Video remains a sizzling hot medium for storytelling. Organizations of all sizes and industries are using it to tell their brand story.<\/p>\n
Some companies produce video in-house; others turn to specialized video production companies for help. But no matter how it gets produced, video benefits from adherence to best practices.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re involved in the actual production or are a client for whom a video is being produced, keep these important tips in mind to ensure you make as strong a video as possible.<\/p>\n
Much of a video\u2019s success \u2013 or failure \u2013 can be traced back to pre-production. Here are tips to keep in mind, before you even pick up a camera or phone.<\/p>\n
1. Be clear on the purpose of the video. As PR practitioners, we know first-hand how many stories lend themselves to a video format. But to increase your chances for success, identify a specific goal for the video. What, exactly, do you hope to achieve? Build brand awareness? Generate new business? Do you want the viewer to take a specific action? Apply the same strategic skills you use in developing a PR plan to a plan for your video.<\/p>\n
2. Clearly define your audience. The more specific you can be, the better you can craft your video to reach a specific audience.<\/p>\n
3. Storyboard your video. A storyboard is a graphic representation of how your video will unfold, shot by shot. It will be your roadmap during filming and production.<\/p>\n
4. Identify \u2013 in advance \u2013 where your video will live. Many organizations shoot a video without thinking through where it will live once it\u2019s produced. Are you producing it for social media only? To kick off an event?<\/p>\n
5. Put it all in writing. Create a written plan that lays out budget, purpose, style, what you need from the client, shoot dates and times, editing expectations and the production schedule, as well as any possible or anticipated project constraints. This guarantees that the agency and the client are on the same page, and frees you up to pursue the creative process with a clear vision of expectations.<\/p>\n
6. Think about how you will measure your video\u2019s ROI. It can be tough to measure results, because video can\u2019t always be tracked by clicks the way other social media can. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools offered by video hosting companies like Wistia and Vimeo that can offer analytics services.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the actual shoot, keep these important tips in mind.<\/p>\n
7. Equipment makes a big difference. Sure, you can produce a video on your phone, but for polished, professional-grade videos, consider investing in a good camera, tripod, microphones and lighting kit, along with professionals who know how to use them.<\/p>\n
8. Choose the right editing equipment. Options include Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro and Avid, among others.<\/p>\n
9. Don\u2019t forget the power of music and effects. A subscription service like Motion Array can help.<\/p>\n
10. Shoot in manual mode when possible. You\u2019ll have more control over your video.<\/p>\n
11. White balance every time you move the camera.<\/p>\n
12. Keep lights and the sun behind you when shooting.<\/p>\n
13. Don\u2019t forget to capture a wide variety of shots, including cut-aways, pans, high shots, low shots, and close-ups. It\u2019s the variety of shots, well-edited, that makes for a strong video.<\/p>\n
14. Check your audio levels every time you switch subjects or microphones.<\/p>\n
15. Once your video is produced, be sure to share it broadly.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re using a phone or a sophisticated camera, you\u2019ll have a stronger video if you keep these tips in mind.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Video remains a sizzling hot medium for storytelling. Organizations of all sizes and industries are using it to tell their brand story. Some companies produce video in-house; others turn to specialized video production companies for help. But no matter how it gets produced, video benefits from adherence to best practices. Whether you\u2019re involved in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":2473244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1272],"tags":[1452],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2473243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pr-tips-trends","tag-video-production"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n