Embarking on the journey of content creation can be really exciting, and you probably have tons of ideas to try out. Maybe you are launching your own YouTube channel or creating corporate videos or commercials for your business. As with most things, practice makes perfect, and doing your research even more so. Here are some tips and tricks for video makers to ensure your content looks professional. It will also help you avoid any hiccups along the way. Let’s get started!
Top Tips For Beginner Video Makers
1. Plan Ahead
Planning your content ahead is the best way to ensure a great outcome. Make sure to identify your target audience or client and your goal for the video. Maybe you want to drive audiences to sign up, buy a product or get interested into your business. Keep this in mind when planning your video. These choices should be made before any filming is done, and having a clear vision will make everything run far more smoothly.
2. Backgrounds
Depending on your brand and audience, begin thinking about what background you should have for your video. Will it be a corporate video filmed with a real background such as an office? Or perhaps you are filming a YouTube video in your living room. If so, ensure that the background isn’t messy or distracting, and works with your brand. Try to avoid clashing colors or clutters, and test wardrobe choices out on camera. Green screen is an option but may be a little complicated if you’re a beginner. So, for this article, we suggest sticking to a standard background.
3. Filming & Equipment
You may assume that you need to invest in high quality professional equipment as a beginner video maker. This isn’t always the case! Do some research into lower end cameras with decent quality, or you can even use your cell phone. A high price tag isn’t everything, and you can always progress to higher end equipment as your skills develop. You can check out our guide to buying secondhand cameras and lenses if you’re on a budget!
4. Sound & Music
Sound is of great importance. Your audience needs to be able to hear narration. If you are adding music, it should complement your video and your goals for the content. Speaking of music, Audiosocket can provide simple music licensing from $10 a month for unlimited access to tracks for your videos. In terms of regular sound, we would recommend using an external mic rather than your camera’s built-in mic to ensure better quality. Don’t forget to test the equipment before filming or recording to make sure everything is working!
5. Lighting
Lighting can get a little complex and expensive, but natural light also works. Make sure to film in a location that has good natural light. You can also purchase some lighting equipment if you think you may need a boost. You can always add some other lighting such as lamps, ring lights and so on for an extra touch. Once again, test beforehand and find what looks best on camera!
6. Plan Your Takes
Try to jot down or storyboard the takes you’ll need beforehand. It will save you time whilst filming, and ensures everything is organized. Short takes usually work well, and allow you to have more flexibility when editing in post-production. Put a script together, even if it’s loose or in flash cards form. This will make sure that you translate all the necessary information to your audience.
7. Composition
Composition is all about how you position your subject and frame it in the shot, and is of high importance to video makers. If your shots look ‘off’, they can be distracting and make your audience click away. If your subject is a person, their eyes should line up along the top line in the frame through the viewfinder. This helps to eliminate empty space. Be sure not to cut off your subject’s head, too!
8. Editing & Post-Production
Next comes editing your video! Make a note of clips that work best, and don’t overlook transitions. If you are adding text, make sure that there are no typos that will make you look unprofessional. Double check spellings of names, products and so on, and if you have a logo, be sure to feature it at some point. If you’re new to editing, there are tons of tutorials online for various software. Plus, some of it is free! Alternatively, you can hire somebody specifically to edit them for you.
9. Promoting Your Video
So, now your video is ready, what will you do with it? One of the most important steps is making sure that your video makes it out to your audience. Social media is a great option, so be sure to promote your video on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and so on. This can be either as regular posts or targeted ads, which allows you to narrow down your audience. If you have a website, embed the video on there, too. Also, spread the word to your mailing list, friends and family and ask them to share it with others.
How Audiosocket Can Help Video Makers
If you are a beginner video maker looking for music to use in your videos, Audiosocket can help. Our catalog of over 80,000 tracks in various styles, moods and genres are waiting to provide you with exactly what you need. Get started now!
