 Capturing the attention of your audience is crucial when it comes to creating promotional videos. One effective way to do this is by incorporating different camera techniques that add visual depth and interest to your videos. These techniques not only make your videos more visually appealing, but they also help convey your message more effectively. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of using different camera techniques to add visual depth and interest in your videos. I highly recommend eyecandyy.com for amazing visual reference for over 20 camera movements and other visual techniques. DEPTH OF FIELD  By manipulating the depth of field, you can create a visual separation between the subject and the background, adding depth to your videos. This technique involves keeping the subject in sharp focus while blurring the background or foreground. This draws the viewer's attention to the subject, making it stand out and creating a professional look. A shallow depth of field can be achieved by using a lens with a wide aperture, such as a prime lens, and positioning the subject at an appropriate distance from the background. This technique is commonly used in product videos, interviews, and testimonials to highlight the main subject or subject's emotions. ANGLES and PERSPECTIVES Another effective way to add visual interest to your videos is by using different camera angles and perspectives. Experimenting with various camera angles, such as high angles, low angles, and Dutch angles, can create a unique and dynamic visual experience for your viewers. High angles can make the subject appear smaller, while low angles can make them look more dominant or powerful. Dutch angles, where the camera is tilted to one side, can add a sense of unease or tension. These techniques can be used strategically to enhance the mood or convey a specific message in your videos. MOVEMENT and TRACKING SHOTS  Adding movement to your videos can make them more engaging and dynamic. Techniques such as panning, tilting, and tracking shots can create a sense of motion and energy. Panning involves moving the camera from side to side, while tilting involves moving the camera up or down. Tracking shots involve following a subject's movement, either with the camera on a dolly or using a handheld stabilizer. These techniques can be used to capture action shots, show a product in use, or follow a subject's movement, adding visual interest to your videos. FRAMING and COMPOSITION
Framing and composition are essential elements in video production that can greatly impact the visual appeal of your videos. Consider the rule of thirds, which involves dividing the frame into a 3x3 grid and placing the main subject along the lines or at the intersection points. This creates a visually pleasing composition that draws the viewer's eye to the subject. You can also experiment with different framing techniques, such as close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots, to convey different emotions and tell a compelling story. Proper framing and composition can add visual depth and interest to your videos, making them more visually appealing and engaging. LIGHTING  As mentioned in previous MOXIE Blogs, lighting is a crucial factor in videography that can greatly affect the visual depth and interest of your videos. Experimenting with different lighting techniques, such as three-point lighting, can create depth and dimension in your videos. Three-point lighting involves using a key light to illuminate the main subject, a fill light to balance the shadows, and a backlight to separate the subject from the background. This creates a more three-dimensional look, adding visual interest to your videos. You can also experiment with different color temperatures and lighting styles to create a specific mood or atmosphere that complements your promotional message.  Using different camera techniques in your videos can greatly enhance their visual appeal and make them more engaging to your audience. Experimenting with depth of field, angles and perspectives, movement and tracking shots, framing and composition, and lighting can add visual depth and interest, making your videos more visually appealing and effective in conveying your message or story to your targeted audience.
