Here are our top video production tips to ensure your film shoots and projects go off without a glitch.
- Knowing your audience is what ensures a video gets results
Determine what type of video you want
Is this video going to be the first thing new customers see? Does it need to educate existing customers or does it need to appear much later in the sales process? Determining when your video will engage with your customers/prospective customers will confirm what type of video you need. If your video is an advert or a commercial, it will have to do 1 thing very well, and that’s tell the customer why they need your service or product, and how it can solve their problem, or make their life better.
If they are interested, but not 100% sure on buying just yet, that’s when a Testimonial style film can help close the sale. If they already have your product, but need educating, that’s when an educational video explaining how your product or service works steps to the fore. This will give them get a better user experience and will help you get more sales by having more customers recommending you. This all needs to be carefully considered in the Pre-Production stage, which you can learn more about here.
2. Organisation is key to a successful video shoot!
It’s all in the pre-production
Organisation is the key to any event. And when you are planning a filming shoot, it’s no different! From smaller things like organising hard drives to making sure that your video will appeal to your target audience. You need to resolve all these issues will in advance of the filming day.
We find that an hour-by-hour schedule and detailed call sheet clarify the project and improve efficiency for everyone. Essentially, the more time spent on planning: concepting, scriptwriting, and storyboarding, then the better the shoot goes! And as a consequence, the better the final video becomes at the end of the process. It’s that old adage again…
Fail to prepare? Then prepare to fail!
3. Make original content
3. Be original, cut through the noise
It takes time to come up with original concepts but it’s worth it if you want to make a truly memorable video. People upload hours of content to the internet every day, which is why it’s often best to keep your content short. However, if you’re creating a training video or have a captive audience, then you can afford to create longer form content.
But if you are creating an advert/commercial then it’s important that your video stands out and is seen by your target audience and cut’s through the digital noise straight away. If you can, try to start the video with something really funny or very eye-catching to stop people scrolling and capture their attention. If you’re not very creative by nature, then don’t panic. This is something that you can acquire like any new skill. It might just take some time! There are lots of books out there that can help you to unlock your creative genius!
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4. Research your target audience
Research your target audience
This should really be under the ‘It’s all in the pre-production’ section but it’s so vital we decided to list it separately. Knowing how to appeal to your target audience is key to a video being successful. For your video to really engage with your audience look at the competition and consider their video output. What makes their videos successful? Just remember to be authentic. Be original.
5. Consider sound quality
Does it sound good?
Check the sound quality. We recommend investing in some basic audio kit if you are producing and editing the video under your own steam. Good sound quality for voice recordings, great music, and SFX (sound effects) can do much more than just add to the visuals; they can really take your video to the next level. Think about it like this, if your interview looks great but has poor sound quality or makes it hard to hear what the person on camera is saying, then viewers will often literally switch off!
6. Does it look as good as you can possibly make it?
Does it look good?
The same principle applies to making your video looking good too. For many people, filming on their smartphone can be the easiest way to capture high quality video. However, investing in lighting could be the best decision you’ve ever made for your business, especially if you’re just starting up and plan to advertise on social media. If you have a bit more cash to splash, then hiring in experts to cover sound and lighting is definitely the right way to go. And of course make sure all your content is correctly formatted for the platforms on which you intend to post the content.
7. High Quality Editing Takes Time
Editing takes time
Whatever your video is about, it’s important that you capture the audience’s attention, so you’ll need a strong opening and a definitive concluding scene. Of course, all this should have been considered and planned out during pre-production when you were storyboarding but it’s still important that you bear this in mind when you sit down with the footage afterwards. Having a clear storyboard to rely on at this point drastically streamlines the editing process. Finally, remember to keep it short, sweet and to the point. Adding a music track can often be the final cherry on the cake of any video.
Adding some choice animation can help to cement any key USPs, or brand messages to your video.
And finally on our list of 8 Top Video Production Tips is…
8. Get the professionals in!
Sometimes outsourcing, or delegating is the best way forward!
If all this sounds like too much hard work, then you’d be right! If you’d much rather be worrying about making sure that the key messages and branding are coming across on camera than dealing with the technicalities of how to film then your best option is to get professional help.
And, of course, Nomadic are always on hand to help you with any video project on which you might be working.
So, get in touch to arrange Nomadic UK capturing your next event on film.
Email us at hello@nomadic.uk or call us on 01242 373942 to speak to us now.
And don’t forget to check out our latest LinkedIn post to see where we are and what we are working on this week!
