The demand for sharp and creative video content is steadily rising, with consumers ranging from individuals to global enterprises. This is why video production skills continue to be marketable and can be turned into a profitable business.
In the consumer market, videos are needed for several things, from wedding photographer packages to life event coverage. In the business sector, a skilled video producer can land advertising and corporate video projects. Whatever niche you want to focus on, there’s no denying that having advanced skills and tools will give you an edge over your competitors, which could be a lot in a highly saturated market.
Without further ado, here are the skills and qualifications you’ll need to learn to up your video production game:
1. Storytelling
Videos, whether they’re for a marketing strategy or a wedding, should have a powerful narrative. A video is more memorable and effective if it can elicit emotions, pique people’s interest, or meet a specific purpose. If you’re creating a corporate video, the way you tell the brand’s story is what will make it stand out. If it’s a product video, you should capture how it will benefit people’s lives. This is especially true in a world where video content creators hold as much power as celebrities with their story-driven videos that resonate with people.
2. Invest in high-quality gear
While it’s true that talent is more important than tools, delivering crisp footage and audio with special effects will give you a much-needed edge in the era of 4K videos. But it doesn’t mean you should get the ones with the best specs and hefty price tags. Save up on the basics, like a video camera, lenses, lavalier microphones for interviews and directional microphones for room and dialogue shots, tripods and lighting gear, battery packs and chargers, memory cards, durable gear bags, and your go-to editing software. If you don’t have the budget yet and are just starting, you can rent professional equipment for decent rates.
3. Master shot perspectives
There are three types of shots in video. These include wide, medium, and tight. These different perspectives allow you to craft the tone and atmosphere of the video, and each perspective can evoke different meanings and emotions. On top of visual perspective, you should also identify the tonal points of view and learn which ones to use for each project. Much like in storytelling, video can be done from the first-person, first-person peripheral second-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient points of view. While these perspectives are mostly used in filmmaking, you can incorporate them into your professional videography projects to make your outputs stand out.
4. Watch out for the audio
Audio is the Achilles heel of many videographers, much like leg day for fitness buffs. The problem is that from a viewer’s point of view, a high-quality video with buttery resolution would be useless if the audio is amateurish. So while you’re sharpening up your videography and video editing skills, pay attention to audio, as well. Invest in gear that lets you record sharp, crystal clear audio and improve your proficiency in capturing audio so you won’t need to spend too much time in post-production. A pro tip is to make sure you’re geared up for audio and check for sound quality as you go. This way, you won’t have to rely on mixers and laborious editing after the shoot.
5. Develop sharp editing skills
Most freelance videographers edit their own videos. If you’re just starting, adding editing skills to your repertoire will help you land good projects and expand your portfolio faster. To be a good video editor, you’ll need to learn additional skills, like adaptability, attention to detail, and problem-solving. Editors have a keen eye for knowing what works and what doesn’t, which is why all videos must go through several rounds of polishing. As the person who also took the videos, it might be hard to let go and step away, but this is necessary.
This is where the tip “kill your darlings” would be useful. On top of these skills, you must also familiarize yourself with the latest video editing software. Using free tools would not suffice for professional projects, so be ready to pay a few hundred bucks for a cutting-edge platform.
Video content will always be in demand as more and more consumers prefer video over any other type of content. Video is powerful, attention-grabbing, shareable, and likely to get viral, making video production and editing highly profitable.
