HOW TO MAKE A PRO-LOOKING VIDEO (WHEN YOU’RE DEFINITELY NOT A PRO)

Thanks to the dreamy day job I’ve had for the past few years, my first “pro” video was this “Welcome to Pearl Harbor” introduction that kicks off the USS Arizona Memorial program. It’s been playing for 1.8 million folks over at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center since December 7, 2010. (More about my life as a “Digital Park Ranger” in another post!)

When it comes to videos for MY biz, however, I’m just scratching the surface. I’ve only made a few, and I learn a little more each time. One day I’ll look back and chuckle at ’em, I’m sure, but for now I’m content to go faux-pro with my bootstrapped setup :)

In case you haven’t seen one, I’d like to show you a sample before we get into the nitty gritty deets. It’s the main feature on the first draft of my home page. The yellow “hot spots” are outta CONTROL, but it did the trick (doesn’t need to be perfect, right? ;)):

If you’re like me, you don’t want suggestions and options. You just want to know exactly what to get and exactly how to use it. Period. (Oh, how I love that about you.)

That’s why I’ve included all the details here, links included. (NOTE: Many of these are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase through one of them, Amazon will send me a little referral bonus. Thanks for that!)

Camera
Thought about using my iPhone or even our little snapshot, but I wanted a camera with an external microphone jack. When my biz took off unexpectedly, I decided to spring for one. It’s definitely a big girl purchase, but I knew it would be worth the investment in the long run. (I love this one in particular because it has a flip screen so I can check myself before I wreck myself. Much easier for solo setup.)

Canon EOS Rebel T5i 18.0 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm EF-S IS STM Lens

Manual video settings for my particular garage setup: ISO 400, Shutter Speed 50, Av (Aperture) 4.0. NO idea what all that means. One of these days….

Tripod
Gotta have a tripod to keep that camera still and at eye level! Very happy with this one, which even came with a mini version as a bonus.
Ravelli Professional 65″ Ball Head Camera Video Photo Tripod

Backdrop
We have a textured white wall, but what you see here is actually a giant sheet of white paper stapled up to our garage wall. My photog friend let me have a snip from her Texas-sized roll!

Here’s something similar: Savage Seamless Background Paper

2014 UPDATE: I’ve moved outta the garage! Too hot and echoey for my taste :) For my A Course About Copy videos, I’m shooting in a carpeted room with blackout curtains, so the only light in the room is intentional. (That’s key!) I’m using a super-sweet collapsible background I got for under $50 on Amazon.

Check it out (and get yours!) here: Fancierstudio Collapsible Black + White Backdrop (5′ x6.5′)

Lighting
Trial and error, mixing and matching. Bought this guy from my home state of Texas:
CowboyStudio Photography/Video Portrait Umbrella Continuous Triple Lighting Kit

In my garage, the CowboyStudio lights weren’t bright enough to do much of anything (once I put the umbrellas in front of them). Time to improvise.

To light the white backdrop, I used clamp lights sold at Lowe’s, paired with daytime CFL bulbs. I clamped those lamps onto the two taller light stands from the CowboyStudio kit, and I used the little backdrop light – so three lights total pointed at the white paper.

For the lighting on ME, I used an average Joe work light, borrowed from a friend and easily available at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Careful: It gets VERY HOT (like the sun), VERY QUICKLY.

To diffuse the light a bit, I only turned on one lamp. Then I propped one of the Cowboy umbrellas in front so it wouldn’t be so harsh. One day I’ll see if I can get bulbs that aren’t as yellow, but this setup does just fine for now.

Microphone
In these first videos, I used the Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone.

The “lav mic” (as the cool kids call it) works well enough. It’s still a bit echoey since I’m in a garage. The key with this little guy is to remember to turn it ON, and then remember to turn it OFF. There’s no indicator light, so that’s actually easy to forget.

Learn from my mistake! I did an entire take that I felt GREAT about, only to realize there was no audio because I forgot to turn the mic on. Oops.

2014 UPDATE: In my A Course About Copy videos, I’m using my Rode VideoMic Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Mount. Using this guy in a carpeted room is producing much better results. (Still important to remember to turn it on!)

For the Powerpoint portions of my videos, I’m just using my iPhone headphones/microphone…in a carpeted closet. HA! I could probably get the same effect not being in the closet, but it feels more intentional that way, and I don’t have time to experiment at this point ;)

Script
True to communication stylist form, I wrote a rough draft outline and practiced out loud for at least an hour while walking around the block with my little one in his stroller :)

Even for those who seem to be “naturals,” the key to great, conversational delivery is PRACTICE + PREPARATION! You’ve gotta be totally comfortable with the words so you can focus on how you’re actually delivering them.

Editing

To put it all together, I used the very basics of iMovie on my Macbook Pro. Nothing special there! Just cleaned it up so it would move faster (one take is great for some parts, but after a while it gets boring). I also added title captions and some light music for the shorter videos to add interest.

2014 UPDATE: I heart Screenflow! Makes so much more sense to me than iMovie. Learned how to use it in less than 90 minutes thanks to a great course called Screenflow Hero. (Highly recommend it.)

There’s a whole lot to say when it comes to video, and while the actual setup may not be my specialty, delivery certainly is. I’ll share more about that in future posts and videos. In the meantime, though, while you’re in the mood for ’em, here are four key lessons I learned from my first few “pro” video attempts: