Planning out your video well is one of the best ways to make better videos. While you can improve on your camera work, lighting, sound recording, and editing skills later, the first thing you should work on first is preparing to make your video. I will be giving many tips in the following posts about all of those things.
After you have chosen your topic, there are a few things you need to do before you actually go out and start shooting. This period of preparation is called pre-production. This is where you pre-produce your film. Just as if you were writing an essay, the more preparation you have, the better. Researching your topic is this first thing necessary with writing an essay or making a video. Make sure you know everything there is to know about your subject. If you’re already an expert on your topic, this step may be skipped. But it never hurts to do some more research.
Tip 1 – Research Similar Videos
In fact, a good way to research is to see if there are any similar videos out there. If you’re making a video about adopting a kitten, do a quick google search to see if there are any other videos out there already. This way, you’ll know what has already been done. You’ll also know areas that you can expand on. You can also improve upon how they told the story, the way they filmed it, etc.
Tip 2 – Storyboard
Storyboard. Storyboad. Storyboard! This small process can dramatically increase the visuals of your video. I actually didn’t start doing this until recently. Storyboarding, the act of drawing out scenes in your video, is an essential part of making narrative films. But I never knew how beneficial it could be for creating documentaries, business videos, or even how-to videos. By storyboarding, you can have an idea of what your video will look like as well as have a cheat sheet for all of the shots you need to get while shooting.
If you’re just writing out a shot list, just make a list of all the shots you want to get. Be generous, it is never bad to have too many shots. For example:
- Wide shot of adoption center
- Medium shot of man and women entering building
- Close up of kitten in cage
- Shots of couple playing with kitten
- Medium shot of worker (interview)
- Medium shot of kitten getting out of cage into new home
- Etc.
Even if you don’t get all of the shots on your list, it is still a good thing to have while shooting.
Tip 3 – Pre-Interview
Do a pre-interview. If you’re making a video that requires an interview, I always suggest doing a pre-interview with your interviewee. This can be done in person or over the phone. You can even do it over email. At the very least, if your interviewee is too busy, which I have run into many times, send them the questions you will be asking so they can prepare themselves for answering them on camera.
Most people get nervous on camera. It is even worse if they have to answer questions that they don’t have answers to. By doing a pre-interview, they’ll be prepared to answer your questions with less ‘ummms’ and awkward pauses. This is also beneficial to you because if you know how your interviewee is going to answer, this may open up new questions that need to be answered. You may find that you have to ask the question in a different way. Or you may want to delve in further to a topic you didn’t know about.
These three tips are very important to making better videos. Along with them, just make sure you do small things like:
- Double check your camera bag to make sure you have all your equipment.
- Charge your batteries the night before.
- Double check your lights to make sure they work.
- Print out maps of where you will be filming.
- Make sure to have phone numbers of anyone you may need to contact on the shoot.
- Print out any necessary release forms that need to be signed.
- Lastly, get a good night’s sleep before a big shoot. Making videos is a lot tiring than it may seem. You’re up on your feet, moving equipment here and there. So having a good rest and eating a healthy meal before shooting is one of the keys to success.
It’s time to shoot. Check back next time for my best tips for shooting your best video yet.
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