As any videographer knows, creating a well-crafted video is not easy. There’s a lot involved, such as planning a production schedule, writing a script, choosing your actors, and making good use of your equipment.

Even once you’re prepared to film your video, you’ll still need to rely on your actors or participants to convey your message to your audience. That’s not always easy, especially if your participants aren’t professional actors and don’t have professional training.

With all that in mind, we’ve prepared some tips to help you develop your next video project. Here’s what to know as you prepare to take your written script to the screen.

Figure Out Your Objectives for the Video

Your objectives will differ depending on the purpose of any particular video. For instance, filming a video introducing a new product will likely focus on the item itself. You may also hire actors to show the product in use or better explain the item to your audience.

You can also create long-form educational videos to instruct the audience on a particular topic. In educational video production, it’s critical to ensure that your actors carefully follow a script. If they don’t, they’ll risk losing the audience’s attention.

Once you fully grasp your video’s goals, you’ll better understand the elements essential to the film, including the actors, props, location, script, and video equipment.

Write Your Script

Chances are, you won’t simply grab a camera and start filming. Instead, you’ll need to create a content brief that identifies the main ideas of the video. After that, you’ll need to create a script that details the critical points you will film, using the brief as guidance.

A script tells your actors what to say during the video. It can also provide cues, such as moving from one place to another while filming or highlighting an emotion the speaker needs to convey to the audience. However, these subtleties are often left to the discretion of the director.

In most cases, you’ll want your actors to memorize your script and rehearse their lines before you begin filming. With practice, the actors will put themselves into the character’s shoes, and the scenes will appear natural.

However, not all videos require complete script memorization. If you’re filming someone speaking directly to the screen, they may not need to memorize their lines thoroughly. Instead, the actor can read the words from a teleprompter, reducing your production time.

Set the Stage

Location is a critical element of most videos. The setting of your project provides vital context for helping your viewers understand the message of your video. For instance, if you’re seeking to show off the performance of an off-road ATV, you’ll want to film the video in an outdoor location that allows you to demonstrate the features of the rugged vehicle.

On the other hand, if you’re creating a video intended to educate an audience, you might want to film it in a studio, perhaps on a set designed to look like a classroom. The bottom line is that the location will set the tone for the video and prepare your audience appropriately.

Film Your Video

Once you have everything ready to start the filming process, shoot your video. Make sure you take your time and get a shot down before moving on to the next one. This will often require multiple takes, so don’t worry if it takes a while to find the right one. Just don’t obsess over perfection — otherwise, you’ll be on set all day and won’t accomplish much.

You’ll also want to ensure you have the right equipment to film your video, including lighting, microphones, and a camera (in that order). Great lighting and audio can disguise a cheaper camera, but a $10,000 camera won’t compensate for bad lighting or low quality microphones. In fact, if you have decent lighting and a good external mic, you can shoot a high-quality video on nothing more than a modern smartphone.

Edit Your Video

Once you have all the footage you need for your video, it’s time to edit. Use professional video editing software to assemble your entire video and eliminate unnecessary parts. You can take this time to refine the audio and visuals of your video and ensure a seamless viewer experience.

Creating Professional Videos Isn’t Easy

You might think creating a video is easy, but a professional video requires lots of effort and planning. Make sure you fully understand your objectives and prepare appropriately before starting the filming process.