Web Video: Cutting to the Chase
The internet is awash with articles on web video, try a quick Google search and you’ll get millions of results. Many of them will try to sell you production services, nothing wrong with that, we do it ourselves. Many others will tell you about the phenomenal rise in the popularity of the medium and again the statistics make mind boggling reading.
So cutting to the chase, for this blog article lets concentrate on three key things to do before you start down the route of web video.
First and definitely most important, what do you want to say? It’s really easy to get caught up in the excitement of filming but hold back, think about your message because without that you run the risk of wasting a lot of time at the production stage. Content is key!
Secondly think about your audience. What will appeal to them? Your video needs to engage their interest and that almost always means making sure that the final edit is really tight. No unnecessary material cut to the important messages and leave out anything that isn’t essential.
Third if you plan to film the project yourself work out a shooting plan. What shots are you going to use to illustrate each point? Do you need some general footage to use as cut aways during dialogue? Are you going to have a voiceover, if so do you have a script? Try Googling “the five shot rule” for some tips on filming.
Video can now be produced to very high quality with relatively inexpensive equipment. The real art is in using that equipment to tell a compelling story. So whether you opt for the self shot approach or you choose to bring in professionals, concentrate on the story. That is the only way to captivate your audience.
Ian Forsyth is a Director with Development Partners which delivers business, training, film and web streaming advice for corporate and public sector clients
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