Creating cool videos is an ability that comes in handy in many areas of marketing. You can create them to be a part of a website, to be shown on TV, posted on social media, used as an add online, etc. Videos are a useful form of content  because they are dinamic and allow for a story to be told in more than one frame, unlike a photo or an image. When it comes to creating them in MC.la we have a checklist of a few basic tips for creating videos that help us make sure we are creating quality content that can be used as a bigger part of a content marketing strategy.

Therefore, we’d like to share with you or 8 Easy Tips for Creating Videos Online:

One thing that can be noticed straight from the beggining of a video is if the shot is unstable. If the camera holder doesn’t have a experience to keep the shot stable, then we recommend using a tripod, gimbal, or just putting the phone on a table or something that will keep it still.
The shaking will distract the viewer from what they really need to see that’s being recorded by the camera, also it might even make them dizzy or nauseous. So unless you are using the camera shaking on purpose as an effect for a shot you are doing, we recomment getting something that stabilizes it or putting it on something.

Having good lighting, wether it’s natural or produced, is always a must for content creation. It will help in getting a much clearer and better quality shot. You can do this by shooting in the day and with the light facing towards you, and not in the back because it will have a backlight issue and your objects on camera will seem darker. Or you can buy a portable light and use it for in studio or even outside.
Just like the stability of a shot, good lighting is very important. However in a creative project all these components can be played around with to create an effect on the audience, so if you are feeling creative play with lights and shadows to create some very different content!

Most things can be fixed when editing a video, sometimes a minor background noise can be removed or the audio of a clip can be edited so it sounds louder and clearer. Regardless of this, sometimes there is just not much that can be done about a video that has too much background noise and then all the material that has been recorded can’t be used. In these cases we always recommend that if the video has a subject that will be speaking to the camera, without a microphone, shoot in a place where the noise is minimal. However if the opportunity appears to get a microphone for recording then we strongly advice towards getting it as it will improve the quality of your sound on videos.

The tip here is to at least have a basic idea of how the video is going to be, if you have a vision of how you want it to be then once you are recording you know what to do, when to do it, how to do it, etc. Depending on the idea some videos can be shot without a previous script or plan. This also depends on the level of experience the person recoridng / director has.  Having a script can help in making sure the purpose and strategy of the content you are creating is met, because that way it is curated in a matter that has purpose. Another benefit is that if the person recording is not the one editing, then the editor will be able to put together the video without any trouble.

As a part of the process of making a script a complementary step is to do research on how other people have carried out the idea you have and what vision they had for it. We are not encouraging you to copy another person’s video, however to find inspiration in other people’s work is a way that the community supports each other. By doing research and seeing what other people did, you can also see if the idea you are carrying can be taken into another direction that no one else did, and innovate!

Complemmentary shots are those takes that are done as an extra for the video. For example, if you are doing an interview on someone about “how to eat healthy”, instead of making the whole video just that person talking to the camera you can take some complementary clips of the subject while they are cooking or eating. Then, while the subject is speaking you play them and leave what they are saying as a “voice over”. This way it gives the audience something else to look at while still paying attention to what’s being said, it is a way to keep the audience engaged.

The music you add to a video will the set the tone and mood for it. For example: if you are recording a tutorial / video where a subject is talking, you can add a cheerful upbeat music with low volume on the background. But if you are going to make a video that the music will be setting the whole mood then it is mostly better to have the song selected before recording, that way the shots can be done according to the music. A good video is composed of many good elements, all need to be taken care of one by one, and complementary music is definitely one of the most important ones to keep an eye out for!

Last but not least we have the quality of the camera. For this tip we don’t want to push any content creators out there to buy a professional camera. Depending on the type of content you create, your phone’s camera would work perfectly fine! Now, if you want to shoot a TV commercial or a video for a website then the smart thing to do is use the best equipment out there so the quality of the video is not damaged when broadcasted. There are a lot of phones nowadays that have impressive cameras, or semi proffesional cameras at a very affordable price. The equipment will respond to how well you use it, so always do the best with what you got and climb up from there!

The process of making a good video is a balancing act between all of the elements mentioned above: light and shadow, color, composition, music and sound, elements and vision. The tips mentioned above for creating videos are a small brush stroke compared to the whole picture of what we take into consideration at MC.la when creating a video for a client. Because the last and most important tip is to have the content be a part of a strategy, and that is what we do at MediaCenter.

When we create something we want it to be a part of a plan or a strategy that will help us deliver results on a short and long term, and also be able to use the video / content created for more than one platform therefore maximizing results. As mentioned before, videos are a multi-purpose dinamic type of content that can tell a story, so remember always to keep in mind the story you want to tell and why!