Videos can grab someone’s attention in a way that other forms of media often fail to achieve. The right colors, sounds, graphics, or cadence can draw someone in and help you deliver an important message. This can be an elevator pitch for your product or service, an announcement about an event or a change, educational information on something like benefits plans, or a wide variety of other critical information an audience might overlook via text, still images, audio, or other forms of communication.
Where do you begin to design a video? Once you know what you’re trying to say, you’ve got to write a script. You don’t have a lot of time, so it has to be concise and engaging, especially in the first 15 seconds. Stick to the most significant and relevant points, details can be explored in text, in follow-up videos, on calls, etc. Right now your job is to leave the audience with the impression that you have something they want to see, know, or do.
So now you’ve got a script. Starting to feel accomplished. What’s next? The visuals. What are you going to show? Will this video consist of animation, live video, slides, a combination of these, or something else? There are many different visual styles to choose from, and limitless creative opportunities therein. Animation can take so many different forms, from serious to playful, calm or intense. You can record your own live action footage or obtain stock footage. Or both! The trick here is to find a style that compliments the tone of your message and will resonate with your target audience.
Narration is often an important tool for video to convey information effectively. Finding a voice actor with the right cadence, timbre, and enunciation will elevate your production. Finally, you’ve got to put it all together. Which parts of the script go with which parts of the video? What’s the timing? What’s the call to action? Is the length of the video appropriate to the audience?
Video production can be challenging and complex, but also impactful – even fun!