How to Create Your Own Videos
Video for Business
These days, video content is king in the online world. Recent studies have shown that online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022. On YouTube, more than 1 billion hours of video are viewed by users every day. Clearly, if you haven’t started sharing online video content yet, now is the time to create your own videos.
Many people hesitate to dip their toes into the video content pool because they’re intimidated by the process of creating those videos. It’s common for business owners and content creators to believe that they have to sink a ton of money into hiring a professional videographer who can shoot all of their videos for them.
But here’s the truth… you can film your own video content. All you need are some hot tips and tricks on filming a great video — straight from industry professionals.
Here at Studio Nine 13, our emphasis is always on one question: what’s your story? The answer to that question is what guides every single video we create for our clients and for our own business. So before you start filming your own video, you have to ask yourself that same question.
What story do you want this video to tell? What makes your business/brand special? How are you going to provide value to your audience with this video? What do you want your viewers to do after they finish watching your video? How do you want them to feel? These are the questions that will help you define the purpose of your video and, in turn, figure out what the content of your video should be.
Now let’s get this straight right off the bat — you do not need to run off and max out your credit card buying video equipment. To start, you just need the basics, the things you absolutely can’t make a video without. And you don’t even need to buy the expensive versions of those essentials. This article offers an intuitive breakdown of the equipment you really need and offers options at multiple price points.
Here’s the deal: content should also win out over quality. It doesn’t matter if your video is the most highly-polished, professional-looking video out there… if the content isn’t good, people won’t watch. But, on the flip side, you can’t expect your viewers to stick it out through shoddy camerawork and poor lighting just to get to your solid content. So spend some time on both.
When it comes to content, write a loose script. A bullet list or an outline of your main points will suffice. Of course, if the only way you’ll be comfortable on-screen is to write a full and complete script then, by all means, do that. But all that’s really necessary is knowing the basics of what you’re going to say.
For quality, you really need to focus on three things: don’t let the camera shake, have good lighting, and make sure your audience can hear you. All of these things can be addressed by having a tripod (either for a smartphone or a real camera), a ring light or other lighting option, and a decent microphone.
Oftentimes, people think about the overall content of the video and how they’re going to shoot it but forget smaller details. For example, the call-to-action. Did you know that viewers are 95% more likely to remember a call to action after watching a video, compared to 10 percent when reading it in text format? That means that you’re missing out on a huge opportunity if you don’t provide your audience with a CTA at the end of your video. Whether it’s asking viewers to like/comment, inviting them to subscribe to your channel, prompting them to visit your online store, or something else entirely, make sure you’ve planned what CTA you’ll include.
Another detail that is often overlooked? Captions. Studies show that 83% of people watch videos on mute. If you don’t want to potentially lose out on a huge portion of your audience, captions are a necessity.
The fact is, you could stay in the planning stages of your video content for months. You’re never going to feel like you have everything exactly right. There’s always going to be one more thing that you just have to do before you film your first video.
At some point, you just have to start. Even if you don’t feel confident. The only way you’re ever really going to feel confident in filming your own video content is by getting out there and doing it. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Once you’ve filmed your video, you have essentially two options when it comes to editing. You can DIY it using video editing tools like iMovie, Final Cut Pro X, or Adobe Premiere Pro (for a more extensive list of editing software, check out this article). Or you can hand over the footage that you filmed yourself to a professional agency for editing.
Here at Studio Nine 13, we offer post-production services that include 2D video graphics, visual effects, color grading, and sound design. For more information on our services, contact us today!
