Matt PierceTechSmith Corporation

@PIERCEMR

www.linkedin.com/in/matthewrpierce/

50 Tips for Making Better Videos

Preparation

Plan. Simple right? Saves time, money, & prevents issues.

Practice a workflow. Keeps things moving & shows whats missing.

Practice a workflow. Keeps things moving & shows whats missing.

Know the goals. Dont create without a destination.

Learn about your audience, who they are & design for them.

Write a script or create solid outline. Be more concise & clearer.

Create a storyboard. Plan exactly what you will record.

Get feedback from multiple people. The more critical the better. Tear it apart yourself.

Gather assets before starting.

Get feedback from multiple people. The more critical the better. Tear it apart yourself.

Audio

Record audio first, match visuals to audio youve designed.

Drink lots of water before recording own voice overs.

Trust your voice. You can use VO talent, but you have a great voice too.

Drink lots of water before recording own voice overs.

Make a mistake? Double-tap during recording to signal an issue.

Use USB mic or mixer for better audio. Audio is 1/2 the product.

Put a pop filter on your mic. Eliminate plosives.

Check, check, check the mic! Too close/far sounds bleh. Watch for noises.

Test audio levels in different scenarios: Headphones, laptop, desk speakers.

Test audio levels. Too hot will distort, too low hard to hear. Both hard to fix.

Test audio levels in different scenarios: Headphones, laptop, desk speakers.

Music is great, but not for all videos. Turn it down, unless its the focus.

Music is great, but not for all videos. Turn it down, unless its the focus.

Production

Remove the oil & shine from talent with rice paper.

Hide wires & lapel mics. Put under clothes, or tape in hidden spot.

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Use lights. Remove shadows, helps quality.

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Cant buy gear? Rent nice cameras & lenses to use.

Record with 2 cameras at different angles, but between when editing.

Record lots of b-roll to help with transition between cuts.

Zoom for clarity. Youll lose some context, but clarity is important.

Avoid digital zoom on cameras, they distort & pixelate the image.

Learn the Rule of Thirds. Not everything needs to be centered.

Keep clips short. Lots of time spent on same clip can be dull. Mix it up.

Keep things moving. Even little moves draw focus. Have purpose.

Speed up or slow down video clips for effect, to save or fill time.

Add transitions. Professionals use jump cut or dissolve(fade). Keep star wipe at home.

If using wacky transitions, use them with purpose not because theyre cool.

Add interest & draw viewer attention with annotations & text

Add interest & draw viewer attention with annotations & text

Camera video usually needs color correction. Makes it look, overall, better.

Stop with floating talking heads in the corners. Instead cut back and forth.

Comic Sans

Play with color & design. Comic Sans and standard PPT probably wont cut it.

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Ipsum spare ribs qui dolore consectetur, pork chop sirloin exercitation. Quis ham est elit incididunt aliqua bresaola let mignon salami adipisicing spare ribs. Ut dolore short loin ex anim, pork loin ham hock commodo jerky pariatur magna incidi-dunt let mignon. Salami fugiat velit beef rump ut excepteur proident. Consequat eiusmod beef ribs

Use on screen text sparingly. Watching, listening, & reading at same time is tough.

Greenscreen can add interest & cool effects, but has to look good.

Use greenscreen to make cool effects: Animated drawings, touch screen actions.

Be kind & SEO smart. Add captions for accessibility & SEO.

Use greenscreen to make cool effects: Animated drawings, touch screen actions.

Screencasting

Setup user profile that is clean & ready. Keep your messy desktop messy.

Slow cursor speeds down in system settings.

Hide pinned programs on your desktop or dock.

Recording your browser, hide tool bars, bookmarks, & anything else.

Turn off notifications when recording screen.

Double check final dimensions. Dont make the wrong sized video. Optimize.

Close unneeded apps during recording & plug in your machine.

Stop cursor from jumping by marking your spot.

Cursor is not a Laser pointer. Dont point & circle things with it.

Increase cursor size in screen vids.

Matt PierceTechSmith Corporation

Email for Presentation

pierce.preso@gmail.comUse subject: ATDTK2016

@PIERCEMR