What do you need to do to become a fantastic video editor? What do you need to do to nail your next Instagram music video?
Of course, you need to pay close attention to every aspect and detail of your video—even the smallest ones—as editing a video demands a great deal of concentration and patience. After all, if you happen to overlook a minor detail during the editing process, the final product could contain obvious errors, or wind up looking unprofessional or rushed to your viewers.
What’s more, you’ll want to be imaginative when creating your video, and approach the entire project with enthusiasm to craft fresh, engaging content that will captivate the attention of your viewers. Plus, it should go without saying that you can create a fantastic video if you incorporate original, unique, and well-thought-out ideas.
But what about the technical components of your next project? How can you assemble a sleek, professional-looking video? Here’s a look at five important reminders to help you conquer your next piece of video content.
1. Utilize the Right Editing Skills and Tools
When it’s time to sit at your computer and piece together all of the footage you’ve collected during filming, having the right tech tools and editing skills can make all the difference. If you want the finished product to be outstanding, you must master the ins and outs of video editing.
Of course, it’s helpful to have a lightning-fast computer. While the brand doesn’t matter as much as the operating speed, the computer you choose needs to be up to the task of storing and editing large video files. You can purchase a faster storage device like a solid-state drive (SSD) to speed up file loading and exporting to make your editing process even more efficient. Additionally, if you plan to perform professional work (like editing videos) on your computer, your device should have at least 8GB of RAM to handle all of the incoming data. These tech solutions will streamline and simplify the editing process so you can focus on crafting a great video.
But what about the actual editing? How should you approach the process of putting the entire video together?
Videos are all about story. Therefore, edit the story. The most crucial aspect—which you must never overlook—is that you should edit your video to convey the story. Avoid cutting the footage into illogical, brief snippets that flit from one clip to another without any kind of allegiance to the story. Focus on the subject matter you were shooting, and edit the material so that the essential points of your story are clear. You can always refer to the storyboard you used during shooting, and it’s perfectly okay to modify and make adjustments as you go, but stay true to the original goal you had in mind when you set out to create your video.
Color correcting is one element you can use to emphasize a specific subject, highlight various emotions, and establish the mood of your scene—all important elements in storytelling. The majority of video editing applications today provide a wide range of color editing and fixing capabilities. Another crucial component of video editing is color grading. You can experiment with both color correcting and color grading to balance your video from shot to shot and establish the perfect look to tell your story exactly the way you envisioned it.
2. Hone Your Eye for Cinematography
What is cinematography? Technically speaking, it is the art and science of capturing light on an image sensor or camera, but it’s so much more than that.
Cinematography covers all the aspects of the camera's movement, the image on screen, as well as the lighting and angles used to establish each shot. In the world of film and television, the person in charge of managing the lighting, framing, and camera work is called a cinematographer.
Haskell Wexler, acclaimed American cinematographer once said:
“Professional cinema image-taking should integrate, serve, interest, and enhance the story. I judge cinematography not just for a story well told but for what the story is.”
In short? Like editing, cinematography is an extension of storytelling. It’s all about creating the world in which your story lives, and presenting that to your audience.
If you are unsure about your skills behind the camera, you can always enroll in cinematography classes to learn more about this art form. You'll be able to dive deeper and learn some helpful tips to use on your next videos. Cinematography will help you create eye-catching shots that pull your audiences in.
3. Balance the Sound with Great Audio Equipment
The caliber of the sound in your video is essential to the success of your next project. If you want your video to have a professional quality, you want to capture great audio during your shoot. When filming a take or recording audio for a voiceover, a high-quality microphone is key. Although some cameras include built-in microphones, you don't want to rely on them to replace external microphones for capturing good sound.
Poor sound quality will cause your work to appear amateur. Or worse? Without the proper audio recording, you’ll have to reshoot each shot, costing you valuable time and resources.
The most important consideration with sound is to set yourself up for success with the right tools. Consider using professional-quality lapel or lavalier mics. These are ideal for sit-down interviews because they are hands-free, inconspicuous, and will give you first-rate audio.
If you’re planning to use your smartphone to record your next video, it’s wise to invest in a microphone that plugs into your phone's port to enhance the overall sound quality and give your video professional polish.
4. Nurture Your Storytelling Skills
Consider this: Red Bull doesn't just sell energy drinks; they also sell the challenge; a rock star lifestyle, and an extreme, athletic mentality. Their approach to video marketing is all about telling a very specific story. The most important lesson in content marketing is that the focus should always be on the story you are telling.
Find the "why" behind what your organization does by looking beyond the fundamentals—then promote that. For example, if you sell solar panel software, your video message may emphasize preserving the environment and the fight against climate change. If you sell communications software, perhaps your latest video should tell a story about relationships and actual people to make your message come alive.
This works particularly well for material at the top of the sales funnel, where motivational phrases can draw in customers to your company. According to research, consumers process brand personalities the same way they sense personalities of individuals. Make sure you are aware of the associations you want people to make with your brand, and build this into your video storytelling.
5. Set the Tone with the Perfect Music Selections
Can you imagine your favorite film without the underscoring? Or the latest James Bond movie without its iconic song? Would Jaws get our pulse racing without the looming, simple combination of notes in the background?
Ridley Scott once said:
“Music is dialogue. People don’t think about it that way, but music is actually dialogue. And sometimes music is the final, finished, additional dialogue. Music can be one of the final characters in the film.”
Music is an indispensable component in visual storytelling and video media. It sets the tone for everything that’s happening on screen, and can help an audience know how to feel about what they are seeing. It might be motivating, suspenseful, heart-wrenching, or filled with joy; whatever the mood, music is an integral part of any successful video project.
MatchTune is the perfect solution for video content creators at every level. Not only does MatchTune use proprietary AI technology to match songs to each video clip from an extensive audio library automatically, it adapts this music to the length and scope of each clip, and expedites the entire process of pairing music with video. Finding, licensing, and matching music has never been easier.
Your next Instagram video isn’t complete without music. MatchTune simplifies the whole process for you. Ready to see how we can change the whole way you make videos? Give MatchTune a try today to see how MatchTune will forever impact your videos and add professional polish.
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