Don’t underestimate the significance of location scouting.
If you get the location right, chances are you’ve done about 80 percent of the job. Be actively on the look out for potential places that may come in handy for your future shoots. Use Google Maps to bookmark your favorite locations.
Position faces slightly above the center.
Leave less headroom above your subject. Take the shots below for example.
The subject looks much more natural and less awkward if it appears slightly above the center of the screen.
Get rid of distracting objects.
You don’t want the background objects looming around the subject. By positioning the subject away from the distracting objects, you can better capture your audiences’ attention.
Use proper frame rate.
FPS stands for frame per second. Most movies use 24fps while news, sports and reality TV shows are shot in 30ps. You want to keep your frame rate at 24fps as a minimum. You can go up to 30fps for slightly more smooth footage. However, keep in mind the higher frame rate comes with the size increase.
How about the high-frame rates, i.e., 60fps and higher? There’s one key reason you may want to use high-frame rates. The higher the frame rate, the more room for you to play with slow-mo while keeping the footage relatively smooth.
Exposure, Dynamic Range and ISO
Exposure: Getting good exposure means basically how bright the image is. Your subject should always have a good exposure, i.e. it should be well-lit.
Dynamic Range: The wider the dynamic range, the further the camera can retain information.
ISO: The more natural light you have, the lower ISO you will need. You always want the ISO to be as low as possible by taking advantage of the natural light. In places where there is insufficient natural light / artificial lighting, you may need to crank up the ISO to compensate for additional light. As the ISO increases, expect more noise and grain in your footage.
Zooms
The optical zoom is achieved by using your camera’s lens. The digital zoom, on the other hand, is achieved by cropping and enlarging the image once it has been captured by the digital camera’s sensor.
If it’s the digital zoom, try not to use it. If it’s the optical zoom, knock yourself out.
4 types of stabilization (best to worst)
- Gimbal
- Optical Image Stabilization / Lens Image Stabilization
- In Body Image Stabilization (IBIS)
- Digital Image Stabilization / Electronic Image Stabilization
Always look out for ‘close-up’ opportunities.
Starting the car, taking off the glasses and picking up the cup are all opportunities for ‘close-up’ shots.
Audio is as important as video, if not more.
Use a dedicated mic. Period. Full Stop. End of story.
The last thing you want in your videos is the muffled sound with a lot of background noises. There are three types of mic you should know (1) lavalier / lapel (2) shotgun (3) USB. Each serves a different purpose and chances are high that you will need all three of them.
Save the best for the first.
To create vidoes that generate interest and buzz, forget about the advice – “save the best for the last”. When it comes to video marketing, you always want the hook at the beginning of the video. The more your audience are hooked, the more likely they’re to continue watching. And the more they do so, the more likely it is to reach to more audience. This is because social network algorithms recommend content that are proven to invoke interest from users.
Emotion over logic
Rather than throwing your audience with facts and figures, you want them to feel something – whether it be a rush of joy, a heap of fun or a certain epiphany. Remember, people will forget what you said or did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. So, make sure your video push at least one emotional hot button.
8 Ingredients of Good Content
- Information
- Aesthetics
- Shocking
- Comedy
- Cool
- Music
- Satisfaction
- Story