For a long time, video production was something best left to the masters. It was an expensive process that required years of experience to do professionally. However, with the constantly rising quality and lowering prices of technology compounded with people's increased access to information, creating professional quality videos is easier than ever.
However, it’s not as simple as opening your smartphone camera, pointing, and shooting. There are still a variety of processes you need to focus on if you want to make high-quality videos. Luckily, as long as you know what you are doing, you can make a video on a tight budget that feels worthy of business use.
If you want to start making content for your company’s marketing campaign or social media strategy, you’ll need a little know-how to get started on the right foot. These are the most important things to focus on when creating a video for your business in 2022.
Focus on Lighting
A camera captures light and turns it into observable photos and videos. Because of that, the most important thing to focus on when using a camera is light. The difference between an amateur looking setup and a professional quality shot is almost always a result of the lighting. One of the best ways to make sure that your video looks professional is to make sure the lighting is done right.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to dish out thousands of dollars into a full video lighting kit (though, if you have the funds, it’s not a bad idea.) One of the best sources of light is one you see every day — the sun. If you are looking to get some great free lighting, try shooting your video by a window on a sunny day or outside if the sky is a little overcast so that the clouds can diffuse the hard shadows.
Even if you can’t shoot outside, there are still countless ways to make sure that a shot is well lit. Just ensure there aren’t any hard shadows and that the lighting matches the style of video you are shooting. With a little practice and online research, getting the lighting right will help enhance the professionalism and quality of your videos.
Prioritize the Audio
Something that many beginner filmmakers overlook is the quality of the audio. Your ears are going to be offended before your eyes will. That means that if the video doesn't sound good, people will be more likely to dismiss it as amateurish and unprofessional than if the video doesn't look good. Of course, you should prioritize both your video's visual and audio content, but pay extra close attention to the audio.
One of the best ways to capture good audio is using a higher-quality microphone. Microphones are built into almost all cameras, whether you’re using a smartphone or a dedicated camera. However, these microphones will likely capture a lot of noise from the surrounding room and even from you, which will make the audio quality worse. Similarly, built-in microphones often do not have enough power to provide clear, crisp audio like what you would receive from an external microphone.
If you invest in anything, try looking into a USB microphone or a lapel microphone for any person speaking in front of the camera. The correct tool will always depend on your situation, so make sure you know what you will be filming before investing time and money into anything.
Make Use of Video Editing
Video editing is what turns good videos into great ones. Similar to the creation of a power point presentation, you have a number of "slides" (video clips) which you then have to order properly to be able to tell your story and convey the necessary information in a clear and concise manner. This is the process of taking the footage that you shot and cutting and lining it up so that it’s of the highest quality possible. Today, video editing can be done on laptops and smartphones, as long as you have a little knowledge.
Apps like Apple’s iMovie work well on laptops and smartphones and are fairly easy to use. If you have a PC, Windows Video Editor is a great way to edit your shots together to make them more appealing and professional.
It might take a bit of work to get your video edit feeling good, but if you put in the time, a well-done edit will make your video look business-worthy in no time.
Write Good Scripts
One of the most critical parts of a good video is the planning and scripting that goes into it. If you don’t have anything good to say on the video or the script is done poorly, it doesn’t matter how nice the video looks or sounds. When writing the script, make sure it is clear, concise, and light-hearted.
Videos in the business world sometimes feel bloated with facts, statistics, and numbers. Remember — just focus on a few key points in every video. If you incorporate too much information into one video, the odds are good that it will overwhelm or bore the viewers. When you deliver information in a quick, clear, and concise manner, it is more likely that the information will stick in the viewers' minds and leave a good impression.
When creating a good script, you should also make sure it sounds genuine and fluid. Read the script aloud, and make sure that it sounds natural and doesn't feel like a textbook. Especially in business, people want to feel like they are being heard and talked to as real people, and not just statistics. Write scripts that connect with people on an emotional level— don’t just inform them about technicalities and details.
Don’t Be Afraid To Outsource
If you’ve tried to create a video that looks and feels professional and just can’t figure out how, that’s okay. It requires a lot of time, effort, and practice to get it right. If you don’t have that kind of time to devote to a business video project, don’t be afraid to outsource your video projects to an external team.
That’s exactly why 7 Wonders exists — to make it possible for businesses of all kinds and sizes to make professional videos. We make it possible for virtually any business to work with a team made up of industry veterans. Even in the modern world, expensive cameras, microphones, lighting gear, or software can never beat experience, and that’s why our team is so powerful.
We’ve made videos of all kinds, ranging from B2B marketing content, testimonial videos, social media videos, and more. No matter what you have in mind, we can make it happen. It’s our goal to take your ideas and concepts and turn them into videos that can make a difference in the world and your business.
If you want to see what we can do, don’t hesitate to reach out to us or check out our website right here.
Sources: