Before you even pick up the camera, have a plan in place for your video. This includes scripting out your content before starting and having an idea of any b-roll footage you might need. A script is helpful for both the talent in front of the camera and the folks behind the camera because it provides a structured return point in case of improvisation.
When moderating an interview you won’t necessarily have a script, but it’s great to set some topics you’d like to address. Contrary to a list of bullet-pointed questions, having a few goals and topics to cover allows you to flow conversationally from question to question instead of seeming like an interrogation.
A shaky hand can ruin your video. The best way to prevent shaky footage is by using a tripod, but since that’s not always feasible, here are a few alternatives:
Before you hit record, make sure your subject is well-lit. If your subject is difficult to see in-person, they’ll be even more difficult to see on a screen. The best lighting for video is natural soft light, which is during the golden hour, either early morning or late evening. Whether you’re using natural light or artificial light, you’ll want to make sure your subject's lit side is facing the camera, otherwise they may end up in silhouette. A great little hack is to prop your phone up against a window. That way you’re both well lit and it’s a steady shot.
On the other hand, in instances where you have too much natural light pouring in from outside. You can soften the light by hanging a white sheet over the windows or points of light entry to create your own makeshift softbox.
If you’re looking to scale up your production by investing in a lighting kit, a common setup among those in the industry is the three-point lighting setup. This consists of the key light, fill light and a backlight.
When setting it up, start with all the lights off and then set them up with the key or main light first, the fill light second, and the back accent light last. The main light will provide most of the brightness, while the fill light, which is set to half the power of the main light, will fill in the shadows. The backlight provides some tasteful contrast to the subject from behind.
You can have a professional camera that costs thousands of dollars, but if your audio is terrible, no one is going to watch what you filmed. There are two big factors to keep in mind when it comes to your video’s audio.
If you’re looking to invest in equipment to enhance your video, buying a quality microphone is a great first step. You can buy a decent lav mic or a shotgun mic for as little as $50. For a complete shopping list of video equipment to up your game, check out our Getting started with video checklist.
For our smartphone videographers out there, it’s good practice to get as close as possible to your subject to get the best audio.
When choosing a location to shoot, be conscious of how loud the environment is. The hum of an AC unit for instance, might completely drown out your talent’s voice or there could be a really strong wind outside that’s overpowering every other sound. So do your best to pick a location that allows you to control “outside” factors. In instances where a specific loud location is essential to the video, a lav mic will often be your best option. Alternatively, you could film the location and your subject in front of a green screen separately, and then pair the two shots together in post-production, cutting the excess noise. Generally speaking, the smaller the location, the easier it is to control the noise.
Back in the day, you’d probably catch some flack for shooting a video with a flip phone camera but technology has advanced enough in the past decade that footage captured with a smartphone looks quite nice. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you get the best looking shot:
Adding your branding to each of your videos is a nice and professional way to help your audience trace a video back to your site once it’s shared. You can add your logo or watermark to your video by dragging the PNG or JPEG file into a corner of the screen. Just make sure that you put that image in one of the top video tracks to avoid it being covered. You’ll then want to make sure that the track is extended for the full length of your video so it doesn’t disappear halfway through. Lastly, you can also make the logo slightly transparent for more of a watermark effect.
So there you have it! There are a few video hacks for you to incorporate so that should keep you busy for a while with at least a couple videos. With all these videos you’re creating, remember that you can actually have multiple video renders going simultaneously in WeVideo. So you don’t need to wait for one to finish, you can start working on your next video and you’ll get a notification your render is done. Happy editing!