A Cheapskate’s Guide to Almost Professional Video

If you are like me, then you have found yourself with a need for compelling video to share online either for your company or as a service to provide to a client. Challenges arise. Professional video production can be quite expensive and time consuming. Plus, very few other people in the world can tell the story you want told. It also takes a very adept touch to capture real life stories without getting in the way and making the participants feel like actors. This post is designed to help Marketing Directors and PR Managers operating under budget constraints (and without pro level equipment).

Here’s what you need.

1. Good soundbites. Get people talking. Capture the sound without lots of wind or white noise and make sure the light is at least acceptable. Do not have them regurgitate your promotional copy. Get them relaxed and telling stories or providing a unique view. Use a microphone.
2. A tripod. Don’t have a tripod? Use a rock. Use a desk. Use anything. Do not handhold the camera unless you are capturing action.
3. A camera that has a microphone input. Audio is king.
4. B-roll. Capture other footage to mix in with the soundbites that illistrates what is being discussed. Directly or indirectly.
5. Establishing shots. Where is this happening?
6. A medium and an audience. How will you distribute and who is it aimed to interest. Think about this before. Not after.
7. Editing experience. If you have never done it, do not expect your first projects to turn out well or be quick.
8. Editing software. There’s cheap/easy all the way to expensive/advanced. Storytelling can be done with any. Results will vary.
9. Edit and render soon after you capture. You’ll remember the clips better. Now is news, too.
10. A primary website that will allow you to feature it where you want to. Not just Youtube or Vimeo.

Here’s what you don’t need.

1. Zoom. Do whatever you can to not use it. You can create pans and zooms in editing that are smoother. Use sparingly.
2. 1080p. If you are shooting with a consumer camera and distributing online, 1080p is overkill. 720p is plenty. Your hardrive will thank you.
3. Fancy graphics. They only look good when done by people who do them for a living.
4. A Mac. Yes, FCP is the pro standard editing software, but some of us are stuck in situations with other operating systems.
   • Note – If someone wants to buy me a Canon 5D or 7D and a Mac – I’ll make you some videos.
5. More than 2 types of transitions. Use sparingly.
6. Hours of raw footage. Make editing easy. Shoot with a purpose.
7. A script. Those are for Hollywood. Low budget video that is scripted, stinks. Have a communications goal. Edit to taste.
8. 1GB files. Making 3 minute video? You can keep it high res and less than 250 mbs.
9. Lengthy and deep approval processes. If you have that, then you should be willing to spend the money to go high-end professional.
10. Long shots or long videos. Quick cuts and videos less than 3 minutes are winners.

Video is the most powerful communications method in existence. Just because anyone can press record does not mean anyone can create quality video for business. That said, it’s also not rocket science. Telling a story just like the TV news does is cake. Want to add it to your marketing mix or want to stop paying through the nose for simple stuff? Happy to help you do either. See some of the recent videos completed for New England Culinary Institute or those produced on my recent 3 month RV trip.