(I created this video under cloudy skies. Click the play button to watch. Then change the setting to 720p on the bottom right of the video player. Your setting might read 240p or 360p or 480p. For best video resolution, change it to 720p to get crystal clear video).

You do realize I’m referring to shooting video outdoors, right?

This has nothing to do with shooting video indoors or in a studio.

The best day, according to video experts such as Harry Brockman, HBProductionGroup.com and Jim Folliard, Fairfaxvideostudio.com, is to shoot on a cloudy day. Why?

There is no direct sunlight to create harsh shadows. Clouds are perfect natural diffusers to spread light across evenly. When you create video in your office or in a studio, you typically use soft box lighting. The purpose is to spread out and create even lighting where there are no shadows anywhere.

For years, I thought that creating video outdoors under a cloudy sky was a terrible place to shoot video. I thought the video would look dark and give a gloomy feel to my videos. Once I learned how to use the manual settings on my camera, I recognized with the help of video wizard Harry Brockman, that shooting video on a cloudy day is the perfect way to shoot video outdoors.

Now remember, I’m not saying go outside and shoot on a rainy day. Instead, I’m saying that if you are going to be shooting video outdoors, understand all of the inherent challenges (including your neighbors cutting your lawn on Labor Day weekend while you are trying to shoot video) to shooting video outdoors and learning to take advantage of clouds in the sky.

NY Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyer, Gerry Oginski

I’m not talking about the domain for this blog, http://lawyersvideostudio.com. Instead, I’m talking about my medical malpractice domain http://www.oginski-law.com. That is the center of my online universe. It’s an established website with thousands of pages of content.

My gut reaction was “No way would I ever sell my main website.” I was  actually offended that someone would want to buy my personal domain.

Putting aside the ethical issues for a moment of having a non-lawyer own a lawyers web domain,  I began to ask myself, “Why would an entrepreneur want to buy a lawyer’s website?”

The answer is simple really. He wants to make money. He wants to monetize a site that is getting good traffic. He wants to benefit from somebody else’s knowledge, expertise and hard work. Plus, he’s willing to pay a good price for it too.

That prompted me to go into my analytics and look at my most recent statistics. I had not looked at my stats in a few weeks.  6,800 unique visitors this past month. Those are not “hits” or page views. These are people who came to my site and watched my videos, read my content, read the articles, free reports, blog posts and much more.

That number clearly pales in comparison to popular websites, news sites and video sharing sites. However, for a lawyer’s website, it’s actually pretty awesome. Especially in a field of law where we market to people who don’t necessarily need our services at this moment. I’m confident that the number of viewers next month will dramatically increase once again.

Getting back to the troublesome ethical issue of having a non-lawyer own a lawyer’s website, it brought me back to the old rule  in New York that says a non-lawyer cannot own any part of a law firm. my website is simply an extension of my law firm. Ethically, I do not believe a non-lawyer could own a lawyer’s website.

Having clarified that in my mind, I quickly began to think “How much would my website actually be worth and what inherent value doesn’t have?” The possibilities are endless.

Let me hear your thoughts about how you think someone could value your law firm website from both an economic standpoint and a goodwill standpoint. I’d love to hear what you have to say.  My reply to the offer to buy my domain: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

What’s more important to you? Accumulating CLE credits or learning how to improve your bottom line and convert online viewers into callers?

Don’t get me wrong. I like listening to boring CLE lectures as much as the next attorney. I’m required to rack up a certain number of CLE credits each year, just like you.  I like having the same speakers talk about the same trial tactics seminars I’ve been listening to for more than 21 years. Don’t get me wrong…I’ve learned a lot from these attorneys. I’ve also gone to ‘marketing’ seminars put on by the bar associations with these same personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers. I honestly can say that I have not learned much there. I wish someone had instead directed me to Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer (direct response marketers that teach other people how improve their bottom line).

