“Interesting etymological history but what does this have to do with video marketing?” you may be wondering. It turns out, this evolution is gold for marketers. Today, we’ll explain the psychology behind the power of nostalgia. We’ll also share some examples of brands successfully using nostalgia to tug at our heartstrings and our purse strings.

Nostalgia: Past, Present, and Future Me

Nostalgia is more than recalling a past event. It goes a step further and allows you, with the benefit of hindsight, to tap into the feelings you felt when that memory was being made. By drawing on your past actions, connections, and motivations, it helps to answer the existential questions, “Who am I?” (or at the very least, who do I think I am or want to be). This helps to build self-identity and gives you a sense of meaning in the world.

As professor and psychological scientist Clay Rutledge explains,

“Humans are uniquely aware that we will one day die; we can ruminate on that or we can use nostalgia — or turning to the past — as a defensive way of dealing with that. Like, ‘Yeah, sure I’m going to die but I’ve had a meaningful life, meaningful experiences and people that care about me. I’m part of a broader and more yearning cultural and social narrative that will persist long after I die.”

“Nostalgia”: The Why Factor Podcast

Nostalgia clearly taps into a very deep part of the human psyche. In short, it is all about what makes you you. This fits perfectly into video marketing since the goal is always to connect with your viewer.

Life Changes and Nostalgia

With all of that in mind, it makes sense that nostalgia can be especially powerful for people going through major life changes. These are times when we’re more likely to reflect on the life we’ve led, and the direction we’ll go. Products, services, and brands related to stages of major life change such as graduation, marriage, birth, retirement, and even death thus often leverage nostalgia quite effectively. The key is to lead your viewer to the feeling of fondly remembering the past — and their past self — while simultaneously encouraging them to look forward to their future selves.

The Reminiscence Bump

Another trend you’ll notice in nostalgia marketing is the fact that so many ads seem focused on helping you to relive your teen years and your 20’s. This isn’t necessarily because society is obsessed with youth (which it is) or even because these are the years that tend to be associated with less responsibility and more fun (which they can be).

It turns out that there is something known as the reminiscence bump which simply means that more memories are encoded between the ages of 15 and 30 years old. All of those boy band throwback commercials are beginning to make a little more sense now, aren’t they?

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

Speaking of boy bands, one of the most compelling ways to evoke nostalgia is through music. This is because music is processed in the brain’s amygdala, the same place where memories and emotion are processed. And, music does double-duty by evoking both explicit and implicit memories.

Our explicit memory is a more deliberate, conscious retrieval of the past. It’s often triggered by questions like, “Where was I and who was I with when I first heard this song?”. In contrast, implicit memory is a more reactive, unintentional form of memory.

Listening to music also lights up the brain’s visual cortex which is another reason you associate it with memories or other images immediately. It’s no wonder so many commercials, television shows, and movies incorporate popular music from specific time periods. It doesn’t just set the scene, but also transports us to a different place in time.

PEN15 From Hulu

For the early 30-something Americans, it’s hard to find a better example of music marketing right now than the hit Hulu show “PEN15”.  The show’s creators use musical selections that immediately transport you back to your middle school gymnasium floor surrounded by tables of punch, cookies, and pure cringe…

Since they’re leveraging the reminiscent bump we mentioned before, it’s highly effective. Just check out their Season One trailer:

The Lion King Remake From Disney

Of course, Disney has practically written the book on using music to evoke nostalgia. No matter your age, tell us you’re not moved, happier, and singing along to “The Lion King” after watching the official trailer for the new version coming out this summer:

And, you don’t even have to use a full song with lyrics to evoke an emotional connection with your audience. Law & Order: SVU, McDonald’s, State Farm, and Purina’s Meow Mix all evoke implicit memories with just a few seconds of listening thanks to their ubiquity in T.V.

A Filtered Look Back

While the #throwback hashtag is nothing new, there has been a recent emergence of creators using filtering apps like HUJI to give their photos and videos that 90’s disposable camera feel. In fact, many of these creators are so young they weren’t even around in the 90’s! “Aspirational nostalgia” is maybe a better term for this then.

Brands are getting in on this action, too, of course. Especially for period projects like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Dynasty, videographers use special effects lighting and color design to harken back to a different time in filming. Some shows, like Westworld by HBO, go so far as to use film cameras to get an authentic look.

Product Placement Puts Us Squarely in the Past

Another common tactic for brands attempting to transport us back to the past is the use of product placement. For instance, the hit series, Mad Men, set a new bar for transportive set design, and tracking down historically accurate vintage props was a huge part of that.

Recently, the NY Times ran a piece on the upcoming season of Stranger Things in which “Coca-Cola’s greatest folly” New Coke will be featured. Coca-Cola is even re-releasing New Coke in a limited quantity.

At first glance, it might not make sense why either brand would choose to associate with a failed product. But, what better way to leverage a “debacle” that so many people of a certain age will remember than to marry it to a hit TV show (which is, itself, inherently a throwback)? Time will tell how this one plays out for both brands. Still, don’t be surprised if you see a New Coke at your July 4th barbecue this year.

Using nostalgia in your video marketing is powerful because you are speaking to your audience on an emotional level. You’re subtly communicating that you understand them and they can, in turn, trust you and your brand.

Nostalgia advertising is everywhere, so be sure to share it when you see it in the wild. Share examples you spot with us below in the comments or on Twitter @sproutvideo!

The post Leveraging the Power of Nostalgia In Your Marketing Videos appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this post, we cover tips to help executives be at their best in front of the camera. First, we’re tackling the topic of appearance, including what not to wear, and some quick fixes for the day of the shoot. After that, we’ll cover helping them project their best, along with some speaking tips to ensure their message is clearly communicated.

Dress for Video Success

It’s particularly important for executives to look the part when appearing on camera. Still, your wardrobe is a highly personal choice because clothes reflect our personalities, stature, and culture. You should always feel comfortable in your clothes, and feel like yourself. However, there are some definite rules of thumb when choosing what to wear on camera.

Color Correction

Now is not the time to try out that neon yellow tie unless it’s for a very specific, very important reason. Certain colors are much more flattering on camera than others. You also want to help your executive strike the right tone with their outfit.

Do’s

Simplicity is key for a professional appearance. The clothing should not distract from the speaker. In fact, it should be one of the least interesting things about the shoot.

Think timeless over trendy. If you’re making an investment in video, you don’t want it to look dated once this fashion season is over.

Solid, neutral colors, like navy, gray, lavender, light blue, or camel are conservative, professional options. Warm colors and jewel tones, like coral (perhaps a slightly darker shade of Pantone’s Color of the Year), amethyst, honey, and cobalt can also work well with many skin tones, and offer a more striking choice.

Don’ts

While some might be tempted to wear a statement-making color like black or red, nix it. These colors might be eye-catching in-person, but they will pose technical problems on camera.

Bright red is likely to “bleed” and give a hazy tinge to the person’s appearance. Also, it can bring out reddish undertones in skin colors, which might not be that flattering.

Meanwhile, black clothes tend to lose definition on camera, making the wearer look shapeless. Textures and proper lighting can help, but dark gray or navy is a much better choice.

If red and black are too much, bright white might seem like a safe choice for presenting a clean, crisp look. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. White is how you set your camera’s color balance. Large amounts of the color can throw off other visual aspects in the shot. It’s also very unforgiving of any stains, marks, or lint.

If your executive is dead-set on wearing one of these colors, push them towards more neutral shades, like gray or burgundy. You can always suggest wearing a small pop of color in their accessories (like in our headline image above), or tie or shirt collar. 