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 Video content is becoming increasingly popular, and with the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube, there are endless possibilities for creating engaging video content. However, coming up with creative video ideas can be a daunting task, especially if you're not sure where to start. In this post, we will explore some tips for brainstorming creative video ideas that will help you come up with more unique and engaging concepts.  1- START with a clear GOAL /CONCEPT Before you begin brainstorming, it's important to have a clear understanding of your video's purpose and intended audience. What message do you want to convey? Who is your target audience? Is there a topic you want to cover, or a particular event you want to showcase, or even a specific emotion or feeling you want to evoke. Once you have a starting point, you can begin to brainstorm ideas that fit within that theme or concept. Understanding your goals will help guide your brainstorming and ensure that your video is effective in achieving your objectives.  2- COLLABORATE with a TEAM Brainstorming with a team can be a great way to generate creative video ideas. When you work with others, you can bounce ideas off each other and build on each other's concepts. Consider inviting team members with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skill sets to ensure a wide range of ideas are generated.  3- SET aside time for BRAINSTORMING It's important to set aside dedicated time for brainstorming creative video ideas. This could be a weekly or monthly meeting where team members come together to brainstorm ideas, or it could be a personal brainstorming session where you sit down and jot down ideas on your own. By setting aside time for brainstorming, you can ensure that you are giving your creative process the attention and focus it deserves.  4- START brainstorming session with IMPROV GAMES Nothing gets the creative juices flowing more than improv games! And they do double duty as great team building exercises. There are so many great improv games available and many great improv companies to hire if you were wanting to have guided sessions. Theatrefolk has a great article on a number fun and creative improv games.  5- LEVERAGE your interests or HOBBIES The first step is to identify your interests and hobbies. Once you have done that you can brainstorm video ideas that showcase your skills and expertise. For example, if you love cooking, you could create a video that shows you preparing a meal while talking about your business, or if you like hiking, you can go on hikes as you discuss your service. Of course, you must make sure your video is professional and that it reflects your brand's values and messaging. Creating engaging and entertaining videos can seem like a daunting task. Brainstorming can help reduce the work and actually be a fun and rewarding process. By starting with a theme or concept, collaborating with a team, setting aside time for brainstorming, using exercises to get the creative juices flowing, and leveraging your interests and hobbies, you can come up with more unique and engaging video concepts. Remember, the key to success is to keep an open mind and have fun with the creative process!   As a client, when you work with a video production company like Moxie Productions you can expect a high level or professionalism and expertise in the field of video production. In this blog we will cover 4 of the essential qualities a client can expect from a professional video production company.  1- CLEAR COMMUNICATION As a client you can expect clear and consistent communication throughout the project, including regular updates and any necessary adjustments. Beginning with the initial meeting, you should feel heard, your vision/message understood and you should feel listened to. Therefore, you can expect the company to be responsive to your inquiries and concerns at all stages of the project. Whether you have questions about the project timeline, budget or any other aspect of the process, the video production company should be able to provide clear and timely answers. In addition to keeping you informed, you can expect the company to be pro-active in communicating with you. They should let you know if there are any potential issues or roadblocks that could impact the project, and work with you to find solutions. Clear and concise communication is essential for the success of any project. By working with a professional video production company, you can expect a high level of transparency and responsiveness throughout the process  2- TECHNICAL EXPERTISE As a client one of the key things you can expect from a video production company like Moxie Productions is technical expertise in the field. This includes a deep understanding of various technical aspects of video production, such as lighting, audio and camera work. A professional video production company, when it comes to lighting, will be able to create the right ambience and mood for your video. They will be able to use lighting to highlight key elements and draw the viewer's attention to certain aspects of the video. They will also be able to work with natural light to create a realistic and visually appealing look. Nothing makes a video look more unprofessional than bad audio quality. A professional video production company will have strong understanding of how to capture and edit audio. This includes being able to choose the right microphones for the job and ensuring that the audio is clear and free from background noise. And of course camera work is a crucial element of a professional looking video. A professional company will have experienced and skilled camera operators who can capture high-quality footage. They will be able to use different camera angles and movements to create visual interest and tell the story effectively. Pulling this all together is a professional video editor who understands your message and has the expertise to assemble the footage in the most creative and interesting fashion that ensures your vision/message is well represented. In addition to their expertise, a professional company will be able to guide you through the production process. They will be able to explain the different stages of the process to help you understand what is involved. This includes pre-production, where the concept is developed and the plan is put in place; production, where the video is actually shot; and post-production, where the footage is edited and polished into the final product.  