Behind The Scenes

Proper post-event videos not only show off how cool your conference, hackaton or annual corporate get-together is, but can also be used to promote future events and attract attention, participants, and investments. Here are a few hacks on how to take event from good to great:

Tell it in 2,5 mins or less

No matter how large and epic your event was, it can always be boiled down to 2,5 mins at the very max. A great post-event video transmits the vibe of the event, giving the viewer a short sneak peak and whet their appetite for knowing more about your company or initiative. Unless your post-event video is solely going to be used as an internal update, it should therefore not be an exact resume of every single thing that went down. Insist on making it longer and people will get bored! 

Consider testimonials

Testimonials are a great way to include immediate impressions from the participants or get a quick background story from the organizers. It is not a requirement to make your post-event video stand out; it depends entirely on the nature of your event and your personal preferences.

There are a few things to consider if you do decide to include testimonials. Firstly, should the production crew randomly pick participants from the crowd or do you want any specific people to make a comment? In any case, don’t overestimate the number of people you want to include: four to five testimonials is the perfect amount. Secondly, do you want anything specific to be emphasised in the answers or just go with the standard set of questions? Again, in any case, don’t overestimate the length of the interviews: each person will only get 10-20 secs of speaking time in the final version of the video, so preparing a hundred questions is an overkill.

Choose your soundtrack wisely 

The soundtrack will really set the mood for your post-event video, so it’s a good idea to choose a few songs that you feel represent the event. The video production crew can naturally do it for you, but they don’t know the vibe as well as you do, hence providing them with the few musical options will help them create the post-event video of your dreams.

Color correction and color grading are a huge part of the post production process. Comprehending these technical terms as a video production customer will make you better equipped in negotiating and understanding what is actually possible when you are about to order a video, or if you want to play around with making a visual production of your own.

Understanding the basics

In short, color correction is the process of fixing a color or exposure problem, while color grading is the process of giving a scene a specific “look”, as well as matching the shots color-vice. Whether only color correction or both, come into play depends on the project, time as well as budget. For example, if it’s an interview or a live stream usually the editor would only use color correction since the focus is primarily on the spoken words and a fast delivery is expected. However, in a promo, music video or commercial, where visuals are extremely important, you’ll most often need the power of both.

The reason for this is that the color psychology has the capacity to manipulate with emotions and influence our mood. The same shot color graded differently will have a different feel: it could be scary (with a lot of darkness and blue tones) or really cozy (with really bright and yellow tones), old-school or futuristic, etc. Going monochrome (black and white) could also be an option. Even though it’s not a popular choice when it comes to commercials vids, but it could be the right choice if you wish to concentrate the attention of the viewer on the story or composition, or create a more vintage look.

…and a few details

Pre-production preps

A great amount is fixable and adjustable in the color correction and grading process, but to save time (and thereby money) in post-production, the right preperations have to be done already in the planning phase. This includes making sure that there is proper light on set (even with natural light, extra lamps sometimes have to be brought in), and the colors and patterns of the background, props and clothes are complementary and are exactly the ones that you wish to see in the video. Remembering to regulate the white balance during filming is also crucial.

Different cameras = different memory of light and colors

Cheap video and DSLR cameras don’t have a lot of memory and don’t allow for major adjustments to the colors and exposure while shooting, which will affect the quality of your video and often will not be fixable in post production. Expensive cams have a lot of memory, leaving greater room for changes in your shot, but a proper light and white balance set-up will still be required.

The world of color correction and color grading is vast and complex, but generally understanding the difference between the two is a good start. 

Why Storyboard? 

You probably have a really awesome idea for an upcoming video that will burst your company’s facebook page with likes and make your website blossom. You might even have the script down. So why storyboard? Storyboarding is essentially the process of systematically mapping out that idea you have in head on a piece of digital or actual paper. Here is why it’s a great idea for both you as a client and the video production crew you hired: 

It guarantees that you get exactly what you want

A picture tells more than a thousand words: You might have a crystal-clear image of how you see the video turning out and simply expressing it with words doesn’t cover it. Surely, the video production crew knows how to turn your wishes into cool content, but they are not mind-readers and might interpret the script differently. A storyboard helps avoid the misinterpretation and guarantees that your vision gets turn into reality.

Basically, creating a storyboard before your crew dives into filming, ensures that everyone is on the same page, and helps resolve potential misunderstandings already in the pre-production phase. It simply gives you a visual common-ground that you can always refer back to while out in the field.

It saves time in post-production

Sitting with a storyboard will ease the editor’s job and save hours in post-production, resulting in a faster delivery. This in the end results in money being saved on extra remakes and additional versions of the video. A storyboard is therefore a great tool to make the overall production more efficient and ensure a faster, more satisfying delivery.

However, it should be noted that it is only relevant in production of promos, animation videos, infomercials or the like, and cannot be put into play in the production of post-event videos or other products where the visual outcome is more unpredictable.  

