5 Video Design Tips

I shared these video design tips on Lily Bishop's Free Flick Friday. I want to make sure you get these too tips too in case you didn't catch my guest appearance there.

5 Easy Video Design Tips

These tips will make it easier to create a video whether it’s one of your recent vacation or a business video or a book trailer.

1. Be clear about your message.

Select your theme, premise, or message you want the video to put across. Write it down so you keep your focus on the message you’re trying to convey. For a book, this might be a logline or a couple of sentences that sum up what the book is about. For a vacation, this might be the scope of the vacation–start to finish or the 1 week spent at a resort.

2. Select the right art work to convey that message.

If you’re working with photographs, lay them out before you scan them. If art is in your computer, sketch a storyboard with squares to represent the art work and tag each rectangle, i.e., Bryan building sand castle or first kiss scene. Use a square for each photo you want to include so you can estimate the size of the video.

3. Be sure to match text--a caption--to each photo you use.

You can use text as captions, but you can also use a text block or a graphic image that is a sign you've made. You’ll see what I mean if you watch my videos.

4. Music sets the tone.

Hollywood has sound editors, and so do videos–you. Select the music you want playing in the background. If it’s a book trailer for a dark vampire romance, then you want moody, dramatic music. If it’s a romantic comedy, you want something lighthearted that invites the listener to smile. If it’s urban young adult, then you want something that makes one think of urban young adult, not a twangy country music soundtrack.

5. Time is crucially important.

In a video for commercial purposes, like a book trailer or a product showcase, short is not better, but best. Try to make your video between 30-60 seconds long. If the video is personal, then time isn’t really a problem. It can be as long as you want IF it’s entertaining and holds the audience’s attention.

Let me know if these tips help you. You can see examples at my YouTube channel my YouTube Channel: http://tinyurl.com/Joan-Reeves-Video.

Please LIKE my videos, share the links with your friends and fans, and subscribe to my channel. I’ll be publishing new videos every month, including writing instruction and humor pieces aimed at authors.

Takeaway Truth

We live in a visual culture. Video should be part of your skill set.