18 things I'd forgotten I knew about making video
Late last week I ended up watching Opera Holland Park’s 25 minute programme Hip Hop To Opera, produced by OHP’s General Manager Michael Volpe and featuring a group of teenagers from an inner city school being exposed to opera for the first time in their lives.
It was an incredibly moving affair that put the thoughts and feelings of an articulate group of young people front and centre. The success of the programme wasn’t only because of the contributors, nor down to the rapport established between interviewer and interviewee, but also because of the leanness of the production team.
Watching the programme made me think of the other things I instinctively know about making video that I've never taken a moment to document. I share the insights below not to boast (there's a lot of it about on the internet after all), but as some useful pointers for those commissioning video content.
1. What is the story you want to tell? How are you going to tell it?
Don’t assume you need to use video. It maybe that video isn’t the best format. Really interrogate who you’re making video for and why its better than photography or words. Video is just another vehicle for telling a story. It's also the most intensive. Commissioning others to realise an idea that's in your head may result in a chasm between what you thought you wanted, and what everyone else thought you required. See also 17.
2. If you’ve only got two days before going live, video isn’t the format
Video takes more time than you realise. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the workflow that needs time for production and breaks. See also 8, 9, 10, 12 and 14.
3. Just because we can all shoot video that doesn’t mean we should
Smart-phones have established an assumption that we’re all potential videographers. It’s the equivalent of giving everyone a grand piano and then thinking they’re pianists. Just because you think its as easy as pressing one button on a phone, doesn’t mean that’s what’s involved.
4. Videographers, self-shooters and/or editors are auteurs
Videographers/editors make a series of micro-editorial decisions to create a narrative. The narrative they create will inevitably be different from the assumptions, perceptions or expectations you have in your own mind (if you’re a commissioner of the content).
If you want to be auteur say so at the beginning of the project. If you want someone else to be the auteur then a specific brief or clear direction is vital to the success of the project.
The video above was shot in one week in the run-up to and during a visit to Baku in Azerbaijan. It was intended to highlight the lengths a Eurovision fan will go to meet the person who represents their country in the competition. The music is quite good too.
5. Commissioners, producers and execs need to trust
If there is no trust between the key players then this will come out if expectations are believed not to have been met. Tension will arise. Resentment will build. Rapport will break. The content will stop being a joy to make and become a massive trial for all concerned. The content will suffer as a result.
6. Videographers need to plan but they also need to be flexible
Plans are incredibly important. Interview questions are important too. But usable material often emerges from spontaneous responses – usually when contributors feel most at ease. That means a certain flexibility needs to be adopted by the videographer/producer/commissioner. What you think you need may well unexpectedly be spectacularly superseded by something you never even dreamed you would ever capture. By all means make a point of getting the content you set out to get, but keep an open mind for the unexpected.
The video above was shot at CBBC at Media City in Salford. I spent a day there capturing interviews with on-screen talent. We ended up with way more footage than we were ever going to use. As we were leaving the PR with me said that she wanted me to meet Hacker T. Dog. As we stepped into the studio she asked to film the moment. This was the result. We used this in the blog post instead of the on-screen interviews we'd filmed earlier in the day.
7. Unless you’re an agency with a budget, you’re going to be dealing with real people
It will take more time to get the shot you think you need to convey the point you want to make if you’re working with people who aren’t used to being in front of the camera. Not everyone likes being in front of the camera.
Importantly, not everyone will show the external signs of being nervous (some people are very good at hiding their feelings in the moment). Factor in more time if you’re dealing with sensitive subjects or speaking to people whose first language isn’t English.
Also, remember that contributors who aren’t experienced speaking on camera won’t necessarily have the stamina to be interview for any longer than 15 minutes.
Sentiment requires a reaction. Contributors are more likely to provide a reaction if they're taken by surprise. Before you can make people give you a reaction, you need to put them at their ease. Doing that means engaging in what amounts to a performance between contributor and videographer. The video above was intended to see what happened when musicians were asked to do something that was a little bit out of their comfort zone. The edit demanded combining straight delivery with unexpected outtakes. The result still makes me cry.
8. Video production is tiring – factor that into the schedule and the budget
It takes around 30-40 minutes to set up a shot just right. Setting up means identify a suitable background, finding the right lighting (a process of necessary experimentation), setting up the sound, and testing the setup. All this needs to be done (ideally) without the contributor present so as to limit their nerves and aid focussed work on the part of the videographer.
This video took six weeks to make. It was an enormous amount of fun. But it demanded commitment and resilience. We shot the first three sequences and edited them together with the music and then shared it with staff across the BBC to get buy-in for the final sequence where contributors were asked to mimic the tap-dancing Roy Castle had done in his record-breaking attempt in the late 70s.
Travelling is tiring too (all of us underestimate that). Travelling with heavy kit is even more tiring. Also, do not underestimate how as videographer, capturing footage, or setting up for or filming interviews involves a certain amount of adrenaline to sustain the individual through a period of ‘performance time’. When the moment is over, the adrenaline trails off. Exhaustion follows.
