Creating video content within your budget

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Hi!

Videos are all over the Internet. Need to change the oil in your car? There’s a how-to video for that. Need an afternoon pick-me-up? There’s a funny cat video that will do the trick.

The average viewer watches more than 20 hours of online video a month. As the popularity of online video grows, more and more businesses use it as well.

In this lesson, you’ll learn the keys to creating video without breaking the bank with careful planning, creative resourcing, and smart video editing.

The first step to creating video on a budget is to plan your content.

Remember—videos can be entertaining, educational, informative and everything in between, as long as they reflect what your company stands for and further your business objectives. Let’s say you are a food blogger and you want to add video to your site. You’d like to use it to showcase your culinary tastes and talents and increase your subscriber base.

You might decide to do a cooking demonstration in one video. In another you’ll tour the kitchen of a popular local chef. In a third, you’ll stage a recipe contest.

By planning ahead, you can shoot several videos at a time—with less effort and fewer resources. To outline the content for each video, use storyboards.

Storyboards are visual plans of your story—showing what will happen scene-by-scene, including action and dialogue. Once you’ve got the content of your video planned out, it’s time to think about production. Producing video on a budget means being creative with your resources.

Not too long ago, you would have had to hire a crew, rent a studio, and pay a small fortune for equipment before you even began shooting the video.

Now, all you need to produce a video is your mobile or laptop’s built-in webcam—or a high-def video camera if you or a friend of yours have one—and basic video editing software (some computer operating systems include that for free). There are other factors to consider. You can save time and money on finding props, actors, and locations by asking yourself a few questions:

Can you find props at home, among friends, or in thrift stores?

Do you or someone else you know secretly long to be in front of a camera?

Can you use your home, office, or recreational areas as a video location?
Once you’ve planned your videos, arranged your sets, and booked your crew, now it’s time to film.

A steady camera, plus good lighting and sound can make all the difference.

Here are some key points:

Any high-def camera will do—whether on your mobile or an inexpensive digital camera—as long as you keep it steady with a tripod or other stabilizer.

Consider using an external microphone for high-quality audio.

Make sure the room is well lit. When it comes time to edit your footage, you can find online tutorials to guide you.

A variety of video editing tools—such as iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or YouTube Video Editor—can help you edit and combine videos, build smooth transitions, and even add music. Little tweaks in the editing process will give your videos a more professional feel. Making videos is not only a great marketing tool for your business, it’s also fun to do! Embrace the chance to tap into your creative side and show the world what your business is all about.

Remember that a tight budget doesn’t have to limit your video content.

With advance planning, a little practice, and some creative resourcing, you can make a scene without breaking the bank.