Over the last year, as I began to fine-tuned my total online video solution for attorneys, I wanted to get the word out to fellow attorneys who could benefit from video marketing that was making my phone ring. I have lectured to attorneys at the New York City Bar Association in Manhattan about medical malpractice law. I have created CLE approved lectures both in person and on video, discussing medical malpractice in New York. I have also been invited back to lecture on the same topic. In fact, I am lecturing to attorneys this month, July 15, 2010, at the NYC Bar Association about medical malpractice law. Thinking that I could offer attorneys useful information about video marketing, I approached the New York City Bar Association and the NYS Trial Lawyers Association.

Each has a committee that vets topics deemed worthy. That’s understandable. They don’t want their attorneys to be inundated and bored to death with topics they can’t use or relate to. Also, they have to be able to offer CLE credit to their members and there are various requirements needed to justify approving CLE credits. Also understandable.

When I suggested that I present a seminar about video marketing for attorneys and have other legal marketing experts talk to attorneys about how to market their practice, the response was eye-opening. The NYC Bar was quite clear. They said they do not want a seminar where attorneys or marketers are pitching or selling their services to their members. Not even if the material was educational and informational only. “Hmmm,” I thought. Rejected. Ok. Maybe the NYS trial lawyers would have a different take on it.

I was wrong. The seminar topics were selected two years in advance and they didn’t see a need for topics on attorney marketing. However, they did offer an alternative. They said I could become a preferred vendor and appear outside each of the seminars in order to promote my service. “No thanks,” I replied.

I finally realized that the bar associations didn’t want to run marketing seminars since they could not justify giving CLE credit. That’s understandable. I finally realized that attorneys who want to learn about my services and how they can benefit from video marketing can learn tons of useful stuff from my online webinars, live seminars, video blog articles, my video coaching group for attorneys (the only video coaching group for lawyers in the country) and my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys. Oh yes, they can also contact any one of the attorneys who have used my services and ask them personally what they thought.

You can be sure that the next time you hear me speak about video marketing for attorneys at a seminar, that my content has never been given to any bar association for CLE credit. What’s more important to you? Accumulating CLE credits or learning how to improve your bottom line and convert online viewers into callers?

The decision, as always, is yours. Choose wisely.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Gerry

I am always looking on the web for video production companies that offer good value for your money.

I came upon Martindale-Hubbel’s video service and thought you’d want to know what they charge for creating video. Then you can compare it to what I offer and ask yourself which has a better value.

To create a 1 minute video, they charge $3,000. Yes, you read that correctly. A one-minute video. $3,000. Don’t believe me? Click here to see for yourself.

What do I offer?

With my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys, we make video simple, fun and profitable.

Here’s how I do it.

I PLAN YOUR CONTENT

First, I conduct a personal strategy session with you. During that time I formulate a plan for producing your video content that draws on my 21 years as a medical malpractice trial attorney in addition to my expertise as a nationally recognized expert on Attorney Video Marketing and online video producer.

WE SHOOT YOUR VIDEO

My video crew will then shoot your video content based on our Strategy Session using hi-definition video equipment, professional lighting and microphone, acquiring enough content to make 33 video clips, 2-3 minutes in length each! Yes, you read that correctly. I said “33” video clips. Not 1 or 2 or 5 or even 7, but 33 whopping video clips. Most other video companies want you to create video between 45 seconds to 2 minutes- not us.

Once you’re done creating your video, you’re done! Now, sit back, relax and wait for the videos.

WE DO THE REST

What exactly is “The Rest?” I’m glad you asked, because this is where our unique 10 STEP PROCESS provides much more value than any other Attorney Video Marketing Solution gives you for your money.

THE REST

STEP 1- We start by creating a personalized, custom HD video channel, in essence, your own Branded YouTube for you or your Firm. This allows you to display all your videos in one central location. When viewers want to watch more of your videos, they don’t have to leave your video channel. All your videos are contained right there.

STEP 2- We then integrate your video channel right into your existing website so it looks and feels like it’s part of it.

STEP 3- My Post-Production Specialists professionally edit each of your videos using the latest HD editing software, with each video branded with graphics, intro and tag, with music intro and exit. We also balance audio levels and color correct if needed.

STEP 4- We then encode to the latest specifications and upload your videos directly to your video channel which will become the showcase of your website.

