On this installment of our stories, our very own video editor and creator extraordinaire Marcus gives us his Top 10 tips for making your own video, and set yourself for success. Check it out!
And if you prefer to learn about these tips by watching a video, check out our YouTube video below.
1. THE CAMERA DOESN’T MATTER
It’s so easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest cameras these days. Every few months a new top tier camera is announced with the most advanced bells and whistles and we all drool and clamber to own it. The thing is none of that matters. When you first get started making videos, don’t worry about having the best camera. Even if you are recording your video on your smartphone, you can make something amazing! We are a professional production company that uses top of the line cameras in our productions, but we still utilize cell phone video in certain scenarios because when it is used well, no one can even tell the difference.
2. 720P OR 1080P IS MORE THAN ENOUGH RESOLUTION
With all the new camera hype, one of the main discussions is resolution. Many camera manufacturers are starting to incorporate 8K video in their releases. This is great for the future of video, but when you are just getting started, it is beyond overkill. If the only camera you have records in 1080p or even 720p, that is more than enough to get you started! Even 4K is more than most people need. Loads of people don’t have a way to watch 4K videos natively and even fewer could honestly tell the difference between 4K and 1080p.
3. STORY IS KING
The most important part of any video is the story. Don’t just throw something together because you have it. Think through the story you want to tell and make sure you edit to match that story. If you can plan the story before shooting, even better! Make a plan and follow through, know what you want to talk about and know what kind of supporting visuals you want to include. This can be very challenging, but even a loose structure can help make your videos more entertaining.
4. AUDIO IS QUEEN
If story is the most important thing, audio is undoubtedly second. People will watch a video where the camera is blurry or low quality so long as it has good audio, but people will stop watching videos that have bad audio even if the visuals are spectacular. Most cameras (including smart phones) record decent audio off of the built-in mic. The trick to making it sound good is to avoid windy places. If you are recording outdoors, try to keep your camera out of the wind. Another trick is to stay close to the mic. The closer you are to the mic, the clearer the audio will be, so, rather than standing 10 feet from your camera, try 3 feet and see if you can still get the shot you want.
5. DON’T WORRY ABOUT GETTING FAMOUS
When you first have the spark to make a video, it inevitably comes with fantasies of making money from your new endeavor. I am supremely guilty of this, even to this day. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement. Here is the thing, before you even start, remind yourself that you are making this video for you. If it goes viral, awesome! If it only gets 1 view, great! Either way, be proud that you set a goal for yourself and you followed through. Being hungry for fame will end up making your videos worse (again, this is person experience talking).
6. MAKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD WATCH
Don’t make a video because it is the popular thing right now. Make sure the video you are making is something that you would want to watch. There is always an audience out there that has the same tastes as you, so don’t worry about matching someone else’s style, be yourself. After you have made your video, watch through it from start to finish. If there is any part where you find yourself getting bored, your audience probably will too. Make cuts and keep your video tight.
7. ANY EDITING SOFTWARE WILL WORK TO GET YOU STARTED
The first video I ever edited was with Windows Movie Maker (I don’t even think that exists anymore). Don’t worry about spending money on some fancy editing software. The free stuff works just as well, and you can save some money! You can even find free editing software for your phone if you want to edit that way. iMovie works great if you have a Mac or an iPhone.
If you want to get a taste of a more professional editing software without shelling out any money, try the free version of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. Resolve can be overwhelming when you first get started, so tread lightly!
8. SHOOT IT MULTIPLE TIMES
Whether you are shooting a personal vlog, a short film, a birthday party, or a music video, make sure you get multiple takes. Record more than one shot of everything you can. There will be some things that this can’t be done for, blowing out candles for instance, but for most things you can get the same shot (or close to the same shot) multiple times no problem. Shooting multiple times allows you to pick the best version in editing. For example, I recently shot a video for a local real estate agent. I did a walking shot from the road through the front door while she talked from the porch. The first take looked perfect when I shot it, but we did a multiple takes anyway. When I edited the video, the first take entirely missed the focus making the realtor look blurry while the handrail was crisp. The next take didn’t have that problem! So, basically, shoot it multiple times if you can.
9. FIND GOOD (ROYALTY FREE) MUSIC
This one is hard. Quick overview, royalty free music is music that you can put in your video without worrying about copyrights, most of the time you have pay for this music, but once you pay for it, you have the right to use it without the artist requiring royalties for its use. There are many subscription services that offer catalogs of royalty free music, but for your first video, I don’t recommend shelling out money for your music. Instead, the best place to look is the YouTube Audio Library. You will need a Google/YouTube account to utilize this service, but I recommend that even if it’s just for the audio library. Be sure to read the info under “License Type” in the audio library, most do not require attribution, but some do, the description will tell you how you are allowed to use it.
10. HAVE FUN!
Always remember to have fun! If you are not enjoying making your video, it is likely that people won’t enjoy watching it. There may be times when it gets stressful, but just step away, take a deep breath and relax. Making videos can be incredibly fun and enjoyable, so don’t let yourself get bogged down in things that don’t matter. You are awesome and your video is going to be great!
If this has helped you make your first video, I would LOVE to see it! Leave a link to your video in the comments and I will check it out!