Making Your Own Video

What Camera To Use

Many people already have the ability to shoot video, but haven't tried it yet. Start with what you have and see how far you get with this. This will give you a taste of what video is all about, and progress from there. So try your webcam, mobile phone or the video feature on your still camera if you have this.

Most computers now come with built in cameras an microphones, and usually have the software built in to record video. Alternatively, adding a webcam is now easy. This can be a good place to start, but don't expect too much as the setup doesn't allow you much scope for adjustment of lighting and background. Using a laptop gives you more freedom with positioning things.

Video can now be taken with many mobile phones, and this can be useful. The advantage is that you have this already and carry it around with you. The disadvantage is that the picture and sound quality may be poor. Most cannot be used with an external microphone.

Cheap video cameras are now producing remarkably good results and are very easy to use, being point-and-shoot. The most popular are the Flip or the Kodak Zi8. The Flip does not have a socket to use an external microphone, while the Kodak Zi8 does.

Many still cameras now shoot video as well, and this can be very convenient, rather than having separate cameras. The video quality of such cameras can be as good as that produced by video cameras. The downside is that the focusing may not be as good as on a dedicated video camera, and the viewfinder may not twist and swivel in the way that most video cameras do. This can be a problem if you want to record yourself.

More expensive video cameras produce very good results, and can either be used in point-and-shoot mode, or can be adjusted in difficult conditions to produce exactly the effect you want.

Chose a camera that has a microphone socket whenever possible, because then you have the choice of using an external microphone for recording better sound.

Currently I use a Lumix GH1 digital camera to shoot video and stills, together with a Rode VideoMic microphone.

Using An External Microphone

The internal microphones used on video cameras are poor, and give poor sound quality. You will get much better sound by choosing a video camera with an external microphone socket and plugging in a better microphone.

The external microphone cannot usually be mounted directly onto a mobile phone, cheap video camera, or small still camera, due to their small size, so you will have to hand hold the microphone or use a microphone stand. Larger still cameras or video cameras usually have an accessory shoe which can be used for attaching a microphone, which is the easiest way of using it, but using and extension lead and having the microphone closer to the subject can sometimes give better sound.

Video Editing

PC users can use the free Windows Movie Maker downloadable from Microsoft, or buy Sony Vegas Movie Studio as a more versatile editing software.

Mac users can use the free iMovie software or buy Final Cut Express as a more versatile editing software.

YouTube has it's own simple video editor where you can not only do simple tinkg such as trim the start and ends of your video clip, but it also has extra features such as brightnes and contrast adjustments, as well as being able to stabilise your video to take out shaky movements. (See the article from REELSEO).

Presenting Your Video

We would encourage you to star in your own video, but if you really don't want to do this then you can arrange for a presenter to do this for you and be the voice or face of the video to represent you. You can also arrange to have someone else from within your business to be the presenter, but consider what you will do if they leave your business. Would this mean re-shooting the video if they go and work for your rival. Clear the legal copyright and contractual details of this with your Solicitor before shooting the video.

Setting The Tone Of Your Video

Don't think of a web video as a hard selling product. It isn't. It's a soft sell. A video will create attention. Use the attention to create a friend. Get the friend to contact you. Once your friend has contacted you, then you can find out what they really need and find out how you can help them. Only then can you sell.

Use your video to showcase the personality of your business. Welcome people. Introduce yourself. Show how friendly, approachable and professional you are. Share your story. Gain credibility. Show people why they should trust you. Show your customer what's in it for them. Give them an offer and a call to action.

How Long Should Your Video Be?

Your video should be long enough to convey the message you want and no longer. Typically a one minute video can convey a simple message, and a longer video can explain things in more detail. In the end you may need a mixture of different lengths for different parts of your web site, but start off with the most important one.

Planning Your Video

Some people like using a shooting script, which needs to be prepared beforehand. This script can be as tight or loose as needed. Some people like to write down every word to say, and others are better at ad-libbing using a few key words. It's entirely up to you to use the style that suits you best.

Some people are happy speaking directly into the camera. Others prefer to use an interview style of presentation, where you look at the interviewer off camera, and the script can be as simple as "What does your business do?".

When you know what needs to be said you can plan how to shoot the video, and decide if you need to use other images or sound to create the required effect.

General Presentation Points

Weather you are standing or sitting hold yourself upright and keep your spine straight. Video is unforgiving, and a normal posture will often look as though you are slouching.

What To Wear

Think about other videos you may want to make in the future, so that you can wear the same clothes or similar clothes. You may not want to wear winter clothes in the next video you make in the middle of summer. Similarly changing hair styles can look unusual between different videos. Try to appear in a way that is consistent.

Plain colours for clothing are best, as small checks and patterns can form an interference pattern on the video which shimmers distractingly in the final video. White and red often doesn't show up well in video. Complement your clothing colours with the background colour.

Don't wear anything green if you are shooting with a green-screen background, which can be blanked out and a new background added in the editing stage, because this part of your clothing will disappear as well.

No dangling ear rings, as people will look at these rather than at you, and no reflective jewellery to reflect back light into the camera lens.

Empty your pockets. If you have bulges in your clothing people will notice them and wonder what they are, rather than listening to you. This applies to keys, iPods, cigarettes, lighters, mobile phones etc.