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Creating A Better Video

In Blogging, Video by Siobhan Findlay

If one thing is true about video production, it’s that there is always room for improvement. There will never be a lack of new techniques, equipment, or trends in this field. While it’s great to keep up with all of these new things, there are a few basic standards for creating a better video that will never change, and will always be able to help you continue to improve your video production skills.

1. Good Audio

Good audio is one of the main factors that can set your videos apart from others. If someone in a shot is talking and you don’t have clear, crisp audio for them, most people will notice.

It’s important to always put a microphone on whomever you are interviewing, to make sure that their audio will sound great.

Another way to boost audio quality for interviews is to pay attention to your surroundings. If there is a lot of noise, music, or other distracting natural sound in the background, you will probably hear it in your finished video. It might be a hassle to move your interviewee and equipment to a new, quieter spot, but it will be worth it!

2. Lighting

Using extra lighting for interviews or any setting with low lighting is always a good idea. You don’t want to have a great shot and great sound, but not be able to see anything!

Additional lighting can also be used for situations that already have ample lighting, but could just use a little extra touch. Putting a light on your subject helps to set it apart from the background.

Three point lighting is also a very useful technique, especially when shooting an interview. Having a strong key light, a fill light and a back light helps your interviewee stand out and look their best.

3. Multiple Angles

A good video is dynamic and shows as much of the setting as possible, and the best way to accomplish this is to have several different angles. You can capture different angles in several different ways, such as:

  • gathering broll.
  • getting wide, medium and tight shots of your subject.
  • changing your own position.
    This could mean getting down closer to the ground and shooting up (worm’s eye view), or getting up higher and shooting down (bird’s eye view).
  • using more cameras.
    Setting up multiple cameras at multiple different angles will give you more options to choose from when editing. If it’s possible, have another videographer join you to help out!

4. Multiple Takes

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Similarly, your video can’t be completely created all in one take! Taking multiple shots of the same scene is extremely beneficial, especially for short scenes which feature someone talking. Sometimes mess up, and don’t say exactly what they want to say (we’re all human!). You should never say, “We can just edit that out”; instead, shoot multiple takes, just in case!

5. Plan!

If you’re shooting a fictional film, you probably have every scene planned out. If you’re shooting an event, though, you might not have everything planned out that well. Why not? Planning, no matter what type of shoot you have lined up, can always help you get a better finished result!

Storyboarding is very helpful in any planning process. Storyboards help you plan out each scene, audio, timing, everything. The final video doesn’t have to end up exactly they way your storyboard looked, but at least you will start shooting in a more organized and prepared manner.

Another important planning tip, if you will be shooting outdoors, is to check the weather forecast for the day! If you’re going to be shooting outside all day, and don’t have a backup plan, rain or storms could make for one big problem!

Check out some examples of these tips in action on our video services page, or fill out the form below if Michigan Creative can help you create a better video!

– Siobhan Findlay