Video Creation Tips –
Things To Keep In Mind When Creating Videos
Introduction:
When making a video, you are making it for the viewer, not you, so here are some tips for creating a better video. A video that you can be proud of and that your target audience will enjoy watching.
Video Production Tips:
[1]Video has been a great marketing tool for many years. From TV commercials to web marketing videos, you probably have run into them all. Well, maybe not all but a good chunk of it!
In the day, or in the ’50s, to be more specific, almost every American household owned a television. Back then, the TV was the primary source of information propagation, and in turn, it was also the primary tool used to spread and shape the opinion of the public. Thus, television has been a considerable part of our lives, and it has shaped our society in many ways.
Today, video is so integrated into everyday routines that we often fail to realize its impact on us. We use video for entertainment, to keep up with the world around us, to learn, for inspiration, and the list goes on and on. The presence of the internet has changed the way we interact with video quite a bit.
Marketers around the world saw a great opportunity in the video as a form of marketing. They use it as a tool to communicate their products and brand because, with the video, they can capture their viewers faster and easier than they would with print. That’s because, with the video, we can use both audio and visual aids to help us engage with our audience and create a long-lasting impression on our viewers. And even though the essence of video marketing hasn’t changed that much, strategies used to capture our audiences have. So it’s all part of the cycle.
But even throughout all the changes the internet brought to video marketing, one thing is sure, if you want to stand out from the competition, the quality of your video should be excellent. So in this post, we’ll share some tips to help you bring your A-game to your video production.
Here’s how you start.
1. Write down a production schedule
When you start recording your video, your focus should be on the footage you gather, not on all the other things you need to do to produce your video. Planning your production schedule ahead of time will give you the peace of mind you need to stay focused on your tasks at hand.
Start by setting up a deadline and work your way back to the beginning of the process. Keep in mind that you need to set realistic expectations and be flexible if things don’t go your way. Hey, s**** happens! All you can do is adapt. By the way, the S-word is “stuff.” Here, at Digital Brew, we pride ourselves on having clean mouths. Don’t believe me? Count the numbers of *’s.
2. Shoot with your camera horizontally
When you shoot with your camera vertically, you end up with a video that has a black panel on each side of the screen. It does not look professional, and we certainly don’t recommend it.
If you try fixing it afterward, you will have to crop your video, and it will probably not look how it should.
Here’s some homework for you. Type “vertical video meme” on google images. Here’s a preview of what you can expect to see.
3. Use a tripod
You don’t need a fancy and expensive tripod. A cheap(ish) one will do. Just make sure it can handle your camera securely. The last thing you want is to save money on a tripod to have it damaging your camera. Using a tripod will drastically improve the quality of your videos. It makes your footage look much smoother, polished, and professional.
4. Use an external microphone
The cool thing about a video is that people get to enjoy your message visually AND auditorily. That means not only your visuals have to be on point but your audio as well. Just like your tripod, your mic does not need to be expensive. You can find good quality equipment for pretty good prices on the internet.
However, before you grab your wallet, you should do some research and figure out what kind of microphones would work best for the type of conditions you find yourself recording your videos in. There are many options out there, and some of them may not work for you.
5. [2]Outline your goal
What are you looking to achieve with your video? Are you trying to make people laugh? Are you trying to get them to visit your website? Are you promoting your product? Teaching them something new? Define your goal before moving on.
6. Identify your target audience
You can’t possibly target everyone in the world because then who are you talking to? Not having a clear vision of your ideal viewer groups will result in a diluted message within your video content. Your audience will determine the way you write your script, the way you shoot your video and the way you edit it. It will also determine where you distribute your videos depending on where your primary audience hangs out online. Think of who you want to be seeing this, and then think of where they usually “hang out” on the internet so you can know to distribute it later.
7. Use the power of emotions
Emotions are what drive viewers to follow through with your call to action, whether that’s subscribing to your channel, sharing your video or buying your product. It’s been proven repeatedly that emotions triggered by content drive the motivations to carry through with this. Read up on ways to trigger emotional reactions through videos to naturally entice your audience to promote your brand to others.
8. [3]Use Plenty of Light.
Lighting makes a huge difference in the quality of a finished professional video, so make it one of your top priorities during filming. If you don’t use enough properly-placed light, your video will probably look amateurish, even if it’s excellent in every other way.
The sun is one of the best light sources for video. If you’re filming in natural light, do your best to get your footage in the morning or evening, when the light is softer. Midday light coming from straight overhead can cast harsh shadows on your subjects, while morning and evening light is more flattering. If you have to film in the middle of the day, try to do so on a cloudy day or find a shady area for softer light.
If you’re filming indoors, you will need to be more intentional about the types of lights you use and where you place them. One thing to avoid is overhead lighting – it can cast unflattering shadows on your subjects’ faces. Windows are an excellent natural light source. You can also use a large lamp or two to throw the type of light you want.
Before setting up your light sources, consider the effect you want to create in your finished video. For example, do you want your subject’s face entirely lit up (“soft” or “flat” light), or do you want some shadows (“hard” light)?
9. Use a Clean Background.
Be deliberate about the background you use for filming. Nothing looks less professional than a messy or distracting background.
One easy way to get a professional look for your video is to use a solid-coloured background. A wall, a bedsheet, or a large sheet of backdrop paper are all good options. Make sure your subject stands several feet away from the backdrop to avoid casting shadows on it.
It’s also a good idea to shoot a video in a “professional” environment: where you work or spend time. For instance, Amy Landino makes her professional videos in her home office. Make sure to check out this video for both a great example of a filming set and some great tips on how to set up a home office.
Be careful not to film with a window or another reflective surface in the background of your shot. You could inadvertently catch the camera in the reflection. Besides that, having a light source like a window behind your subject can make the issue look dark and shadowy.
Conclusion:
Have fun. Make it an enjoyable process because you want to make many more. Remember that a video needs to be entertaining it needs a start, a middle and an ending.
Article compiled by hughesagency.ca
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