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MEDIA TIPS
TIP ONE
THE IDEA
The very starting point to any production is firstly the Idea or Concept. If you look at the world we live in with the amount of technology we have today, every concept was first thought of by someone. Every invention, every production, every business was first dreamed of by someone who then acted on what they dreamed of. God has given His people the ability to be Inspired and to create. We all have ideas, but what do we do with them? Do we act on them, or do they just get lost in our minds? Now, not every idea is going to be a good one, I understand that. But when making videos, it's important to get the Idea down on paper, and work through the steps below.
TIP TWO
THE SCRIPT
Scripting is crucial for any production. If you look at the world of Media with Movies or TV Episodes, if you have a poor storyline or dialogue, chances are people are not going to continue to watch you. In fact in most cases your reputation as a Director can lie in the balance of this very thing. Now, with Christian videos like the ones we create, we are not here for peoples applauds. We are hear to preach the Gospel in a way that challenges people to think. We are not trying to win a Grammy, but we do need to plan how to best get our message out in a clear, cinematic way so people don't click off the video. It's like when you plan to preach an Alter call or sermon, you have your convicting points, and then you bring hope. We will talk more about this later on the steps.
TIP THREE
LOCATION SCOUTING
Location Scouting is another important concept of filmmaking. Many producers spend countless hours searching for locations to shoot at. In most cases it can really tell a story where you are located. Another thing to think about, is the location noisy? Am I near a busy highway or on a beach that has crashing waves. Will it effect my Audio when I'm talking? So Its important to keep these things in mind when thinking about your location.
TIP FOUR
SCRIPTING
Scripting is crucial for any production. If you look at the world of Media with Movies or Netflix, if you have a poor storyline or dialogue, chances are people are not going to continue to watch you. In fact in most cases your reputation as a Director can lie in the balance of this very thing. Now, with Christian videos like the ones we create, we are not here for peoples applauds. We are hear to preach the Gospel in a way that challenges people to think. We are not trying to win a Grammy, but we do need to plan how to best get our message out in a clear, cinematic way so people don't click off the video. It's like when you plan to preach an Alter call or sermon, you have your convicting points, and then you bring hope. We will talk more about this later on the steps.
TIP FIVE
SHOT LIST
Once you have a location and a script, it's time to start creating a shot list. A shot list is a list of different camera angles or shots that you want to capture throughout your production. I normally make a few notes next to my script, so I know when I'm going to transition and cut to the next scene.
TIP SIX
CAMERA EQUIPTMENT
Now its time to work out how your going to film. You don't need the most advanced camera gear to create a great video. Most phones have decent cameras these days, so the sky is the limit. One of the other things to consider is a Tripod or a Gimble. A tripod is great if you don't want any motion while filming, this would be the best option for someone starting out. A gimble is for confident filmmakers who want a bit of movement in their film. Maybe the talent on screen is walking towards you, so you are walking backwards while filming. A gimble helps take out shaky movements our bodies make, filming handheld can be quite tricky. One thing to also watch out for is Audio. This is crucial, if there is bad Audio even on a 50k Camera setup, the video will be terrible. I recommend buying a lapel mic that can be wirelessly connected to your camera or phone, so that you get a perfect Audio signal. As most of our videos are based on Audio, this is crucial to get your message across.
TIP SEVEN
SHOOT DAY
Now its time to shoot, all that hard work preparing your video should make the filming process a little easier. Here's a few things to consider while shooting. Make sure that you capture multiple takes, nothing is worse than getting back to the office to edit and you have a bad take and there is no other takes to replace it. It's always important to play the video back and make sure you have captured everything well. Now here is a big tip so listen up.
You don't have to shoot everything in one take!
As you can see in my videos (see the media page) we use different angles and join sentences together in post production. We shoot every sentence and angle separately, and then in the editing process, join these together to look like its one take. This takes the pressure of the talent, and it helps to get perfect angles. But in saying that, the script and talent talking has to control their voice and say it the same every time, otherwise you can have issues syncing it up.
TIP EIGHT
EDITING
Now its time to get all the footage and start editing. I personally use the Adobe Suite while editing (Premiere Pro & After Effects) but there a lot of cheaper and free video editors online. Music choice is also very important as well, you need to find music that goes well with the topic of your video. Try to avoid music with words, if you are speaking in the video. I use a Royalty free music licensing website Artlist.io, as you can't use any music you feel like online as you don't own it. If you post to Youtube or Social Media, mist likely you will receive a warning or a strike against your account, so finding Royalty Free music is key. Try to avoid crazy transitions that can be distracting to the eye, we don' want to lose the viewers attention. Keep it clean cut, simple and powerful.
TIP NINE
TIME TO POST IT
Hopefully at this point you have an amazing video that you are super proud off! Now we need people to see it. There's hundreds of online Video Websites to post to, so it's completely up to you. Places like Youtube and Social media are a good place to start. Think of an engaging title to call your video, and select an engaging thumbnail image that will draw people to watch your video. Once posted, see how it does. Answer any comments or questions, and see what God does!
TIP TEN
REPEAT
REPEAT the process! Make more videos, learn from your mistakes and do better on the next one. Think of things that worked and things that didn't work. Write down ways to improve, listen to peoples critiques and feedback, and keep being creative. It's all a learning curve, and ou will get better and improve over time and experience.
Good luck!
Got a question or a video you want feedback on? Email me at designedwithdust@gmail.com
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