With so many new demands being made on small business owners to expand their skills into media or video marketing, many small business marketers forget to adhere to basic video production tips that can improve their videos and most importantly, produce videos that will interest their customers in their product or service.
When filming, video marketers should keep the following tips in mind: 1) Make sure the subject is well lit.
Invest and use an external lighting kit if you can.
You can find several videos on Youtube, some that are produced by the Ford Models, worthy of watching because they discuss basic lighting techniques and how to achieve professional lighting.
2) Use an external microphone, preferably a lavaliere microphone, if your camera has an auxiliary mic output.
The sound in most consumer cameras is often of poor quality and does not compare to the better quality sound many low cost external microphones deliver.
3) Monitor the audio with a set of headphones while rehearsing and recording.
Don't assume that you are recording good sound solely because the meters are bouncing! Run a small test to make sure your audio is good.
4) Make sure you record 30 seconds of what is called "room tone", the sound of the quiet tone in the room.
This prevents having a strange, empty nothingness of pure silence when editing your video.
5) Minimize crowd noise and background chatter; make sure you keep it quiet on the set.
Let the sirens of emergency vehicles, cars starting and overhead planes pass before beginning filming.
6) Unless you are going for an intentional shaky camera effect, as exemplified in The Blair Witch Project, keep your camera steady and use a tripod.
7) Don't zoom in and out too much.
This technique is often the mark of an amateur video and can be annoyingly distracting.
8) When filming a 'talking head', try to position the subject toward either end of the frame.
Divide the frame in thirds.
This is usually much more visually interesting than a straight on head shot.
9) In addition, you can add visual variety, if you can use two cameras in order to shoot your subject from two different angles.
Later on, you can cut between shots in the editing process which will improve your video dramatically.
10) And contrary to what most people think, make sure you spend most of your budget on a good copywriter who is experienced in video scriptwriting.
This tip alone can compensate for poor or mediocre production values.
The great filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock felt that when his script was completed, his film was essentially done.
He felt that shooting and editing the film was not as important as a great script.
And as a testament to his exemplary skill, many of his films are movie classics and have stood the test of time.
You should view your marketing video no differently.
When filming, video marketers should keep the following tips in mind: 1) Make sure the subject is well lit.
Invest and use an external lighting kit if you can.
You can find several videos on Youtube, some that are produced by the Ford Models, worthy of watching because they discuss basic lighting techniques and how to achieve professional lighting.
2) Use an external microphone, preferably a lavaliere microphone, if your camera has an auxiliary mic output.
The sound in most consumer cameras is often of poor quality and does not compare to the better quality sound many low cost external microphones deliver.
3) Monitor the audio with a set of headphones while rehearsing and recording.
Don't assume that you are recording good sound solely because the meters are bouncing! Run a small test to make sure your audio is good.
4) Make sure you record 30 seconds of what is called "room tone", the sound of the quiet tone in the room.
This prevents having a strange, empty nothingness of pure silence when editing your video.
5) Minimize crowd noise and background chatter; make sure you keep it quiet on the set.
Let the sirens of emergency vehicles, cars starting and overhead planes pass before beginning filming.
6) Unless you are going for an intentional shaky camera effect, as exemplified in The Blair Witch Project, keep your camera steady and use a tripod.
7) Don't zoom in and out too much.
This technique is often the mark of an amateur video and can be annoyingly distracting.
8) When filming a 'talking head', try to position the subject toward either end of the frame.
Divide the frame in thirds.
This is usually much more visually interesting than a straight on head shot.
9) In addition, you can add visual variety, if you can use two cameras in order to shoot your subject from two different angles.
Later on, you can cut between shots in the editing process which will improve your video dramatically.
10) And contrary to what most people think, make sure you spend most of your budget on a good copywriter who is experienced in video scriptwriting.
This tip alone can compensate for poor or mediocre production values.
The great filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock felt that when his script was completed, his film was essentially done.
He felt that shooting and editing the film was not as important as a great script.
And as a testament to his exemplary skill, many of his films are movie classics and have stood the test of time.
You should view your marketing video no differently.
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