COMMON MISTAKES: Video has now become the most effective tool to generate traffic to a website, share a message with a target audience or trigger curiosity. However, cost effective video equipment and new techniques have given rise to stiff competition, making it challenging to distinguish your brand.
Due to limitations, you may want to shoot a video on your own. While this may be budget friendly, there are factors to producing a video that you may be unaware of and could lead to your efforts being in vain. To resolve these issues, you can hire professional video creators who have the vision, equipment, technical knowledge and resources needed to create engaging video content.
Whether you decide to go at it alone or work with a production company, Arc and Crown Media Inc. has compiled a list of the most common mistakes people make when shooting a video.
Excess script information.
Some sources say that you can fit one-hundred-and-fifty spoken words in every minute of video. However, this does not mean that you need that much text scripted out. The golden rule is, ‘less is more’. Reducing words in your script allows more time to show, rather than tell information you’re trying to convey. A video is the most effective when a proper balance is reached between video and audio stimulus, which creates an emotional impact on the viewer. Trying to squeeze too much information per minute will overwhelm not only your audience but also your actors and voice narrators who are trying to deliver and vocalize your content. Your script is the essential core of your video production’s success, and that’s why it is imperative to ensure the key message is delivered in an engaging way.
At Arc and Crown, our team carefully combs through our client’s text and make suggestions to maximize its effect on video. We also offer full scriptwriting services, with the client’s supervision. Overall, we understand that you know your content best, but our expertise lies in what people want to see, and what keeps them watching. We find that putting the two together yields real results and real value.
Getting over-ambitious with a project.
It’s great to see your creativity flowing and that you’re excited at the possibility of what your video can achieve. However, sometimes you have to ground big ideas through definable terms, and that means looking at the budget. The budget will always be the ultimate deciding factor that dictates your project.
The second factor is the purpose. Many times, we deal with project leads that try to cram too many call-to-actions into a video because they think that can maximize their investment. The video should direct viewers to a single action that is the most important for them to take. Having too many end goals can confuse viewers of the intention of the video, or result in a less compelling message.
The solution to both is to determine your target audience, ideal budget, and single call-to-action before shooting or even scripting. The call-to-action is what you want your video to get your viewer to do right after viewing. Stick to these core objectives, and you’ll find that your production team will better understand the scope and purpose of your video, thereby working more efficiently towards a powerful video result.
Too much technical jargon.
In addition to point one about trying to incorporate too much content, another issue is if the script content is flooded with hard-to-understand terms and industry jargon. You need to know your audience, and if you’re thinking more about what you want to get across and less about what the viewer would want to hear, that’s when issues can arise.
A video’s success is quantified not just by view count, but completion rate, engagement, and response to call-to-action. In other words, the video’s success is measured by your audience’s reaction and not how polished or technical it is. By taking into consideration a wide range of understanding of the target audience, a script can be created catering to many people and thus generate a more significant positive effect.
Always ask yourself, ‘Who’s watching this and where?’ The answers will lead to amazing solutions. Maybe you’ll realize that not only do you need to make the wording easier, but that you also need to add subtitles because part of the audience may be watching this while on their commute, or may speak English only as a second language. Videos that serve the viewer in these ways boast high engagement rates and highly positive responses.
Choosing the wrong person to show up on camera.
You could have a senior expert on your team talk about important information in your video, but sometimes we find out an expert isn’t the most suitable for being on camera. Technical information can be scripted out and memorized, but finding someone with the right clarity of speech, strong expressions and engaging is often more challenging and should be the focus. The on-screen talent will represent you and your brand, so it is essential to find someone who can be heard, understood, and ideally someone who is enjoyable to watch.
It’s also good to use employees that you believe will be with your company for a long time. When employees leave and no longer represent your company, the videos they appear in may no longer be usable. Careful selection of your on-screen choices will increase your video’s lifespan. There are additional techniques we use to ensure you can easily update your video after an employee who has appeared on-camera has left, so contact us if you’d like to learn more.
Not investing in a hair or makeup artist.
The hair or makeup artist is often one of the first line items to go when trying to cut costs – this is another of the common mistakes in production. However, we’ve seen firsthand the fantastic benefits of bringing a professional to take care of appearances, as well as the consequences of not having one on set. Think of it this way: you’re willing to allocate budget to sound equipment and lighting to make your video look good, but the people in the video need to look good on camera as well. You want your brand to be represented by bright smiles and cheerfulness, not eye bags and tiredness.
The film set is different from a typical workplace. The lights sometimes shine directly on people’s faces, and the equipment can heat up. It is not unusual for the AC to be turned off as well to prevent noise when shooting. A professional makeup artist is experienced with dealing with these specific situations and has specific tools to manage shine, sweat, facial oil, and more.
More importantly, makeup isn’t limited to just women! It is even more urgent to bring a makeup artist to the shoot when men will be on camera because they usually won’t have their makeup or cosmetic solutions.
Forgetting to have on-screen talent sign release forms.
If your video is going to appear anywhere public you need to make sure the people that show up in front of the camera have given consent to use their likeness. Asking for release forms to be signed is a small formality that is ignored far too often, mainly when horrific consequences take place like actors changing their mind about your usage. The effects could range from not being able to use the video to a lawsuit. Before cameras start rolling, save yourself the trouble and insist that a release form is signed.
Your typical release form should mention that the signee permits you to use their likeness in the video in all mediums, now and in the future. You should also mention that this consent is in perpetuity. This sounds mouthy, but it is to ensure that no matter what happens later on, now or twenty years from now, you can still use that video if you wish.
If you’re looking for a video production agency in Toronto, ON, reach out to the experts at Arc and Crown Media Inc . Whether it is creating a marketing video for your website or an e-learning video to train employees or full event coverage, we offer a range of video production services across Toronto, Mississauga, North York, Vaughn, Oakville, Hamilton and more. We understand a client’s unique needs and develop strategies that help achieve their desired goal.
To learn more about the services that we provide, please click here . If you’ve any questions about us, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us here .
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