One more color to avoid is a bit of a special case. Green is a common choice for keying out parts of the shot to replace it with another image. That’s why videographers use a green screen for a CGI background. Avoiding bright green is the safest choice for ensuring your executive won’t be embarrassed by any clever editing in case someone decides to have some fun with the footage.

Perilous Patterns

Another consideration when it comes to wardrobe is patterns. In short, stay away from them, and stick with solids as much as possible.

Too often, small patterns aren’t picked up well on camera, and result in what is known as the moiré effect. Basically, most cameras don’t do as good a job of reading tight patterns, like pinstripes, herringbone, fine checks, or houndstooth, as the human eye. The result is a distracting, strobing effect. 

Large patterns, like paisley, are not as prone to technical visual issues. However, they can still take attention away from your speaker and are best avoided.

Less Is More

When it comes to accessories and other details, less is more. Unless it’s part of the brand or there is a very specific reason for it, forgo the excessive jewelry, loud make-up, and ornate hair bobbles.

Lest they think you’re boring and expect everyone to look exactly the same, have your executive choose just one item that stands out. The idea is to help their personality shine through by avoiding unnecessary visual distractions. 

Another consideration regarding jewelry is that it might jingle or chime, which can be picked up by the microphone. Background noise can detract from the message, make editing a lot harder, or necessitate more retakes. 

The ultimate goal is to keep the focus on their message versus what they’re wearing. Before we move on from the topic of appearance, here are some super helpful and incredibly easy-to-procure items that can make a big difference if you have them handy on the day of your shoot.

Easy Wardrobe Fixes

Forewarned is forearmed as they say. Give your subject a heads up on what to wear. Provide photos or some guidelines to help ensure they look their best. Ask that they bring options to the shoot if they’re aren’t sure of what to wear.

If that’s not possible, or they don’t follow your pointers, you can still quickly correct many issues.

• A spare blazer or cardigan in a neutral color can help cover up a loud shirt.
• Provide simple tie options in case the one they chose has a problematic pattern.
• A plain button down in a universally flattering color can also be a wise option to have on hand.
• A tie clip will help them look polished.
• Safety pins, double-sided tape, or even an emergency sewing kit can fix a loose button or a gaping neckline.
• Addition by subtraction – simply removing problematic accessories is the way to go if you can’t provide more neutral alternatives.

Other Must-Have Items for Your Shoot

• Eye drops: Allergies or an all-nighter? Who knows and it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your speaker looks their best, period. Pro tip: If your speaker happens to have a skin blemish, try applying eye drops to it with a cotton swab. The same ingredient that helps do away with eye redness can sometimes help redness associated with acne.
• Soft-hold hairspray: Lighting can pick up even one stray hair that is sticking up. Use soft-hold hairspray to tame fly-aways without losing the natural look and movement of your speaker’s hair.
• Lint roller: This one is pretty self-explanatory, and especially useful if your speaker is wearing darker colors. If you forgot to bring it, even Scotch tape will do in a bind.
• Clothes steamer: Even the best clothing choices won’t look right if they’re wrinkled. A steamer is more flexible on a shoot than an iron.
• Eyeglass cleaner: Also self-explanatory, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t think of this until it comes time to edit the video! And by then, it’s too late to do anything.
• Matte powder: Whether it’s nerves or just the heat from the lights, patting a translucent matte powder onto your speaker’s face – especially their T-zone area – will banish trace evidence of either. If your speaker happens to be bald, don’t be too shy to suggest putting some on their head as well. They’ll thank you for that, too. 

Preparation & Practice

The main takeaway from this section is going to be practice, practice, practice. But before your speaker can do that, there are some things you need to do.

First, define the scope of the video project. Identify the objective of the video and how much time your speaker will have to say what they need to say.

Be sure to account for other details. Will they be moving or remain in the same place? Stay inside, or venture outside? Will they be the only person speaking?

Once these details are squared away, and the script or question prompts are ready, share it with them so they can begin familiarizing himself with the wording and practicing to make it their own.

Practice Makes Perfect

When you deliver the script or prompts to the executive, schedule a read-through a few days before the day of the real shoot to run through everything. This will give them an idea of what stepping in front of the camera feels like. It will also give you a chance to identify any issues they need to work on ahead of the shoot.

After your practice together, encourage them to continue rehearsing on their own. They may even want to film themselves on their phone or webcam to identify anything they need to correct. 

Here are some key factors to having a polished presence on camera. Don’t be afraid to give kind yet direct feedback so your speaker can improve upon these if necessary.

Cadence and Inflection

Cadence and inflection have to do with the speed and rhythm of speech and the pitch and tone of voice. The key to a speaker sounding natural, even when reading from a script, is for them to become familiar with the material beforehand.

That way, they’ll know where each sentence is leading, and they can control for both cadence and inflection. Once they’ve got a good handle on the talking points, they can add a bit of personality to it and make it their own.

Eye Contact

If your speaker has trouble making or maintaining eye contact, put a small sticker just above the camera and have them focus on that when they practice. That way, they won’t feel as intimidated or uncomfortable, while the audience will still feel like they’re speaking directly to them. Everybody’s happy!

Alternatively, you can place the teleprompter – which doesn’t need to be fancy and can simply be an app downloaded onto an iPad – in a similar position to the camera.

Posture

Provide pointers in the script notes to remind the subject to sit up or stand straight, with their shoulders back. Even when they’re just practicing, these notes will help that habit to sink in.

When it’s time to shoot, don’t be afraid to remind them. Even a subtle signal like adjusting your shoulders, or sitting up straight yourself, can prompt them to do the same.

Facial Expressions

Frowning, grimacing, lip biting, and lip pursing are all examples of totally normal things humans do with our faces when we’re speaking or thinking. It can make sense when in live conversation with someone, but on-camera, it can look odd.

If your speaker has a habit of doing any of these things, don’t be afraid to bring it up, and don’t be surprised if you have to mention it more than once. It’s subconscious, so they likely won’t even realize when they are doing it.

Let them know ahead of time you’ll be reminding them to avoid certain movements. That way, it will feel routine and won’t make them self-conscious or flustered (which will likely lead to them doing it even more).

Gestures

While you don’t want your speaker to use their hands or move around too much while they speak, you also don’t want them to be unnaturally stiff. Gauge which side of the spectrum they fall on. If they need to loosen up a little, share tips from the following video.

Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you can get someone on camera, the more comfortable and familiar they’ll become with the process.

Hopefully, all of this will come in handy the next time you need to feature your executive in a video. In fact, we recommend sending this article to them, and invite any questions you or they might have. You can share your questions in the comments below for expert advice! 

The post How to Help an Executive Look Good on Camera appeared first on SproutVideo.

Advanced Audio Tutorial

In this episode, we’re going deeper into selecting the right microphone, and placing it with your subject. We’re also going to address ways you can prevent common audio issues, like clipping or distortion. Finally, we’ll cover why dual system audio recording might be worth your while, and how to use the gear required.

Once again, we looped in Mike Infante, who you might recognize from our last audio episode where he helped us cover when to use which popular type of mic. He’s an expert production sound mixer from Lakhota Film.

As you can see, there is a lot more to great sounding audio than choosing the right mic. Keep reading for a deep dive into each part of the process.

Boom Mic Placement and Types

Proper positioning of your boom mic is the first and easiest way to help ensure your mic clearly captures your speaker’s vocalizations.

To begin, set up the mic directly in front of your speaker. Angle your boom mic towards them at a 45 degree angle, and as close to them as possible without actually having the boom mic in the shot. The 45 degree angle affords your speaker the ability to move around a bit as they speak without sacrificing your audio’s consistency.

As a reminder, when you hear “boom mic”, all that really tells you is that you have a mic on a boom. The actual mic in use will vary according to your needs. Two commonly used boom mics are shotgun microphones and cardioid microphones.

