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Three Basic Elements to Help You Create the Perfect Video

Posted By Guest Blogger 26th of November 2015 General, Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

Three Basic Elements to Help You Create the Perfect VideoThis is a guest contribution from James Tew.

Many bloggers are now considering the use of video to increase their reach, inform their audience about an upcoming product launch, or just as a new way of leveraging one of the fastest growing mediums on the internet. In fact, according to reelseo.com, by 2019 80 per cent of the world’s internet traffic will be made up of video.

We work incredibly hard to build our reputations and would do anything to protect it because in the end, it makes up a large part of our business. One thing that I believe can be incredibly detrimental to that brand is terrible video production. However, more often than not now, we don’t have the time or patience to dedicate time to the technical aspects of video. In addition, for some of us, video is purely a marketing tool and we’re not aspiring to be the next JJ Abrams.

A lot of bloggers may already have a DSLR and I think it is safe to say that the majority of us have a smartphone. In fact, the smartphone you have can record incredible looking video without having to make any expensive purchases.

In this article, I want to touch on a few hacks that will help you dramatically increase the quality of your video, maintain your reputation and help you stand out from the rest.

Shaky Video

I get incredibly sea sick so it doesn’t help when I watch a video that makes me feel like I’m sailing through a cyclone. Shaky video is terrible and really screams “amateur”. Now I’m not saying that you need to go out and pick up the most expensive Manfrotto tripod but these couple of suggestions will increase your quality.

  • Use a stack of books to balance your camera or smartphone. Grace Helbig has over 2 million subscribers to her YouTube channel and in the documentary Please Subscribe, she proves that you don’t need expensive equipment. Grace simply sat in front of a window and rested her camera on a stack of books. This will immediately remove the shaking out of your video.
  • Grab a Selfie Stick or cheap tripod from eBay. You may be thinking: “a selfie stick? really?” – Well in fact, a selfie stick will decrease the amount of shake in your footage. This is because you have greater surface area to hold providing greater stability. Another option is to pick up a small tripod from eBay such as a gorillapod. My personal recommendation is a small tripod as it eliminates any contact with your camera.

Three Basic Elements to Help You Create the Perfect Video

Hollow Audio

Have you ever tried recording yourself with a DSLR and noticed that you sound like you’re talking into a tin can? The cameras aren’t built for amazing audio as well as image quality so using an external audio source will increase your quality tenfold. There is definitely not a lack of options when it comes to audio. Tools like the Zoom H4n or Rode Videomic Pro are industry standard for video marketers. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on this expensive equipment, here are three ways you could dramatically increase your audio quality.

  1. The Rode Smartlav+ is a great lapel mic for smartphone users. This inexpensive tool will dramatically increase the quality of your audio and allow you to use your smartphone as an audio recorder. Extremely simple to use, accompanied by the Rode app, you’ll look and sound like a pro in no time.
  2. Use your smartphone voice recorder app. If you’re using a DSLR, hiding your smartphone out of frame and recording via the audio recorder will see a dramatic improvement in comparison to camera audio. While it is not the best, it will suffice for the majority of bloggers looking to harness video.
  3. Use a podcasting microphone. If you’ve made the investment of purchasing a podcasting microphone, you can set that to record your audio and sync in editing. A simple clap on when recording will provide a spike in both camera audio and recorded audio enough for your to sync it up.

Lighting

Another important aspect of filming is lighting. When I started making videos for YouTube, lights were one of the first things I purchased because I wanted to stand out and look the part. If purchasing lights is not in your budget, you can certainly take a leaf out of Grace Helbig’s book and sit in front of a window.

Much like with photography, we want to avoid overly saturated images. One hack that I have used in the past was to sticky tape baking paper over the window. This will diffuse the light enough to make the image less saturated.

Finally, avoid ‘yellow’ coloured down lights. If you’re using the downlights in your home, purchase a daylight bulb and position yourself approximately one to two metres away from the bulb. If you can, set your camera higher than your face and look up on a slight angle. This will help eliminate any harsh shadows on your face.

