T60 Productions

DIY Video Guide

By: Tony Gnau

Welcome

Before You Begin

It’s a tough spot to be in. You know you need a video, but man… does video production cost a lot! That’s
when you ask THE question.

Maybe we could just DIY the video?

I can assure you that’s a question being asked at marketing agencies and in marketing departments all
over the county… everyday.

Entrepreneurs? Yeah, this is a big issue.

Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer; however, I’d like to give you some guidance. Maybe make the
decision a little easier on you.

Now, full disclosure, I’m the founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions, a Milwaukee video
production company. We specialize in marketing videos, so you might assume I’ll just say hire a pro.

Not so fast!

I actually think DIY marketing videos have their place, so let’s go over some of the criteria.

Organization Size
Are you a small business or organization? No fancy coffee machine. Sarah is the only one with a decent
desk chair. No marketing budget to speak of.

If this fits the description of your company, feel free to DIY your video.

The reason is simple… you probably can’t afford to hire a pro to produce it for you.

Kitschy Company
Is your company culture a bit kitschy? Ping pong table in the office. Everyone wears t-shirts and flip-
flops. Most importantly… your customers know this about your business.

You’re probably a candidate to DIY your marketing videos.

Producing a video yourself will likely only lend to your kitschy reputation. The amateur nature of the video
will be seen as fun and endearing.

Social Posts
If you’re just producing short videos for social channels like Instagram or doing a Facebook Live, it’s
totally fine to DIY those.

Your audience in both cases aren’t

expecting a big production. You can get
away with mistakes.

As a matter of fact, many viewers will

appreciate the raw, authentic-looking
production.

Now, there are plenty of social videos

the]at deserve a more polished
production, but something 30-seconds
or less, or again a live video, are in the
DIY marketing video wheelhouse.

Audience Demands It
There are some situations that call for less polish. If your audience responds to super-authentic content,
DIY might not be a bad way to go. The amateur look could actually benefit you.

Social Restrictions
I’m thinking the 2020 coronavirus pandemic here. If there’s a circumstance where hiring a pro just isn’t
possible, by all means… DIY!

Everyone Else…
Now, if you don’t fall into these categories, you should seriously consider hiring a pro.

An About Us video for your website… hire a pro.

A product or service video you’re planning for a landing page… hire a pro.

A testimonial you’re planning to use to close a sale… hire a pro.

There are some good reasons for this.

Better and Faster

The first reason is a video pro will produce a better video than you and probably do it in less time.

Video pros have dedicated their working lives to mastering their craft just like you have with whatever you
do for a living.

Your Reputation
Maybe most important… your reputation is on the line.

I once had a CMO at a billion-dollar corporation ask me, “How can I sell my CEO on this when I know
she’s going to ask, ‘Can’t we just shoot this on one of our iPhones?’”

I picked up one of her business cards off her desk and said, “Wow, this is a really nice business card. I’m
sure you just went down to Office Depot and bought the DIY Avery business cards, right?”

If you have an established business with a good reputation, why would you produce a sub-par DIY video
for all your potential customers to see?

A bad marketing video makes the whole company look bad.

Don’t DIY a video and risk tarnishing the reputation you worked so hard to build.

If You’re Going to DIY…

Okay, you’re going to DIY your video. The last thing I want you doing is flying blind.

Let’s give you some practical advice. Some tidbits that will improve your project.

Let the Robots Do It

Maybe the best and least time consuming piece of advice is to find an AI business that can do it for you.

There are some online options available to you to make it simple. Lumen5 is one, Raw Shorts is another.

You upload some photos or video, add text, and let the algorithm do the rest.

Let’s Do This

Okay… now that we have that out of the way and you’re ready to produce your own videos, let’s get to it.

We’ll start with equipment you’ll need.

Potential Cameras Potential Audio Gear Lighting Options

• Smart phone
• On-camera microphone
• Windows

• DSLR/Mirrorless Camera
• Lavalier microphone
• Overhead room lights

• Traditional video camera

• Wireless microphone
• Standard room lamp

• GoPro
• Stick/Shotgun microphone
• Light kits
★ Get a tripod for whatever • Digital audio recorder
camera you choose

The Camera
If you’re going to shoot it yourself, the camera is the least of your worries. The one in your pocket is fine.
Yes, you can use your smart phone.

If you’re just doing a talk-to-camera type of thing… your tablet or computer are fine as well. Although, not
all computers come with an HD webcam. If this is you, it’s worth a small investment to get one.

Honestly, just about anything you choose is going to be pretty darn good. If you’re an unexperienced
videographer, there’s nothing wrong with leaving all the settings on AUTO and letting the camera do the
technical thinking for you.

Audio
The best way to recognize an amateur video from a pro video doesn’t have anything to do with how the
video looks. It’s all about how the video sounds.

Bad audio can take a perfectly good video and spoil the whole thing.

Buy a microphone. You don’t have to invest a ton of money here, but every dollar you spend on audio is
an investment in your finished video seeming more professional.

Even a cheap $20 mic is better than the one built into your camera or phone.

Lighting
The second easiest way to spot an amateur video is the lighting. If you don’t have a separate video light
attached to your camera or on a stand, get creative.

If you’re lighting an interview subject, grab a lamp and put it as close to them as possible without seeing
it in the frame.

Specific Recommendations
Video gear changes at the speed of light. Since writing this sentence, I’m guessing a thousand new
cameras were just released.

Okay, maybe an exaggeration, but it’s tough to keep up with technology. I don’t want to list anything in
this guide because it could end up outdated pretty fast. However, if you’d like some specific
recommendations, we try to keep the following page at our website updated.