3- CREATIVE SKILLS When it comes to creating a successful video, creative skills are just as important as technical skill. A professional video production company like Moxie Productions will be able to help you conceptualize and develop a compelling video that effectively tells your story. One of the most important creative skills a company has is the ability to understand your vision and goals for the video. These goals should be discussed in the initial meeting and should be the defining factor as to which video production company you choose to work with. It's imperative that the client and production company see eye to eye on the visual look and feel of the videos. A professional company will be able to ask you questions to get a clear sense of what you want to achieve and then use their creativity and expertise to come up with ideas and concepts that align with your vision. A professional company will be able to craft a compelling narrative and develop a strong story arc that engages the viewer and delivers your message effectively. This includes the importance of structure, pacing, character development in telling a compelling story.  4- RELIABILITY One of the key elements you can expect when working with a professional video production company is reliability! This means you can trust the company to deliver the final product on time, to the highest quality, and on budget. One way that a company like Moxie Productions demonstrates their reliability is by a having proven track record of meeting deadlines. A professional company will understand the importance of completing projects on time and will work efficiently to ensure that your video is delivered as promised. Reliability also means that a company has a track record of satisfying clients. This means they have a history of delivering projects that meet or exceed their clients' expectations. As we all know, challenges and unexpected issues pop up with any project. A professional company will be able to handle any unexpected issue that may arise during the production process. They will also be able to anticipate and potential roadblocks and find creative solutions to keep the project on track.  Overall, when you work with a professional video production company, they will alleviate stress for you company when it comes to creating professional videos. With their clear and concise communication, their technical expertise, their creative skills and their proven reliability, you can be assured that you are in good hands. A professional video production company will have a range of fees for their services depending on the size of the project so before you think of getting your next door neighbour's cousin's friend to shoot your video, try contacting a professional video production company for a conversation.
 As technology continues to advance and evolve, video is becoming an increasingly important tool for medical education. Here are a four reasons why video is the future of medical education: 1- Video allows for a more engaging and interactive learning experience. Traditional methods of medical education, such as lectures and written materials, can be dry and unengaging. With video, educators can create interactive and engaging content that can help to capture the attention of learners and keep them engaged throughout the learning process. We recently worked with George Brown College School of Nursing to create Game Based scenario learning videos. The learner is the 'player' and is given options throughout the course to chose what next step should be taken. Each answer is supported by a video playing out that decision. The characters on the screen talk directly to the camera when addressing the 'learner' so that it has a very immersive feeling. (Image below is a screen grab from one of the scenarios.)  2- Video allows for the visualization of complex concepts. Many medical concepts are difficult to understand and visualize using written materials alone. With video, educators can use animations, 3D graphics, and other visual aids to help learners understand complex concepts and procedures in a more intuitive and interactive way.  3- Video is accessible and convenient. With the proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices, video can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This makes it easy for learners to access medical education content on their own time and at their own pace, which can be especially useful for busy medical professionals who may not have time to attend traditional in-person classes.  4- Video is scalable and cost-effective. With video, educators can reach a larger audience at a lower cost than with traditional methods of medical education. This makes it an attractive option for medical schools and other organizations looking to provide high-quality education to a wide audience without incurring significant costs.  Video is the future of medical education. With its ability to engage learners, visualize complex concepts, and provide convenient and cost-effective access to educational content, video has the potential to revolutionize the way that medical professionals learn and develop their skill.
86% of online advertisers use videos in their marketing efforts. Videos help consumers gain an understanding of a brands service or product as it drives traffic to your business' socials and website. SEO experts have calculated that Google's algorithm favours video content because videos primarily answer what visitors are searching for. 96% of consumers have watched an explainer video specifically to learn about a product or service.
To help you create engaging social media videos that people are going to watch and share, here are 4 tips we have found to be very helpful.
