If you’re marketing online, video marketing is essential. But how do you go about planning a promotional video? Read my top tips below to get started:
1. First, you must understand why the client needs a video. Is it to gain brand awareness, drive direct sales, or filter traffic to another source? Understand where this video will live (noting the aspect ratios for filming). Consider the demographic and what their values are, along with what content competitors have already got out there…but most importantly, question what’s in it for your audience? Why do they need this product? Storyboard and write shot lists, so you know exactly what you have to shoot on the day!
2. Film a recce! This is key to building your confidence for the shoot on the day. Check out the lighting set up beforehand to ensure shots are correctly exposed. Use your camera’s histogram to gauge judgement of the exposure (remember it’s easier to edit underexposed footage than overexposed!) If you need additional, artificial lighting or different lenses for the day, this will give you time to prepare for this. If a recce isn’t possible, search for images of the location or ask the staff there for a description of the setting.
3. Prepare your talent. If you’re interviewing, send your questions over before hand so your guests can prepare, saving you time on the day. If you’re using actors, brief them well in advance on the shooting schedule to increase efficiency and help them prepare for the day!
4. Overshoot B roll on the day.. it’s much better to have too much footage than too little to support your story. It’s also a good idea to change up the frame rate in shots, to give you variety when editing to change emotions, paces and filming styles. Remember to bring 2 memory cards!
5. Think about the composition of your shots when filming - follow the rule of thirds: your subject of interest should be on one of the lines or interconnecting points of your screen (which is split into three sections). This rule of thumb creates a much easier to read and aesthetically pleasing shot. You can do this easily with the grid effect in the viewfinder!
6. Set your white balance in the environment before filming to ensure colours are graded realistically. To do this, take a photo of the whitest area in the environment and use that reference to set the WB on the camera.
7. Don’t forget to check your acoustics in the recce! Be aware that hard walls will create echoes, and outside areas will have white noise and traffic noises. Test microphones and set levels to each individual person to avoid peaking (check the audio levels on your camera). Consider hiring a sound professional or using a windbreaker for outside audio recordings.
8. Post-production time: Music! I personally choose the music track before editing footage. I find that storyboarding over a track allows you to visualise which clips will work well and in collaboration with the music much better! If you’re producing a video with a script - ensure that the script is solid before editing and shooting.
9. Motion graphics! Even the simplest of animation can make a huge difference. Think captions, logos colliding as an intro, and on-screen graphics.
10. It’s a popular effect to use establishing shots as a beginning and end to a story, these act as opening and closing ‘windows’. Using suitable B Roll over particularly emotive parts of the music will help support the narrative and add emotion.
Hopefully these top 10 tips will make your video production process easier!
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