Editing requires focus. Raw footage needs to be reviewed, and usable material identified and outputted for further review. A roughcut ideally needs to be made (a rough edit of usable material without any polish), which also ideally needs to be reviewed by as many people as possible. Breaks need to be taken in between each stage – contrary to assumptions, editing from 8am until 8pm in a day is counter-productive.
9. Video production is expensive
There’s an assumption that videographers charge the earth because they can see you coming. They don’t. They’re charging for skills and experience gained over many years, much of which cannot be learned from a book or a training course.
Often, those skills are intangible – rapport building, interviewing, lighting, visual eye. Travel to a shoot often renders the rest of the working day unusable – hence you’re paying for the time they could have been working on something else. You’re also paying for resilience, drive and determination (the stakes are a whole lot higher if you’ve left the commission to the last minute). You’re almost certainly paying for their kit. You’re paying for their public liability insurance too. Not everyone has the stamina for it. You’ve got to be a bit mad to be a videographer.
It's worth adding too that the person you speak to in a briefing meeting, may well be an entirely different personality when they're in their natural space, ie when setting up a shot or reassuring a contributor. Don't make judgments about the skills and experience of the person in front of you until you've seen them in action.
10. Live streaming should be approached with caution
Don’t be misled. Live streaming is not only a matter of pointing an iPhone at a subject. The shot needs to be right and the subject will almost certainly need to be mic’d up and directed. If the basics aren’t attended to, a live stream will, in all honesty, look a bit shit. Best avoid.
11. The more people involved in the process the more complications and potential risk
There are people who know and there are people who think they know. It’s the latter we need to be wary of. Intensive projects with a quick turn-around will move more nimbly if the people involved are committed, invested in the outcome, engaged at every stage and, most important of all, few on the ground. The very worst people to work with are people who think they know a lot. They invariably don't. Be wary of experts or gurus - they're the worst.
12. If you’re using an external provider, treat them like any other team member throughout
External videographers are valuable commodities. They bring a fresh perspective, boundless energy, and aren’t necessarily jaded by the familiarity of the everyday. But they’re not super-human individuals. Treat them like any other member of the team. Keep them in the loop. They’re creative individuals. They may well be reaching out because they’re inviting you to collaborate in the process. External videographers may well be engaging you in the process because they recognise you know more about the subject they’re filming than you do, and in that way can help maximise the chances of the end product’s success.
13. Setting up a shot is as much about removing distractions as making it look pretty
Tiny distractions in a shot can have a devastating effect in the edit. Something you thought looked great in the viewfinder looks terrible in the editing software. Sometimes the lighting isn’t that great. Occasionally, you’ll have overlooked the branding in the background. Setting up a shot is the equivalent of proofing copy – the human eye will skip over detail believing it to be correct. Attention to detail ensures the end product looks good and won’t draw attention for the wrong reasons. Detail takes time.
14. Sentiment is most effectively conveyed implicitly
I’ve spent time filming in challenging conditions where young disabled children speak any English. It’s an unnerving experience trying to get young people to look natural in front of the camera when nobody speaks the language. When normal methods of communication are limited, that’s when everything gets focussed on the smile and specifically the eyes. Don’t underestimate the immediacy of non-verbal communication on camera to convey exactly the message you were wanting to capture in the first place. Sometimes, getting someone to communicate the implicit explicitly ruins the content entirely.
15. At the same time ...
Don't underestimate the way the camera will convey personality traits conveyed by non-verbal communication. I saw one video recently featuring a contributor on-screen who thought he was a TV presenter waiting to be discovered. The sad truth was the personality he conveyed was one of smug self-satisfaction. That opening sequence ruined the rest of the film, alienating the audience in the space of 10 seconds.
16. Use appreciative inquiry when reviewing rushes, drafts and final drafts
Everyone should engage in the creative process (just be sure to keep the numbers low otherwise reviewing will take forever). The videographer isn’t a miracle worker and won’t be able to guess what creative vision you have in your head. Everyone has a responsibility to make the content they’re commissioning, shooting, or editing the very best it can be. That means engaging in the review process at every stage (not just at the end) and sharing thoughts that are both appreciative of what’s been achieved already, and identifying ways to develop the content further in the vision they hold as individuals.
De-personalise the content (ie don't direct comments about the content to the person who shot it). Avoid personal criticism at all costs.
17. If anyone expects the content to go viral they need to walk away from the project
Work on the basis that no-one will see your content. If you think it is possible to engineer content that will drive the rest of the internet so wild with excitement that they will be forced to share it, like it or run screaming down the street, then you’ve misunderstood how the internet works. If anyone sets out to make viral content you must call the emergency services. At best, imagery (moving or otherwise) will serve to illustrate the point you’re making. This rule is null and void if you’re involving cats, puppies, or you’re making an otherwise funny video (which you should only do if you’re an actual comedian).
18. Traditional hierarchical structures risk damaging the chances of success
I’m not saying we all need to radical restructure organisations for video projects. I’m advocating that for creative endeavours virtual teams (which should consist of senior and junior staff) should be seen as a flatter structure.