4 filmmaking tips for online video
Video tips for digital content creators
If you’re in the digital world, you probably already know that video content is becoming increasingly more important in the social media sphere. According to a study by Smart Insights, video officially became the go-to medium for marketing, communication, and content creation in 2020. This is not at all surprising, as videos are much more engaging and versatile than most other forms of online content.
If you’re looking to create highly engaging content that will get your brand out there, video content is the way to go. However, creating high-quality video content is not always that easy. It requires dedicated pre-production planning and a higher budget than other mediums, like online writing for instance.
To help, we’ve put together four filmmaking tips to help boost your video content game and gain more viewers and followers online.
1. Pre-production is key
Pre-production is possibly the most important and yet most overlooked aspect of filmmaking. Before you even touch a camera, you need to set aside ample time to plan and outline your goals. First, identify your target audience. Then define the goal—or goals—that you would like to achieve with your video, come up with your characters, and decide on a budget for your video. These steps are crucial elements of creating highly engaging video content, as they will determine your approach to script-writing, shot framing, and editing.
2. Seconds matter
Video content, especially online, is a highly competitive market where creators strive to get the attention of viewers amidst thousands of other videos. In the fast-paced world of social media and instant gratification, it’s important to reel them into your video within the first 5-8 seconds. One way to do this for short-form videos is to have a humorous or suspenseful opening to your video. Another method, especially for long-form video, is to put a snippet of the most interesting or most important part of your video right at the beginning. This will immediately grab your viewer’s attention and in turn, makes it more likely that they will watch more of the video.
3. Quiet on set!
Nobody on the internet today wants to see a badly produced video with poor, inaudible audio. The first thing you should remember is to avoid using your camera’s mic; people are generally put off from watching a video with subpar audio quality. Instead, consider investing in a dedicated audio recorder to ensure the audio for your video content is clear and crisp. Aesthetics are also important in the video world. Even the most aesthetically pleasing video with an unclear message can get a lot of views.
4. Lighting, please.
Lighting quality also makes a big difference. Remember, you want your viewers to be captured by your video’s aesthetics and reel them in from the beginning. Using natural lighting and well-designed backdrops are great ways to make your videos look and feel more professional. Finally, as a video content creator, you will need to brush up on your camera composition skills. Following the best filmmaking practices like the rule-of-thirds, close-ups, and things of that nature will give your videos the professional feel that will turn into more views.