Shotgun Microphones

One of the most popular boom mics you’ll encounter is the shotgun microphone. This is the longer, directional microphone we discussed in our last audio series post. It’s a great all-purpose tool.

Shotgun mics are popular because they can be positioned farther from your subject than other types of mics. And therefore perform well in a wider range of circumstances than other mics.

This has to do with their pickup pattern, also known as a polar pattern. Shotgun mics mainly capture sounds from directly in front of them, though they also pick up some sound from the rear and the sides. Depending on what you’re filming, they make a solid choice for many types of shoots.

Limitations

Although this type of mic can be really versatile, it does not perform as well “off-axis.” Meaning, if your subject shifts to either side while speaking (versus speaking directly at it as you initially positioned it), you’re going to notice the inconsistency in your audio. This may not matter for your shoot, but if it does, it can simply be something for you and your speaker to keep in mind while shooting

Hypercardioid Microphones

The other microphone you’ll see used on a boom is a hypercardioid microphone, a type of cardioid microphone. Cardioid microphones are named for their heart-shaped polar pattern. A hypercardioid mic is most sensitive in the front, and reduces noise coming in from the sides and rear.

As a boom mic, cardioid microphones capture clear, rich sound, with minimal noise from the room. The mic’s proximity to your speaker will determine how much space they have to move around without affecting its ability to pick up the sound of their voice consistently. Still, its polar pattern allows more wiggle room than the shotgun mic.

For all those reasons, it’s the mic of choice for most professional audio technicians for indoor shoots, especially for vocal or speech purposes.

Levels and Limiters

Microphones are only part of the puzzle. Once you’ve got the right mic in the right place, there’s still more to be done to ensure you’re capturing the best audio possible. That’s where levelers and limiters come in to play.

Levels

Audio levels are balanced by adjusting the gain on your recorder. It’s important to set your levels so the audio doesn’t clip and distort. Clipping (or peaking) occurs when your audio suddenly increases in volume, and becomes distorted.

It’s better to err on the side of caution and set your levels slightly lower than you might want to use in the end. You can always bring them up in post, but you can’t save audio that is too loud and clips (or distorts). Mike often sets his levels so the audio spikes at -18 dB.

Limiter

A limiter works differently to help you control your audio range. True to its name, a limiter will limit the level of a signal to a certain threshold by lowering the gain automatically. As mentioned above, peaks or clips in sound can distort your audio. That won’t happen if you set your limiter threshold properly.

Dual System Audio

Recording your audio separately from your video and syncing them later is known as dual system audio. Why would anyone want to go through the extra steps to record separately? As Mike explains in our video, the benefits mainly come down to having more advanced audio options and better audio control.

In a typical setup, you’d have your camera and microphone(s) positioned just as you normally would. With dual system audio, however, the microphones record to a separate audio recorder.

Simple enough, right? Here are the details on how to set up a dual system.

Gear Needed

Other than your camera and microphone(s), you need an external recorder to capture your audio. You might also want a slate, depending on how you plan to sync your audio (more on that below).

External recorders offer specific advantages over recording to camera.

First, they typically have more inputs, which allow you to record more microphones simultaneously.

Additionally, most external recorders come with higher quality preamplifiers that provide a clearer signal with less low ambient noise. They range from the simple and affordable:

To the powerful and expensive:

These dual system recording devices can be costly, though there are reasonably-priced options available as well.

Syncing Your Audio

If you decide to record with a dual system, there are three ways for you to sync your audio to your video.

Timecode

The easiest way is to sync is with timecode, which literally aligns the clock in your mixer with the clock in your camera. While this is the easiest way to sync, it’s only going to be available in more expensive camera and mixer options.

Software and Audio Waves

The second approach is to sync the files on your camera and the files on your mixer using software that matches their audio waves. Most popular video editing programs, such as Premiere, can sync audio and video using audio.

This process is straightforward if your camera’s “scratch” or “reference” audio is similar or identical to the audio from your recorder. However, when you’re recording something far away from your camera, the audio files might not match well enough to sync.

If you worry this may happen on your shoot because you know you’ll be recording far away from your subject, keep in mind that an easy way to combat this is to send an audio output from your external recorder back into your camera so they match.

Slate

The third way to sync is to slate. Yep, the old classic is still used today. All you need is a sound you can see and hear happening so you know exactly where to line up your audio and video.

You can use a clapboard (pictured in the video) or just clap your hands. That’s about as simple – and as inexpensive – as it gets when it comes to dual system recording synchronization.

Just as we explained in our first audio series post, more expensive gear is going to make your job easier. Still, to capture decent audio, you really only need to employ the basics: proper mic choice, and mic placement.

If you’ve made it this far in the post and watched the video above a couple times, you are well on your way to accomplishing better audio. A huge thank you to Mike Infante for sharing his insights with us!

Be sure to check back for the third post in this audio series where we’ll give you some post-production tips and tricks for making the most of your audio during the editing phase. Of course, we’re always listening in the Comments and on Twitter @sproutvideo if you have any questions about what we’ve covered today.

The post All About Advanced Video Audio Techniques appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this post, SproutVideo’s Head of Video Production, Nick LaClair, will go over the basics of capturing high-quality audio by showcasing three different kinds of mic setups. Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of on-camera mics, lavaliers, and boom mics, and when to use them depending on what you’re shooting.

All About Audio

Audio is a huge subject, and getting it right is a challenge. To make sure we covered everything, Nick LaClair, head of video production for SproutVideo, pulled in two audio experts – Mike Infante and Evalena Marie to help. Mike is a seasoned production sound mixer with Lakhota Film, and Evalena is an actress and producer, giving her experience on both sides of the camera.

This video walks you through the different types of microphones, and when it’s best to use each one. If you can, grab a pair of high quality headphones so you can hear the distinction between the different mic setups clearly.

As you can see, the right choice of microphone can make a world of difference to the end result. Here are more details on the different configurations, and tips for getting each one right.

The Three Essential Mic Configurations

When we say mic configuration, we’re basically talking about how you place your microphone in relation to your subject. Although some audio technology has really advanced over the years, the ideal placement for a mic when filming a certain type of scene remains the same.

There are three main types of mic setups, seen from top to bottom in the image above: boom mics, lavalier, and on-camera mics. We’ll begin with the on-camera mic.

On-Camera Mic

Just as it sounds, this type of mic is attached to the camera you’re using to film. It gets the job done in that it picks up your speaker’s voice.

However, as Nick explains in our video, the issue with this mic configuration is that the microphone is usually far away from the subject. Also, it picks up everything in the room, not just the speaker’s voice. Even in the quietest of rooms, this can pose a problem.

Why? First, there’s room noise, which is called the “noise floor”. This is a low-level sound caused by things like fluorescent lighting, an air conditioner or vent, and even the sound of nearby traffic.

You likely don’t notice the noise floor until you actually stop to think about it, or maybe if you’re sitting in a quiet place like the library or a museum. The on-camera microphone, however, does notice it and is sure to pick it up. All of it. 

The noise floor isn’t your only noise problem to contend with. The second type of noise issue is known as “reverb”. This is the echo of sound in a room that is not properly insulated or treated for sound. It’s the reason singers and voice actors record in vocal booths specifically designed for the purpose.

If you’re having trouble imagining what reverb is, harken back to your school days. Surely there’s a long-lost memory of sitting in class and hearing the echoing sound of a teacher in high-heels walking down the hall. That echo is an example of reverb.

Lavalier Mic

The solution for dealing with the noise floor and reverb is to get your microphone as close to your speaker as possible. This brings us to our second type of microphone position: a lavalier mic. You may also hear it called a lav or a lapel mic.

