Azeeza Adeowu
February 10, 2020
Branding, Content Development, Storytelling

How To Create A Simple DIY Video – The Basics

The year is 2020 and “Parasite”, a Korean movie just bagged the award for best picture at the Oscars – it is also the first Non-English-Language movie to do so in the History of the Award. Also “Hair Love” a crowdfunded animated video made by Matthew A. Cherry, an Independent Creator just bagged an Oscar for Best Animated Picture. The lesson here is that no matter where you’re from, your stories have the ability to go where you never dreamed of. Over the last couple of years, a lot of indie video creators have popped on the scene to satisfy a growing need for creative video content. Video is versatile and can be used in a variety of ways, from social media posts, advertisements to emails and marketing. However, how do you go from “wanting to create a video” to actually producing one?

[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28′]

Oscar-winning video for “Best Animation” – Hair Love

VIDEO EQUIPMENT

The first step in creating a video, let us discuss the equipment needed.

CAMERA: You may choose a DSLR for filming. It will not get you the same level of quality as a professional-level video camera. However, it is a lot cheaper, and the video quality improves all the time. Many people who sell videos online use DSLRs, and the quality is great. Almost all DSLRs can record in 1080p, the standard for online high-definition video. Moreover, many are capable of recording in 4K as well.

TRIPOD: A tripod turns even a basic camera into a much better video production tool. A tripod will seriously improve the video quality from any camera. No matter how still you think you can hold a camera, you need a tripod. It does not need to be the best one out there. Nevertheless, it is indispensable.

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LIGHT: You can use a reflector to take advantage of ambient light. It is just a matter of getting it set up to properly reflect the light. (You will also need someone to hold it unless you get a reflector holder as well.) No matter how you choose to light your video, make sure that the lighting does not create harsh shadows or bright glares. It makes a huge difference.

EXTERNAL MICROPHONE: It is important to think about the type of mic you need. Omni-directional microphones capture sound from every direction, while shotgun and directional mics focus sound capture in a specific direction. The best choice for you depends on exactly what you are recording. We recommend using a lavalier mic. This small microphone clips to a collar or lapel and provides high-quality sound pickup. It eliminates background noise and records clear voices.

GIMBAL: By using pivots and weights, a gimbal stabilizes your shot, which is especially important when you are moving. When your camera is still, a tripod will work. If you are moving around, you will need a gimbal. Also, make sure to get a gimbal that will work with your camera. There are multiple attachment mechanisms, and most of them are universal. However, you should always double-check.

EDITING SOFTWARE: With some basic editing skills, your video quality will go way up. You do not even need to get into advanced techniques like color correcting or complicated cuts. Just editing out your vocal pauses and inserting some text is enough to take your video from amateurish to pro-quality. Fortunately, you do not have to spend a ton of money to do it. We recommend software like Adobe Premiere Pro to get the job done.

[vc_video link=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N10IsvmaEwc’]

A short documentary video we created for TradeDepot Nigeria.

CREATING A VIDEO

Now that we have gone through the basic equipment, let us move to actually create a video. To begin, you can go through the following easy steps:

IDENTIFY YOUR GOAL: Before you sit down to script out your video, you will want to take a step back and consider why you want to create a video in the first place. Here are some common reasons you may want to create a video: Brand awareness, Drive sales, Drive traffic, Increase customer engagement, Educate customers.

CHOOSE A DIRECTION: Now that you have your “why,” it should be a little bit easier to determine what makes sense in terms of direction. To give you some ideas, here is a list of possible directions you could go in:

Introductory: Tell your audience who you are, explain your mission, etc.
Explanatory: Explain how something works (like your product/service or a specific feature)
Problem/solution: Show the old way/new way and how your product is the solution
Narrative: Use story elements (like plot, conflict, resolution, etc.) to subtly introduce or explain something

Once you have your goal and direction finalized, it is time to further refine your approach by setting the tone for your video.

SET THE TONE: “Tone” is defined as “the general character or attitude” of the video. Nevertheless, to make it simple, you can just think of it as how your video is going to make your audience feel. For example, do you want to make your audience laugh or do you want them to be moved? Do you want them to feel informed, or do you want to tell them a story? Keep in mind, the creative direction should play well with whatever tone you decide to go with.

DECIDE A DURATION: Will this be a 30-second video? 60-second? A minute plus? 5 minutes? You may be thinking; “how can I know the length of the video until I script it out?” The reality is, without using some type of time parameters, your video will likely end up too long and potentially unfocused. So it is always best to keep the duration as conservative as possible.

CHOOSE A VIDEO STYLE: The visual style of your video can come to life in many different ways, but here are some general ideas for how it can be done;

Real people — as in actors who play out the characters you have created; this may or may not include dialogue (depends on your script).
B-roll —supplemental or alternative footage typically used in-between “main shots” or used as background, action, or flashback-style scenes.
Live-action — combining real-life footage with elements of animation or special effects.

[vc_video link=’https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz2dxXfAGw3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link’]

Visa TOTAL AFCON 2019 Promotional Video – We shot and produced.

DETAILS OF THE STORY: It is time to start thinking about the details of the story. For example:

Scenes – How many different scenes will there be? How many locations will be needed?
Characters – How many characters? Who are they? What is their storyline? What do they look like?
Audio/Voiceover/text overlay: Will the video be set to the sound of someone’s voice? Will there be background music? Will any text need to appear on screen in order to get the message across?

FINAL CALL TO ACTION: Also known as Final CTA, this refers to the last message we leave the audience with. What do we want them to feel or do? There really is an endless number of details to consider here, and every answer you come up with will likely lead to another question. The idea is to try and figure out as many details as you can, so when you go to write your script, all the pieces will start to fit together.

We hope this has been an interesting introduction to the art of video making. Here at Astract9, we have created videos for Organizations like Tradedepot, Visa Nigeria, The Nigerian postal service, international NGOs like The Next Economy and startups like Prepclass Nigeria. Our portfolio is wide and diversified, so we’re pretty sure we can execute whatever video you have planned.

Source: https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-create-a-promotional-video-707fa7a63019

Author: Samson Abasiono