April 9, 2013

ONE BILLION REASONS TO CREATE YOUR OWN VIDEOS

YouTube's growth (click for full size)YouTube started in February 2005 (exactly two years before this blog) and already has one billion unique viewers each month. That’s 1,000,000,000.

Where are your videos?

There are lots of reasons to create video. Let's assume you agree. You don’t need to hire anyone. You can create your own.

Better Than Professional

You won't get the same look as a professional. You probably won’t use fancy green screens or specialized lighting. Instead, you’ll be authentic. That’s valuable and costs less.

A key reason to shoot your own video is the sheer flexibility. You don't need to worry about scheduling. You can do take after take. You can shoot more video and more often. You’ll get better with practice.

Equipment

To get started, you need a video camera, a tripod, video editing software, a computer, and an external hard drive. You may need lighting. For now, let's assume you use natural lighting.

The camera can be relatively basic. These days you can even shoot good video with a smartphone. You'll have trouble mounting one on a tripod though. Consider a “basic” video camera. You can upgrade later if you want.

You might even start with the webcam in your computer or tablet.

Stage fright

Appearing on camera is daunting. Practice helps. Try using your smartphone with a free app like Viddy which lets you record and post 15 second clips. Maybe you can get someone else do the recording for you. Here are my examples.

You need not appear at all. You can add a voiceover to a presentation from within PowerPoint (Microsoft explains how). A high quality external microphone USB is a worthwhile investment since audio quality is very important.

Video audiences keep growing, thanks to mobile devices. You’re losing opportunities if they can't find you.

Links

PS There may be times to hire a professional. By practicing, you save time (and money) when using their services.

No comments:

Post a Comment