In some cases our customers choose to use an internal interviewer for the testimonials in their video. If you are considering doing the same, follow this short guide to knock that interview out of the park: 

Keep the questions short and open

Make it easy for the interviewee to deliver a usable answer by making your questions open-ended and short; you want the interviewee to explain and elaborate, not answer with a simple yes/no or get confused in the questioning process.

Make the interviewee feel comfortable

Unless your interviewee is a trained professional or a rare natural, being placed in front of a camera and expected to answer questions will make them feel uncomfortable. Since shaky answers and nervous twitching is not something that can be fixed in post-production, it is your job as an interviewer to make them feel at ease and relaxed. Introduce yourself, crack a joke, let the interviewee know that you are here to help them look and sound their best.

Instruct the interviewee 

Tell your interviewee what you expect from them. In the editing process, all of your (short, open and brilliant) questions will be edited out. Therefore, it is important to ask your interviewee to speak in full sentences and implement your questions in their answers. For example, instead of saying “it is great” instruct them in saying “the event/product/service is great”. And don’t be afraid of retakes!

Mute yourself 

This is an interview, not a conversation! So, once the camera is rolling and after you have delivered the question do your best to be mute. This means restraining yourself from sounds of encouragement and laughter: they are often impossible to edit out in post-production and are very distracting for the viewer to hear, taking the focus away from the golden point that the interviewee is making. 

 Lastly, remember to have fun with it!

A lot of the questions coming from our customers in regards to live streaming are similar, so to ease your (and our) next live streaming gig, we have gathered the most frequent ones below.

“How many cameras do we need for optimal conference live stream?”

 That depends on the scope of your conference or event, and the space available for camera set-up, but a 3 camera set-up + a projector feed is enough to cover most cases. However, if your event is small, or the venue is simply limited on space, a 2 camera set-up + a projector feed is also a good solution. 

A typical 3 camera set-up would look like this: 

–        Camera 1: frames speaker in medium shot, straight on.

–        Camera 2: frames stage & speaker in total shot, straight on.

–        Camera 3: frames audience or speaker, from the side or the stage. 

 
“Do we also get video recording after we do live stream?”

 You sure do! All of the content that’s live streamed is automatically saved on the streaming platform. We also do back-up recording directly from the mixer and record raw (full HD) video files, in case if you want to re-edit them later.

 
“Can we live stream pre-made content?”

 Yes! Live streaming on the internet is similar to TV broadcasting. This means that you can mix any pre-made content into the stream. You start by creating video playlists, pre-roll advertisement, pre-recorded interviews, motion graphics etc. and then move on to making a run-down schedule for the director or switcher who controls the live stream. A run-down typically consists of the following elements: 

–        Detailed event schedule 

–        Name of the speaker on stage 

–        Explanation of which graphics, video, picture should be visible on the screen. 

 
“Is it possible to live stream for a closed group of people?”

 It depends on the platform you choose for live streaming, but most of the platforms, even the free ones, have privacy options. To give an example: If YouTube is your platform of choice, then the live stream can be made unlisted and available for people with the link. However, if someone chooses to share this link, it will be available to anybody with the link. So, if it’s something confidential, it’s better to go for one of the paid alternatives such us TwentyThree. 

 
“Can we put our graphics on top of the live streamed content?”

 Yes, and it’s always a huge plus if you do, since a nicely designed lower third for the speaker or your company’s logo on the top left corner always look great in a live stream. All we need from you are all the graphics in PNG format, sent ahead of the event, so that they can be nicely placed on top of the live streamed content. 

If you have any more questions, check out our previous article on Live Streaming for beginners or hit us up with an email. Happy streaming! 

So, you’ve reached a point in your start-up development where you’re starting to think about ordering your very first promotional video. Great! Following the points below, you’ll be able to keep that promo budget from bursting and end up with an awesome final product. 

Know your target audience

You might think “well, daah”, but actually a lot of start ups come in expecting a video that reaches everyone. Video is a product, and like with any other product if you simultaneously target it towards everyone from a 6 year-old school kid to a business angel, the chances are you’ll end up with only a thumbs up from your mom.

Settle on one message

What do you want to say with this first promo? By compressing a lot of messages into a span of a few minutes, or even seconds, will result in a very confusing compote. Pick a single message you want to convey and stick to it. 

Choose a platform

Once your target audience and aim is set you can move on to deciding on a platform. Will it be shown on your company’s facebook page? Used as a pre-roll ad on Youtube? Or it will be the first thing that comes up on the website? The choice of platform will determine both the length and the way your message will be conveyed. A website video can easily be up to two mins. while a YouTube pre-roll has to be six to ten secs. 

Invision it

In the process of planning your video try to sketch up how you see the final product. Whether you choose to create a physical mood board or a YouTube-wishlist it will help the production company you hire a great deal to grasp the idea of what exactly you want.

And lastly, just remember: One size does not fit all when it comes to promo videos. So, do spend time on the planning of your video and have fun with it!