How to Make a CreativeLive Video

Several years ago I did two presentations with an organization called CreativeLive. I was working for Blurb at the time but these first presentations were more about me as a creative than about Blurb specifically. Bookmaking and documentary portraiture were the areas I chose to cover.

When you work with CreativeLive, in many cases, you are actually presenting, filming and broadcasting LIVE, complete with studio audience, producer and world wide viewing audience chiming in with questions, observations, etc. I’ve done hundreds of talks for Blurb, and for some unknown reason I’ve never been bothered by public speaking, even when I had to give an emergency, last-minute keynote to nearly 3000 people. This is odd for someone who doesn’t like to be the center of attention and someone who spends most of his free time searching for desolate spots in the American West.

Recently we again decided to partner with CreativeLive to create a series of presentations regarding Blurb software options. Bookwright, the Blurb plugin for InDesign and the Lightroom Book module were the main flavors we intended to cover. Instead of broadcasting live we chose to go “live to tape,” meaning best case scenario is yours truly giving a one-take, hour long lecture on a specific software with the least amount of hiccups as possible. It’s challenging but fun. Let me explain how this comes about.

I’ve done hundreds of talks for Blurb, and for some unknown reason I’ve never been bothered by public speaking, even when I had to give an emergency, last-minute keynote to nearly 3000 people.

These projects always start with phone calls. Narrowing down subjects, timelines, presenters and objectives. Then comes the physical meetings. CreativeLive has beautiful studios that make you feel creative the moment you enter. After the physical meetings come a few more rounds of phone calls, running through the “show flow” and determining the best order of information delivery.

Finally comes the day of shooting. This is where I tend to get a little amped up. One minute I’m shooting the breeze in the lobby and the next I’m facing a three camera setup with three producers, camera operators, an editor and a presentation I’ve tried to memorize but not script.  Then I hear “Okay, you are good to go,” the red light appears above the camera and it’s performance time.

What was intriguing about this latest round of presentations is that I’m not a software expert. Far from it, which means I’m a great person to walk other beginners through the process. So many people get hung up on small things effectively becoming stifled when it comes to bookmaking. These programs are here to help.