You’ve written a script, hired the talent, shot the video footage for your company’s latest marketing campaign, but now it’s time for post-production to finish off your marketing video. It’s important to really polish your video and edit it into something your company can be proud to display anywhere. There are a few post-production techniques and elements you should take into consideration as you compile your video.
While post-production isn’t always a very time-consuming process, it can seem a million times longer if you don’t have the right post-production team on board to help you. It can be a good idea to hire a video production company like C&I Studios to produce your video from start to finish.
If you and your company prefer to create your own videos, or are looking for ways to boost your skills in post-production, we’re still here to help! Following are a few post-production elements that will take your marketing video from ordinary to extraordinary:
1)Custom Music
Music is one of the post-production elements that can really make or break your video. It sets the tone and tells the audience how they’re supposed to feel while watching it. Music is known to evoke emotions. The wrong music choice can result in a video that’s unclear, boring, or misleading.
The right music can turn a video into something viewers actually want to watch again and again. The post-production team you work with should be able to find the perfect piece of music for your video.
While it can be fun to use popular music, it isn’t always feasible what with copyright laws and your budget. There are many pieces of music that are available in the public domain, or you can create your own if you’re musically inclined.
There are plenty of post-production companies that specialize in finding exactly the right music to fit your video, even going so far as to create the music for you. So take advantage of them!
2)Sound Effects
Some people may record all their audio at the same time as their video footage without any post-production at all. This is fine for videos that will only be viewed online or on mobile devices, however, if you plan to post your video on TV or in theaters, post-production sound effects are a must! TikTok quality audio is not what you should be striving for in videos meant for marketing, even on TikTok.
Sound effects can make the difference between your video being high quality and merely average. For example, the post-production team can choose different sounds for the main character’s footsteps and other parts in your video. Sound effects can also help if you’re trying to show a specific emotion. If the post-production team is adding sound effects, they should be able to get them just right to make your video come alive!
3)Voiceover Narration
Many marketing videos include professional voiceover narration. This post-production element can add a professional touch to your video. If you’re not especially artistic or creative, post-production companies that specialize in voiceovers can find the perfect voice to fit your video.
Voiceover narration is used for both videos meant to be hosted on TV and videos posted online and can really enhance the viewer’s experience. This post-production element can help your marketing video stand out.
Voiceover can help enhance some of the audio that didn’t come through in the original recording, or it can help to explain what’s happening in the video. Voiceover can really make a video accessible to anyone who is visually impaired, too. So, it’s an important part of any video that requires explanation.
However, if you choose to include voiceover narration in your video, it’s important that the post-production team hires someone who sounds sophisticated and professional. If this post-production element is done poorly then it won’t add anything to your video and will actually make it sound amateur.
4)Picture In Picture (PPI)
This post-production element is a great way to make your video more interesting and dynamic as it can add something extra to the video, showing off things you wouldn’t be able to fit in naturally. Picture in picture edits can also be a post-production element that enhances the video by showing what else is happening simultaneously with the main theme of the video.
Picture in picture edits can help your post-production team demonstrate their creativity and artistic vision as well as boost sales of your product or service. This post-production element will surely make your video stand out among others.
However, doing too much of this can really distract the viewer from the actual video content. This element should only be used to emphasize something in your video rather than be heavily featured.
5)Custom Transitions
Transitions between scenes are also important to consider. You don’t want your transitions between scenes to look like an early 2000’s PowerPoint slideshow, so make sure you’re using high-quality transition effects and staying up to date with new editing techniques and technology. If you don’t, you may not come across as professional or up-to-date in your technological know-how.
Transitions from one scene to another can make all the difference when it comes to post-production elements. For example, if you already include some visual effects but you don’t have post-production adding their own effects or transitions, it can seem really weird.
Making sure your transitions are up-to-date, smooth, and interesting can keep your audience’s attention and send the right message of your company’s professionalism.
6)Editing the Actual Video Footage
Editing takes place after all of the footage has been shot and recorded, at least in part. There are many factors that go into post-production editing, including what type of software was used to edit it and how long post-production editing takes, but it can include anything from cutting out mistakes to speeding up or slowing down the footage for the final cut- how else would those who made The Matrix have created those dynamic fight scenes?!! By editing the footage, of course!
Another post-production element that editing can incorporate into your video is color grading. Color grading edits the footage by adjusting the colors of your video to make them look like they blend together more organically or give off a certain emotion.
7)Annotations
Annotations are post-production elements you can use to enhance your video with call-to-action messages or links that lead viewers to more information about your product or service. Post-production companies will know how best to position these annotations for optimal results.
Making sure that your clients can find links to your e-commerce store, easily sign up for emailed newsletters, or subscribe to your other video marketing efforts allows for engagement and return viewership. Annotations help post-production elements make your video stand out among the rest and you can really tailor them to your company’s branding.
8)Encoding the Video
Encoding is especially important if you plan on putting your video online. If post-production professionals don’t encode correctly, it can ruin the video’s quality completely. Therefore, make sure post-production encoding is done carefully by post-production experts.
Encoding is a post-production element that involves the act of compressing your video in order to save space when uploading it online. It’s important that post-production experts do encoding, as they will know exactly how to compress the video without ruining its quality.
It also saves space in your company’s offline storage and makes it much easier to share between employees, other companies, and even makes it easier to share with your customer base via e-mail.
9)Captions and Subtitles
Captions and subtitles are some of the most important post-production elements that you should be adding to every single video. They make your videos accessible, which speaks to both your brand culture and your professionalism.
A post-production element that makes the video stand out by making it more accessible is subtitles or captions. Captions and subtitles make sure everyone who watches it understands what the video says, no matter what.
Captions are a great way to reach out to a wider audience who may be hearing impaired or have trouble understanding your video if there’s a lot of background noise that’s distracting from the main message you’re trying to convey. Captions post-production can also help those who speak English as a second language, as many forms of captions can be translated.
Making your videos accessible to as many people as possible is in your best interest. It widens your net of potential customers and viewership, which will expand your revenue.
All of these post-production elements are important to consider, no matter what your video is about. They not only make your videos look professional and well-made, but they make your videos accessible, too! Accessibility grows your viewership!
And since post-production is so important, it’s important to get the right team working on these edits. The post-production team you choose to work with should have skills in all of these post-production elements so that they can ensure your video is the best it can be. Don’t skimp on the details!
The post-production team should also have experience working on marketing videos similar to yours so they know what works and what doesn’t work for your type of video. You can’t expect post-production people to excel at post-production editing if they don’t have any experience with what you need.
If your current team isn’t well-versed in post-production, or any of the video production process, it’s in your company’s best interest to look into hiring a video production firm to handle it. Hiring a post-production team that knows what works and doesn’t work is very much in your company’s best interest.
They have the experience and skills needed to get the job done right the first time, no matter what post-production elements you need to be incorporated into your video. Your marketing videos should look as professional as possible; put your best foot forward!
C&I Studios prides itself on knowing the video production process inside and out! We understand how many different industries need to be marketed. Every video we create is customized to the industry and brand it’s representing which allows for a custom fit every time! We make sure all the post-production elements are incorporated in and tailored to your video.
Check out our portfolio of video production and take a look at the many other services C&I Studios has to offer.