The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Make With Web Video

There can be a lot of reasons why people won’t watch your videos on the web, won’t watch them all the way through or won’t take the action you’re hoping for at the end of your video.  But there are three big mistakes that people make with their videos again and again.  Here they are.

Bad Green Screen

It seems just about everyone who starts with web video wants to do green screen.  I always advise against it.  But hardly anyone listens.  Why do I advise against it?  It’s because if you don’t light, shoot and edit green screen video properly, it will end up looking completely fake.  And instead of people thinking you have a fancy studio or office, they’ll think…well…you’re fake.  And that’s not a good thing.

Especially on the web where people want to connect with people on a transparent level, not what people pretend to be, but what they’re really like.  That’s why a simple video of someone sitting in their office can often be far more effective than green screen video.  It’s real.  It’s genuine.  And that’s what people want on the web (where it’s so easy for people to pretend to be something they’re not).

That doesn’t mean green screen video should never be used.  It certain situations it can be a good choice…especially if it’s lit, shot and edited correctly.  But doing it just to look cool or to try and impress people is often a bad choice.  And doing it when your green screen video looks bad…is always a bad choice.  Always.

 

Bad Audio

Audio is actually a more important part of video, than video itself.  Statistically, people will watch a video with good audio longer than they’ll watch a video with bad audio.  That’s because, as much as it might disappoint you, peoples eyes aren’t glued to your video from beginning to end.  They aren’t always watching, but they are always listening.

Sometimes the audio is too low.  That can be easily corrected.  Sometimes there is background noise.  That needs to be addressed before you actually shoot the video.  And sometimes people rely on their camera’s built-in microphone, which almost always produces less than stellar audio (and can be instantly fixed by using an external microphone with a camera).

I’m often surprised at how little attention people spend on their audio.  Most times, their focus is only on what their video looks like.  And remember, especially if your videos last more than a couple minutes, that people aren’t always watching…but they are always listening.  You don’t need to spend a fortune on audio either.  Often for less than $100 you can achieve so called “studio quality” audio.

 

Bad Script or No Script

Ever watch a video that rambles on and on?  Where it takes the person 10 minutes to show something that should have taken 30 seconds?  Of course you have.  That’s how most videos are on the web.  Unscripted.  And it’s not a good thing, as statistically, web videos are only watched for about 2 minutes.  That means you really need to get your point across in a hurry.

Imagine if the TV news person wasn’t reading from a teleprompter and instead was just saying whatever came to mind.  It would be a rambling mess and the news show would take hours.  That’s why scripts are followed.  They allow you to get information across in a concise and meaningful format.  And within a certain time frame.

With web video, that doesn’t mean you need to use a teleprompter.  It doesn’t even mean that you need to write down beforehand what you’re going to say.  But at the very least, you’re going to need some type of script in your head.  Some idea, rehearsed in your head, of what you’re going to say.  And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to time out how long that “head script” is going to take.

Plus remember, it’s video.  You can edit it.  That means you can cut stuff out to make your video more concise.  That’s what they do in Hollywood.   When you watch a typical 60 minute show on TV, it’s actually only around 40  minutes or so to allow for commercials.  But that 40 minute show often starts out with 8-10 hours worth of footage.  Only the best stuff that makes sense for the final product is kept.  The rest is cut out.  And you never know the difference.  Do the same thing with web video (cut out the stuff that isn’t absolutely critical in getting your point across) and your audience will never know the difference either.