1-KEEP YOUR VIDEOS SHORT AND SWEET
Very few people are going to watch videos on social media if they last for more than 10 minutes (for explainer videos) and more than 1 minute (for promotional videos). That’s why it’s important to keep your videos snack size and entertaining while still providing value. What this means is that you need to edit and re-edit your videos keeping only the most relevant and engaging moments. Videos should capture attention, share a message, and have a call to action all in a short span of time. If you have a topic that requires more time, it's best to break up the video into smaller pieces. Sometimes you may have a long video sitting on your website. That video can be repurposed. A good editor can take that piece and break it up into smaller 30 second to 1 minute videos that you can then use on your socials to drive consumers back to the longer video and your website.
2-ENSURE THE FIRST FEW SECONDS REALLY STAND OUT
We are all keenly aware that our attention spans are not what they once were. In fact studies have shown that we lose attention in about8 seconds. That is why you need to engage them right off the bat. Start off with a powerful image, an engaging quote, a thought provoking question or captivating music. Try to include your logo, tag line, your product or service so that people will recognize you and have an understanding of what you are trying to communicate. You want people to be curious enough to stay watching. A good exercise is while you are on social media take note of those videos that made you keep watching and think about implementing some of their strategies.
3- IF THERE IS TALKING MAKE SURE TO USE SUBTITLES
Almost all social media platforms now automatically start or play a video without sound making including subtitles that much more important. Including subtitles will help get your message across, whether it’s on mute or not. People most often watch videos while doing something else or on the go. And almost always, they do so without sound. Even with the sound off, subtitles will allow you to capture your viewers’ attention and them not to miss what’s happening.
4- ENSURE YOU HAVE A GOOD STORY
Grabbing the audience's attention is very important but keeping them watching to the end is the ultimate goal. To do so, you must create high quality content that will make them want to stay around. Your video not only must look and sound great (see previous blogs about mics and lighting) it must also share a story that has a beginning, middle and satisfying end that has relevance to your target audience. The best videos have a story that creates a personal connection with the viewer and touches them emotionally. Think back to your favourite videos and how they made you feel. That's what you want to create for your viewers. This will help take your videos to a new level and raise your brand awareness.
Below is a GREAT example of a perfect social media video. It runs at 1 min 27 seconds. The first few seconds stand out as we wonder what this guy is up to. It doesn't use subtitles (easy enough to fix). And most importantly it has a beautiful story! It's just out but it will go viral!
 This image was created by an AI Photo Generating website https://creator.nightcafe.studio/ The future is upon us. AI (Artificial Intelligence) video generators are here and they are here to stay. Sites like SYNTHESIA, SYNTHESYS and ELAI are great creative tools that many people will find useful. They do have the potential to save you time and money as you can create your own promo videos without the need to hire a video production company or actors. The question you have to ask yourself is do you want to be spending your precious time creating videos yourself? You will still need to take time to write a creative script and generate the videos. Time that could be used focusing on your product or service. Just like any other creative tool there is a learning curve to using AI generators. The videos that can be created are restricted (as of Oct 2022) to one avatar speaking directly into the 'camera'. They can not walk around or interact with another avatar. Each of the sites we discuss do have monthly or yearly fees, which we do not get into. Please click on the links provided to get pricing information. This blog is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the world of AI generators. It's purpose is to introduce you to the concept of AI video generators, give you a few choices to check out and start you down the AI generator world! Although there are AI art, photo and music generators, in this article we will only be discussing the video generators. Moxie Productions is not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this blog.  