What’s the big deal? You just press the record button right?”
No…
I had someone tell that to me during a production, and a bunch of
people believe that, until they try making a video… Luckily you are
smarter than that! But could still benefit from knowing these 5 video
concepts to make your job 87.65% easier :)
Let’s get to it.
#1. Resolution
1080p, 4K, 6K, 8K?! What does it all mean!?
Video resolution is the size (in pixels) of your video. Even though 4K
is gaining popularity, the commercial video standard is still 1080p.
Remember resolution refers to the size of the video, not necessarily
the quality. You can have a 1080p clip filmed with a cinema
camera look better than 5K GoPro footage.
This is because many factor’s affect a digital image including
dynamic range, color science, bit depth, compression and much
more.
But what does this mean for the marketing professional?
It means that you shouldn’t be sold on a videographers that
promises resolution alone. Look at their sample footage or demo
reel and decide if you like their look and deem it acceptable.
It’s much better to film with a cinema 1080p camera than with an
8K smart phone.
Remember that higher resolutions also take up more space. If you
read our “7 COSTLY Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring A
Videographer” you know that you should request source footage.
I record mostly record 4K at 30fps using two cameras and on a 4-6
hour shoot can equal to over 215GB of footage. If I had filmed in
8K it would have nearly 1TB!
On the other hand, had I recorded everything in 1080p, it would
have barely been over 100GB (not accounting for
compression, frame rate, and other factors).
In light of this, I recommend 4K. It gives the flexibility in post to
reframe and zoom in (assuming you are delivering in 1080p)
and are not the insane file sizes that 6K video and beyond has.
Filming in 4K is also a great way to future proof your footage, and it
always allows you to export it in both 1080p and 4K!
Filming in 1080p alone really limits you in regards to reframing, and
will look outdated when 4K becomes the video standard (which will
be soon). Check out this awesome video for another detailed
explanation on resolution!
#2. Aspect Ratio
Resolution is the amount of pixels in a video, aspect ratio is how
those pixels are distributed. Just like a 800sqf room can be
shaped in many sizes and still be 800sqf, different videos can all be
4K and have different shapes as well.
Why is it important to learn this? Because depending on the
platform you are posting your videos on, different aspect ratios will
be best. For example, if you are posting to YouTube or your
website, then the traditional 16:9 is what you want. Posting on
Instagram stories? The vertical 9:16 will allow you to take maximum
screen room in your viewer’s devices. On LinkedIn 1:1 square
ration works great as well. So make sure to know the optimal
aspect ratio for your delivery platform (see Instagram’s guide here).
#3. Storage
When a videographer delivers a video to you, it should be in the
form of an MP4 (or .MOV) video file; NOT a YouTube link. Why?
Because if they own the YouTube channel that means they can take
down the video whenever they want. To truly have ownership of the
video its essential to have the actual video file.
So can’t you just store these files in the same place and manner
on which you store all your other company documents?
Not exactly…
One of the interesting side effects of learning video is that you also
need to learn about computers, and specially STORAGE.
If don’t know already, video takes a TON of storage. There are
many factors that affect the size of the video, like resolution, frame
rate, compression, bit rate, etc. Since at a minimum you should
require your videos to be at least 1080p at 23.976fps, each hour
amounts to 2.23GB. If you are recording in 4K (and you should)
each hour is 8.31GB. One hour of video is NOTHING for a
company with an engaging video strategy. You will likely have
hundreds of hours (without even counting source footage, which you
should request).
Allied Steel Buildings, one of my video clients, has over 1.05TB
(1,005 GB) of content in less than 50 videos (including source
footage). While Vitality FL (a previous client) has over 4TB
(4,000 GB) in only 70 videos (also including source footage).
So where do you store all this?
Essentially, there are three places where you can store video files or
clips. The computer’s internal drive (which won’t work due to the
massive storage requirements), the cloud (which at about
$15/month per TB is a viable option) or an external hard drive.
The issue with cloud storage, is that depending on your internet
speed it will take a while for the footage to upload. Specially if it
does it while your work, which will slow down your computer
and your internet speed considerably. That leaves us with my
favorite, external drives.
I won’t get into the differences between HDD and SDDs, but having
1-5TB drive is a must for every marketer. Its essentially a USB drive
on steroids. It allows you store MASSIVE amounts of date in
portable, transferable (you can plug it into any computer)
convenient way while not taking any space in your computer’s
integral storage.
I would recommend anything by Western Digital, and they are very
affordable.
So this is the take away, buy an external drive!
#4. Source Files
Source footage are all the corresponding clips filmed during the
filming session, whether they where used or not in the final video.
For example:
You hire a professional to film a full day of interviews with two
4K cameras.
That videographer is likely recording that into his camera’s SD
cards, and when he/she is done they will have to upload it in their
computer for post-production (editing).
He or she will probably have two main folders: A Cam and B Cam.
Each with all the clips (every time between pressing of the record
button) saved inside. But not all those clips will be used in the final
interview. Many “ums, ahhs” or bad takes will obviously be
removed from the final video. But all these source files still need to
be stored incase you want to reformat or add new sections. You
should NEVER delete source footage. Just because you didn’t use it
in this video, doesn’t mean you won’t use it in the next.
Also, for editing purposes, you want your editor to have the original
source file from the cameras rather than editing a compressed final
video.
Source footage is like the Legos in building set. You might build what
you need with only a handful of pieces, but that doesn’t mean
you throw the rest away! You need to save them in case you want to
add, replace, or make something new altogether.