Lighting & Framing

Takeaways

- Your video must be bright enough.
- Use additional light sources.
- Choose your framing carefully.
- Don’t forget the “beauty shot” at the end.
 

Detailed Insights

When shooting a clipflip video, one of the most important considerations you need to make is your lighting. A video that is too dimly or too brightly lit never looks good and all your good content and information will be lost if viewers can’t see what you are doing.

For starters, it is important not to film anywhere too dark. If you are filming in a dimly lit room, or outside in a dark location, then you may need some extra lighting to brighten things up. Conversely, it is important not to make things too bright. When setting up your shot, make sure that the main source of light isn’t directly behind your subject and, when possible, try and create an even spread of light.

When filming a TV screen or a monitor for technology based videos, it is recommended that you turn off all the lights in your room, as this will help the images on your screen stand out more. Also, make sure you keep your camera steady otherwise the images will look blurry.

Those wishing to shoot outdoors will be glad to learn that most smartphones are calibrated to capture footage outdoors, so lighting generally won’t be an issue when filming in daylight. However, it is still important to make sure that the sun isn’t anywhere in frame or directly behind your subject as this will make things far too bright.

Another important aspect of making a good how-to video is the “beauty shot” at the end. This is where you show the finished product looking as good as possible. Pay close attention to your lighting, make sure the set is clean and that the subject is framed perfectly in the center of the shot. It helps to understand that the point of the beauty shot is not only to clearly show the finished product, but also to make people want to do it.