An AI avatar generated by SYNTHESIA SYNTHESIA is an AI video generator that turns written text into talking head videos. Synthesia offers a number of features including: over 70+ AI avatars, 65+ languages, 50+ video templates, background music, closed captioning and much more. They have templates for training videos, how to videos and product marketing videos. Your videos can be up to 30 minutes long. It's fairly easy to create the videos: Once you've logged in chose the type of video you want to create and your avatar, type in your script, chose your design and background, add in titles, background music and your logo. Two very cool features are that you can customize your avatar by uploading your own voice and image to use in the video instead of an AI generated avatar. Synthesia allows for a free trial without having to give any credit card information. SYNTHESYS breaks down their AI generators into AI Audio, AI video and AI avatars, and they price them individually and as a package. The AI audio allows you to generate human voices reading your script for radio commercials, podcasts or voice over for your digital content. The AI video allows you to create videos from your text. It's a fairly simple process: you chose the look and voice of your avatar, add your script, select the template for your video based on the type of video you are creating and then click go! Unlike Synthesia, Synthesys does not allow a free trial. ELAI works very much like Synthesia and Synthesys and like them, the video categories are: learning and development videos, marketing videos and corporate communications videos - all videos that require a 'talking head'. As like the other sites you get to chose the look and sound of your avatar, the language and the design of your video from a template. However, Elai allows you to generate your video from scratch. One fun option with Elai is the Cartoon Avatars. Elai does allow for free trial but only after giving your credit card information.  Whether creating an educational, training or promotional video, or for that matter a television show or feature film, you have to start with a good SCRIPT. As the saying goes "IF IT'S NOT ON THE PAGE, IT'S NOT ON THE STAGE". Clearly, the script for a 45 second promotional video won't be as in depth and painstakingly long to write as a feature film script but the basics are the same. We will discuss the 4 basic steps to creating an engaging and effective script for whatever project you would like to undertake.  #1- BE CLEAR AS TO WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY Sounds simple but not always easy. It is important to be very clear as to what exactly you are wanting to communicate to your audience. You can look at it as the THEME of your video. Are you attempting to teach your students a new technique, inform your clients of a new service or promote your business to new potential customers. Each dictates a direction the script hence the video will need to take. One way of ensuring you are clear as to what you want to communicate is to put it into one sentence, what in the film and television industry is called a LOGLINE (or elevator pitch). Examples: "Students will learn how to tell a patient they have cancer". "I want my clients to know we now offer online Pilates classes." If you notice, these log lines also take into count the # 2 basic step...  #2- KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE All marketing depends on knowing your customers. In creating a script for your video, it's important to know your audience and that includes educational and instructional videos. A video for first year medical students communicates different information than a video aimed at medical residents. You must understand your audience (your customers, clients, staff, students) in order to deliver an effective and engaging video. Once you have what you want to say and to whom you want to say it, the next step is to ... # 3- CREATE AN OUTLINE The script outline is your map to navigate through your video. As you would if you were writing an essay or a blog post, list out your key points and order them logically. . Be sure to include a message near the beginning that states your video’s purpose, especially for educational and explainer videos. Remember, many people won't stick around to the end of the video if they are not grabbed by it within the first 10 seconds- so don't keep them guessing for too long. Important to keep in mind when writing your outline is the visuals that will go along with the dialogue. The visuals will definitely enhance what is being said and the best ones will negate the need for too much language. Below is an example of a video outline.  #4- WRITE AND REWRITE YOUR SCRIPT Now that you have your outline, you can write the first draft of your script. Yes, first draft, as there will be many. An interesting piece of trivia is that M. Night Shyamalan wrote 10 drafts for the script of The Sixth Sense and there were no ghosts in the first draft! The real art of writing is re-writing. Pass on your script to someone else to read. Getting a second and third opinion is very helpful as they will possibly find holes in your script that you can not see. Once you have received feedback and re-written your script and you are feeling confident that it's ready to be filmed, organize a table read. A table read consists of everyone involved in the project both in front of and behind the camera gathered together to read the script out loud. This allows you to hear how conversational the dialogue is, and what can be cut. It's important that the dialogue sounds real and conversational and the only way to know is to have it spoken out loud. 99% of the time after a table read dialogue is changed or cut back. It's recommended to script every last word and have the on camera performers memorize it. Professional on camera personnel will be totally prepared and able to memorize their lines. Doing this will keep you organized during filming and save you loads of time (and money) later in post production. Example of a scenario based video script. Dialogue heavy. Learning point: recognizing microaggression.  