DYI Video Gear We Would Buy Today: https://www.t60productions.com/diy-video-gear/

Production Tips
Having the gear you’ll need is just one step, the next thing is knowing how to use it. And while I can’t
teach you everything in a short DIY guide, I can give you some practical tips to help improve your videos.

Tip: camera position

When setting up to shoot an interview of yourself
for a talk-to-camera video, make sure your camera
lens isn't too low. Many people who shoot video of
themselves flip open their laptop, adjust the tilt to
frame themselves, and then hit record.

The #1 thing you can do to improve the way you

look in your videos is to stop doing this!

Shooting from a low angle tends to be very unflattering unless it’s a highly stylized perspective.

You want the camera lens to be even with your

eyes or slightly higher. Think about how you take a
selfie!

Prop-up the laptop or camera on some books.

Lower your chair a bit. You will look so much
better.

Still not sure if you have the right angle? If you can see the crease where the wall meets the ceiling in your
shot, your camera is too low!

Tip: don't ignore audio

Use a clip-on lavalier microphones (aka lapel clip on mic) for interviews and someone talking to the
camera, but even getting a mini shotgun mic to attach to your camera will go a long way to improving
your audio.

Tip: lights, camera, action

Most people just use the existing light in the room. They
don’t think of the source location of the light in respect to
their camera.

Position your light source to be right behind the camera

lens and slightly above it. Think about all of those mobile
news cameras you see on TV. Their lights are right on top
of the camera pointing down at the people they’re
recording.

If you can’t manage that, put the light just to the left or
right of the camera… the closer to the lens the better.

Also, if your camera situation is mobile, set it up in front of a window. Natural light is AWESOME to light
people on-camera.

Simply stick them in a window. Not with their back to it, that will put them in silhouette. Make sure the
outside light is shining in their face.

A side note on lighting… maybe the worst scenario is when the room is
fairly dark and the light from a computer screen is illuminating the
person in front of the web camera. It will make you look… creepy.
Avoid that at all costs.

Tip: perfect posture

Pick the right chair for interviews or talk-to-camera videos.
Comfortable, fluffy chairs are no good. Chairs with high backs that can
be seen in the shot are no good.

Look for the most uncomfortable chair in the room (a metal folding
chair is great!) and use that.

Why? It forces you to sit with good posture. Sit-up, smile, and be the
star that you are!

Tip: how-to frame your shots

Framing every shot the same way is another rookie mistake. Videography is an art form. It takes a keen
eye and lots of practice to master it. However, there are certain things you can do as an amateur to shoot
better video.

The easiest one is to simply think about how you’re framing your shots. If they’re all a medium shot with
your subject in the middle of the frame… you’re doing it wrong.

Think wide, medium, tight.

Let’s say you’re shooting video of someone working

on a computer. First, shoot a wide shot of them
where you see them with the whole room around
them.

Next, get a shot of them that only shows them and

the desk.

Finally, get a couple of tight shots... like their hands typing on the keyboard and their face as they look at
the monitor.

Getting this series of shots will help BIG TIME when you go to edit.

Also, don’t be afraid to arrange the subject on different sides of the screen. Think of your viewfinder in
terms of thirds... left, middle, right. Shooting your subject on either side, as opposed to the center, often
creates more appealing shots.

This is an especially good tip for framing interviews, whether the subject is talking directly to the camera,
or off-camera in more of an interview style. Make sure they're not right in the middle of the frame. Slightly
off-set them from the center.

And one last thing... especially when it comes to interviews... are you leaving too much headroom?

Many amateurs leave way too much space between the top of the frame and the top of a person's head.

 Too much headroom!

Center of the frame.

You want a little space there, but just a little.

Tip: keep your camera steady

I’ll put it this way… your tripod is your friend.

Pros who shoot a lot of handheld video (myself included), do so with purpose. It’s a stylized look that is
the result of years of practice. It’s a far cry from the amateur who is trying to hold the camera steady and
failing.

Don’t have a tripod? Get one. Same rule as buying the microphone I mentioned above. It doesn't have to
be expensive, just something that will keep your camera steady.

Master shooting off a tripod first, then you can learn to shoot handheld video.

Tip: know your video format

If you are shooting video using your mobile phone, turn the phone on its side so your aspect ratio is
horizontal, not vertical. Do not contribute to vertical video syndrome!

2019 research shows using vertical video

might be better for social media videos, but
I would only do this if the video is solely
intended for social. Vertical video is actually
preferred by some social platforms like
Snapchat.

However, if you're producing a video you would like to use on multiple platforms... on your website,
social, e-mail, at events, in a sales presentation... I would stick with horizontal video.

While vertical video looks fine to someone watching on a phone, on every other platform it looks totally
out of place.

Help!
Okay… we hope you’re excited about producing videos, but if you ever feel like you want to kick it up a
notch and hire a pro, feel free to get in touch. We serve customers all over North America, and we’re
super up-front about our pricing. Check out the following page to see how much we charge:

https://www.t60productions.com/which-video-storytelling-style-is-right-for-you/

About the Author

Tony Gnau is the Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer at T60 Productions. He’s a three-time Emmy
Award-winning journalist and has led T60 Productions to winning 17 Telly Awards for its corporate videos.

He has created videos for the likes of United Airlines, Walgreen’s, US Bank,
Goose Island Beer Company, CommonSpirit Health, as well as NBA All-
Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh just to name a few.

Tony has written over 700 blog posts on video marketing, publishing for the
T60 blog as well as other sites related to PR and marketing (Spin Sucks,
Ragan, Eventbrite, Milwaukee BizTimes). 

He also speaks on the subject to communications professionals at

conferences such as Content Marketing World, the Midwest Digital
Marketing Conference, and Content Jam.

Finally, Tony is a former college football player, Star Wars geek, and a devoted husband and father.