Use this simple guide to understand how to make a really good video that clearly communicates your message to your audience.

Pre-Production

Plan your video shoot in advance! This will save you the most time during production and post-pro.

1. Who? Unless you’re a one-person crew (which is totally valid!), get your team together and plan who’s in the video and who’s the crew.
2. What? Write your outline or script first, then edit it so your message is clear, concise, and compelling. Shorter isn’t better when it lacks clarity, but longer risks losing attention. Be precise and compelling! One page of double-spaced 12pt roughly equals one minute of video.
3. Where? Your location will determine a lot of the “how” you shoot your video, so book it as soon as you can!
4. When? Set a deadline for when the video needs to go out and work backwards using the three-stage production process: put dates on the calendar for pre-production meetings (if needed to plan content and logistics), production (the actual shoot day), and post-production.
   1. Production: Shooting from a script with a teleprompter usually means less takes which saves time, but think of your target length and how many videos you can shoot in one day–Make sure to plan 30 minutes for setup and 30 minutes for teardown.
   2. Post-Production: This can be an afternoon, a few days, or weeks depending on the size of the project. Just make sure it’s on the calendar and has a margin before release day!
5. How? Think through what it will take to actually shoot the video.
   1. What equipment do you need? Every video shoot needs a camera, a microphone, and lights! Make sure to book the equipment you need! (Appendix A).
   2. Learn a little about how cameras use light to make an image so you feel confident about getting a good image in-camera before your shoot day–maybe even practice before!

Production

Here’s how to maximize your shoot with post-production in mind.

1. Camera: Set up your camera facing your backdrop first thing before setting up lights. If you’re using multiple cameras, set them all up!
   1. Best camera settings for video: aperture at f/4.0, shutter speed 2x your frame rate (e.g. 29.97 fps = 1/60s shutter), ISO as low as possible to start.
   2. Make sure your memory cards are empty and your batteries are full before you begin!
2. *Lights: Then set up your lights (Natural Light, Key Light, Back Light, Fill Light) so your image looks good. Raise your ISO if you need to if your lights are all on 100% and you need more brightness.
3. Audio: Mic the talent and make sure your audio levels aren’t peaking–but also aren’t too quiet.
4. Action: Have the talent practice once or twice to get their wigglies and awkward “um’s” out as much as possible–the first couple takes are rarely the best. Then get one or two complete takes that cover the script/outline well that you feel confident about.
   1. If using interview questions, ask the talent to repeat the question.
   2. If speaking off-the-cuff or reading from a teleprompter, ask the talent to pause for two seconds before restarting a line to make editing way easier.
   3. If you are matching camera takes, clap your hands (or use a clapboard) for an audio sync point later.
   4. If you need to cut, always cut both audio and video–the easiest edit has one take per video file.
5. Teardown:

Post-Production

Now it’s time to bring it all together!

1. Get organized.
   1. Use a template folder named for your project, and bring all your assets into it. That way you can move the folder later and not lose anything.
   2. Rename your footage (e.g. “[Project] Take 1”) and import extra videos (“B-Roll”), photos, music, and graphics into your project folder too.
2. Assemble fast, watch the cut, then edit slow.
   1. Every edit starts as an assembly of the takes cut together to tell the story–do this as fast as you can.
   2. Once your assembly is made, go make some coffee (read: take a break) before coming back to watch it. Write down notes about what you want to change.
   3. Edit ruthlessly for as long as it takes to present the message compellingly and concisely.
3. Mix audio, add graphics and adjust color after your edit is done. If your edit of the talent speaking isn’t compelling, graphics won’t help much–and you don’t want to adjust color until your edit is done!