconds and they’ll come looking for more information. The data shows this to be a marketing fact. See: More Data Proving That You Need an Online Video For Your Business (www.robot55.jp/blog/more-data-proving-that-you-need-a-video-for-your-business/)
A good, heavy tripod will do more to improve your images than just about anything else in your arsenal. And make sure you have a good and heavy tripod. A, light, cheap, flimsy tripod might actually models do more harm than good. You definitely need a tripod for your opening scenes of your business or store (or outside in nature). You may think you have a steady hand, but nothing makes a video look more amateurish than a shaky image. And there is no way you can be more firm and steady than a tripod!
Beside that, how does a tripod help you? Besides holding the camera steady, a tripod allows you to free your hands and give directions or even appear in your own video. Also, when you hand hold a camera, as director, if you speak, your voice will be especially loud as you are right behind the camera. You do need good sound (see #3 below) but, standing behind the camera talking isn’t the way to do that. So always use a tripod!
But what if you don’t have a tripod? If you don’t have a tripod, then brace your camera on a table or a stack of books or some furniture. If you are standing, then lean against a wall or fence to get better support.
Here’s one quick tip for cheapskates (like me) to get great shots without a tripod; sit down on your butt. Bend your knees up and brace your elbows on your knees as support. Wallah! Instant Human Tripod!
Instant human tripod! Retail price? Absolutely free!
3) Get better sound!
Well, one of the worst things about amateur videos is the sound quality. Now, since this is a series about making better videos for free, I’m not going to tell you to go out and buy a microphone for your camera. So, how to get better sound from the microphone that exists on your current camera or smart phone or table device?
a) First off, try not to speak while you are video taping with your camera. The sound will be terrible. The solution? Get close to your subjects and fill the screen with their image; and only have those in the picture speak. Get close! The in-camera microphones are built with automatic limiters so they capture all sound. If the subjects speaking are far from the camera, the limiter will increase voclume and you’ll get more and more background noise (cars driving by, city noises, etc.) Get your subject to fill the screen and speak, that way your microphone will allow you to take the best sound possible. (For more on getting people in the screen correctly, see Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 2 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)
Your image should fill the screen. This will also give you better sound.
Well that’s it for today’s free 3-point lesson.
Of course, if after making your video, you decide that you might want a little more of a professional video production in Japanese or English (or any other language) then please think about us at Robot55. We are specialists in 30 Second and 60 Second videos for all areas of business videos, restaurant videos, service videos, product videos and more. Contact us if you just want to talk about it (free consultations) and let us give you a free estimate.
Or if you have any questions at all about making your own video, feel free to write directly to me and ask away! I’m here to help you! Let’s have fun making videos and making more money for your business!
