Re: QUESTION: Corporate videos and technical writing.

[mmarkley <mmarkley -at- MICRON -dot- COM>]

At Micron, we have begun incorporating short video clips into our HTML
documents to help illustrate the content of the of the document itself.
Because our documentation is intranet-based, and because digital video
files tend to be large (understatement), we try to keep these clips
under 60 seconds. This means we must really make good use of the time;
in fact, the video could not stand on its own--it is strictly a
supplement to the text.

Our primary limitation for using on-line video is (1) the size of the
files and (2) the production time. For example, a 30 second video clip
that displays in a 250 pixel x 250 pixel area can range from 4Mb to 6Mb,
and a person will need to spend several hours filming and editing it
before it's digitized.

We have not run into the argument that video is too "artsy," but the
limitations of intranet-based video do not allow us to include any extra
glitz--these video clips need to be short and to-the-point, or else it
would take our audience too long to download them.

But going back to your question... If the content of your videos is
technical, I would not draw a line between video script writing and
technical writing. And if your organization doesn't want to dedicate
resources to create fluffy videos, then use your skills in technical
communication to create something that is clear and concise but just
happens to be in the form of a video rather than a printed manual or an
on-line help file -- skip the fancy stuff that they think is "artsy."

Good luck,

Mike


----------------------------
Mike Markley
mmarkley -at- micron -dot- com
Micron Technology, Inc.
208-368-1389
----------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From:   Cary Watson [SMTP:CWatson853 -at- AOL -dot- COM]
Sent:   Thursday, November 13, 1997 7:11 PM
To:     TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject:        QUESTION: Corporate videos and technical writing.

I am moving into the technical writing field from a background in
writing
corporate video scripts in the areas of marketing, training, promotion,
and
policy.  Many of the scripts I've done have essentially been technical
writing documents written for the small screen.

My question(s) for the listserv is about where the line is drawn (if
there is
one) between video writing and technical writing.  Do or should
technical
writers use videos to complement or replace documents?  Are videos
considered
too expensive to produce?  Is the writing of videos deemed to be outside
the
purview of technical writers?  What is your experience with videos?

The company I work for is very uncertain when it comes to the idea of
producing videos; some think they are somehow too "arty"; others worry
about
the expense; and others aren't sure how effective a video is in
educating or
influencing an audience.

I'd welcome some help with this issue, and feel free to quiz me if there
are
some things you'd like to know about writing corporate videos.

Cary Watson
CWatson853 -at- aol -dot- com


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