STEP 5- We upload your videos to all the major video sharing sites for mass distribution.

Is that all?

No. That’s just half of the story!

WE GIVE YOU YOUR OWN VIDEO EQUIPMENT AND TEACH YOU TO USE IT LIKE A PRO!

STEP 6- We give you the brand-new HD video equipment we just used to shoot your videos AND we teach you how to use it!

No other video company does this.

We give you a top-of-the line hi-def video camera, soft-box lighting, wireless lavalier microphone and tripod.

Why would we do this? Simple.

So you can create multiple videos any time of day or night. So you can be in the forefront of the online legal world any time there’s breaking news. So you don’t have to wait for a video crew to get to you to shoot your video. Being on the cusp of current legal events and commenting on them will make you stand out. The more videos you create, the better your chances of having your videos watched. That’s the goal, isn’t it? To make your phone ring?

My goal is to make it so simple and easy  for you to create video.

When a new decision comes down, just turn on your camera to talk about it. When a popular drug is taken off the market, you’ll be one of the first to comment on it. Want to comment on an article, blog post or a particular type of case? Just turn on your equipment and start talking. After you’ve done 5 or more video clips, send us the memory card in the mail and we do all the rest!

This way you get the benefit of having 33 videos shot professionally and you also get the benefit of creating more video on your own schedule, any time you like.

STEP 7- You send us your memory card in our prepaid FedEX Envelope and once again my Post-Production Specialists professionally edit your video clips just like before, so each of your videos maintains a consistent and professional look and feel.

WE CRITIQUE YOUR VIDEO BEFORE UPLOADING

STEP 8- Before your own videos are finalized and uploaded, I personally review and critique each one. Where else can you get this personal interaction with one of the best known and well-recognized attorney video guru’s? Nowhere else.

STEP 9- We upload your brand-new videos to your video channel that we created for you.

STEP 10- We upload your brand-new videos to the major video sharing sites and optimize those videos with relevant keywords and descriptions to make them attractive for the video search engines.

Is that all? No. What’s next?

Just like on a shampoo bottle: “Wash, rinse & repeat.”

“Shoot more video, send us your memory card & repeat.”

Does it work?

You bet it does. I’M LIVING PROOF AND HERE’S WHY-

Video forms a bond and trust with your viewer. Video differentiates you from everyone else. Video establishes you as an expert without you ever having to say you’re an expert.

There is no other online video solution for attorneys that is created by a trial lawyer whose entire goal is to help other attorneys get onto video. There is no one offering a program like this at any price and certainly no video producer with over 300 videos online and almost 300,000 combined views.

WE’RE DIFFERENT and that’s really good.

Being different means that we stand out. Being different means that we offer more value for your marketing dollars. Being different means we help you stand out from the crowd and get noticed. That’s the goal, isn’t it? To be noticed; To create content that your viewer wants, that compels them to pick up the phone to ask you for more information.

To see what a smart investment our total online video solution is, I encourage you to call me now at 516-487-8207 or send me an email to: gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. I welcome your call.

Creating video will be the best return on investment you can make, and I’m living proof of that.

To your success!

Gerry

SOUND CHECK
Have you ever just sat in your office and listened to the sounds? If you did, I bet you’d hear traffic, a siren, a horn, a hum from your computer, the cackle of secretaries laughing at some joke, your partners walking by your office talking loudly, your phone ringing, and on and on.

When you are deciding on a place in your office to shoot video, you must consider all of these elements and ways to eliminate or reduce these ambient sounds. Otherwise, your pristine looking video will have unwanted background noise. Yes, that noise can be minimized in the post-production phase with video editing software, but the better practice is to eliminate it while taping instead of later during editing.

LENGTH OF YOUR VIDEO

How long will your video clip be? The short answer is “Not too long.” The longer answer is “Not too short.”

You are not limited to thirty or sixty seconds of a quick commercial of you screaming at potential clients that they must come to you. With online video, you can use your time to explain to clients how you can help them. That’s the key. Again, if you’ve taken the time to watch some attorney videos, you will see that most videos do nothing to help explain anything to potential clients.

