20 Questions to Make Your Video Great
We talk a lot about "good video" vs. "bad video" but what do we really mean? "I know bad video when I see it" works great when you're the consumer, but what do you do when you're the creator?
Welcome to the "How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck Checklist"– 20 questions to make your video great.
These 20 questions will help you cull the good from the bad in your own work. The more questions you can answer "yes" to, the stronger your video probably is. Got a "no"? How can you go back to the video and fix it?
And here's a really radical idea—refer to the checklist before you start shooting. Problems prevented are problems solved. (That sounds like something Martha Stewart would say, doesn't it? I guess that makes me the "Martha Stewart of Video"… or something like that.)
Planning:
1. Is my idea best expressed as a video?
2. Does it tell a clear story?
3. Do I know who the story is about?
4. Is there a clear beginning to the story?
5. Is there a clear middle to my story?
6. Is there a clear end to my story?
Shooting
7. Do all my shots contain a clear subject and action?
8. Does every location help bring the story alive?
9. Do all my backgrounds help tell the story?
10. Do my stars always look great?
11. Do I see a lot of their faces?
12. Are all my scenes lit well, so viewers can see what they're supposed to see?
13. Are all my scenes miked well, so viewers can hear what they're supposed to hear?
Editing
14. Is each shot cut to it's best and shortest version?
15. Have I deleted all shots that look/sound awful or are otherwise technically flawed?
16. Have I used only cuts to transition between shots?
17. Are my graphics simple and elegant?
18. If for the web, is my video shorter than 3 minutes?
19. If it's longer than 3 minutes, is there a damn good reason?
20. Do I like this video more every time I watch it?
