To become the most successful videographer, you need commitment and organization. Both of these qualities are vital for you to continually create great content and deliver it regularly to your viewers. Becoming disciplined about how you plan and shoot content will put you on the path to growing your audience and YouTube channel. In this article, we will share tips to make planning easier for your shoots.
Create a Content Calendar
Content calendars are a great way to plan out your content long term. Content calendars help to ensure you are regularly publishing content and that your content is varied and interesting. When creating a content calendar, take into account seasonal topics, holidays, and events that your viewers may be interested in.
In addition to planning out your video content, a content calendar can also help you plan out blog posts, social media posts, and other marketing materials. This will help keep your branding cohesive and on-point. Seeing your content by week, month, and year will give you a different perspective on the overall appearance and approach you are taking to content.
Content calendars are easy to make. You can use a simple spreadsheet or software like asana to create a content calendar. Make sure to include the following information for each post: title, description, video length, date published, topic/category, and planning for your shoot. Now that you have a content calendar, it’s time to start planning your shoots.
Start Every Production with a Simple Call Sheet Template
Begin each production by creating a call sheet. Film call sheets are simple documents that list the key details of a shoot. They help to organize and simplify communication between crew members. Big shoots have many moving parts that all have to be in alignment and working together. To keep the machine moving smoothly, you need a way to keep organized to make sure no equipment is missing the day of a shoot, and all the shots for a video have been completed.
When creating your call sheet, be sure to include the following information: production title, contact details for all crew members, date and time for the shooting schedule, location of the shoot, shot list, what time actors or talent are expected to arrive, and what time the shoot will end. Call sheets don’t have to be complicated. You can find examples of call sheet templates online and even download a free call sheet template from Google.
Being organized on set and during shooting will make people want to work with you and on your films. The crew will appreciate your efforts to keep communication open and the shoot organized. Part of being a great filmmaker is managing the people you work with to make sure everyone’s expectations are satisfied and needs are met.
Never Forget Gear Again
The most important part of a call sheet is the shot list. A shot list is a list of all the shots that need to be taken for a video. A shot list will help you see your content from a different perspective and give you a better idea of how to plan your day. Shot lists should include basic information for each shot, such as the location, camera angle, lighting set up or gear used, whether there is any sound equipment needed and if so what kind, and the scene’s duration.
While creating your shot list, it is also helpful to create a storyboard. Storyboards are a series of images that illustrate each shot in your video. Storyboards help visualize the shots you have planned and how they will flow together to create a cohesive story. Not everyone needs to create a storyboard, but they can be a very helpful tool for videographers.
Creating a content calendar, call sheet, and shot list will help you to become a more successful videographer. Having a plan and being well-organized will save you time and stress on the day of your shoot. These tips are just the beginning of becoming a better videographer.
Try New Things: Use a Green Screen Effectively
Now that your shoots are more organized, take some steps to try new things and experiment. Green screens are an easy add-on to any shoot that can drastically upgrade the cinematic aspects of your videos. Green screens give you more options to add effects, transitions, and other interesting elements to your videos. You can use a green screen in one or two of your scenes, or you can make a video entirely of green screen shots.
To be successful using a green screen, you need to know how to shoot your green screen footage and edit the shots in post-production. Shooting realistic green screen footage means that you need to plan ahead with what background you are going to add in. If you are going for a realistic look, you need to pay close attention to the lighting in the background and match it on set. You need to know where the key light, rim light, and fill lights are, and they all have to match. Furthermore, the green screen lighting has to be even enough to not get harsh shadows on the green screen. Green screen lights will make the background easier to edit out.
There are several software options for creating a green screen effect in post-production, including Adobe After Effects and Apple’s Final Cut Pro X. There is also free software available online, such as DaVinci Resolve.
In Conclusion
If you’re trying to stay more organized when shooting your videos, create content calendars and use call sheets. Creating a shot list is an easy and effective way to make it easier for you to plan out the shots in your video with minimal effort. If you’re shooting green screen footage, be sure to pay close attention to lighting, as this can have a significant impact on how realistic the background looks when editing. Doing this work may seem daunting when you start, but they’ll save time and stress during filming day.