If pictures are equal to 1000 words, then videos are similar to 1000 pictures. Video content will garner more attention than simple text. Videos are more valuable to us than ordinary text and images. They create better memories. But when they are poorly recorded, it spoiled the essence of the moment. So here’s a little guide. A guide to the secret of those picture-perfect video productions.
Acquaint yourself
Before you jump into video making, get acquainted with your gear. Pick up your camera, know how it works. Give that dusted manual a good read. Make good use of it to learn the menu and settings. Then, fiddle around with the settings. Remember to keep the manual around just in case if you mess up somewhere. If you are in the market for a camera, take a closer look at all options. Get the best equipment for your budget. Wake up the nerd inside you, and read the specifications and features. Study them extensively. There’s no point being wasteful with your hard earned money.
The setup
So now you know the camera inside out. You will think you can start making videos, right? Not exactly. There’s more to it than just pressing the shutter button. Any video or image needs to have proper lighting and focus on the subject. You don’t want your videos to look like a horror movie. Also, you don’t want them to look like you just filmed a solar flare. Lighting needs to be balanced. It is easier if you shoot outdoors. But the task becomes difficult if you shoot indoors or in low-lit areas. So, get as much light as possible into the subjected space. Turn on lamps or slide away the curtains to get the maximum amount of light into the room.
The production
Now that we have had our hands on the setup let’s look at recording videos. Your video recordings need to be of higher resolutions. Low resolutions will result in pixelation on today’s high definition TVs and monitors. Even though modern cameras have pretty good image stabilization, make sure you don’t shake the camera while recording. Or even better, use a tripod. The videos will be much more stable. Oh, I almost forgot to mention this. Keep the focus on your subject. You don’t want to highlight the noise and abandon your subject. Also please refrain from adding effects using the camera itself. The fade-ins might look fancy but will reduce your scope of video editing. Instead, use editing software. Always capture raw footage and let the editing software do its magic.
Last but not least, do capture some creative shots. A bird chirping or an interview or a close up shot of a flower. All help in making the video a bit more appealing and unique in the post-production process.
The post-production
Post-production is all about compiling all your videos, coming up with a plan and editing accordingly for a final product. Plan out how to use the video clips together. Introduce the creative shots, we talked about earlier into the mix. But, ensure the final video ‘flows’. The video should not look like video scrap. So, make smooth transitions from one idea to another. Smoother transitions will aid in better audience connection to the video.