7 Tips for Creating Quick, Professional Videos
Video is one of the most efficient and entertaining ways to communicate with consumers. But while they can be fun and easy to do, you want to make sure your videos portray you as the fun, yet professional, person that you are. Keep these 7 tips in mind when shooting your next video to get great results you’ll be proud to share with the world.
#1: Keep them 2-3 minutes max
These days, most of us don’t have much of an attention span. We consume as much as we can as fast as we can and move onto the next thing. Keep your videos short – 2-3 minutes maximum. Not only will your viewers not hang around much past that, some may even bail as soon as they realize your video is more than a couple minutes long.
#2: Steady your camera
The only time when a shaky camera is acceptable is when your filming an earthquake. Unless you’re doing a quick selfie video that isn’t meant for mass consumption, prop your camera up so it won’t jiggle or use a tripod.
#3: Record horizontally
You can get so much more in your shot with a horizontal video than you can with a vertical video. If you’re shooting your videos using your smartphone or tablet, make sure to shoot them horizontally to take advantage of as much screen space as possible. Say no to vertical videos. (And if you need more reasons to not shoot vertical videos, check out this PSA on Vertical Video Syndrome (http://youtu.be/Bt9zSfinwFA).
#4: Do a little planning and scripting ahead of time
Two minutes isn’t a lot of time to convey your message so it’s important to make your point quickly and clearly. Making a few notes on what you want to say or creating a short script ahead of time will help you stay focused and get your message across more quickly. It will make shooting the video easier, too.
#5: Check your physical surroundings first
I love it when I watch a video and there’s a plant or other strange object seemingly shooting out of the person’s head. Don’t let trees and other odd objects grow out of your head: check your surroundings before you film your video. Also, make sure your surroundings are cleaned up in general, and there’s nothing embarrassing lying around.
#6: Do a short test take to check audio, lighting and positioning
It’s pretty frustrating to do your whole video only to find out when you watch it that you can’t hear a word you said or see you because the light from windows behind you hid your face in shadows. Check you audio setup, lighting and camera positioning with a quick 15 second test video. That way you can make any adjustments you need to before the real take.
#7: Shoot and upload
Video editing can be a time consuming process, and we’re all busy people. Shoot your videos with the mindset that you plan to make only minimal, if any, edits post-produciton. You might say “um” or stumble on a word here and there, but for most videos that’s ok.