Most website companies will tell you they need to shoot a few hours of video in your office that could take most of the day. You think “Ok, that’s fine. I expect to get lots of usable video for all those hours, right?” No, you’re wrong. These same companies take your video and multiple re-do’s of the same topic and will edit them into maybe four or five video clips. “Four or five hours of video shooting, and all I get is four or five video clips?” Yes, that’s true. “But how long is each video clip?” “About 1-2 minutes each,” comes the suave reply.

“Wait a second…you’re telling me that after spending four, five or six hours shooting and re-shooting videos; spending an entire day disrupting my office schedule doing this video stuff, all I can expect to get is a total of eight to ten minutes of video??!!” Yes, that’s correct. “I don’t get it! I’m paying all this money, spending all this time, and this is the end result? That’s crazy!”

Yes, it is crazy. These same website companies tell you that potential clients have limited attention spans. This has some truth to it. They also tell you that in their “experience” viewers can absorb only one to two minutes of video. I disagree. I think one to two minutes of video are not very helpful and do not give you enough time to explain a particular legal concept or answer a particular question.

If you put your videos on video sharing sites like YouTube, Yahoo Video, Blip.tv, Metacafe, Mefeedia, etc. you don’t pay a dime to have these sites host your video. However, there is a drawback to only using these video sharing sites to “host” your videos: You lose control of that video. Ads will appear as an overlay on your videos that will entice viewers to click away, never to return to your video.

I firmly believe that your video clips should be anywhere from two to four minutes in length. I have found that if a viewer has found your video and has a pressing legal issue, they have no problem watching a few minutes of your video if you are answering a legal topic that applies to them. In fact, I have had people call me telling me that my videos were so helpful, educational and informative, that they spent hours and days watching all of my videos.

That’s impressive since I currently have over 250 educational videos online about medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury law in New York.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

To give you some insight into how I create my own videos, it takes me 15 minutes to set up my equipment, one to two hours to get one full hour of video tape, and 10-15 minutes to take down my equipment. From that one hour of video, I can usually obtain four to five usable video clips that average from two to three minutes in length.
Now we enter the post-production phase.

POST-PRODUCTION

What happens now that the video-shoot is over, and the video techs have left your office? The video tape has to be uploaded to a computer. If I’ve shot one hour of video, it takes a great deal of time to get the video onto the computer. Once it is physically on my computer, I must edit it using video editing software. This is very time consuming and labor intensive.

VIDEO EDITING

For a one hour video, it will take at least six hours (or more) to edit the video, add graphics, background music and convert the video file to a file that is internet-compatible, compressed and ready to be uploaded to your website and the video sharing sites. This is by far, the most time consuming part of making the actual video.

Once your video clips have been edited and are now “ready for upload” they must be optimized for the video search engines, and the regular search engines. The videos are useless if they’re not recognized by the search engines and indexed by sites like YouTube and Google.

The editing is the “behind-the-scenes” work that makes your video come alive. Most attorneys just want to see the final product, and that’s ok. However, when a video editor spends 8 hours to edit your videos, you will begin to understand why website companies charge so much money.

Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 21 years. He has produced and created over 300 educational videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. If you want to see how Gerry has used video to promote take a look at his New York medical malpractice video blog.
Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help other lawyers get onto video. To get started creating video to market your legal services, Gerry now offers a “Done-for-you” service where he does everything, except show up on camera, where you don’t have to learn anything technical. Take a look at Gerry’s Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys.

You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

In this month’s ABA Law Practice journal magazine, the featured article is written by yours truly.
The theme of this month’s magazine is SMART MARKETING: IDEAS YOU CAN USE TO GET YOUR FIRM BACK IN THE GAME. Take a look and tell me what you think about the article.

Click here to read the article.

Frank Kern, in case you didn’t know, is the biggest online information marketer anywhere. Truly. Anywhere.

