If you’re a first-timer shooting promotional video to place on YouTube or one of the many other online video sites, here’s a hard-learned video marketing tip:
When you hear a shotgun in the distance and you think, “The microphone will never pick THAT up,” … you are wrong.
My friend and her partner took the video cam way out of town into the woods recently. They shot 4 promotional videos for their small business. They were well-prepared with a checklist.
1. They were totally passionate about their candle-making business, and they were prepared to bring that passion to the screen.
2. This video would be HOT! They had rehearsed again and again at home, and they knew exactly which points to focus on.
3. They made sure the microphone was recording.
4. The checklist pointed out that the wind could ruin your sound, so they had waited for a breezeless day.
5. They knew a certain spot in the forest where they’d have enough light, but not too much.
6. They brought a tripod so the camera wouldn’t shake. They set it up several feet away, to film them both.
7. They shot a minute’s worth of video, then checked it out to make sure the sound and lighting were good.
It was perfect. They assumed that the quality would hold. So they began their production. Neither of them thought much about those 15 shotgun blasts off in the distance. No way the microphone would pick THAT up, right?
Wrong. The whole trip will have to be done over. What the video social marketing tip sheet didn’t tell them was that the further away the microphone is from the scene it’s filming, the more background noise it will pick up. At least they’ll get another chance to commune with nature.
If your video cam microphone is any good, it is sensitive to ALL sounds. In fact, it will actually hear stuff you can’t hear. And even if it’s not any good, you can pretty much figure it will hear anything you don’t want it to hear.
My friend has added 2 NEW tips to her promotional video checklist:
1. If you hear ANY sound in the background, just start over.
2. If you’ve travelled to a particular place to shoot your promotional video, always check the quality before you leave. You may save yourself a long trip back.
