I love Vimeo. It’s a beautifully executed video sharing site with a super clean design, a smaller and more navigable community than YouTube, and a focus on high quality video production.
At first glance, Vimeo may seem like a club for amateur and professional HD filmmakers and animators to share their work, but there is a lot the site can offer a nonprofit looking to up their media game.
The most obvious resource the site provides to individuals and groups trying to refine their video presentation is their Video School.
“Vimeo Video School is a fun place for anyone to learn how to make better videos.”
Starting in December 2010, the school has grown from a handful of starter tutorials put up by the staff to over a hundred well crafted video guides submitted by users. Lessons range from the general (Video 101: Shooting Basics) to the super specific (How to do a Sky Replacement with Adobe After Effects CS5) and staff and active members are really good about responding to comments and questions you may have.
Here’s one with some basic tips for shooting video with a DSLR camera:
If you feel like your org just doesn’t have the skills to create a compelling video, sit an intern or your communications director down in front of Vimeo Video School and let the learning begin. Sometimes it seems like nonprofits use the excuses of spending time and money elsewhere to justify lower quality video and photo products. But with a resource like this, there’s no place for excuses. You can create videos that tell the stories that matter most to your audience without hindering the message with poor execution. Isn’t that exciting?!
And who knows, after you become a super Vimeo user, maybe you’ll start submitting your own tutorials that somehow sneakily highlight your organization’s work in the background…
Check back for a profile of the Vimeo Music Store. If you’ve ever needed music for a project, you know it can be a confusing hassle finding something appropriate and legal to use. See you soon!