This is a small mic that attaches to the speaker’s clothing, and it can be wired or wireless. Like the on-camera mic, this omnidirectional mic also picks up surrounding sound. However, because it is as close as you can reasonably get to the speaker, it does a comparatively better job of capturing more of your speaker’s voice and less of the surrounding noise.

Boom Mic

In terms of overcoming the challenges of the noise floor and reverb, we saved the best for last: the boom mic. This is a directional mic that is mounted on a boom arm and positioned close to the speaker, just out of the camera frame.

The boom mic is ideal thanks to the fact that it is directional. That means it captures the sound coming from whatever it is facing (i.e. your speaker) and cancels out all other sound. Whenever possible, you want to use a boom mic for your interview setups in order to capture the clearest audio.

The Outdoors Are Beautiful… And Noisy

It’s a lot easier to control your environment and choose your mic position when you’re shooting in your office or studio. But, what about when you’re out in the field? This answer may surprise you… it depends!

When it comes to audio, shooting outside means accounting for noises like car traffic, passerby, wind, birds, dogs barking, etc. You can plan around some of these factors to a certain extent. However, understanding which mic configurations are going to work best will save you a lot of time and resources.

When to Use an On-Camera Mic

If you’ll be filming while on the move, an on-camera mic is probably going to be your best bet. It allows your on-screen talent and your camera operator to move quickly and simultaneously. Also, an on-camera mic will pick up audio directly in front of it, and (to a certain extent) minimize everything else.

Granted, your audio won’t be 100% clear from an on-camera mic in this situation. Try to account for this by shooting as far away from heavily-trafficked areas as possible. Ensure your subject’s are speaking loudly and clearly.

When to Use a Boom

If possible, when you’re shooting outside, have someone hold a boom mic over the speaker(s) to help cut down on noise. This is ideal for all the same reasons it’s ideal for your indoor shoots.

The directional boom mic picks up the audio coming from whatever is right in front of it, and minimizes all noise outside the frame. Of course, this is much easier to do when your speakers are working from a script and not moving around too much, as evidenced in our video.

When to Use a Lavalier Mic

What about when your subject is not working from a script? Or, is very likely to go off-script? What about when they’re moving? Or when you need a wide-shot frame, meaning the boom would be visible? It’s wireless lavs to the rescue!

Again, lavs aren’t perfect as they will still pick up surrounding sounds. However, they are at least very close to your speaker. Further, a lav will allow your speaker to move more freely without making your audio tech tango just to keep up!

They can also be a great option when you have more than one speaker’s voice to capture. If you are working with two or more speakers, remember to attach the lav to the side of their body that they’ll be facing when they speak.

With some forethought about your mic configurations, there’s no reason to let audio be the factor that drags your video down. Use these tips to get started with the right mic setup.

Be sure to check back for the next episode in our How To Video series. We’ll dive deeper into advanced audio techniques, including cleaning up audio tracks and specific types of microphones.

The post The Three Essential Mic Setups and When to Use Them appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this episode of our How to Video: Lighting series, we’re focusing on how to successfully craft indoor environmental lighting to achieve a beautiful end result. This particular tutorial builds on skills we covered in our previous episodes on video interview lighting, and studio lighting.

Whether you have a lot of lighting gear, or just a bright window in a cool space, this guide will help ensure your subjects look their best on camera in an office setting.

Indoor Lighting Video Tutorial

Watch as Nick, head of video production for SproutVideo, walks you through crafting the lighting in a typical office environment to achieve an appealing, natural look. The goal is to work with what you already have, while enhancing the level of detail visible on camera.

The Challenges of Indoor Environmental Lighting

In the last episode, we lit our subject against a backdrop. Today, we’ll be working with a more dynamic background, and mixing our studio lights with the light streaming in from the windows in the office.

Indoor environmental lighting is usually an asset, especially if you have nice, big windows on an overcast day. All you really have to do is position your subject the right distance from the window to get a nice soft glow on their face.

However, it can be challenging because if the windows are too bright, you’ll lose detail in your subject’s face, and they’ll appear washed out on camera. If it’s too dark, you’ll lose dimension, and their features will be obscured.

Also, windows alone might not provide the right amount of light for the whole room. Meanwhile, overhead lights commonly found in offices tend to flicker on camera, and cast harsh shadows. You may find the addition of just one or two more studio lights can really enhance the overall look of your shot.

We’ll be working through two setups to illustrate the difference multiple lights can make in addition to natural sunlight indoors. You can get really far with just two lights and a silk, but we’ll also show you how to use extra lights if you’ve got them.

In the first setup, we’re using a smaller travel kit. We have two 1×1 panels and a flag kit. We’ll show you what’s possible with just these pieces of equipment because sometimes that’s all you need. In our second setup today, we’ll show you what you can do with additional smaller LED lights to really tweak the lighting in the room.

Composition and Balance

The first step is to choose our composition. When you’re not in front of a plain backdrop, there are more decisions to make regarding the position of the camera and what’s included (or not) in the frame.

We chose an angle that would allow us to show interesting aspects of the space, like the decorative wall, and plants. We also made sure to show plenty of depth to help make the space seem expansive. Finally, we placed our subject so that the background would not be in focus, creating an ideal separation on camera.

Adding Lights

It’s all about working with the ambient light instead of against it. Generally speaking, you’re try to match the intensity and color temperature of the natural light sources.

That means removing any light sources that don’t blend in well, like overhead lights, and adding back the right ones. The end result will be a seamless look that enhances the visual appeal of the scene without looking artificial. Let’s get started.

Key Light

For our key light, we’re using a 1×1 light panel and shooting through diffusion. It’s positioned off camera to our left, as you can see below. It’s pointing slightly down at Leigh’s face in a similar angle to the sunlight coming from the window.

The goal is to replicate the natural light, but with more directionality so that the light is shaped properly across Leigh’s face. The diffusion through the silk keeps the light soft and flattering, helping to avoid harsh shadows on her face.

If you don’t have a light to use as your key light, you can use a window, and adjust the amount of light coming through it with sheer curtains (or a similar material) to get the look you want. For more ideas on thrifty ways to optimize your lighting on a budget, read 7 Quick Steps for Simple Affordable Lighting.

Back Light

The next step is to add our backlight. The backlight helps separate Leigh from the background, and illuminates the silhouette of her head and shoulders.

We’re using a 1×1 lighting panel with a piece of diffusion on the light. Your backlight is usually positioned opposite your key light and behind your subject. Here’s a look at how we placed ours:

Fill Light

And finally, we’ll add a reflector for the fill. A reflector is a large shiny surface usually placed in front of the subject at a similar but opposite angle to the key light.

The reflector bounces some of the key light back into Leigh’s face on the shadow side, helping to wrap the light in a natural way around her face. It softens the shadows and helps make sure we get plenty of detail on her face. 

Finishing Touches

With the key light, backlight, and fill in place, completing our first setup, you could stop right there and start filming. However, if you’re going for a little extra polish, you’ll want to dress up the background just a bit.

For instance, the shot of Leigh below looks good, but there are two areas that could be improved – can you spot them?

The wall behind her to camera left is a little dim, and the room to camera right is a bit dark. So, for setup two, we’ll add some small LED lights to illuminate those areas, and give us an overall brighter feel to this scene.

To camera left, we added one light washing over the wall. To camera right, we used two lights: one to light the wall, and one to light the floor. On camera, this reads like one large light source filling the area.

Here is the final result:

In indoor environmental shoots, it’s important to try to make your lighting look natural. You don’t want your subject to look overly lit compared to the ambient light. Keep that in mind, and your indoor environmental shoots should turn out well.

Have questions about indoor environmental lighting, or any of our video lighting series videos? Drop it in the comments below or find us on Twitter @sproutvideo!

