We chatted with our award-winning video team on the skills, tips and tricks that can make video storytelling and production more impactful. Here’s a look at the MCCI Top 10 tips:
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Do Your Homework
Before we ever pick up a camera or turn on a light, we always do our research and try to understand our client, the purpose of the project and what the final goal is. Whether we’re shooting a single camera interview or a larger-scale production, it’s our job to prepare in advance to deliver the final results.
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Stay Organized
Organization isn’t just for equipment (although that’s important too). We work to keep our production schedules, our crew and any travel up to date and on track. From constant and fast-paced changes, ongoing script updates, client revisions and communicating with everyone involved, organization is crucial.
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Gear Is Great— But Not Everything
Having the best equipment definitely helps – but it takes an experienced and professional crew to know what to do with it.
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Great Audio Is As Important As Great Video
If you’ve ever watched a video with bad audio, you know what we’re talking about. Many factors go into capturing quality sound—our surroundings, choosing what type of microphone to use and monitoring the sound during our entire shoot, for example, helps us capture great audio. But it doesn’t stop there— a good mix is the last step to the finished and final product.
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Lighting, Lighting, Lighting
Lighting gives us control over the look and feel of a video. We can use artificial lighting to make videos look dramatic or natural and we can even manipulate natural lighting outdoors to give us the feeling we want.
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Be A Storyteller
If our videos don’t tell a story, they can go unnoticed. Regardless of the production quality or budget of any given project, storytelling is key to attracting an audience and helping our clients achieve their project goals.
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Limit Zooms And Pans
A common mistake most inexperienced videographers make is hitting the zoom button on every shot and panning back and forth until the viewer is dizzy. It’s our job to let the motion happen naturally. Too much camera movement can be distracting to the viewer and take away from the client’s message.
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Have A Plan B
Be prepared for anything! Inevitably things can and will go wrong and even the best planned shoot can have unforeseen changes or challenges. We’re always prepared to move locations, change our schedules or replace equipment on short notice.
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Visual Inspiration Is Everywhere
Just as in any field, if you aren’t inspired by video, things can get pretty boring very quickly. Don’t be afraid to try new things! We are always challenging ourselves to find new styles, angles and inspire our overall approach.
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Keep The Edit In Mind
One of the biggest mistakes in video is assuming “I’ll fix it in post”. Post production and editing software has come a long way, but planning ahead and doing it right the first time saves time and money and gives us the best possible outcome. This approach keeps our clients coming back.
