From YouTube and Vimeo to Periscope and Facebook Live, video is one of the most impactful ways to connect with friends, family and brands.
And, boy do people love it.
Beyond the Internet’s fascination with cute animal videos, most people prefer to consume news and information from quick clips as opposed to reading. Needless to say, incorporating video into storytelling is a must these days for bloggers, business owners and marketers.
If you spotted our post about Super Bowl commercials a few weeks back, you know that we’re taking our own advice and jumping in to the video blogging waters. It’s safe to say that we learned A LOT in the process, and learned even more when our very own Roger Hurni gave us a crash course in shooting and editing basics.Here are our top 10 takeaways based on what we’ve learned so far. Anything to add? Share your tried-and-true tips in the comments below.
Equipment. An iPhone (or Android device) will do just fine, but you might consider a tripod adapter to hold your phone steady and a wireless mic if you’re doing interviews. You can even buy a wide-angle lens that works with your phone if you want to be super fancy.
Timing. Make sure to leave yourself enough time to film and edit. Estimate about an hour of editing time per minute of video length to give you some wiggle room, especially if you’re just starting out.
The Shot. Use the Rule of Thirds to frame subjects for a more interesting visual and look for backgrounds that aren’t too distracting. If you can, shoot horizontally because anything vertical is typically cropped in tools such as iMovie.
Lighting. Ideally, lights should be facing toward and slightly behind the subject. Filming directly into light is a no-no.
Interviewing. You might want to shoot separate clips or take longer pauses in between questions and answers, especially if you’re piecing together multiple interviews. Pro tip: It’s best to have the person being interviewed repeat a question back as part of their answer – we teach this in media training!
Tools. There are a ton of helpful apps, editing softwares and tutorials to help step up your game. iMovie is a personal favorite, but my colleagues have also recommended Adobe Premiere, Splice or Magisto.
Sound. If you’re not using a mic, you might need to do some post-production tweaks to make sure sound levels are equal. You can easily fade and adjust audio using editing software, and even match up your clip transitions with music. Make sure to use royalty free audio or music from your iTunes library.
Title Cards. Use title cards to pose questions or to display names and titles for interview pieces (it can be awkward if you never see the interviewer and just hear their voice). You can insert custom title cards by saving a PowerPoint or Keynote slide as a JPG.
Experiment. The best way to master a skill is to try – don’t be afraid to play around with various editing features. You can always hit undo and try again.
Share. Typically, it’s best to embed a video link from YouTube or Vimeo into a blog post. For sharing on social, load the video file or a brief clip directly into your post or Tweet to drive engagement.
The best results come from working together.
Ready for more? Let’s talk.