It’s no secret that the internet has pivoted to video. For art, business, or fun, you can get in on creating video content of your own. But don’t let the surfeit of vlogs throw you—producing good video is harder than it looks. Take note of some of the biggest challenges in producing video content so that you know what to overcome.
Lights, Camera…
Think back to old family home videos—the ones your parents captured with one of those big, bulky camcorders. Even in familiar living rooms, every space looks darker than you know it to be. Then and now, cameras require more light than your eyes do. Insufficient lighting leaves you looking as if you’re filming in a cave. Powerful LED lights on the market today will illuminate your studio space without the heat of the old studio lights that had talent sweating through their makeup.
Mastery of Audio
Even when you think you’ve mastered the visual half of audio-visual, getting good sound can bedevil even veteran video producers. Improper microphone placement—or worse, reliance on cameras’ internal microphones—can end up pairing a crystal-clear picture with audio that’s tinny, muddy, or nonexistent altogether. Many video producers also don’t take the room’s acoustics into account and consequently suffer from excessive reverb or other unflattering treatments. Test your audio rigorously, monitor your levels, and don’t cut corners on audio equipment. Even if viewers take their eyes off the screen, they might still be listening, but they won’t listen for long if the audio is inadequate.
Disorganized Facilities
When producing a video requires a little more equipment than just a smartphone and a selfie stick, it’s easy to descend into entropy. You misplace microphones, lose lenses, and let all your cords tangle and weave themselves into a veritable rat’s nest. Producing high-quality video isn’t cheap, and you can’t afford to lose time and money rooting through drawers and bins trying to find what you need. Streamline your operations by color-coding your equipment and storage to ensure that everything ends up in its right place.
Expect the Unexpected
Perhaps the biggest challenge in producing video content is that, with so many pieces of technology needing to work in harmony, there’s always a good chance that something will go wrong—often, precisely at the most inopportune time. Human error and equipment error alike run rampant in any video production facility. Be patient. Don’t lose your cool. Budget for things not going smoothly, and give yourself more time than you would think you might need. If the stress of remembering lines is piling up on everything else that goes into turning out videos, don’t be afraid to look into setting up a teleprompter. By allowing yourself patience, space, and time to deal with unforeseen complications, you can declare a wrap on a successful shoot even when everything doesn’t go smoothly.
