Top 10 Tips For A Good Video

Ok. Here we go:

1. Start with a good leader. Make your video stand out by identifying itself; your YouTube nickname for instance, your bandname. End the video with a shorter but similar version of it. Show your damn logo, title. Not too long.

2. Use good music. Take a random piece of video, and put some music under it: MAGIC. Make sure you use music that fits the scene: don't STEAL music. There's a lot of great stuff hidden in your pre-installed iMovie setup. Don't OVERDO it. Use the volume line to create cool fade-ins and fade-outs.

3. Don't overdo it. Don't use too many effects!! You can make videos using lots of filters and effects for fun and studying purposes. However; don't get carried away using a lot of difficult effects in your video; it won't look very professional. Stick with 1 or 2 effects that suit your needs and stick with them; it may be a paradox, but using less will, in the end, get you more.

4. Be to the point. Come to the point instantly. Set the atmosphere or theme in the very first seconds of your video; or make a quick synopsis / condensed version of your story; make it clear what your video is about! Life is way too short for boring stuff.

5. Extract audio. Watch tv shows and movies; sometimes the audio of a scene starts before the picture. This is a very subtle, yet powerful technique that can make your video a lot better! iMovie supports this, right click the video track and select "extract audio". Then you just cut off a piece of the picture part, and make sure they stay aligned accordingly, then you have some other video picture overlap your audio; presto!

6. Cut Cut Cut. You may be impressed with your footage, but to a viewer, this is a whole different story. Cut ALL the stuff you don't really need to set the purpose of your message. Repetitive stuff YOU might find interesting, may bore the living crap out of your viewers. Cut it short, don't repeat unnecessarily.

7. Titles. Don't show too much on one screen. Stick to 2-4 words per go. Use more time, spread the titles out. Will your grandmother be able to read this? Don't use small text too much, don't put matching colors on similar backgrounds, use contrasting colors, because these wonderful engines video websites use can mess with your video significantly; your video might look nice on your own computer, but will turn to shit on YouTube. Experiment with your settings and output formats, and find out which suits you best. It really pays to take your time figuring this out.

8. Be Creative. A good steal is better than a bad idea. Use your knowledge of stuff YOU like to watch; analyze it's structure, and editing techniques used. Maybe you can replicate some of these techniques using your video editing software. Studying your favorite material will give you the realisation that to keep it simple is the key. The human mind is very easily distracted, especially in our current digital age. Be good, be clean, be creative.

9. Publish. Set your video up with a good descriptive text and title. State what's it about, and who's involved and when it happens. You catch my drift. Put up links that have to do with the video. Use the embed code to put your video up on as many spots as you can, and send the links to your mailing list. If you go about this thoroughly, your video might get mad hits!

10. Rethink yourself. Watch your stats; which video is more popular? Why is it getting more views? Using this data you might be able to figure our what your viewers dig most about your videos, and try to incorporate "proven" goodness in your future productions, but keep on bringing new input; a certain amount of "sameness" is good, but always keep your viewers wanting to come back for more!

My video channels:

http://www.youtube.com/ThickShag

http://www.youtube.com/carrerafromholland