The post Achieve Flattering Lighting on Camera in an Office Environment appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this episode of our How To Video: Lighting series, we cover best practices for studio lighting. Our video tutorial walks you through the equipment to use, and exactly how to position your different lights to get the best results. Keep reading for our illuminating tips on three-point studio lighting.

Perfect Studio Lighting

We use the term “studio” loosely. This could be your office, an empty room – basically any space where you can control the lighting and have some kind of backdrop.

The go-to setup for studio lighting is classic three-point lighting. It gets its name from the three lights typically used to create flattering lighting with no harsh shadows. Known as the key light, fill light, and backlight, each has a different role to play in getting your subject to look their best on camera.

The trick is to position the lights just so around your subject. And, to learn how to use diffusion and reflectors to maximize their effect. Below, Nick LaClair, head of video production for SproutVideo, walks you through how to do exactly that:

Setting the Stage

First of all, make sure your background fills the frame properly by adjusting the position of your camera. In our example, we’re using a plain backdrop suspended between two tall poles. It’s a safe option, and very common for interviews in a studio setting.

There are plenty of alternatives. You can use a plain sheet as a backdrop – just be sure to iron or steam it thoroughly first. Or, a plain wall color will do just fine too. Of course, you can also use a more dynamic background, such as an office setting.

The key is to verify that nothing distracting or undesirable is appearing in your frame. Check for wrinkles, smudges, clutter, or anything that might distract your viewer.

Framing Your Subject

Next, position your subject in between the backdrop and the camera. In our video, we’ve placed the camera so that the background just fills the frame. Then, we positioned our subject, Leigh, to be framed correctly for a medium shot. 

A medium shot is when the subject’s face appears roughly in the center of the shot. You can see their shoulders, and there is some empty space above their head.

This is a popular choice for framing a person for a video interview in a studio because it’s relaxed and open, but still very personal. You feel as though you are sitting across a table from the person talking on camera.

Other ways to frame your subject include closeups, or medium-long shots. In a closeup shot, your subject’s face takes up the majority of the frame. It’s often used in emotionally charged scenes or for added emphasis.

In contrast, a medium-long shot will show your subject from roughly the knees up, and provides more perspective and context. Mixing up your shots can help keep your video interview engaging and lively.

Blurry Background

One key to getting your shot just right is to ensure the camera is far enough from the backdrop so that when the subject is in focus, the background is blurry. For our medium shot, that meant Leigh was roughly halfway between the camera and the backdrop, with 4-5 feet of clearance on either side.

By ensuring the background is not in focus, you’ll minimize any potential distractions, and add dimension to your shot.

The right distance for your video will depend on the camera you’re using and the backdrop you’re working with. Test a few different options to see what looks best.

Now that you’ve got your subject, camera, and backdrop squared away, let’s light it.

Tackle Your Main Light(s) First

In a true studio setting, you have complete control over your light sources. Try to replicate this as closely as you can in your environment.

Cut the “house lights” – meaning, any overhead or ambient lights in the room. Cover windows with heavy curtains or shades. You may need to cover any bright LED displays or turn off computer monitors depending on your situation.

Once you’ve eliminated competing sources of light, you’re ready to set up your key light.

Selecting Your Key Light

The key light is your main light source, and primarily serves to illuminate your subject’s face. It’s typically positioned a few degrees off camera to the right or left, and aimed at a subtle angle onto your subject. Key lights are also usually raised so that they point slightly down at your subject.

You can use many different types of lighting as your key light. In a studio setting, common options include LED light panels, or fresnels with some kind of diffuser. In our example, the key light is a fresnel directed through a chimera. This gives us a soft, diffused light, and helps to minimize harsh shadows.

Positioning the Key Light

In our last episode, we learned how to craft light around the face using our key light and fill light. Remember, if the key light is too far off-center, the nose shadow will reach too far over on the cheek. If it’s too high, we’ll lose the key light in the eyes. Called catch lights, these lights prevent your subject’s eyes from looking dark and lifeless. It’s an important detail that can make a difference to the overall feel and polish of your video.

There is no perfect science to positioning your key light correctly. The trick is to just move it around until you can see the catch lights in your subject’s eyes, and the shadow from their nose isn’t falling too far on their cheek.

The key light in our video pulls double-duty by also lighting the background (0:43-0:52). To make this possible, you’ll want to position your subject close enough to the background so that the key can reach it, but far enough away so that the background is slightly out of focus; this is known as “separation”.

Adding Dimension

Next, you’ll want to add a backlight to help separate your subject from the background. Backlights are usually positioned opposite the key light, and illuminate the subject’s silhouette.

Here is what the backlight looks like on its own (0:54-1:00):

You can see that it gives Leigh a ring of light that helps to distinguish her from the background. The key light and the backlight should meet at about a 180 degree angle. In the video, you can see this when Leigh turns her head (1:01-1:10).

Once your backlight is in place, you can add a background light. You have options depending on the look you’re going for. You can add two background lights to brighten the background evenly, or just one to add a vignette around the edges. Again, work with your setup until you get the look and feel you’re going for in your video.

Filling in the Shadows

Once your key light and backlight are in place, you will be able to identify the areas on your subject’s face that need a bit more light. The idea is to offset the shadows on their face, which allows the camera to capture more detail. In turn, this will give you a more flattering result.

In this setup, we are actually using two different light sources for this purpose: a silk and a reflector. The silk is directly in front of Leigh, and bounces the light emitted from a small light positioned out of frame to her left up onto Leigh’s face. This opens up the shadows under her nose and chin.

In the center of the photo below, you can see the light pointing straight at the illuminated silk square in front of Leigh:

The light bounces off the silk, and softly fills in shadows on Leigh’s face.

Adding a Reflector

We’re also using a reflector to open the side shadows. The reflector is the large circular object blocking our view of Leigh in the image above.

The reflector allows our key light to work in two ways. The key light not only lights the key side of Leigh’s face, it also fills in the shadow side by bouncing off that reflector. We can adjust the intensity of these two lights by gently panning the key light to and from that fill reflector.

Once you learn how to use diffusion and the reflector, you don’t need a lot of lights for a really good looking studio lighting setup.

Be sure to catch the rest of our How To Video series. In the next episode, we’ll tackle indoor environmental lighting. You’ll learn to mix studio lighting with the natural lighting of the room.

Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to let us know if you have any questions in the comments below or by tweeting us @sproutvideo.

The post Best Practices for Perfect Studio Lighting appeared first on SproutVideo.

Keeping reading and watch the video below to gain new expertise in this fundamental lighting scenario. 

Video Tutorial on Interview Lighting

You do not need a lot of fancy gear to get interview lighting right. In fact, basic lighting setups require very little other than, you guessed it, sources of light.

In this video, SproutVideo’s head of video production, Nick LaClair, will highlight different tools filmmakers use to shape light around a subject’s face. He’ll also illuminate the proper way to arrange your key light and fill light to mimic daylight, one of the most flattering light sources for interview subjects on camera.

Recreating Natural Light

Natural light is soft, flattering, and appealing to the eye. For a majority of interview setups, the goal is to replicate the effects of natural light as closely as possible.

The ideal scenario is when a subject is positioned the correct distance from a window. The window acts as a key light – in other words, the main light on your subject. The ambient lighting in the room acts as your fill light, and prevents the shadows on your subject’s face from becoming too harsh.

When properly balanced, the key light serves to highlight your subject’s features. Then, the fill light adds detail and dimension by offsetting the shadows created by the key light.

Getting The Right Balance

So, how do you know your subject is the optimal distance from the window?

If the person you’re filming is too close to the window, or the light source is too intense, the lighting contrast will be too harsh. The key light will be too pronounced, while the fill light will be inadequate, leaving dark shadows across their face.

