How the Best Video Companies Make Professional-Looking Marketing Videos

Making a video just means you have to pick up a camera, point and shoot, right? Not so fast. If you’re going to create a marketing video for your company, you want to make sure the end results aren’t embarrassing. Since a lot more goes into making a video than most people think, people who just wing it often end up with sub-par content. Here are some insider secrets on how you can make your marketing videos look polished and professional.

Get Your Marketing Video Lighting Right

One of the easiest ways to spot an amateur video is if there is poor lighting. If a video is underlit, overlit, or simply has lighting from the wrong angles, it can make the end result look terrible. For most professional marketing videos, you’ll want to aim for lots of light. You can do this by using stage lights or reflectors. This way, there aren’t distracting shadows in the background and you can get clearer images.

If you’re shooting for a more cinematic look or need to tell a story that takes place outside, the weather and time of day will play a huge factor. If it’s a clear day, early in the morning or an hour before sunset will have the best lighting. If you film on an overcast day, this will be ideal.

Don’t Forget About Your Audio

Another easy way to spot an unprofessional video is bad audio. While cameras that generate high-quality video are generally easy to come by these days, audio is still tricky. You’ll want to avoid using the actual camera mic and instead use a separate mic, such as a LAV mic. You won’t have to spend much money to get an adequate mic for your marketing videos, but the difference in quality it will produce will make it seem like you did.

Use a Camera Stabilizer

If you’re starting out with video marketing, you may be using a hand-held DSLR. While you can generate crisp imagery using this type of camera, simply holding it will result in shakiness in your clips. To keep everything smooth, get an adjustable tripod you can use for both moving and still shots.

Use the Rule of Thirds

This principle is straight out of film school 101, and you’ve likely seen it in action while watching your favorite flicks. The idea isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but by knowing it, you can create shots that are pleasing to look at. Make sure the grid feature is activated on your camera and try to compose your shots in a way where key aspects within the frame are touching the lines or intersections.

Rehearse Before You Shoot

You could put all sorts of work into making sure your production values are up to professional standards and still end up with an amateur-looking video. The key is to carefully rehearse your script so you’re confident when you are on set. This should include knowing what your lines are and choreographing any actions. This way, you can gather footage that looks composed, polished, and ready to edit into something your audience will love.