Lockdown Video Tips
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been supporting clients with video editing, turning those enthusiastic and well-intended lockdown videos into the engaging films they are meant to be.
Even though we’ve just received our first outside video brief (our videographers will be emerging pale-skinned and blinking into the sunshine!), it’s clear that the ‘work at home if you can’ instruction won’t be going away anytime soon. So, we thought we’d share our top tips on how to improve your homegrown videos:
1.
Tilt the camera over so it’s lying long ways (landscape) and use the forward-facing camera so you can frame yourself in selfie mode.
2.
Find a quiet space away from fridges and blackbirds – nothing is more distracting than background noise.
3.
Make your head and shoulders fill the frame – we know you’ll want to show off the bookshelves behind you but it’s more important to keep the viewer focused on you and it will improve the sound.
4.
Light on your face, not behind you – poor lighting is a no-no. Face the window but don’t let the sunlight stream onto your face. If you’re a night owl, use a lamp instead.
5.
If you’re planning on standing, have someone hold the phone or use bookshelves and sellotape creatively.
6.
Make a short storyboard – very few people are good at ad libbing so it’s best to plan the journey through your video.
7.
Speak clearly and use ‘sound-bites’ – this will make your points land better.
8.
Look at the actual camera on the phone/laptop as the eye-line improves when you do this.
9.
Get your phone camera’s record settings to a good level. Go to Youtube and look this up for your own phone. Ideally you want 1080p at 30fps. No need for higher, but try not to go lower.
As well as helping clients storyboard their videos, we’ve also been doing some light editing work to improve both look and sound. We can also add logos, photos, slides, intros & outros so get in touch if you’d like to find out more.