He’s the man responsible for many multi-million dollar online product launches. Many of his own included. He’s the one that most other online marketers follow. He clearly sets the standard for everyone else to follow. “Why the headline, and what does this have to do with attorneys creating video?” I’m glad you asked. I’m on Frank’s email list (along with at least 400,000 other people) and I received an email from him the other day about his decision to start creating video. I’m going to post his email here because his comments speak directly to attorneys who are interested in creating their own video.

Now, at this point – I had enough money to go out
and buy a bunch of video equipment.

…So I finally quit being a moron and I went and

THE COST TO CREATE VIDEO

There are video companies who charge attorneys $5000 to create a one minute video. There are some very big well-known website companies that will charge you anywhere from $2,500 all the way up to $35,000 to create video for you. There are wedding videographers who will charge you $500 for a  30 second video that is nothing more than a template for a commercial. The problem with different video companies is comparing apples to apples. Each video production company offers you certain benefits and features that make it difficult to compare with other video companies.

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING A COMPARISON CHART FOR 30 VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANIES THAT IN MY OPINION, CREATE GOOD QUALITY VIDEO.

That comparison chart will be available to attorneys who join my coaching program, which is being set up as I write this blog post.

In a nutshell, here are the 19 key questions to ask when choosing a video production company:

1. “Who is your video producer?”
2. “Does your video producer know who my ideal client is without me having to tell them?”
3. “Is your video producer an experienced trial attorney?
4. “What content will compel a website viewer to pick up the phone and call me from my video instead of my competitor?”
5. “Do you recommend that I talk about my credentials in a video?”
6. “How many videos do I get for my money?”
7. “How long will each of my videos be?”
8. “Do you physically put my video onto my website or blog?”
9. “Do you create a custom video channel for me that gets integrated into my website?”
10. “Do you upload my video to the major video sharing sites?”
11. “Do you create a blog post for each of my new videos?”
12. “Do you use Facebook to promote each of my new videos?”
13. “Do you use Twitter and Linkedin to promote each of my new videos?”
14. “Do you purchase video equipment for me including a high definition video camera, tripod, professional lights and wireless lavalier microphone?”
15. “If you buy video equipment for me, do you teach me how to use it?”
16. “Do you have a system that allows me to shoot my own video and then send it to you, so you edit it and upload it to my website and video sharing sites?”
17. “If I create six months of video using your company, will it cost me only $526 per video?”
18. “Will I have 38 video clips lasting 2-3 minutes each after six months of creating video with your company?”
19. “If I create 12 months of videos, will I have 68 video clips lasting 2-3 minutes each, if I use your company?”

The answers to those questions will be eye opening for you.

It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that the total cost per video to participate in my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys for a six month period of time is only $526 per video. I was shocked that the cost was so low. I had not calculated the cost per video before.

When I figured out the total cost for creating 12 months worth of video with my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys, the cost dropped dramatically to $426 per video! This is absolutely unheard of. My post production team said it would be impossible to continue to provide what I’m offering to attorneys for this price. Frankly I agree with them. Even if I increase the cost to create video by $10,000, each video would only be $723. That’s still unheard of.

I want you to know that I have been studying and researching other video production companies for the last two years. There are no video production companies anywhere that I am aware of that will create video for you and include all of the benefits and features that I offer for a total cost of $526 per video for a six month commitment.

Benefits and Features

• You get a one-hour personal consultation with me, the attorney video guru, that maps out your content for your initial videos and all your future videos,
• You get a custom video channel for that gets integrated into your website,
• Each video that you create on your own, with the video equipment that we buy for you, and teach you how to use it, is personally reviewed and critiqued by me before it gets uploaded,
• Six months worth of video creation will get you 38 video clips, with each clip lasting 2-3 minutes each,
• 12 months worth of video creation will get you a total of 68 video clips, each lasting 2-3 minutes each,
• You get brand-new video equipment that we buy for you and we teach you how to use your video equipment so that you can create video anytime of the day or night.

There is no other video production company anywhere that offers the same value for your hard-earned marketing dollars. If you know of another video company that will create your video and offer everything that we offer for $526 per video then I strongly encourage you to let me know because I want to hire them to create my videos.