Example of a two column video script.   There are a number of components and elements to consider before venturing into creating a video. As always, the more prepared you are before you begin filming, the better your filming day will be and the more successful your video will turn out. To ensure the highest quality of video we always recommend hiring professional videographers, audio recordists and editors, in other words, a professional video production company. For those projects where budget is restricted and you have to go it alone, we hope that the following 8 Components will help you create an effective video. COMPONENT # 1 - VIDEO LENGTH We all live busy lives and have so much information coming at us that it's sometimes hard to find the time to read and watch everything we want to. And when we are on certain social media sites, we expect videos to be of a certain length and when they are longer, we tend to not watch them, at least not all the way through. It's important to keep the length of your video within the recommended time for the genre of video being created. Below is the recommended video lengths for various types of videos:
COMPONENT #2- KEEP THE MESSAGES CLEAR AND CONCISE It's clear that you don't have a lot of time to get your message across so it's important to keep your message clear and concise. That is why it's imperative, before you start filming, that you have developed a SCRIPT that outlines what you want to convey to your AUDIENCE. Everything else in your video will be driven by your script, notably duration, visual-content and call to action. The time and therefore money you will save both during filming and in post production (editing) will be correlated to the amount of time and energy went into your script. So be prepared before you begin filming.  COMPONENT #3- SUPPORT YOUR SCRIPT WITH VIDEO A picture says a thousand words, and a moving pictures says 10 thousand! When creating your script think about the accompanying graphic imagery that will enhance the themes, keywords and actions in your script. Humans respond to other humans, therefore incorporating people in your videos is a wonderful way to grab and keep the viewers attention, as long as they compliment the script.  COMPONENT #4- VIDEO DIMENSIONS Make sure the dimensions or your layout of the video adhere to the platforms you would like to upload your video to. Most professional editing software offer the different dimensions required for all social media platforms. It is something to be thinking about when filming your video. The dimensions will dictate the camera you chose, or which way you hold your smart phone when filming. And do remember to consider any captions or titles you want to add to your video and make sure you have room when filming around your subjects to add those in post. Below are some general dimension guidelines to follow:
 COMPONENT #5- VIDEO AUDIO We have gone into more detail in another blog about audio, but it's so important that it requires repeating. Viewers will more likely abandon a video due to poor audio before they abandon it due to poor visual quality. Therefore make sure the narration and any background music are as clear as possible and of equal volume. There is nothing more frustrating than having to constantly be fiddling with the volume of a video when watching it because some things are too soft and others are too loud! Two important things to keep in mind regarding the audio quality of your video: quality of the mic you are using and the ambient sound. It is worth spending money on a good mic- it will save you money and aggravation in post- because remember many audio issues CAN NOT be fixed in post.  COMPONENT #6- LIGHTING IN VIDEO As with audio, we have gone into video lighting in detail in our other blog, but it also bears repeating. The lighting requirements differ depending on the type of video you are filming and which platform you intend to post to. In general it's important to keep your subject well lit, and the more natural looking the better - especially for TikTok, and Reels. When creating explainer videos or training videos, using the 3 Point Lighting method is the best approach.  COMPONENT #7 - EDITING THE VIDEO As anyone can tell you editing is where all the magic takes place and where your vision comes to fruition. Editing programs have made it easier to actually do the editing, but it takes skill and know how to do it well. Our suggestion is always to hire a professional editor- they will make magic out of your footage. And we understand that it's not always feasible to do so, therefore we hope the tips below will help you when you are editing your videos. Remember the aim is to explain your narrative in an engaging and entertaining fashion in the allowed time.