These are just three basic elements of what makes a good video from the production side. Of course as with anything we create, good content will always win however, implementing these three recommendations will help ensure that people don’t switch off in the first 10 seconds of your video.

Have you had much success with video? What has worked for you?

James is a 27-year-old dad of four girls who helps entrepreneurs build relationships and grow the strength, courage and confidence to build their brand with video.

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This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.
Comments
  1. I’ve been doing youtube videos for years now. I use a t2i DSLR camera. 24 frame rate, white back drop and three point light. Guys you can buy you a good lighting kit for about $130 on Amazon. So based on what the writer said stepping up your video quality will greatly increase your blog’s exposure. Sorry I wouldn’t use anything less than a DSLR camera and a shotgun mic. Visit my youtube channel and check out some of my videos, just type my name in youtube and it will pull me up. MY NAME IS UNIQUE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT DUPLICATES. Thank you James Tew for the cool article. Many people don’t shed the importance of video marketing.

    • Hey Markeyus,

      Thanks for the comment. I’m the same. I use a DSLR and use my iPhone for b-roll and quick shots. You can grab a decent 2 point lighting kit on eBay for about $70 AUD.

      Thanks for contributing to the discussion!

      James

  2. Lighting is a big one James. Video rocks but it’s about step 10 of my online campaign because I only do what I enjoy and have fun with and although I have some fun with video my passion is writing, and doing audio courses and eBooks and stuff, and since my audience is growing super fast I continue down this path. But when I do videos I’ll keep each of these things in mind to boost those views. I have a mean 1080 HD camera; I’ve snagged a handful of views with it but could reel in some more if I take that path. Super tips here.

    Ryan

  3. Amazing Post. Just what I need. I am struggling with making videos for my visitors and I really think this will help me out. I am new in video marketing and the quality of my videos are really low. Thanks for the tips. Very useful post

    • Hey Cedric, glad you could get some value! James is awesome and his content is really simple and actionable. Super funny too haha, I’m always laughing when his vlogs come out.

  4. Hi James,

    Thanks for this helpful post.

    I love video and plan to step up my video production activities starting this weekend. My videos aren’t super professional, but they are authentic and real, which is perfect for my audience. Some of my videos get ranked, and it is nice to get some free traffic when that happens.

    But the primary benefit for me has not been as a source of traffic; it is more to do with converison. The videos give me more credibility and help to persuade the viewer to do business with me.

    Your points about lighting and sound are spot on – I will embrace your suggestions. Even though I believe that the primary issue is the messaging itself, if the message is better packaged with good lighting and sound, it will no doubt boost our brand, and enhance our position in the marketplace.

    Although I prefer to write, incorporating video into a content strategy will yield wonderful benefits for anyone who chooses to embrace it.

    Thanks, James!

    Kim

  5. many people fail to use the awesome power of streaming web video to boost visibility organically from your online business. This is where businesses of all sizes fail. They assume because they publish a blog post or a webpage within image plus content that that alone can drive traffic from search engines and social networks and give them tons of business. People love to see what others are doing on video. That said, DNN personally believes online video will be the number one media in driving traffic faster than traditional content.

  6. This is really nice points to make on your mind. But for making awesome video you need high resolution camera. Without good caption you can’t make any perfect video. And suggest any video software for provide good animation effect to the picture. Appreciate for your response.

  7. Thanks for this great post on creating a perfect video. I have been struggling to make a perfect video for a long time now as I had issues with sounds and lighting. Thanks for the tips – much appreciated.

  8. Regarding the shaky camera: I agree that it can shake too much, but I also think that it can have a nice effect when the camera moves. When someone is holding the camera and change the angle a bit, it makes the movie become more alive and interesting to watch.

    What do you think?

  9. Can anyone recommend a good place to buy lights locally in Australia?

  10. Nice tips James, you have a good explanation. I really appreciate this post.

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