Conversely, if you’re too far away from the window or light source, your subject will appear flat. Too much ambient light will remove the dimensionality from your subject’s face. 

The takeaway here is that all lighting setups are simply attempting to strike the right balance between key light and fill light. Keep tweaking your setup until you get the look you want.

Your Tools

Generally speaking, there are two types of lights: soft lights and hard lights.

Soft lights, such as the two seen above on the right, are large sources of light. Typically panels, soft lights come in a range of sizes. The bigger the panel, the softer the light.

For soft lights, 1×1 panels are the smallest standard, and the sharpest light source of the soft lights. Larger ones, like the Kino Flo Celeb, are softer with a light beam that is not controllable, radiating out in all directions. One way to control a larger soft light like the Kino Flo Celeb is a grid overlay. This can focus the light into a smaller pattern while still retaining its softness.

Hard Lights

Hard lights emit a point source of light. They can be fresnel (second from the left), meaning they have a lens for focusing the light, or they can be par (first on the left), meaning they don’t have the ability to focus the angle of the beam.

Hard lights are the most versatile in a studio because they can be used on their own, or softened with a modifier. For instance, you can direct a hard light either through a soft-box, or through or against flags, silks, or a reflector. No matter which you choose, the result is similar. The light will be diffused, creating softer shadows on your subject.

Thanks to their flexibility, the movie industry typically uses these types of lights. What you might assume are soft light sources on a movie set are actually hard light sources, like fresnels, pointed toward a piece of equipment that will diffuse it.

In the example above, the nice soft light source is actually created by a high-powered fresnel light placed off to camera left shooting up above the subject’s head. The light is bouncing off a 12×6 white fabric called a silk that has been raised up in the air behind the subject.

Lighting Source Setup Options

When lighting a subject, you always want a soft light source to serve as your key light. If you start with a hard light source, the effect on your subject will be harsh and unflattering.

There are several options for softening up your light to your liking as shown in the video (2:23-2:58). The general idea is to defuse the light from your key light, and the best way depends on what you’re using as your light source. Then, adjust your fill light to offset the shadows created by your key light.

For example, if you are using a 1×1 light panel, shooting it through a 2×3 silk will dramatically improve the look of your subject. The diffusion helps wrap the light around the face in a way that is soft and flattering. This is a great option if space and weight are an issue.

Other options are a larger light panel, a fresnel, or a light with a chimera. These are ideal if space and weight are not an issue. In the end, it will all come down to your desired effect, resources, and preferences.

Now that you’ve learned how to choose the right light for your shoot, you’re ready to get started! Leave a comment below or tweet at @sproutvideo to let us know if you have other questions about lighting sources and tools. And, don’t forget to catch the next episode in the How To Video series where we cover studio lighting.

The post Master the Classic Interview Lighting Setup appeared first on SproutVideo.

Here’s how to use color effectively in your videos to tell your company’s story, while still staying relevant and on-trend.

Trending Tones

Every year since 2008, Pantone has announced their Color of the Year. It’s a specific shade that representatives have selected in order to suit the perceived tone of the year ahead.

This year, the choice is 16-1546 Living Coral. It’s described as “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge”. It’s playful, bold and expressive, without being too overpowering or loud.

Get ready to see a lot more of this shade this year – and maybe even find a way to use it for yourselves. You don’t have to stick with Living Coral, of course. It’s all about finding the colors that resonate with your brand.

So, how can color be used with greater intention in your videos? Glad you asked.

Influence the Mood of Your Content

Different colors portray different moods, and thus can be used to carefully engineer the tone of your video. Depending on what you are sharing with your audience, some colors will be more suited to your project. For instance, a lot of yellow imagery can appear warm and optimistic, but the use of grey tones feels calm and sleek.

Pantone’s Living Coral shade is a mixture of oranges and pinks, hence its warmth and “life-affirming” nature. Use this in your videos to appear confident and passionate about the services you’re advertising. Try pairing it with pale grays to provide an air of calm elegance, or pops of other pinks and oranges for optimism and creativity.

This could even relate to the shades or tones of the colors you’ve chosen. For instance, numerous advertisements, movies and short films use black and white with a pop of color highlighting an important object or moment. It helps our brains to hone in on what is most important. Put this to the test in your own videos to pull the focus to a particular element, product or moment.

Different Colors and Their Meaning

To help you get started, here is a summary of the types of emotions different colors typically inspire:

• Red: bold, exciting, and passionate, but also strength and anger
• Orange: cheerful, confident, warm
• Yellow: warm, happy, optimistic
• Green: natural, growth, health, balance
• Blue: strong, trustworthy, calming
• Purple: luxurious, creative, spiritual
• Pink: love, hope, romanticism, sensitivity
• Brown: safety, home, seriousness
• Gray: calm, minimal, sleek
• White: innocence, calm, clean
• Black: sophistication, mystery

The right mix of colors is highly subjective and nuanced. Play with different options to see what works best for your brand or project.

Branding

When sharing your content online, it remains important to have consistent branding so that you are recognizable and easily remembered. It’s worthwhile to ensure your color choices are consistent across all of your media, especially video.

For example, if your logo is primarily green, white, and brown, make sure you transfer these colors across into your video. This could be for text and subtitles, or even the color scheme on set. If you are choosing to make animated content, you have even more freedom with the colorful elements you might use.

A great example of this is Apple. Apple’s products are undeniably recognizable with so many of us using their products every day. Their branding is so powerful that they can create advertisements without the need for excessive words or even putting their name to it.

Most of their product videos feature simple, elegant color schemes, and the above video is no exception. It’s largely monochromatic with a few dramatic flashes of color here and there.

Minimalistic advertising is powerful and intriguing, and much of their success is down to their simple color and design choices. Nike uses a similar tactic but with a heavy use of black backgrounds and bright pops of color. The resulting contrast feels sophisticated and striking.

Visual Impact

Color is an important visual element, and can be particularly impactful and memorable when used with intention. Matching color palettes is crucial (Pantone even suggest a variety of palettes to complement their Living Coral). Color blocking the scenes in your videos is another way to pack a visual punch – Wes Anderson does it for a reason.

Take this music video for singer-songwriter Tessa Violet’s song ‘Bad Ideas’. Every shot is color-coded and the matching elements are pleasing to see. Techniques like this make your content more memorable even if only viewed in passing.

Creating video with impactful visuals can grow your brand recognition because viewers are more likely to recall the striking imagery. By standing out, your company will be more like to be top-of-mind for your viewers. (More about upping your brand recognition here.)   

Colorful Superheroes

A great example of using color for visual impact is the Superhero series we produced to promote the SproutVideo platform. As you can see in the video showcasing our video website features, we used bold colors against a neutral office setting to create contrast and capture attention.

We also intentionally coordinated our heroes’ costumes with the animations in the videos to help reinforce the “superpowers” they represented, such as video marketing, video privacy, and more.

Make this year a colorful one for you and your business. Embracing the right color palette allows you to go above and beyond with video content your audience is sure to love.

Keep us in the know with how your color palette experiments grow at @sproutvideo, or in the comments below!

The post How to Use Color To Make Your Videos Stand Out appeared first on SproutVideo.

Today, we’re here to help you make – and keep – an important resolution for your business. Make 2019 the year you make more video content than ever before. Keep reading to learn our top eight tips for making 2019 the year of video content for your business.

1. Create a Content Calendar

Start out the year with a detailed plan of the biggest video projects you hope to achieve over the year. Then, use this as a skeleton to create other, smaller videos around it. 

Fill in your video content calendar with product launches, company events, holiday themes, and other campaigns. Some videos might be one-offs, others might be part of an on-going series.

