Practice makes perfect
"The most important thing is practice, practice, practice," says Ann Marie Doohan, television producer with Independent Pictures, Dublin. "Practice using the camera. Practice your lines. Practice your presentation style. Like any instrument, it takes practice to make maximum use of your camera."
This means taking some time to go through the manual to learn about your camera's different functions, from white balance (which affects the colouring of your final shots) to autofocus. Practice is the most effective way to train your eye to distinguish a good shot from a bad one.
Family and colleagues can help as you prepare, says Doohan: "Get familiar with the camera by practicing on your family and colleagues. That's the best way people with little video production experience can gain the confidence they need to create compelling content."
Shoot and score
To create professional-looking video content, shoot the scene from different angles, even if this means stepping through a product demonstration three or four times. "People get bored watching static images, so you need to keep the camera moving. By varying the angle you're varying your shot and keeping the audience interested," advises Doohan.
Shoot product demonstrations from at least two angles, as this will give you more footage to use in the final edit. Start with a wide-angle shot that allows the viewer to see everything and place your presenter in the centre of the shot as he or she demonstrates your product or service.
Next, run through the same demonstration using close-up shots that give the viewer a chance to see what you're demonstrating in more detail. While two angles will probably suffice for a short video, as a general rule, the more angles you can include in the final editing mix, the better.
Presentation skills
Prepare a basic script and practice it, but be prepared to make changes before the final cut. "Practice your script with members of your family and colleagues. Most importantly, be able to take criticism regarding anything that's wrong with the script and how you can improve it. It could be the wording or your mannerisms," says Doohan.
Keep the script as short and as tight as possible as this simplifies the editing process. Aim for a script that is punchy and lively, and avoid longwinded passages. If possible and appropriate, a comic element should be considered, as it will keep your audience interested, says Doohan.
Avoid too much hand movement and make sure to hold eye contact with the camera lens as you speak. "Remember that the lens is your audience," says Doohan.
Look back at your initial takes yourself and consider them from your audience's point of view. Would this video make you buy the product or service? If possible, show your early edits to colleagues and get their perspective and what works and what doesn't.
Lighting up
Rule number one here is don't shoot into the light as it will result in blurred and overexposed images and reduce picture quality.
If you're shooting outdoors, use a reflector, which will balance your light so that your object is fully and evenly lit and clearly visible. Large sheets of tin foil will reflect the sun well onto dark areas of the shot, ensuring even light quality on difficult outdoor shoots.
If you're shooting indoors, play around with a number of desk lamps to ensure that your subject is lit from every angle. Good lighting both highlights the object being filmed and balances the light in the image.
Sound ideas
One of the simplest ways to ensure basic, internet-quality sound recording is to look for a camera with an on-board microphone when you're buying. "These days, the in-built microphones in ordinary consumer cameras are quite good and should be sufficient for internet-quality broadcasting," says Doohan.
If you need something a little more professional, or the camera is some distance from the object being recorded, or there is too much interference from outside sounds, it might be a good idea hire a clip microphone from an audio visual specialist hire centre.
"But most companies should be able to find a room where it is completely quiet and the atmosphere can be controlled. In these cases, the on-board microphone should work well. As with the other elements of the recording process, trial and error is involved," explains Doohan.
Finally, know your strengths. As a small business owner, you can probably talk for hours about your company's products and services, but no one expects you to be able to produce great video content without some practice. So, if you're not getting to grips with the camera or the recording process, get someone in to help.
"Don't be afraid to get someone in - it could be a family member or a work colleague - that's more comfortable using the camera. This will allow you to concentrate on delivering your script," says Doohan.