Some people think you can make a video with a smartphone. You can. Others think you need expensive cameras, lights, and video editing software to make a video. When you hire a film crew to make a video, you are hiring more than equipment. You are hiring expertise with story and cinematic images.
Let’s use a simple testimonial video as an example. Twenty-three years ago, when I started doing video production, I would find a blank wall, stand the victim in front of it and say, “action.” Did the expensive camera record an amazing image? Yes. Did the expensive lights in three-point configuration highlight skin tones and create just the right contrast? Yes. So, why did the whole thing look like a mug shot?
The first rule of making a video: speak visual. Visual images are a language. There is a reason a picture is worth a thousand words. People interpret more from an image than the words spoken or displayed in text. Even with the testimonial, viewers pay more attention to the person and their body language than what they say. Is the testimonial-giver believable? Do I trust him or her? How intelligent is the presenter? Do I trust that this person can even make a reasonable evaluation?
Again, more information is conveyed in the images than in the spoken word or text. Is the person up against a wall? Is the person sitting in an upscale, elegant environment? Wardrobe becomes an important element. Is there an inconsistency with someone who has the wardrobe of a homeless person sitting in an elegant environment? What about the color pallet of the frame? Do the colors compliment or clash? Is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian woman in a red dress against a yellow wall? Is a beautiful African-American woman in a black dress against a brown or hunter green wall?
Paying attention to what is in front of the camera is the difference between average and art. Speaking visual is how you make a video great.
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