For the most part, editing should be smooth, allowing the viewer to absorb the thoughts without recognising that the scenes altered in any manner. Remember, rules were made to be broken and so your vision, content and script will dictate how you want your editing to look.  COMPONENT #8- USE CAPTIONS Well over four-fifths of videos watched on Facebook are consumed without sound. This is why it's important to add captions to your videos. Moreover, captions allow videos to be accessible for a diverse audience. We at Moxie Productions can and will do everything in this article and more to produce the best videos for you and your audience.  The best way to create professional videos that look and sound great is to hire professional videographers and sound recordists. As you can see from the images below, they come prepared with the various tools of the trade. Their talent, experience and equipment does come with a price tag that is sometimes more than your budget allows or your project requires. If you are creating videos that are scenario based, with more than two people talking, I would always recommend hiring a professional video production company to film and edit the videos. The extra cost will pay off in the end with videos you can be proud of and will stand the test of time.
In this blog we will be discussing video projects where there is one to two people speaking directly into camera. We call these 'talking head' videos: an interview-style video that features an instructor or subject matter expert who talks directly into the camera as though they are addressing the learner directly. This is the style used to great effect on Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. The best and least expense way to begin filming your talking head videos is to film them using whichever smart phone you have. (We will be discussing DSLR and Mirrorless cameras in another blog). The cameras on the phones are great for these types of videos and for where the videos will ultimately live. There is no need to shoot them on 4K cameras as the sites where you will be posting them don't support 4K videos. The two important things to consider when filming your videos are the audio quality and lighting quality. Let's talk lighting first. LIGHTING FOR TALKING HEAD VIDEOS Lighting can make anyone look good or bad! The most tried and true method to lighting for a talking head video is the 3 POINT LIGHTING METHOD. The three points are: KEY LIGHT: The key light is primary source of the scene. It is the most intense and direct light source which is used to illuminate the subject. The key light is most often placed in front of your subject, at an angle, and thus illuminates one section of your subject. Methods to Manipulate a Key Light:
FILL LIGHT: The fill light does exactly what it sounds like it does-it fills in gaps in light created by the key light. It eliminates shadows created by the key light and doesn't create any of it's own. It's less powerful than the key light and is placed opposite from it. The fill light determines the feel and style of the shot. What does fill light do?
BACKLIGHT/HAIR LIGHT: The backlight lights the subject from behind to help separate them from the background. It's generally placed higher than the subjec that it's lighting. When a backlight hits a subject at an angle it is referred to as a kicker or rim light. What is backlight used for?
 Resourced image from https://www.videoschool.com/three-point-lighting/ Now that we know where to place the lights, the question is what type of lights should we be using? METHOD 1 - NATURAL LIGHTING This is exactly what it sounds like- the use of natural light for the KEY LIGHT. Perhaps your home, office or home office has a nice big window- perfect. You set up facing the window with the camera in front of you and use the natural light from the window as your key light. You can then use a reflector from the natural light as your FILL LIGHT and another reflector as your BACKLIGHT METHOD 2- LED LIGHTING KITS LED lights are lighter and cooler than other types of video lighting and can be plugged into any household outlet. LED’s are extremely efficient. You can use batteries to power them. That makes them portable and sleek - no messy cabled needed. Some suggested lighting kits: Neewer 660 LED Light Kit at Amazon GVM LED Video Lighting Kit at Amazon VILTROX VL-200 Kit at Amazon AUDIO FOR TALKING HEAD VIDEOS The sound of your video is crucial. We can forgive a wobbly camera or lighting that isn't perfect, but we can't forgive bad sound. People will turn off any video that has bad sound. The mic on most smart phones are good in perfect conditions ie; in a quiet room with no outside noise (street sounds, people in other parts of the office/house), or no inside noise (air conditioners, fluorescent lights, running refrigerators) and with a single subject. When another subject is added, or the conditions for filming are not perfect, the smart phone mics are not adequate. An external mic source is required.
