4 Ways to Make High-Quality Videos While Social Distancing
You’re a company that is determined to stay afloat during this pandemic - but you feel like your customers haven’t heard from you in a while. As a small business or association, you need rich media content to keep your customers/members/audience engaged - but how do you do that when everyone is working from home and your video production company has shut down production?
It’s a crazy irony - screen time is at an all-time high and your audience’s appetite for new video content is skyrocketing, while production has simultaneously halted as social distancing guidelines constrict video-making nationwide!
This is why we have come up with four ways you can still make high-quality video, while in quarantine, to continue gaining more customers.
1. Raid the Archive! Repurpose Existing Content with Creative Post-Production Editing
We all want to be back on set shooting new content. However, the pandemic has forced us to get creative and salvage existing content to produce new content.
Odds are, you’re sitting on a mountain of stills, presentations and footage that is pure gold! Now is a better time than ever to dig through old content and repurpose it for your existing social media channels. At PMG we can take those existing assets and create an all-new program to keep your audience engaged!
You can also DIY if you want! A blog post on WordStream.com outlines their top ten video editing softwares for beginners. We are big Adobe and Final Cut users, but if you are just getting started with video editing, and don't need anything super fancy, here are three FREE softwares that we suggest you get started with today.
We may not all be fortunate enough to have extra footage lying around, at least nothing useful anyway. Luckily we have a few more tricks up our sleeves for you.
2. Get Animated!
The use of animation in videos isn’t just for Spongebob and Adult Swim. Savvy businesses are using animated videos to relay essential information without breaking social distancing protocols.
We at PMG love to create impactful animated explainer videos with several different styles - from traditional hand-drawn cell animation, to infographics, to full-blown 3D-rendered visualizations. Check out our gallery page for animated programs we have done for Amgen and USDA among others.
Animation gives businesses the option to make their video exactly how they imagine it. With animation software, you are not constricted by the content you previously shot; the creative possibilities are endless. This can very well be your most cost effective option because it doesn’t require any equipment or a production team, yet you are still able to deliver a clear message to your audience.
Now we understand that you might want to try your hand at this yourself - the DIY way. Thankfully, an article on SmallBizTrends.com gives a list of their top ten tools for making animated videos. These tools will help your vision come to life on screen.
We recommend Powtoon.com for your quick and easy animation needs. It offers both free and paid versions, with creative templates and an intuitive interface. The days of hiring an animator are over as sites like this allow anyone to create professional explainer videos, animated infographics and more.
Animation gives businesses an option to make their video exactly how they imagine it. The creative possibilities are endless when utilizing animation for your videos.
3. Get Airborne with Drone Footage!
Drone use is becoming more and more popular in mainstream media as more cost-effective models become increasingly accessible to the average consumer. A drone with a high quality camera attached can provide a new dimension in creative direction, with shots that can reach just about anywhere. Better yet, they allow one-person teams to get amazing footage while remaining socially distanced.
Drones open an entire new realm of video production that we haven’t been able to reach until recently. Don’t believe us? A blog by True Film Production runs through the numerous benefits that drone videography can provide a production company. We use our drones mainly to scout locations without having to leave our office or even our houses when working remotely; now how’s that for social distancing?
Picking the right drone can be stressful and confusing. Thankfully, an article on T3.com gives a comprehensive list of their favorite camera-capable drones, with products from DJI owning the top three spots.
Most of our drone work is done on our DJI Mavic Mini. But if you’re new to drones, here are three cheap, beginner-friendly drones we highly recommend.
Want to see them in action? Head on over to our Instagram page and check out our recent drone video.
4. Get Back on Set Safely: Socially-Distanced Video Shoots
We understand that some projects simply can’t wait until after the pandemic, many businesses simply have no other option. We’ve got you covered there too.
In hopes of helping businesses adapt to the situation at hand, we at Puritano Media are now moving forward with socially distanced production, where businesses have the ability to shoot corporate videos while cooperating with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines.
In fact, we have already successfully shot for a variety of new clients since the pandemic. We keep our crew small and come well-equipped with masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes for surfaces. Our protocol calls for frequent sanitization of the set and a thorough screening of ourselves and our clients with contact-free thermometers before shooting at each location.
Here's a photo from one of our recent COVID-friendly shoots for our friends at Washington Building Congress.
Conclusion
Social distancing restrictions may leave videographers like us feeling pretty helpless when it comes to making new content. With these four pro tips, you can continue making high-quality videos without putting yourself or others at risk.
We hope you enjoy using these tips for your business or personal life. Have you used any of these strategies? Better yet, have you thought of your own creative strategies? Let us know in the comment section below!
For a quality video, you need to be able to edit the video. Personally, I learned with Imovie for windows. A few days of video editing and I started making great videos that I could put on youtube. I advise you to try this program.