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Here is the 2nd part on our short series on making a craft video. This is quite a short instalment. The next and last video will be on editing (including information on the free software we use).
Obviously every video will differ according to the craft and type of piece you are working on. Having said that there is common ground such as the need to explain and show what you are doing.
I’m not trying to pretend to be an expert in this area, I’m obviously not. What I am trying to do is tell you about some of the things I’ve learnt over the last 10 years so hopefully your video work will improve a bit quicker than mine!
Making A craft video 2. Content.
About 3 years ago, after making videos for about 7 years, I decided to seek out some help. The advice I was given was great and has help my YouTube channel increase in both its watch time and subscribers. Much of the advice was covered in the first part of this series but here are the bits pertinent to content:
Branding.
Give your videos a common “look”. You can also include your YouTube channel (if that’s where you are putting your videos), Facebook page, Blog, website etc. People will then identify your videos and, if they liked previous ones, are more likely to watch new ones.
Show Your Face:
For 7 years I only showed my hands in the videos. When I changed this to talking into the camera (but still showing all the important demonstration bit with my hands) it made an immediate difference. People seem to relate to the videos more and watch them for longer. I also got more questions on the videos and more contact through Facebook.
Concentrate on the action:
Although it’s good to show your face it is still important to show all the important bits of the craft demonstration. After all that’s what people are watching the video for. Ensure your demonstrating is well lit and close enough for people so see what is going on. When necessary back up the visuals with a commentary about what you are doing.
Keep to Point.
I do try and keep to the point when recording the videos but don’t always succeed. Luckily you have another opportunity to cut out anything which isn’t relevant when editing. You can also speed sections up if you want to show them but they take a long time.
Summery.
And that really is about it. Don’t forget to watch other peoples craft videos. See how they position their cameras, where they place their materials etc. Work out what you find good and not so good for each video and try to emulate best practice.
