Lights, Camera, Action: Tips for Improving Your Next Video Production

April 17, 2024

If stranded in the desert, which would you choose: a bottle of water or a cell phone charger?

If you’re like most people presented this question, you aren’t going another minute without your phone. But if stuck in the middle of nowhere, research indicates you may be less worried about placing a rescue call than getting your next video content fix.

According to eMarketer, more than 75% of U.S. adults spend up to two hours every day watching digital video content. Cisco reports that 82% of all consumer internet traffic is video. Viewers watch over half of that content on mobile devices.

Why are we so obsessed with videos? They lend themselves to the way our minds manage information. The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Videos appeal to different learning styles, promote better information retention, and capture our attention more effectively.

Plus, we’re busy. Videos offer easy, bite-sized ways for consuming informative or entertaining content. When given a choice, most consumers prefer video over text. HubSpot reports that 54% of people want more video content from the brands and businesses they support.

For organizations investing in video, there is a significant return. Videos get more clicks, drive higher web traffic, and generate 12 times more shares on social media than text and static images combined reports Facebook.

For PR pros, if you want to get the word out, there’s bigtime value in video.

Luckily, videos don’t always have to be big-budget, multi-month productions to pack a punch. Whether you’re relying on an in-house team, third-party vendors, or shooting straight from your cell phone, the biggest investment comes from planning.

Here are tips for making the most of your video productions.

1. Who is my audience?

Just like writing a PR plan, define the target market. Start with the end in mind. Determine who needs to hear the message and what the call to action is. Consider how they will consume the video. For example, social media requires a quick attention grab to avoid the scroll. Once a viewer clicks, you have about 15 seconds to retain their attention. People typically will view longer content on websites.

2. What is the story?

Decide on a central theme for the video. Think of theme as the box that carries the story from you to your audience. Use these four P’s to help define your theme:

People – the story’s compelling individuals
Programs – the work making a difference
Places – the spaces that need connected to the audience
Purpose – the thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes the story should help create

3. What are the key topics?

Outline what specific information the audience needs to know to support the theme. Unite the content with the narrative. Content is details and data. Narrative is the way the story gets told. According to Stanford University, people remember stories 22 times more than facts alone. Tell important information in a way that resonates with the target public.

4. Who is the talent?

Decide who, or what, is best to deliver the key message. Consider if you need a narrator or host. Determine if someone will interview subjects, they’ll provide testimonials, or you’re capturing the action as it occurs. Think about the quality of your talent. Find the on-camera rock stars who can speak thoughtfully, succinctly, and engagingly.

When it comes to planning interviews, consider the length of your video. Less is often more. Shoot for quality over quantity—especially when you’re on a budget. Consider that each interview will average about 30 seconds of on-screen time. Plus, equipment set-up and tear-down can take about 30 minutes for each interview at different locations, which will rack up costs quickly.

5. Where are we filming?

The first rule of real estate: location, location, location. The same is true for video production. Select location(s) that are visually appealing and support the message. The background should help tell the story. Pay attention to the lighting and ambient noise. Fixing problems with either in post-production takes time and money. The quickest way to get people to stop watching a video is poor sound quality.

Don’t make B-roll an afterthought. For most videos, B-roll should get as much, if not more, screentime than the primary footage. Plan for the shots that will support the theme and give context to the narrator or interviewee’s words without creating a distraction.

6. How do we have a great interview?

Remember why you are making the video and frame questions around the call to action. Ask questions that prompt commentary on the theme. Build question sets that reflect the individual topics of the video. Consider approaching questions in multiple ways to ensure you get the best soundbite.

While question sets are comfortable, they shouldn’t stand in the way of conversation. The best interviews are like chats between friends. The goal is to listen and respond. Maximize the effectiveness of the interview by:

Taking the time to care. Talking from the heart beats speaking from a script.
Being curious. What might seem commonplace can be a novelty when given the time for exploration.
Connecting authentically. Bring the energy you want from the subject to the interview and establish a comfortable relationship.

Avoid “over-interviewing.” The subject is there. The film crew is there. So, you have the urge to ask as many questions as possible while the iron is hot. Consider that every one minute of video requires about five hours of editing on average. Invest in asking the right questions, not every question.

7. What is the timeline?

Unless you are developing the next Academy Award-winning masterpiece, give yourself four to eight weeks to create a video. For a short-form digital video (under 60 seconds), allow for at least a week. Even those social media influencers seemingly pumping out endless videos are spending hours in pre-production planning and post-production editing to get you to hit the Like button.

A tip for staying ahead of video opportunities instead of reacting to them is jotting down ideas and plotting them on a calendar. Beyond storytelling, remember that videos also are great for:

News releases and announcements
Media relations and event coverage
Thought leadership and industry insights
Tutorials, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes/sneak peeks
Live streaming and Q&A sessions
Organizational collaborations

Think about what’s happening in your organization and the needs of your PR campaign and consider how video adds value. The right planning will help you create videos that make an impression. In the words of Vidyard’s CEO Michael Litt, “The play button is the most compelling call-to-action on the web.”