A Video Production Tips reader recently wrote to me expressing confusion over how good a video has to be in order to be acceptable.
He said he had read conflicting things. Some people were arguing that quality didn’t matter much, any video was better than no video.
Other people insisted that top quality was paramount. Don’t throw up anything less than a high-dollar perfect production or your business will tank!
What to believe?
As with most things, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle.
And we’re making online marketing videos here, not high-budget Hollywood blockbusters.
No video is perfect. Many “mistakes” will go by unnoticed by the majority of the audience. It depends on what the mistakes are.
I also think many online video gurus project the idea that video is easy in order to promote their products, and that anyone really can learn to become a master video maker in one afternoon. So beginners get false impressions, expect too much, and end up discouraged.
“Less than perfect” is ALWAYS acceptable in my opinion. To insist on perfection is inefficient in terms of time and money, both. Perfectionists are generally quite extreme.
But “less than perfect” and “sucks out the wazoo” are DEFINITELY not the same thing.
If it sucks out the wazoo, you are probably defeating your purpose.
I am a big fan of “good enough.” Some of my favorite sayings are: “It’s better than good, it’s done!” And, “We’re not doing brain surgery here, it’s just video production!”
So where do you draw the line? How much badness is forgivable, and what qualifies as truly awful? Truly awful is REALLY bad.
- Audio you can not understand.
- Wildly shaky video that makes you sea sick.
- Long, rambling, and pointless.
But if it’s just a matter of a little bit too dark, or a little bit over exposed, then I do not think that’s a big problem for online video. Online video does not have to meet the standards of broadcast television. Viewers are not that picky about online video.
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A bit of homemade flavor can actually help you appeal to people because it seems more believable.
Research has documented what online video viewers think is too crummy to watch. REALLY bad, they click out. Sort of bad, they stay with you IF you are saying anything worth listening to.
So luckily, the main things people complain about with online marketing video are easy to fix.
- Do not ramble
- Get DECENT audio
- Get DECENT video
If you think about what you are going to say before the camera rolls, you won’t have to edit so much later.
- Short and sweet.
- Don’t go off on tangents.
- Be focused.
- Use a tripod or prop the camera up on something steady, like a table or counter top.
- Speak loudly, clearly, and fairly slowly. Do not mumble. Turn all the background sounds OFF. Stand fairly close to the microphone and speak to the back of the room.
- Make sure the area is bright. Open windows and curtains. Turn on any lights available. Make sure the light falls on the person’s FACE and not behind their back. The background should be darker than their face, or you get a silhouette. Silhouettes can b e spectacular, but for interviews, it is usually not what you want.
These simple things will improve your quality by leaps and bounds.
No, it doesn’t have to be “perfect.” Online viewers are not expecting Star Wars. They just want the thing to play, be audible, and not waste their valuable time.
Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.
Lorraine Grula
I think I have the quality issues for the voice down, but lighting issues are another story.
If I am at work were we have ample lighting equipment its no problem, but at home, where my space does not permit the great lighting, I need to make sure I create my podcasts in the time when I am sure to have decent sunlight pouring in..usally 8am-3pm
Hi Clint.
Videotaping during the optimum daylight hours is often the bane of the videographer’s existence!
Here is another idea. Since you do not have much room, use some lights that are very small. Get a small, $10 clip-on light. You know, the kind they sell to clip onto a student desk or something. Preferably, get one with a flexible goose neck.
Put in a low wattage incandescent light bulb. 50 watts, maybe even 25. Make sure you use a diffused one. Most light bulbs are painted white on the inside of the glass in order to provide diffusion.
Using the goose neck and clip on attachment, you can point this light anywhere you need. Place it about 2 feet from your face, pointed at you. This will be out of sight of the camera…just outside camera range.
At this short distance, this is enough light to make a BIG difference on your face. It really is. And the light is a nice, bright, warm diffused light. You can go all the way up to a 100 watt light bulb but chances are you really will not need that much.
Ideally, you should place the light slightly off center on your face, so it is coming in at about a 30 degree angle from your center point, or nose. You can experiment with the light being on either side of your face to see which looks better. This set-up I am describing is just like using a key light in a 3-point lighting set-up. The key light is, of course, the most important light in the 3-point lighting set-up and is really the only ESSENTIAL light. I have done lots of “real” interviews with only a key light.
Always remember, virtually any source of light can be made to work to help your make better videos. A tiny light like what I am describing needs to be closer to your face than a bigger light, but it can provide just as much light.
Thanks for visiting video production tips!
Lorraine Grula
Wow. Finally a Video Tech site (and writer) that delivers the REAL inside scoop on Video editing. Easy to follow, unvarnished, and extremely valuable.
One visit has increased my capabilities tremendously.
Thanks. You’re booked and I’ll most definitely be back to see my new best friend;)
Dan Klein
Hi Dan.
Thank you so much for your nice comment. I am very glad you like video production tips!
I am here to help. if you ever have specific questions, please use the contact us page to drop me an email.
Lorraine
A high quality video is always fantastic, a medium quality video will be passable so long as it serves its purpose. A video with low production values will not serve its purpose and can damage reputations/businesses. Its really that simple.
Louise