The differences between the videos produced by a professional and an amateur videographer are obvious for an audience, but not so obvious when you are behind the camera. With so much on your mind, it is easy to overlook some important aspects while you are shooting and these mistakes may be impossible to fix afterwards. Here are some of the most common mistakes that amateurs make during their first video shootings.
If your video production involves interviewing people, or getting people to do some interesting things, it’s absolutely vital that you send the right person out with the camera. The shooter absolutely has to have good-to-great people skills. Whether your video team is in-house, or whether you outsource video production, having the right person producing your video is vital for making great story-telling videos for your organization.
This is because even in the corporate world, where you’re filming employees for a good-news piece and it’s not a 60 Minutes scenario, some people may be reluctant to talk on or even appear on camera. The right person behind the lens can make all the difference to participation, and to the final cut. It also helps if that person has some training or background in broadcast journalism or production. They’ll know “tricks of the trade” that can help yield powerful visuals and sound bites.
Thrown into the fray on a video assignment
In March 2012-a mere two weeks after I joined Livingston International as a communication specialist for two years-I was sent out on a video assignment. The company was just completing an acquisition and needed its corporate “Welcome to Livingston” video updated. My mission? Head out on a tour that took me from Montreal, to Chicago, to New Orleans, to Houston, and to McAllen and Brownsville, Tex. I had to interview employees and get them to talk about what they liked about being part of Livingston.