Making a video is easy, but creating one that people would want to watch over and over again is a challenge. Excellence in a video can be both visual and nonvisual, with the former referring to the use of exquisite technique (e.g., good use of the elements of art and composition, great lighting, and appropriate point of view) and the latter referring to powerful or exceptional storytelling (e.g., the opening scene of The Blair Witch Project). With that in mind, we’ve listed below some pointers so you can take better videos for your YouTube or Instagram account:
Think things through
Great videos generally start with great preparation. Before shooting, make a plan of what you want to do and how you intend to do it. Ask yourself:
1. What is the purpose of my video? Do I want to inform? Persuade? Entertain? Educate?
2. What message do I want to express?
3. Who is my intended audience?
4. What’s my budget?
5. How can I best convey my message?
You can then use your answers to the above questions to formulate your plan. While planning, watch videos of your favorite social media personalities to see what they’re doing right and get inspiration for your own content. By planning, you’ve taken the first step towards leveling up your videos.
Use the right camera
Once you’re done planning, it’s time to secure the right equipment. High on your list should be the camera. In some cases, the built-in camera of your laptop or your desktop’s webcam might suffice. In other cases, the cameras of high-end smartphones, like the iPhone 11 and the Samsung Galaxy 10, would do just fine. However, if you want to take your videos up a notch you will need a good camcorder or a professional video camera. The most important point to consider when buying a camera is to stick to a budget so you don’t overspend on the equipment and have nothing for the actual video content. For those starting out, it is recommended to get a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. That’s because DSLR cameras can take the clearest videos, and give that fine, depth-of-field look that can make your videos appear professional. When you’ve secured the right camera, you’re now another step closer to great YouTube or Instagram videos.
Get the right lighting
Getting the right lighting is crucial to making great videos, as it’ll give you flexibility in terms of where and when you can shoot your scenes. The right lighting, for instance, will allow you shoot videos indoors. In this case softbox lights are good as they can emit natural-looking light in a single area. Softbox lighting is widely used for videos such as product reviews, cooking shows, and room vlogging. Popular among YouTubers, too, are ring lights and umbrella lights, as they are more affordable, portable, and extremely easy to set up.
Set the stage
Next up: setting the stage. This simply means preparing the location you’ll be recording your scenes so that it’ll look its best. Setting the stage can be as simple as cleaning a well-lit room and creating a background behind you. Just make sure that the background is not too elaborate, as it might be distracting. Having said that, a good rule of thumb is that the background should add atmosphere to your video, but not attract attention onto itself. For great examples of setting the stage well, watch Amy Landino’s videos from AmyTV. Her backgrounds are consistently simple, yet homey and complementary to the messages she wants to convey.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlfbE7PKvn4
Mind the audio
Good audio is essential to a great video. Case in point: Imagine watching a tutorial, only to hear the humming of an air-conditioner instead of the speaker. That said, make sure your video has good audio by investing in a Lavalier microphone, which is a bit pricey, but can ensure the highest quality audio for your videos. The cheaper mics, like the Audi-Technica ATR-3350 will mostly suffice, too, as long as you run a basic noise-removal filter to the recording.
Edit, edit, edit!
Once you’ve finished shooting, you’ll still have to edit your recording to clean up mistakes, enhance audio, and polish loose ends. In particular, you’ll have to:
1. Arrange the scenes in the right order (if the video has multiple takes).
2. Synchronize the audio with the video.
3. Remove unnecessary scenes or footage.
4. Incorporate intros or outros.
IMAGE: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1545254930-06c375090cbe?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=750&q=80
[Unsplash] – No changes were made to the image/images
Depending on your editing expertise, you can also add extras, like images and graphics. In this case, some Photoshop skills will surely come in handy, as you can use it to enhance images and make graphics on your own. Aside from that, you can even add clips of other videos. Just make sure these additions will actually add value to your video without detracting from its message. Once done, all that’s left is to upload the video! For more information on software like Photoshop do check out our articles.