Tips to Increase Your Video Production Quality
Corey Salmon
Operations Manager | Business Management | Charity Manager | Client Care | Leadership | Budget Management | Staff Development | Systems Development | Operational Efficiency and Compliance Management
Video has become one of the strongest ways to generate original content for business.
For anyone that has tried however, you’ll know it’s not as easy as it looks. Here’s a few tips to make your videos look more professional!
When you strip it down to bare bones basics, you are capturing sound and light. Not wanting to oversimplify, but it is so important to think carefully around these two points when setting up your next video. When it comes to lighting, are you shooting indoors or outside? What time of day? Could you benefit from a reflector, diffuser or perhaps some LED panels? Are there fluro’s in the room you are looking to shoot in? Here’s a pro tip, turn them off unless you want to look green!!!!
These small considerations can make a massive difference
to the end result and they are not always the first things that come to mind for the casual video producer. In the end, it is a combination of very small details working harmoniously that make a great production.
If you have the capacity, either purchase or hire some LED panels. They are a game changer if you are producing your video. You may also want to look into studio make up, but that’s a whole other topic! It is well worth the spend to make a huge leap in the quality of your production with the use of artificial light.
Next, you need to take a look at your gear, we use a combination of Sony and Canon gear in-house, but when we need additional equipment, I can recommend Brisbane Camera Hire for the right gear. They have helped me out more times than I can remember over the years! You don’t need pro grade gear, but having a good platform really helps. The Canon 5D MkII is our go to weapon of choice as it is portable and provides a very high quality output. Again, well worth hiring to lift the quality of your work, or they are floating around the second hand market for around $1200 AUD. Great bang for buck!
The third consideration is the audio.
If your voice and audio tracks aren’t crystal clear, then it really detracts from your overall production. As a bare minimum, invest in a Rode Shotgun mic if you’re filming on a 5DII. The on board mic is ok if you’re just playing, but if you want a decent production it’s an absolute minimum. Same with any other part of video production, the sky is the limit when it comes to audio, but if you just want to keep it bare bones basic, the Rode Shotgun Mic will get you out of trouble, from there you can look at perhaps stepping up to a lapel mic or reporter. Wired or wireless all depends on your budget. You can also go all in and get yourself a Rode Boom Mic and wrap it in a wind cover for that deluxe audio, just be prepared to drop some serious dollars!
Just taking a few simple steps with your gear and location selection can make an incredible difference to your productions.
We are always happy to chat further about your production needs and you can send us an enquiry on your next job!
In the meantime, check out some of our latest video work on our Vimeo account: https://vimeo.com/tprmedia