(Source: freepik.com)
At some point, everyone has to make their first video. Whether it’s a start-up explainer or a business presentation by your CEO, there are some things you can do to make sure you have the highest quality video possible. These tips will help you create engaging videos the first time and avoid some common mistakes people make when filming.
Plan your shots.
Planning your shots is one of the most important things you can do to improve the quality of your video footage. The more time you spend planning, the less time you’ll have to spend in editing and polishing up the final product. Planning ensures that:
- You get consistent lighting and audio quality throughout.
- Your videos will be roughly even in length, so they’re easier to watch as a whole.
- You know what format will best suit your content (e.g., if it’s only going online, doesn’t matter).
Compress your videos (increase free space).
When you shoot a video, there may be unused parts of it that you don’t need. This extra footage can take up space on your memory card and make it difficult to upload your videos because they take longer to transfer. To get the most out of your storage space, delete unnecessary files (such as outtakes). Learning how to compress a video can help to shrink the size of your clips by removing unnecessary parts from them.
De-interlace your videos.
All digital video is captured in a format called interlaced, but most modern displays use progressive scans. This means that when you watch a movie or TV show on your computer, it needs to be de-interlaced before you can view it properly.
The easiest way to do this is with Handbrake, which makes short work of the task: simply select “Deinterlace” from the Video tab and choose one of three options: Film (3:2 pulldown), Bob (a less accurate setting that works better with source material taken from DVDs), or Adaptive (the best option with live action).
Convert your videos to a lighter format.
Conversion to a lighter format will make it easier to share your video files via the Internet and other means. One of the several free converters available online that can help you convert your files is Veed’s video converter which is an all-in-one tool, and it has been used by millions of people across the globe, many of whom have found great success with this tool.
Capture additional elements.
You can add additional elements to your video that will help you in the editing process. Capturing these elements will make the editing process go faster and more smoothly, as they can be added directly into the video file, rather than having to import them from another program or device.
Some examples of additional elements are:
- Audio (narration/music)
- Text
There are several ways to capture audio for your videos:
- With a microphone connected directly to your camera (if available) or using an external microphone connected via USB cable or Bluetooth connection
- Through software on your computers, such as GarageBand or Audacity
There are a variety of ways you can add text to your videos. If you’re using a desktop computer with keyboard shortcuts enabled, you can simply highlight text in any word processing program and select “Copy” from the Edit menu at any point before pasting it into Final Cut Pro X’s Timeline panel. Otherwise, use an app like iA Writer 6 ($9.99) which allows users who don’t want historical software like WordPerfect available across multiple platforms while still providing support for iOS apps like Pages.”
Shoot extra footage.
When you’re filming, it’s important to shoot extra footage. You should always have at least twice as much footage as you plan to use in the final video. This can be handy if you need extra material for any of the following:
- To cover mistakes and errors (e.g., a bad take, not getting a good shot)
- To cover different camera angles and points of view (e.g., close-up versus wide angle)
- To cover different lighting conditions (e.g., indoor versus outdoor)
- To cover different situations or scenes that don’t fit into the storyboard
Properly label your files.
In order to get the most out of your footage, you need to be able to identify the contents of your video files. One way that you can do this is by using a consistent naming convention. It’s important that this convention be easy to read and understand as well as easy to identify when browsing through folders full of video clips.
Using descriptive filenames is important because they help organize your video files and make it easier for you or someone else who may need them later on. If a file name makes sense then it will be easier for anyone who may need the file at some point in time because they’ll immediately know what they’re looking at without having to open up each individual file first just in case something more specific needs pointing out before making any judgments about its contents (e.g., “That footage just saved my life!”).
Verdict
Video footage is important for many different reasons. It can help you to share your message with the world and educate others on what you’re trying to say or teach them about. You also need good quality material in order for people to trust your message when they see it on social media, which is why it’s so important that this information be presented well from start (planning) until finish (labeling). Whether you are a beginner with no experience shooting movies or someone who knows how everything works behind the scenes, there are always new tips and tricks being discovered! We hope these quick tips will help improve your next project!