To learn more about how I am able to compete with the biggest law firms in Manhattan and how video will help convert your website viewers to callers, I encourage you to take a look at my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Have a great day!

Gerry

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Mark Merenda, CEO of SmartMarketing for attorneys says “My clients love the fact that he’s a lawyer and not just some wedding photographer with a video camera.”

Gerry’s videos are great! Aside from turning out technically superb pictures, he understands the legal marketing field, the right questions to ask, and the concerns attorneys have about their professional image. That means his subjects relax and convey an authenticity that could never be achieved by reading from a script. I highly recommend Gerry’s services to any lawyer who wants to create an instant bond with potential clients.

Mark Merenda, CEO SmartMarketingNow.com Naples, Florida 239-403-7755

______________

Gerry on location during video shoot in the Carribean

To learn how one lawyer has taken the legal community by storm and provides the only online video solution for attorneys, you need to explore Gerry’s Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers.

In case you didn’t know, Gerry is the only video producer who is also a medical malpractice trial lawyer who has created almost 300 educational videos to market his own law practice. He created the Lawyers’ Video Studio because there were no lawyers helping other lawyers getting onto video today.

Give Gerry a call today at 516-487-8207 or send him an email at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

It was a video of the inside of my heart, and I’m very pleased to tell you that it was still inside my body when I was watching it!

I went for an echocardiogram this morning, which is a test that uses high frequency sound waves to image the heart. What I saw was nothing less than amazing. I watched my mitral valve move as blood was pumping through the different chambers of my heart. There is also a setting called color Doppler flow which analyzes the blood flow through the heart. You can actually see on the computer screen in real time what blood flow through your heart looks like. Watching the different parts of my heart beat on the monitor was absolutely fascinating.

However, don’t expect to find this video on YouTube anytime soon. You might ask “What does this have to do with creating attorney video?” If you’re a longtime follower of my blog posts you’ll know that it has everything to do with creating attorney video.

What made this video so compelling to watch? The fact that it was in real time. The fact that it was of something I never would have ordinarily been able to visualize without very expensive high-tech equipment that I clearly was not qualified to operate or interpret. The fact that I got an inside look at the inner workings of my body, beyond the standard EKG or x-ray was simply incredible. So how can you translate that into creating content for your attorney video?

Think about my comments above and what a viewer looks for when searching for an attorney online. What would make them have that “Aha” moment and say “Wow!” that was amazing. “How do I get more of that information?”

You have to be creative when deciding what content to put online. I can’t spoon feed you your content unless you sign up for my coaching program or sign up for my total online video solution where we create video for you.

I am still amazed at what I saw this morning on this video and I can’t wait to start creating new video content in the next few weeks that will incorporate today’s observations. If you have thoughts about how you can use this technique to create content, leave me a message in the comments section below; I’d love to hear it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post!

Gerry

__________________

“Gerry’s advice regarding Attorney Video Marketing is spot on.  You cannot afford not to listen to him.  As a pioneer, he has blazed the trail for us all.

Our firm would not trust outsourcing our legal marketing to just anyone.  It is critical that any vendors we use in marketing our law firm be owned or at least managed by an attorney as there are too many ethical pitfalls that a non-attorney marketer may fall into.”

Emery Brett Ledger, Personal Injury Attorney, Newport Beach, California
www.ledgerlaw.com

800.300.0001

___________________

About Gerry

Gerry is a veteran New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer and is the only video producer who is also a seasoned trial lawyer. He has produced and created over 250 educational videos to promote his own law firm using his New York Medical Malpractice Video Blog.

Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help get other lawyers get onto video. Gerry offers an all-in-one, ‘we-do-it-all for you’ system where he does everything for you except appear on camera. Learn more in the Lawyers’ Video Studio.

You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

Trey Ryder

If you do not know Trey Ryder and you are an attorney, you should take a look at his marketing materials immediately. Trey is a big proponent of education-based marketing for lawyers and has excellent advice and amazing articles for every attorney trying to market themselves.

The title of my article?
“THE LAWYER’S DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO VIDEO MARKETING”

To read great marketing articles, sign up for his newsletter on his website. He’s a great resource for attorneys.