Before you start recording a video for your organization, it's necessary and important to think about the goals and objectives of the project.
Creating a short marketing video or PSA doesn’t have to be that daunting. With the right and affordable tools and some practice, you can easily create a neat, engaging, and professional video that drives customers to your business and supporters to your nonprofit.
Most importantly, you can get it done without fancy design programs and big budgets.
In our last post, "Yes, you can make a cool video with your smartphone. But how? (Part1 -- Intro)", we summered 5 tips that will help professionalize your phone-recorded video:
Tip 1: Set your goal/objectives
Tip 2: Determine in what way the video will be used (social media, TV, website, etc.)
Tip 3: Find a place that is quiet, clean, and well-lit
Tip 4: Use a tripod or stabilizer when filming
Tip 5: Test the sound, test the sound, and then test the sound again
Let’s start with pre-production (Tip1 & 2) together this week.
Preparation: What do you need to do before recording
Tip 1: Set your goal/objectives
Before you start recording a video for your organization, you need to think about the goals and objectives of the project. You need to ask yourself some questions such as:
What information do I want to convey in the video?
– Is it a PSA? Is it an interview? Is it a short commercial?
What are the objectives of this video?
– Will the video be informational or motivational?
Who is my audience?
– Internal employees or external clients?
How would the audience benefit from the video?
How long is the video?
………
Asking these questions will help you form a general idea of what kind of video you are going to make, what tone of the video should you set, and how long the video should be.
Setting a goal will increase your productivity and help you to be more efficient when it comes to production (we’ll talk about it in just a second).
Remember, a video without a goal/purpose is basically a waste of time, for you and the audience.
Now that you have your goals, let’s think about the way in which the video will be used.
Tip 2: Decide where to display the video
After you set your goals and objectives, you need to figure out where do you want to show the video to your audience.
Choosing the right platform(s) will increase the view rate and help you achieve your goals. If you know your audience is active on social media, then make sure the video is social media friendly. Similarly, if your audience prefers traditional mass media (TV commercial), make sure you keep that in mind while filming.
After you decide what platform(s) you are going to play the video, it’s time to think about some essentials in filming: Where are you going to film? Do you need extra light? Is the sound okay?
We’ll cover location, lights, and sound in next week’s blog. Stay tuned!