Video production is fast becoming one of the largest industries worldwide, with video content accounting for three-quarters of all Internet traffic. However, it can be increasingly difficult to get your viewers to pay attention throughout the whole video – or even to continue watching it in the first place. A long video may be a deal-breaker for some potential clients, who might just walk away at their first glance of the video’s length. As such, it is important for your videos to be engaging, succinct and still tell your audience everything they need to know.
Have you decided to harness the power of videos to boost your marketing efforts? Making your own videos can be a daunting task especially if you have never done it before, so here are some tips that any video production company in Singapore would suggest you start with.
Plan Your Scenes
Whether you are shooting the video with real people or creating it with animations, it is important to make a solid plan first. Start out with brainstorming general ideas of what your video should be about. Once you have decided on the gist of it, begin writing your script, dividing it carefully into scenes. Depending on the nature of your video, you may have to expand on the individual scenes to further visualize how it will end up looking in the video. For instance, you can create a storyboard and a shot list. It is much easier to make changes to your script while your video is still in pre-production, as compared to realizing that you made a grave mistake when the scenes have already been shot.
Come Up with a Timeline
The length of the script should give you a rough idea of how much time you need to produce the entire video. Be sure to allocate plenty of time for your project, from scriptwriting to production to post-production editing. If you run out of time and decide to wing it for the rest of your project, it is likely the video will turn out looking like a rush job, reeking of unprofessionalism – and that is a sure way to turn people off.
Don’t Forget the Audio
Although videos may focus heavily on the visual aspect, having a complementary audio track is just as important. A classic example is watching a horror movie with the sound off. You will probably quickly notice that the visuals do not have that much of an impact without the sound.
If you are filming your video, pay attention to the quality of the microphones you use, and try to pick a location with minimal background noise. Unless you are producing a silent film, it is best to invest in some professional-quality microphones, particularly lavalieres or boom microphones. These can make your on-screen dialogue much clearer, ensuring that your audience does not have to strain their ears to pick up what is being said in your video.
Choosing a good location for your set is equally important. We may become accustomed to background noise such as wind, fans, or air-conditioners, but in a video, these sounds can be very distracting and make your dialogue more difficult to hear. Additionally, it is much easier to look for a filming location free of these noises than to try eliminating the background noise in post-production editing, which can take days of work for little result.
Get a Soundtrack
A soundtrack can provide depth and emotion to your video beyond any words. Even if you are not filming any scenes, you may still want to consider including a soundtrack with your video. Although it is best to have an original soundtrack, there are royalty-free libraries that may allow you to use their tracks. Be sure to double-check the licensing for any soundtracks not composed in-house, even if you purchase them, as you will be using them for commercial purposes. Of course, best would be to create the soundtrack yourself, or contract a composer to do so.
Keep Steady
This is an especially crucial point to take note of when shooting your own footage. Never assume that a hand-held camera is steady enough. Even if it seems steady whilst filming, your viewers will almost certainly notice the shaking when they sit down to watch your video, and this comes off as very unprofessional. Instead, get a tripod or even just a firm surface to place your camera on. If you are invested in making a studio-quality film, you could even get dollies for the camera to facilitate filming in motion.
Make Use of B-Roll
In video production, a b-roll refers to supplemental footage that is used to show context, scenery or action. The main shot may sometimes cut to b-roll footage to provide viewers with a better picture of what is going on. For instance, imagine filming a person being interviewed. Rather than just focusing on the interviewee talking all the time, the video could cut to scenes of what the interviewee is describing, while they continue talking. This helps to keep the audience interested in watching your video in accordance with “show, don’t tell”.
Consider the flow of your video and what kinds of footage you may need in your b-roll. This also applies to animated films, where cutting to related scenes could supplement your video and make its message clearer. You should of course aim to capture all your b-roll footage before you go into post-production editing, but if you have already started editing and find that you still need additional footage, don’t be afraid to go out and film it if time permits.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Creating your own video can be a lot of work, not to mention repeating it many times over for as many marketing campaigns as you need. However, being your own video producer can be a very rewarding experience once you get everything right.
Looking for a fast and relaxing solution? Fortunately, you can enlist the help of a video production service in Singapore. To learn more, get in touch with us today!