In the spirit of the holidays, I have a few tips for setting the perfect scene for your digital or video productions—
Setting the Perfect Scene
First, let’s talk about production and one of the most important factors for quality video productions, and that is, setting the scene.
Your production plan may depend on the setup/location you have in mind and other
location-based factors pertinent to how you do things.
- Will you be shooting your videos from a single consistent space or while on the fly— changing locations and conditions often?
- Will you be indoors or outdoors?
- Are you planning to shoot in natural light (daytime or night?), or with artificial light? I use this one or this desk lamp.
- What other lighting sources (fluorescent, background, window, etc.) are available on your set/location?
- Is there a color flavor you want to portray in your videos?
- Do you want to include a background theme, use special props, a green-screen or include branding for your business?
Along with these settings details, the type of videos you want to make also impacts your production process and equipment needs.
For example, a second camera to capture an overhead view of a workspace or countertop may be necessary if you are demonstrating something. Whether you’ll be sitting or standing, still or moving, on camera or off, all play a part in equipment and staging decisions for your video productions.
You may want to create a style guide, or at least an outline, to uncover the details that pertain to your videos. Pre-production work may arise as you determine what you want to include/do in your videos. For instance, introductions and outros for consistent programming are often pre-created.
Perhaps you’ll want
a special show name and memorable tagline for your video presentations, per your strategy. Then you need accompanying visuals, promotional materials, and other design elements to properly enact that winning strategy and amplify your memorable show name/tagline.