You do not need a $3,000 camera for a great clip. You do not need expensive and hard-to-master video editing software to refine your shots. And you definitely do not need to take a trip around the world to get the best location and lighting for your shots.
If you ask a professional video maker what sets the “good” apart from the “great” in video quality, they would probably take out their cool and pretty much unaffordable camera and brag about it. But it is not their fault, because they probably do not know you personally and maybe they think you already got the basics down. In addition to that, they are professionals; they don’t have to brainstorm about the nitty-gritty of video making because it comes to them naturally.
Whatever may be the reason, here are seven things you will not hear elsewhere about creating high-quality video content.
1. Let There Be Light
Lighting is hands down the most important thing when it comes to videography or photography. Your shots should undeniably have the right amount of light.
It doesn’t matter if it is studio lighting, candlelight or sunlight. Your shots need light. Period.
Do you know what you need to click low light photography? Light!
Light gives character to your frames. If it is an action sequence, then you can use strong and harsh light. If you are just shooting a regular video or a vlog, then search for a light source that is mellow and easy on the eyes.
If you are shooting videos in low light, then try to enhance the shadows and play around with the sharpness to see what comes out best.
2. Pump It Up with Some Music and Sound Effects
Music and sound effects give life to your videos. Adding appropriate music to the relevant shots emphasizes those scenes more, and your video, overall, will not look too monotonous.
As important as sounds are, the challenge of getting the right track for the right scene can be monumentally strenuous, especially for beginners. It takes a lot of trial and error and practice to be able to quickly choose the right tracks and sounds for your video.
Once you have narrowed down on your sounds, the next challenge is deciding when the volume should be more and when it should be less. If there is something in the video that is important for the viewers to hear, like a person talking, then lower the background music or cut it all together by fading out for that particular scene. You can then fade in your music for the next clip.
If the video is for personal use, then you can convert music from YouTube to MP3 in high quality and incorporate it in your clips. Beware of copyright infringement if you are planning to use it for commercial purposes.
3. There Is Motion
One of the most overlooked things by beginners and amateurs in video making is having motion in the shots.
Motion in your shots can help make the scene look more cinematic. Even the slightest of touches like panning into the frame, panning out of the frame, or sliding across will help make your video look more fluid and move your story along.
The results of having a slight smooth motion in your shots versus those that were just shot by throwing the camera somewhere, hitting the record button, and filming the whole thing are massive. You do not have to think hard, which of the two takes home the trophy.
If you forget to incorporate any of that in your shots, then you can also do some of it artificially using a good free no watermark video editor.
4. Videos Are First Penned, Not Shot
Behind every great, captivating video is a script where the words were thoughtfully fully crafted to engage the audience as much as possible.
You would not want to be in front of the rolling camera and suddenly go blank in what to say or how to say something. That would be too awkward, even more so if there are other people around working with you or looking at you.
So, write down your script and learn it well before you start filming. It will make the shooting process easy and fast. This way, you also will not need to worry about running out of your ideal lighting because of the time constraint if you are shooting outdoors.
5. Frames Per Second
Until a few years ago, people did not care much about this. But as advancements were made in camera technology, people are starting to understand the importance they hold.
Frames per second, abbreviated as FPS, is the number of images you are shown on the screen in 1 second that appears as a continuous motion.
Knowing this, it would make sense to you to have the FPS as high as possible all the time for a fluid shot. But that’s not the case; the ability to adjust FPS gives you control over motion blur.
Having motion blur in your shots make it more natural, realistic, and cinematic. But you would definitely want a high FPS for action sequences or anything that involves fast and sharp movements.
6. Be Uncanny, Shoot Uncanny
Your audience would expect to see something unusual from their everyday routine but also something realistic. Now, that could seem like a lot to ask for. But as viewers, they are justified.
To cater to such needs and add a sense of awe to your videos, try shooting clips from angles that people would not normally care to explore. This will captivate your viewers even more.
7. Jump in and Slide Out
Before you present the main content of your video to the audience, grab their quick attention, and remove all distractions with a nice captivating intro. There are many free video intro makers available online for this purpose.
Towards the end, give your audience a clean and transitional end with a nice outro.
Conclusion
These are 6 simple things for high-quality video content you will hear very less about, but they make your video go from watch-worthy to share-worthy!