You need to create professional videos for your business. But how can you do it without breaking the bank?

I made many silly mistakes when I started on my video interviews, 1) mic was not turned on 2) video setting was off 3) file size was too large to transfer 4) I do not have video editing skills 5) captions were not capture correctly. 6) lighting at location was off Above are just some of the silly mistakes I made during my filming. But what I did was: 1) preparing a set of questions and sent beforehand to the interviewee 2) lock in the date, time and location with calendar invite 1 month ahead 3) set and send reminder 1 week in advance before the actual meet up 4) charge, ensure all equipment are ready 5) test and practise beforehand Getting prepared is essential, some situations might come unexpectedly. We all learn along the way!

Okay, let's get those pro-level videos for your biz without draining the bank! First up, nail down what you want these vids to achieve. Sketch out your scenes, write a killer script—it's like your video blueprint. Grab a good ol' smartphone or a budget-friendly camera for shooting. Find spots with natural light or cheap lighting tricks. Keep your set simple yet snazzy. Editing? There are some cool free tools out there. Use freebies like stock footage, music, and images to jazz it up. Sound-wise, a decent mic or even your phone’s mic in a quiet spot works wonders. You can even dabble in DIY animation for that extra oomph. Lastly, test, learn, tweak—it's all about improving. Voila! Pro vids without wrecking your wallet!

I went ahead to perform interviews with CEOs, only to realise later that my recordings are off settings, lightings are terrible and captions are incorrect. It took me 4 months to finally release the interviews, the “warmth” have become “cold”. Here are some tips you can leverage on for your video editing. 1) recording by section, you get a break, the file size are not large, a good guide will be 2 questions. 2) use cloud to upload your videos, this can be done via your phone, and it is immediately uploaded. 3) use 2 x 128mb SD extreme card, sufficient for recording of videos. 4) use free editing software like Capcut. Chinese version of capcut provide ready templates. 5) keeping my video to under 10mins. Viewers have a shorter view time.

Share your videos often, overshare if you have to. You have to place your videos where your potential prospects will be at. Looking at different times of the day, and different days of the week. When you're not used to putting out video content, you will feel that sharing it one of two times a week will get the job done. Believe me, nobody really saw the video but you. Play around with different texts for your video as well. The main reason for creating the video is to get a message across. Now is not the time to be shy in sharing that message.

If you like someone else's video, don't hesitate to ask them how they did it. You tube videos really helped in guiding the right set of equipment's to use and how to set them up. Reassess your own videos after a few days break for a fresh perspective and ask other for their views too.

Don’t think of what those 4 people say about your content because overall you’re doing what others aren’t able to do. Keep yourself consistent and you’ll learn. Keep growing.

Giving up is easy, staying on is key. Watching well edited videos is eye candy. It makes me imagine that I can too create videos of such. It was only when I started video editing that I understand the hardships, time and effort that the editor have spend to accomplish such beautiful work. Candidly, I almost gave up. What makes me preserve is the learning of the skills and a mindset of growth. There is no monetary value involved but learning such a skills is effective: 1) I appreciate other video editors 2) if I engage other video editors for work, I know how to set realistic goals. I will not get cheated. 3) in emergency, I can edit videos by myself. 4) I learn not only video editing skills but gain patience and confidence.

The easiest way to create videos is to get comfortable in recording the videos. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be. People connect with other people, having those small mistakes actually make you more human.

My toughest challenge was stepping out of my comfort zone. I do not have any videography skills, video editing skills and photography skills. It was dramatically a disaster at the beginning. There were times I got frustrated and just drop the work for the day and took a day off. The worst time was when my video editing was not saved and my work was gone. Above is not to scare you but to let you know it takes time to learn and master a skill. You can do so by: 1) learning from a mentor 2) applying for a course 3) get together with a community of like-minded individuals 4) practise by editing your own video! Can be your family, friends or an outing you go today! 5) use capcut from your phone. Try it!

Give grace to yourself. Looking at a camera and talking is not as easy when you are starting. Outsource parts of the process or take help when needed, you don't necessarily have to do everything yourself.