It’s becoming more and more common for people to shoot their own videos for websites. In most cases, it’s best to work with a professional. But there are situations, such as shooting a quick update for your blog or a social media post, where user-generate content works fine.
Unfortunately, in an effort to keep costs down, and without the right knowledge and experience, there are some really sub-standard videos being produced. Bad lighting, sound and host presentation are sure-fire ways to get your audience to switch off. And the danger with this is that it can undermine your whole brand.
Listen to the audio version: [powerpress]
01:03 – Lighting
01:32 – Framing
01:56 – Sound
02:41 – Be Natural
So, while in order to achieve the best results you should hire a professional video production company, sometimes you just need to create a quick, no frills video for something like your facebook page or your blog.
If you decide to produce your own web video content, here are 4 simple steps to follow in order to get the best results possible:
Lighting
Because you probably won’t have any professional lighting equipment or access to a professional videographer, you are going to have to make the most of what you have. If you are in a room with large windows, try to sit facing the window. You might need to turn all the lights on in the room you are in, if natural light isn’t readily available.
Try to avoid sitting in between the camera and a bright light source. Your camera will probably be set to auto-exposure and will make you look dark in the video.
Framing
As a rule of thumb, try to make sure the presenter’s eyes are two-thirds of the way up the screen. This will make sure you don’t have too much “head room” or space above the presenter’s head and the top of the frame. Having too much dead space above your presenter will not only make it look poorly composed, but it will actually psychologically diminish presenters authority to your viewers.
Sound
It is very easy to overlook or underestimate sound when recording your video. Some common mistakes are having an on-camera microphone too far away from the presenter, or recording too much background noise.To record good quality sound, either move the presenter close to your sound recording device, or better yet, use a lapel microphone that clips onto the presenters collar. Remember to also close any windows that may be around and turn off any electrical equipment that produce noise. Try to make the filming location as quiet as possible.
Be Natural
When presenting, try to be as conversational and natural as possible. Imagine you are sitting and talking to a client or colleague. Don’t mimic TV personalities presentations styles, it will come across as contrived and your viewers will see through it. The more authentic you are, the more engaging you will be.
When hiring professionals isn’t an option, these 4 simple steps will help you achieve the best possible results from your next DIY web video. If you’re hesitant to go with a professional video production company because you haven’t done it before or don’t know where to start then take a look at our discussion on choosing a Melbourne corporate video company so that you have an idea of where to start.
If you have any questions about web videos or want to create professional web video, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to help.
Ryan Spanger is one of Melbourne’s most respected and sought-after video production professionals. Ryan founded Dream Engine in 2002, and specialises in helping medium to large corporates, government departments, and the non-profit sector to connect with their audience more effectively by using video.
