“Lights, camera, action!”
Contrary to popular belief, shooting a video is more than just shouting those three words. Here are 5 things you must keep in mind before you begin video making:
Message
Every video comes with a message and a purpose. What’s yours?
Sometimes, the message gets lost in lengthy, jargon heavy scripts, leaving the viewer confused about what it was that the company was trying to portray.
Before shooting a video, know what exactly you want to communicate to your audience by writing a concise and effective script. It is impossible to include every single thing in a video running for a few minutes; don’t try to do that!
Instead, focus one or two specific things per video and drive that home! Less is more!
Script
Speaking of the script, once you have your message figured out, work on a strong script that effectively conveys it. Companies often underestimate the importance of having a solid script to match their big ambitions, which leads them to producing hit-or-miss videos that often fail to deliver. Remember, you’re not always looking for something to goes viral; you want clarity. You want compelling. You want it to make an impact with your target market.
A good script can make even the most mundane products appear appealing. Remember Dollar Shave Club’s cheeky advert? Their tongue-in-cheek humor made it one of the most talked-about video in 2012, getting more than 12,000 people to sign up for the service within 48 hours of it debuting on YouTube.
The months spent preparing the script is what made the ad so memorable, boosting sales exponentially.
Budget
You may have really fancy ideas about how you want your video to look, but do you have the budget required to execute it?
Having a budget defined before you begin speaking with video vendors and requesting quotes will help the video companies understand what you can accomplish. It’ll prevent them (and you) from going down a path towards a concept that is way overbudget and unachievable. Hence, it also saves you time in the discovery process because you’re clear about what you want to spend.
Location
Where you choose to shoot your video varies according to its nature and content. For example, if you’re promoting a service offered by adventure trip organizers, it will be a good idea to use on-site footage and images rather than having a person sitting in an office talk about it.
Shooting in a studio or at a location both have different technical needs you need to be mindful of, such as budget costs, lighting and shooting permits. Always make sure to visit your location or studio in advance with the DP and Director to know exactly what you will be dealing with.
Video Length
Finally, before you begin to shoot, keep in mind the running time of your video. This too varies according to the nature of the video, but you will want to keep it short and precise. Don’t beat around the bush. Get to the point within the first 8 seconds of the video.
Studies have shown that the average attention span is just 8.5 seconds, so if you spend too long building your case, chances are, you’re going to lose your viewers half way through the video!
Looking for a professional video production company in Orange County to make a stellar B2B video for your clients? 336 Productions offers a range of video services to cover all your pre and post production needs!
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