AUDIO FOR TALKING HEAD VIDEOS The first thing to consider in terms of audio is location. There are two locations to consider: INSIDE and OUTSIDE INSIDE: Inside is the easiest place to shoot as there tends to be less noise to interfere with your video. Some things to consider when choosing an indoor location: 1- How busy is the location? The busier the location the longer it will take you to film and the more heartache you will have in post when you realise you can't use the footage due to noise issues. Unless you can lock down the whole building while you are filming, it's best to chose a location that is as isolated as possible. 2- How loud is the room? Yes, empty rooms can be louder than other empty rooms. Stand in the room you are planning on filming and listen for sounds like: air conditioners, fluorescent lights, fridges, elevator sounds, sounds emanating from outside like trucks. If the room is noisy, try to find another room. If you have to use a noisy room- at the end of your filming record 30 seconds of the room tone so that it can be used in post when cuts are made from one take to another. A good note to be on the safe side:if you can hear it, your phone can hear it, so stop and wait for the noise to end. OUTSIDE: Outside has many challenges when it comes to audio. Not only do you have to think about how busy your location is for the same reason as you do for when shooting indoor, you also have to take into consideration the weather, especially the wind. If you do not have a way to block the wind from your phone mic, your audio, and therefore your video, will be unusable. It is why, when filming outside, it is imperative to use an external mic with a wind sock. Some suggested External Mics Maono 2.4 GHz Dual Lapel Mics Sabine Tek Official SmartMike Saramonic Blink 500  More and more studies are showing that the addition of video to any curriculum enhances the learning experience for the learner. "One study of teaching methods found that telling alone, showing material visually alone, and combined telling and showing each resulted in 70% or greater recall at 3 hours (85% for combined). However, retention 3 days later was 10% for telling alone and 20% for showing alone, compared with 65% retention for combined telling and showing." Studies also show that the quality of the videos and the planning of the content are 2 very important aspects to the success of videos in education. The four principle reasons for the success of integrating videos into teaching are: 1 - ENGAGEMENT “Video is seen as having advantages for engagement in some specific ways, notably in widening participation, emotional engagement and overall course engagement.” Across the literature, higher levels of student satisfaction are reported in groups with access to video (Yousef et al., 2014). When comparing video over text when dealing specifically with problem- based learning it was found a general preference for video over text (Rasi and Poikela, 2016). 2- REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE Videos allow learners to watch and experience real life situations. Using video scenarios enables the assessment of impact by requiring learners to face realistic challenges and solve complex problems using critical thinking. “The integration of multimedia in the course gave students a collaborative experience where they can apply their knowledge to the simulation scenarios. Inclusion of the vignettes was found to be effective in addressing specific areas of curriculum while stimulating student engagement.” The greater the reality of the situation, the greater the emotional impact and the learning. Professional content writers and creators are able to make sure that the scenarios are real and impactful. 3- RETENTION One study (Taslibeyaz et al., 2017) in the context of medical education from 2000 to 2014, showed that watching videos was beneficial for gaining clinical skills, changing attitudes, encouraging cognitive learning and retaining knowledge. A review of the literature done by Maya M Hammoud, Helen K Morgan, Mary E Edwards, Jennifer A Lyon, and Casey White concluded “in general video recording of performance and subsequent review by students with expert feedback had positive outcomes in improving feedback and ultimate performance.” 4- LEARNERS WANT VIDEOS The following is an excerpt from the study “Development of e-learning in medical education: 10 years’ experience of Korean medical schools” by Kyong-Jee Kim and Giwoon Kim “Our study illustrates the current popularity of online videos as learning resources among medical students. This finding concurs with that of Khogali et al. that students valued animation and video demonstrations highest among e-learning resources.” It’s not only millennials who prefer videos. Business executives prefer watching videos, as well. Specifically, 59% of senior executives prefer video over text and 75% of executives watch videos while working. Creating videos for your course may seem daunting, but a professional video production company, like Moxie Productions, who specializes in educational videos, can guide you through the whole process.
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B AndersonIs a playwright and screenwriter and founder of Moxie Productions Archives
April 2023
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