Video blogs (Vlogs) are a popular way to increase the success of a traditional written blog. Most people will record a Vlog and embed it within their website blog. This can also allow you to build up brand awareness via regular video content on social media, and even grow a following on Youtube.
Video blogging is one of the few cases where we agree videos ‘can’ be self made, due to their frequency, and the fact you can only put aside so much time and money for blogging. If your blogs do become a revenue stream, then slowly increase your production values over time.
That said, we should all spend time to make our vlogs as professional as possible with the budget we have. Any kind of poor marketing can reflect bad on a business.
So here’s some tips for making better looking vlogs!
Sound is number one!
Ideally you should be using some kind of external microphone, like a Lavalier (tie mic / clip mic) These can be plugged into your camcorder or iPhone for example. Check out the Rode Smartlav plus.
Your second mic option is a shotgun mic, this is an external microphone that will sit on top of your camera, or be placed on a mic stand close by. A shot gun mic is designed to pick up everything directly in front of it, rather than the whole room. Beware of noises behind you.
TRY NOT to use your built in microphone, and if needs must, be sure to sit as close to the camera as possible (this applies to any mic)
Light is number two!
You do not need thousands of pounds worth of LED lighting. Try and find a room with a lot of light. Sit next to the window if the sun isn’t too harsh. DO NOT sit with the window behind you or most cameras will turn you into a silhouette. If you have a desk lamp try bouncing the light off the wall to add some fill light to your face.
The reason for getting the room as bright as possible is to reduce noise (grain) in your image – whilst giving you a better quality picture.
Number three, use a tripod…
Invest in a basic tripod, hand holding your vlog camera is a big no no! Assuming you are in a fixed location of course. If you happen to be outside or walking around, consider investing in a hand held stabiliser, or a camcorder with built in stabilisation.
Number four, shoot horizontally!
The biggest pet hate to anyone in the industry is seeing mobile phone footage shot vertically. Have you ever been to a cinema where the screen is narrow but really tall?
There’s a variety of cheap tripods that will allow you to mount mobiles the correct way round.
Here at elDRAW we not only produce fantastic video content, but offer the advise and knowledge that gets your videos noticed! If you require a corporate or promotional video contact us today on 01832 730606.
Hope you enjoyed this blog on the Top 4 tips for better looking video blogs (vlogs)!