For example, you might have an upcoming conference where you’ll be able to film live speakers, obtain testimonials and quotes from attendees, and capture b-roll on location. From that single event, you can produce several different types of video:

• Long-form videos of experts addressing different topics
• General event recaps
• Short promotional clips
• Executive reactions to event content

Consider your filming opportunities from all angles to maximize the content you can make from each project.

It’s okay if your content calendar doesn’t work out 100%. Having a plan and working on project management is crucial to making plenty of quality video.

2. Repurposing Existing Content

Repurposing content from your older videos is a quick and easy way to make even more content. Using these videos as a foundation, you can build them up to be bigger and better than before.

Do this by reusing footage and b-roll, reformatting and updating information, or making an updated version of existing video content. For instance, if you released a video about your company’s goals and intentions for the year, make another in the same format later on to recap your achievements and keep your customers in the know. Using it to tease exciting projects or products can be an easy way to retain an interested audience!

It doesn’t have to be video content that you repurpose, either. If you run a blog, for instance, choose a popular blog post and make a video to present the information in a different light. You can widen your reach and find new audiences with this approach.

On social media especially, video content is much more engaging than text or image-based posts. Dig through the archives and see what you’ve got lying around before making too many big plans for new content.

3. Finding Your Formula

Tasty found short recipe videos shot from above worked incredibly well on Facebook. Dove discovered authentic emotional storytelling really resonated with their female audience. Now, both brands are essentially synonymous with those formats. 

The lesson? Find your formula, and stick to it.

In order to determine what will work best for your firm, test different formats and concepts until you see the results you want. This is all about strong branding, knowing your audience, and taking some risks. 

If you want a deeper dive, here is a thorough guide to finding your recipe for success with video.

Not every type of video is suited to every business. Depending on how you choose to present your company to the world, a different style of video will be more appropriate. In order to make plenty of video content, find your style and stick to it. 

4. Staying Relevant

Trends come and go quickly, and staying relevant is crucial but difficult. In terms of creating video, the turnaround time needs to be quite speedy to get content out in time before a trend fizzles out.

Make sure your business stays on top of the curve and keep an eye on any viral content that you can utilize the success of to make your own videos stand out. Whether it’s the Ice Bucket Challenge, or an airline taking on its own version of PSY’s Gangnam Style back in 2012, widespread trends are usually a good bet.

5. Make it a Series

Planning out a few video series means that you can re-use the format a few times with new content. Depending on how your company works, there are plenty of simple video series you could invest a bit of time into.

• Interviews with your team members – introduce your audience to the people that make your business run
• Tutorials on how to use your products or free “taster sessions” of the service you provide
• Lectures given by your team or guest speakers – like a smaller scale TEDx, personalized to your community’s needs and interests. You could even look into livestreaming these for your audience
• Behind-the-scenes “vlog”-type series to give your community a sneak peek of how your company runs and create a more personal relationship between consumer and company
• If you want something really out there, take a leaf out of Blendtec’s book with their Will It Blend? series. Create something fun and memorable that showcases your product. Of course, we don’t advise putting your own gadgets into a blender!

6. Varying Your Video Formats

You don’t always have to go for a huge production. Sometimes, inexpensive and easy videos are just the ticket.

Focus on making simpler videos in between your bigger projects. For example, think of behind-the-scenes clips, short interviews with team members, or presentation-style videos sharing interesting information.

For further inspiration, here are ten ways you can easily make a video using only a laptop.

7. Phone It In

Most mobile phones now have powerful cameras and software which can be used to shoot, edit and upload video content. Sure, it won’t be quite as high-quality as a professionally shot and edited piece, Still, filming on a phone can be ideal for a casual talk, a lighthearted video on social media, or company update.

With practice and the right tools, quality doesn’t really have to suffer. For example, back in 2016, Kate Hudson shot a majority of her ad campaign for Fabletics on her iPhone, making it feel personal and natural.

It’s also incredibly time and cost-effective, and can be done by just one or two people per video. Since the barriers to filming with a phone are so low, phones can help you capture more content on a regular basis. Don’t be afraid to grab yours and start filming!

8. Asking The Audience

You always want to ensure you’re making content that your audience has an interest in, and the best way to make sure you’re doing this is to ask. Whether you make a direct social media post requesting ideas or check the analytics of existing content to see which videos have historically garnered the most popularity, this will help to supply you with endless ideas that are sure to be well-received by the community.

In Conclusion

Creating plenty of video content will help you make a splash online this year, keeping your audience interested in the work you’re doing and growing your community further. Practice makes perfect, and hopefully these guidelines will give you a helping hand in honing the best, quick content for your brand.

Any further questions, tips or ideas? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @sproutvideo!

The post How to Make More Video Content Than Ever in 2019 appeared first on SproutVideo.

Still, not all “oners” are made the same way, or for the same reasons. If you’re considering attempting a single take, whether it’s to show off your office’s holiday spirit, or to announce a fancy product release, read this post first. We’ll cover all the different types of single take shots, and how to overcome common challenges they can pose. 

First, what is a single take?

In short, it’s a shot that lasts longer than the conventional editing pace either of the video itself, or of videos in general. Other names for them include “long takes” or “oners,” so we’ll use these terms interchangeably.

However, don’t get confused with the “long shot.” This refers to the distance between the camera and its subject. It does not refer to the temporal length of the shot itself. For example, 1:01-1:04 of this Wizard of Oz clip shows a long shot.

In a typical single take, the camera follows a protagonist as they move through an extended scene. Often involving multiple characters, these scenes are highly choreographed.

Different Types of Single Takes

Single takes can be categorized into different types of shots based on how you use them in your video. For example:

• Establishing single takes
• Action single takes
• Stationary single takes
• Tracking single takes
• Exposition single takes
• Fake single takes

Easier Said Than Done

Single takes present unique challenges. From a historical perspective, this is especially true thanks to the advent of digital video. The maximum potential length of a single take is considerably longer than when filmmakers were limited to how much film a motion picture camera could hold.

With that limitation out of the way, single takes can now last a lot longer. Of course, that presents new challenges, such as requiring significant camera movement and elaborate blocking elements.

Each of the different types and some of the challenges, plus suggested solutions, are included below. We used music videos to illustrate the different ways these shots can be used because these short videos really showcase what they’re all about.

The Establishing Long Take Shot

An establishing long take is meant to immerse the viewer in the video’s environment alongside the characters. As the viewer, you are meant to feel like either you are the character, or are following closely behind them. You’re seeing things through their perspective versus watching them act on your screen. This kind of long take can be especially useful if you’re hoping to tap into the empathy of your viewer. 

In this video, we get double the establishing long take fun thanks to the split-screen effect the director chose. The split-screen allows us to take on the perspective of both actors as they attempt to connect at the end of the night. We won’t spoil the ending of this 1999 video for you, but suffice to say that we can all relate to the feeling of struggling to connect with friends at the end of a long night. 

Challenge & Solution: Blocking

Blocking refers to everything included in a scene from start to finish (actors, props, crew, equipment, etc.) and how each of these things interacts with the others without distracting the viewer.

For an establishing long take like “Closing Time”, this means a lot of things must move in harmony with one another. For example, as both actors move through different locations and the perspectives flip, the camera has to follow them smoothly, the lighting has to be just right, and the extras also have to be in the right place at the right time. Each location has to be carefully planned down to the second from very specific angles.

The Action Oner

Action oners focus on increasing the visceral nature of the on-screen action. These shots are fast-moving and you don’t want to look away because you know you’ll miss something. If you’re trying to convey suspense or energy, this type of oner could be useful to you.

With videos like “A Million Ways”, “Here It Goes Again”, “WTF”, and “I Won’t Let You Down” it can be argued that OK Go are the reigning music video kings of the music video oner. If you blink, you absolutely will miss something.

