Lighting, background, angling, and framing are the four essential components you should consider before you hit the record button. 

Putting time and thought into the physical setup of your video will be reflected in the quality of how you record your footage. Small things, such as forgetting to tidy up your background, can stand out strongly to viewers. This will affect how professional your video comes across.

Lighting

Daylight is the best natural light you can use to record a video. To capture the best soft video lighting, try to shoot in the morning or late afternoon. For more consistent lighting at any time of day, you may want to invest in ring lights. 

Remember that the position of your lighting has an effect on video quality. There are certain types of lighting to avoid, for example overhead lighting due to the shadows it creates on your face. Backlight lighting is also something to avoid! This is when light hits you from behind, such as when you stand in front of a window, and also obscures your features and lowers the clarity of your footage. 

Background

Check your background for any distractions that might cause the viewer to lose focus. Common examples of this are: askew pictures, dead flowers, and food or drink sitting out. Make your background tidy and presentable, so that your audience’s attention remains on you.

The background itself should be uncluttered and minimalistic. Swap busy backgrounds, such as bright and richly patterned wallpaper, for a simpler space with plain walls.  

Angles and layout

If you are filming on a phone, think about where you intend to upload your video. This will help you position your phone at the right angle. For example, most major video-sharing platforms favor landscape mode rather than portrait. However, portrait recordings are more compatible with some social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Remember to choose the layout that best fits the destination of your video.

You should also consider how close the camera is to your face. As a rule, avoid any severe close-up angles. However, a camera angle focused on your face will increase how close your audience feels to you when they watch your content. 

When you set up to record on your phone or camera, make sure the lens is not angled upwards or downwards on your face. Keep your camera as close to eye-level as possible. The camera should be fully stable and supported, to avoid shaky footage.

Framing

The physical positioning of objects in a video has a great effect on what grabs your audience’s attention. Make sure that all of your face and the top of your head are in the frame.

When creating a video, remember the rule of thirds. This is a way of thinking about your video as being split into a grid, with two horizontal and two vertical lines.

Naturally, the human eye is drawn to these lines and the points where they intersect, rather than the space in the grid’s squares. So, the most important elements of your videos should align with these lines and intersection points. 

You should have your camera positioned so that your eyes, the focal point of your shot, are in the most attention-grabbing part of the grid. This would be along the highest horizontal line, at a point where it crosses a vertical line. Your viewer will then be naturally drawn to look at them as you speak.

Still have a few questions about adding video to your marketing strategy?

Schedule a Discovery Session to see how our talents can match your vision.