When it comes to amateur videos, there are several ways you can give your production a more professional look. These include some clever editing tricks, use of various camera angles, use of filters and even some audio tips!
Whether you’re making an advertisement, a short film, a video promoting a concept or anything else, we’ve got everything you need to know about professional standard video editing right here.
- Clever editing
Editing is probably the most important part of any video production – whatever way you choose to stitch your video together will define how your footage comes across. It goes without saying that, no matter what kind of video you’re making, you should put everything together in a way that makes narrative sense, although if you’re creating a longer narrative and you’re trying to be arty you could go back and forth.
You should also be careful with the editing software you use, as some will have more flexibility and advanced options than others. Some of the most common editing tools include iMovie, Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. Depending on your budget (and what your computer can handle), look over what each of your options can do and be sure to choose the one that suits your needs best.
Some other, smaller pieces of advice when it comes to editing are:
- Speeding up video can create intensity, but unless you’re going for the humour slowing it down will most likely end up looking cheesy.
- Including small flashes of clips can also have the same intense effect if used in the right context, but again this is one you should be careful with
- Adding text can also work really well as a way of giving your audience extra information – look over your font choices carefully and make sure you choose lettering that’s appropriate for what you’re making.
Like a lot of other stuff on this list, this of course all depends on what you’re trying to create, what budget you have and what your target audience is, so be sure to analyse your choices based on all those factors
- Use of differing camera angles
This one goes perfectly alongside the previous editing tips. When you’re filming, why not use a variety of camera angles to make your footage appear more dynamic?
If you didn’t already know, some of the most common camera angles and shot types are:
- Establishing shot – This is one that does exactly what it says on the tin (or in the title). It’s used as the first shot of a video, its often set up as a wide shot and it establishes the location of the scene.
- Wide shot – This shot is primarily used to show location, establishing a wider setting.
- Panning shots – Panning shots are shots where the camera moves from side to side. They can be great for showing a wider angle and giving a deeper perspective of your location or storyline.
- Tilt shots – These are similar to panning shots, but with an up and down movement instead of side to side. Like panning shots, they can be great for getting a wider point of view and they also work well for establishing a sense of power in situations where one object or character is more powerful than another.
- Zoom – One of the best-known camera angles, the zoom can be used for either dramatic or comedic purposes. Either way, it’s a bit of a drastic shot, so be careful you don’t overuse it.
- Dolly zoom – This is similar to a regular zoom, but with the camera mounted on a track moving towards the subject, meaning the environment around the subject also moves. It has a similar effect to a regular zoom, but with a greater sense of intimacy due to the aforementioned changing environment giving the sense that the audience is walking towards the subject.
- Filters
Another way you can make your video look more professional is with the right filters. Most editing software systems will give you a wide range of options, so be sure to go through everything available. You could even take screenshots of your original footage, alongside all of the filtered versions you’re considering, so you can see what will work best for you.
But be careful with this one, as some of the more extreme filters can come across as cheesy, making your video look cheap and amateurish.
- Audio
There are many ways you can use audio to give your video a more professional vibe.
One of the first is music – the music you use will largely depend on what kind of video you’re making, but some kind of background audio will be needed in nearly every scenario. Again, it’s simply a case of going through your options and seeing what suits you best.
A neat trick you can use to make your audio sound more professional is to overlap it slightly. Starting the audio of your next shot at the end of your previous one creates a connection between the two, which gives a more “put together” vibe overall.
Depending on your budget, it may also be a good idea to invest in high quality equipment and microphones, to make sure you have more professional sounding audio. And if you don’t have the money for that, it’s at least a good idea to edit the audio you do have, maybe in something like for example Garage Band if you’re using a mac, to give it a “cleaner” sound and edit out any mistakes.
Speaking of Garage Band and similar software, if you don’t like the stock music options on your editing software, why not create a new score yourself? In addition to giving you more control over your video, it has the additional benefit of making your video seem more original and therefore more professional.
Overall, there are a multitude of ways you can get your amateur video to a more professional level, including uses of audio, filtering, editing and camera angles. If you need more, Video Production Bristol can also help.
