Welcome to our very first VLOG! Check out our top 5 tips to instantly improve your videos! Whether you are a regular vlogger or a complete newby, these tips are simple yet super effective!
Check out the video or read the blog Below!
– Are you new to video? Then let’s improve your skills with these top 5 quick tips. –
The importance of video is all over the marketing stratosphere at the moment, with viewers having an ever-shortening attention span, the quality of your video can make a massive difference when it comes to increasing engagement. The process can also be frustrating and time consuming especially when you want to be releasing content consistently.
These tips are for anyone interested in using video for their business. Whether you run your own small business or you’re someone who wants to get into video but you’re not quite sure where to start, these tips are just for you!
1. HOLD YOUR SHOTS
New videographers and vloggers tend to get impatient or nervous when they are just starting out, their mind can be racing ahead, constantly searching for the next shot. This means they can sometimes move on too quickly, leaving themselves little room in the edit. Their shots may be great but often too short!
When they get to the edit they realize that they captured a whole bunch of shots that are only 1 – 4 seconds long and they can really have trouble cobbling it all together. Often it takes a few seconds to settle into the shot or often something interesting will happen at the last moment and you could have cut the camera too soon.
So my first piece of advice is, when you think you’ve finished a shot and you get that urge move onto something else, breathe and hold it for another ten seconds. You’ll be thanking me later!
2. THINK IN SEQUENCES
This tip really can give you a leg up when it comes to improving the quality of your videos. If you can learn to think in sequences your editor is going to love you and if you’re editing your own material, then you’re just going to love yourself!
Now, what do I mean by “think in sequences”? A sequence is a variety of different shots and shot sizes of the same action that you cut together to create a finished piece.
To see some clear examples of sequences watch different TV commercials. If your watching a TV commercial for a local coffee shop, for example: They will likely have a wide shot of the entire coffee shop then a Mid shot of the barista making coffee, they would also have a close up of that person’s smiling face as they work. In addition to this they would have a close-up of the milk being frothed and another of the coffee being poured into the coffee mug. All of those shots will be cut together to create a sequence.
If you can learn how to think in sequences while you are shooting, this is going to be one of the most valuable skills you can cultivate. You will literally be able to edit the scenes in your head, so when you get to the edit suite the video will come together so much smoother!
Here is an example of a commercial which is created from multiple different sequences:
https://vimeo.com/130716736 (Flannerys) Or https://vimeo.com/244938533 (south Pacific)
3. AUDIO IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS VISUALS
My third tip is to make sure you record high-quality audio. Very few new vloggers and film makers focus on audio, but it’s just as important as the video, maybe more!
If you have bad quality sound, then you have a bad video and audiences just simply won’t watch. There are so many high-quality microphones available at a pretty low cost these days. So, you can pick something up very easily and instantly improve your videos.
At first, have a look at on-camera microphones like the Rode video mic pro and lapel microphones like the Rode Smartlav plus. They will really help you up the quality of your audio. If you want to learn more about audio and how to get really crisp, clean sound, check our vlog HERE, where we share 5 ways to fix bad audio!
4. CONSIDER THE BACKGROUND
My fourth tip is, think about the background. Now, when I say background, there’s two backgrounds that I want you to pay attention to.
THE VISUAL BACKGROUND: Consider what’s going on behind your subject in the background of your shot. Is there anything that distracts from the subject or that is adding unnecessary clutter. Are there people wandering by in the background and ruining your shot? Choose your filming location with the visual background in mind, and make a point to check the background of your shot before you start filming.
THE AUDIO BACKGROUND: The second type of background is the audio background. When you’re planning your shoot and choosing a location, think about the different sounds you might hear. Is there a train station or an airport near by? Pull up Google Maps and have a look. Are you shooting near a construction site or a highway with really loud sounds that could ruin your audio? If you think about these things ahead of time it will improve your audio and also lower your stress levels! When you get on location, just take a minute, have a listen, and think, ‘what can I hear?’ Can you control or eliminate those sounds? If you can, always pick a quiet location where you have control over the soundscape.
5. STABILISE YOUR SHOTS
My fifth and final point is, stabilize your shots. It sounds simple but lots of new vloggers and shooters start off shooting handheld. Now, handheld shots can work for certain types of productions but it takes a lot of skill and a lot of practice to get good at that. Even if your shots are meant to be moving, these days with new low cost technology available, people have come to expect that there’s some form of stabilization.
So, there’s three tools that I suggest that you can use. The first is a TRIPOD and if you are just starting out, this is where I would recommend you start. Do individual locked off shots and focus on making these shots really good. If you need to be shooting a little more “run and gun” or need to move quite quickly, you might consider swapping your tripod for a MONOPOD. A monopod still allows you to get nice stable shots but you can pick it up and move much faster, without the rough and tumble look of handheld.
Now, if you want to incorporate moving shots into your video, I recommend checking out some form of stabilizer or gimble. These will help you to really iron any bumpiness and give it a nice, smooth, gliding movement. Using a gimal in your video will definitely level up the quality and professionalism. There are so many gimbals on the market at the moment for all different budgets, there are even gimbals for your phone! A super low cost Gimbal that we use on set for behind the scenes is the DJI Osmo Mobile 3.
And that’s it, guys. That is my top five tips for improving your videos straight away. If you enjoyed this content, or want to learn more about a different topic, leave a comment and subscribe to our facebook page, so that you can see more videos & blogs just like this on a regular basis. Thanks for reading!
– Did these tips help you? We would love to hear your thoughts! Do have any questions you want answered in future videos? Let us know in the comments!