Top tips for filming short videos
The amount of time we spend online has grown rapidly over recent years and video content, which captures viewers’ attention for longer, performs well: 100 million hours of video are watched on Facebook every day and experts say one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words*.
Videos can be recorded easily on smartphones but there are seven simple steps that you can take to help it look more professional:
- Face a decent light source – position yourself near a window or be in a room that is well-lit
- Film during the day if possible – use natural light sources instead of artificial light
- Keep your smartphone/camera steady – use a stand or tripod, or perhaps get someone else to hold it, so you are unencumbered by holding a phone and you can focus on your delivery to camera
- Check your background – film yourself against a blank wall or in a place that is spacious and free of clutter
- Create a backdrop – choose surroundings which add to your story, supporting your topic or making it more personal to the people watching
- Think about sound – make sure any background noise is low and your chosen space is not echoey
- Film horizontally and in HD – 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720
Don’t forget to get consent from anyone featured in the video and, if you need to share the large video files, use a service such as wetransfer.com.
There is lots of advice online on how to film good video content including:
- How to communicate a campaign using video content from NCVO
- Top tips for making charity films in 2020 and beyond from The Media Trust
- Five ways charities can use video – The UK Domain
- Top tips for video fundraising on a shoestring – Charity Digital
*https://biteable.com/blog/tips/video-marketing-statistics/
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