Why Most Web Videos Stink

By: Richard Day Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Most videos I watch on video sharing sites are poorly done. They waste so much of my time. Here are some suggestions on how to improve your videos.

The videos all suffer from common problems:

* Bad sound
* Bad lighting
* No tripod
* Fuzzy, purpose

Let's take these in order.

Bad Sound:
The microphone on the camera picks up every sound in the room, echos and all. The sound will be a distant, boomy, hard to understand, and if the recording is at a convention, you can hardly make out the narrative. (I just watched one of those videos...pretty bad.)

This problem is easy to fix, but it may cost some money. The equipment necessary to make good web site videos isn't very expensive. Get a lavalier mic ($30 on eBay) or a shotgun mike ($250 - $350). I know, it is not easy to find an inexpensive video camera today that has an external mic jack, but that is what you need. They exist, of course, but you will have to really search carefully. Most video camera manufacturers have stopped putting external mic jacks on most of their cameras for cost reasons. You need to step up to a higher level camera where cost is not the main concern of the manufacturer. Here is an article I wrote about inexpensive equipment.

What can you do? If you do a search for "external mic jack video" you will see that Google will serve up several cameras for you to consider...use the quotes around the search phrase as shown here.

Bad lighting:
If you are going to make a video by room light, at least balance it out to make it look more realistic. If you go to the hardware store, you can purchase a work light for about $10. Don't shine it at your subject, bounce it off a wall or corner of a room. It will take up the color of the walls, so try to find a wall that is close to white. Also, do your video taping at night. You don't want sunlight coming in. You can correct your video for one color temperature, but not more than one.

Many problems are solved with throwing more light on the subject. The picture will be sharper. (Your video camera will be using a smaller aperature.) In addition, with more light, there will be less blur from movement as a result of the camera using a faster shutter speed.

No tripod:
If you are going to make a good video, use a tripod. If you cannot afford one, then, just place the camera on a sturdy chair, ladder, or whatever you have available. Never hand hold a camera - you can't hold it perfectly still...it just doesn't work very well.

Fuzzy purpose:
What are you trying to say? Get to the point. Most of the junk you see in today's amateur videos is superfluous. Here is a good rule of thumb. Keep your videos to three minutes or less if you plan to publish them on the various video sharing sites. If you have a long instructional video, cut it into several parts. YouTube has a limit of ten minutes anyway.

Start with the end in mind first. Grab their attention with the main point of your video. You must grab the watcher's attention immediately. They won't give you much time. Then, proceed to create interest by supplying details. Make sure they can follow your line of thinking. (Think it through first. Storyboard it if you must.) Next, deliver the summary. Tell you what you told them.

What do you think? Are you happy with the videos you watch? Do you have suggestions for improvement? Which do you prefer -- watching videos, or reading articles?

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Rich Day at TrafficBumper.com has many tips to help you make interesting, effective videos. With over twenty years in the photography business, he has down to earth suggestions to help you promote your site properly with video. Visit TrafficBumper.com Tell us what you think