Challenge & Solution: Equipment

Imagine shooting a three minute video in which all your actors nail their lines and movements, only to realize after the fact that your camera wasn’t steady or one of your actor’s hair was distractingly askew. Now you have to shoot the entire scene all over again from the top… That’d be pretty frustrating, right?

Especially in an active single take like this one, special equipment is usually necessary to ensure your shot suffers no technical problems requiring a re-shoot.  For this reason, directors are keen to use special gear, such as a camera stabilizer, a 3-axis gimbal, and a video village, to make sure the first take perfectly executed by the talent is the one you’re able to use.

Why You Need This Gear

A camera stabilizer is a device designed to hold the camera steady. It prevents or compensates for unwanted camera movement, and there are many different types. It’s easy to imagine how this would be useful in a long take, especially one like OK Go’s video. A fast-paced shoot like that requires the camera person to be nearly as active as the actors just to keep up.

A 3-axis gimbal is a specific type of camera stabilizer that allows camera operators the freedom of handheld filming without any of the unwanted vibrations or shaking. They’re popular for active oners because the camera operator can follow the action closely and react nimbly as things change.

A third very useful piece of equipment when shooting a long take is the video village. This is the nickname for the area around a set monitor where all the interested parties (i.e. the director, producers, script director, hair and makeup professionals, etc.) can watch and apply their expertise to the filming in real time. After all, if something goes wrong, no matter how subtle, wouldn’t everyone rather know in the first 20 seconds rather than run through a full three minute shot?

If the idea of setting up a video village seems outside your budget, we found this article about using an economically-priced transmitter and receiver you may find helpful.

The Stationary Single Take

A stationary single take focuses the viewer on what the actor is saying or doing in contrast to the action going on in their environment. While the setting can still provide context, the focal point is the actor.  

Challenge & Solution: Talent

A stationary single take shot like this one may give your camera operator a break. However, all the pressure is now on your subject to really nail their lines and actions because, well, they’re the star of the shot.

The performance required in a long take like Mr. Dylan’s is very high pressure in that it requires the actor to get everything right without any breaks. Or, to be very good at glossing over any minor mistakes so that the viewer either doesn’t notice or thinks it’s intentional.

Practice makes perfect. Above all, you’ll want to ensure your actors are people with the focus, energy, and patience for this type of shot.

Another way to work around this challenge is to include more than one scene in your single take. Take the video for Gary Jules’ “Mad World” as an example. While the camera never stops rolling, it does pan around to different scenes which takes some of the pressure off the dancers and the actor on the roof. If you do this, keep in mind that all actors and your set crew members must be ready as soon as the camera’s focus returns to them in order to create the seamless effect we see here. 

The Tracking Long Take

A tracking long take shows how the character affects the environment, or how the environment affects the character. As Jackson looks directly at the camera at strategic points during the song’s lyrics, engages with her fellow actors, and dances through the set, you get the feeling that she’s not moving to the song but rather, the song is keeping pace with her in this video.

Challenge & Solution: Lighting

Lighting your actors and the set properly is always important. However, it can be challenging to hide your lighting rigs when you’re filming a long take. If your actors are moving or the scenery is changing, lighting will be complex at best.

When storyboarding for your video (which we always recommend), keep in mind that you may be able to build your set around your lighting needs in a way that doesn’t require a lot of overthinking. Because this is an inherently edgy song, going with an industrial setting was an ingenious way to allow for a captivating lighting design without worrying much about the viewers seeing all the lighting changes that were necessary to make the video. 

Other ways to manage for lighting concerns in your long take include hiding your lighting in the set via practicals, keeping your lighting sources mounted overhead and out of the view of the camera entirely, or if you’re lucky, using available light.

Lighting Makes the Mood

Lighting not only evokes the sexiness of Jackson’s lyrics, it helps to move the video along. It dims in and out on the dancers, goes almost entirely to black as Jackson transitions from one room to the next, and changes hue to match the mood of the actors in each scene.

The color of the lighting really heightens what is otherwise a fairly monochromatic video. It moves from relatively cool tones to warmer ones as the dancing heats up. First, striking contrasts of black, brown, and white are used during the slower, more seductive choreographed opening. Then a dark, almost black transition leads to a bright orange light-filled room with smiling dancers and a more playful Jackson. Finally, after another dark transition, we enter a softer bright white lit room as the actors dance casually, smiling and laughing again, until the end of the video.

The Exposition Oner

The Exposition Oner serves partially as a transition scene and partially to get information across. You’ll often see Exposition long takes in films when information about an event or people needs to be shared in order to give the viewer context about the overall situation. It’s also a mechanism for quickly moving the plot along while providing visual context for what is happening in the actors’ environment.

That is no small feat. It requires near perfection from everyone on set, but when it works, it’s brilliant. Look no further than the new Amazon series Homecoming starring Julia Roberts for a prime example of this.

How It’s Used in “See You Again”

It’s not until the last 30 seconds of the “See You Again” video that we reach the Exposition Oner. If you aren’t familiar with the Fast & the Furious franchise, this song is from the seventh movie in the series. It’s an ode to one of its starring actors, Paul Walker, who died tragically in a car accident in 2013. In fact, the song was specially commissioned for the Furious 7 soundtrack as a tribute to Walker.

Once you know that, it makes sense then that the closing scene is Paul Walker parting with his friend (both in the movie and in real life), driving his car off into the sunset, and ending with the wide open sky. It’s a sad yet loving homage to a beloved friend and actor. Ending the video with an exposition Oner seems a respectful, fitting way to relay that information to viewers.

Challenge & Solution: Crew 

Just like your talent, your crew can expend a lot of focus and energy when filming a long take. They need support, direction, and the occasional break as well, especially when they’re physically exerting themselves to get the shot.

In the Fast & the Furious music video, there probably isn’t much physical exertion required of the crew. The shot of the car and the sky was most likely achieved by a helicopter rig (a large gimbal attached to the bottom of a chopper). However that is one way to work around the challenge. Consider filming methods that don’t require much physical support by your crew, yet still result in an effective Exposition long take.

The Paul Walker outtro transition shot wasn’t intended as an easy way out, of course. It makes sense as a symbolic tribute, giving the audience time to mull over Walker’s travel into the other world.

However, what if you do need to rely on your crew? Prepare, of course! Choose the right people (experienced, focused, energetic, and patient) to serve on your crew, provide plenty of direction, and ensure that they feel supported. Encourage their input as their prior experience can prove valuable, saving your production time, money, and energy. Also, build in breaks for your shoot so that their exhaustion doesn’t lead to a silly mistake.

Bonus: The Fake Single Take

Fake single takes use extensive hidden cuts to appear like a single take. Some of the ways to do this include the use of color grading, whip pans, or a compositing. Can you spot the subtle edits at points 1:16 and 1:25 in this chart-topping, chaotic 1996 music video from the Spice Girls?

Closing Thoughts on Oners:

• Have a specific purpose for filming a single take beforehand because they are more difficult to shoot.
• Prepare physically and mentally for many takes.
• If you’re planning to use a long take within your video, but not for the entirety of your video, make sure you are matching the pace of the rest of your footage. Usually when you’re creating a video, the mood and pacing is made in the editing room. For single-take shots, you’re locked into the pace of that shot.
• Choose your location wisely to help control for environmental factors like pedestrians and vehicle traffic, weather, and noise. Even if you can edit out the noise later, it might be distracting for your actors or crew while filming.

What are your thoughts on single takes? Have you experimented with them, successfully or unsuccessfully? Have you noticed a difference in reception from your viewers? We’d love to see your videos so please tweet them and your questions to us @sproutvideo!

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