No video? No teeth!

Our client, a startup that specializes in short-term business lending, needed to put together a video ASAP for crowdfunding. Why? Well, video advertising matters, in fact way more than it did just one year ago. As both of our shooters were unavailable in the short timeframe we had to work with, it was time for us to get creative.

Video Advertising Matters

No matter what your video’s intended purpose is, you are always telling a story. Nobody is going to pay any attention to a poorly produced story with bad audio and bad flow. Video advertising matters – a lot! In fact, the rate at which people consume mobile video will surpass desktop video this year. Especially relevant, though, is the fact that click-through rate for videos is the highest of any digital format. That’s an ROI that advertisers love!

LIGHTING

The great news is that all the tools to produce a video perfect for mobile are already in your hands, on your smartphone. In our case, we used an iPhone 6. We framed up our shot with the subject sitting in front of his office window on a bright sunny day. Because the iPhone is limited to one video mode, we had to be sure to light our subject well enough to combat the backlight.

AUDIO

The best footage in the world can end up looking completely amateurish if it’s accompanied by cruddy audio. We knew we’d be shooting the same script in several different angles (single camera) so we needed the ‘read’ to be as consistent as possible. For this, we used a lapel mic and recorded directly into our DAW.

VIDEO

You already know we were limited to an iPhone 6 for video, but what you may not know is that the standard video recorder on the iPhone allows you to lock in your AF/AE and make quick exposure adjustments. Try holding your finger on the screen next time you capture video on your iPhone. Once your AF is locked, you can drag your finger up and down the screen to adjust the exposure for light and dark. Pretty advanced for a phone!

POST

We’ve got a great stock video provider, which offers footage that can expand upon our story without feeling too “stocky”. I also shot some B-roll footage, including a time lapse of the client’s building at sunrise – that’s how we’ll start the video. It’s in the hands of our master editor and post production coordinator Rob now, and I can’t wait for the client to see the first draft!

No video? No teeth! 

These days, video must take center stage with any digital marketing campaign you plan to execute. Without video, your campaign will have no bite. Whether it’s sponsored posts in your audience’s Facebook newsfeed or a YouTube PreRoll video, nothing gets your audience to engage with your brand like video.

Have a video project in mind but you aren’t sure where to start? Drop us a line today and let us tackle the project for you!