Are you looking for a good corporate video for your company? Hiring the services of a professional video production company is a great idea. However, some businesses prefer to have their marketing projects, including corporate videos, handled in-house. If you are such a company, there is nothing wrong with wanting to do your project in-house. However, before you decide on that course of action, it is important to ensure that you have everything that is needed to shoot and produce the video in-house. Recently we picked the brains of corportate video producers TechTV, who provide a list of the essential video production equipment that is needed for in-house corporate video production.
Professional camera
With the advancement of smartphone technology, you can now shoot high-quality videos using your mobile phone. However, before you are tempted to do that when creating your corporate video, it is important to note that the better the camera, the better the quality. And when it comes to business videos, quality is more important than anything; quality videos exudes professionalism, which helps to portray a reliable and trustworthy brand. Therefore, if you are set on creating your brand video in-house, one of the first items you will need is a good camera.
For good quality videos, you can start with a DSLR camera. The quality is not as great as that used by professional video production companies, but with a resolution of 1080p (some go up to 4K), you can be guaranteed of a high-quality video that will be visually appealing to your audience – and all without having to spend too much. However, if your budget allows for it, you can go for a high-end video camera, the kind that is used by professional film production companies.
Camera Lenses
The second video production equipment you will need for your in-house corporate video production is a good lens. Depending on the camera you buy, you might not have to purchase an additional lens – especially with the high-end cameras. However, does not have a good lens, purchasing one will help to guarantee the best video quality.
Generally, there are two types of camera lenses you can opt for:
- A prime lens, which has a fixed focal length. Adjusting the angle of view thus requires moving the camera back and forth
- A zoom lens, which has a variable focal length. Therefore, you can change the angle of view by zooming in and out with a zoom ring.
The type of lens needed will depend on the video project, and for this, it is important to seek the advice of your videographer or a professional video production specialist.
Tripod
A tripod is another video production equipment that you will need for in-house filming. It is used to stabilize the camera when moving and turning it. While the tripod might not seem like an essential item, it is very important as the camera shakes (no matter how small) are easily visible in the final video; which will make your video appear unprofessional. Therefore, even if you have a really good videographer with great camera stabilization skills, a tripod is still an important item to have for your video project.
Like with most video production equipment, you will find that there are lots of tripods to choose from. A basic, beginner tripod will do just fine if your budget is limited. However, if you can afford it, the more advanced (and consequently expensive) the tripod is, the better the camera stabilization it will offer. This will, in turn, lead to smoother movements of the camera, thus guaranteeing a high-quality video.
Lights and light reflectors
Good lighting is one of the key secrets to achieving a high final video quality. Therefore, lighting equipment is another factor to consider when planning for in-house corporate video production. This is especially the case when you are shooting indoors, where there is no/limited natural light. There are several types of lighting to consider when it comes to professional video production. A full professional lighting kit can, however, be quite expensive, which might not be reasonable if your budget is limited. In such a case, you can purchase a fewer number of lights, and then use light reflectors to capitalize on the ambient lighting.
External microphone
Once you have the video quality taken care of, the next thing you need to consider is audio quality. Nearly all cameras will come with an in-built microphone. However, the sound quality of these microphones is usually poor, which is something you want to avoid. As a result, it is important to purchase an external microphone, which will help to improve the audio quality. If your budget is limited, you can get started with a basic beginner mic, which will offer you good quality sound. However, if you can afford it, the better the mic, the higher the audio quality you can expect.
Aside from the external mic, you might also need wireless lavalier microphones, which will come in handy if you are conducting interviews. These mics clip on to an individual’s clothes, usually the collar, from where they pick up high-quality sound without any background noises. Just like with other video equipment, you can start with the basic ones if your budget is limited. Alternatively, you can go for the more expensive ones that offer higher-quality sound if you can afford.
Memory cards/video tapes
The other essential video production equipment you will need is the memory storage devices. These include memory cards or videotapes – depending on the type of camera -, which will be used to record your raw video footage. It is also a good idea to purchase an external storage device, for example, a USB flash disk or external hard drive (depending on the size of the project). These external storage drives will be used to back up your footage, thus ensuring it is protected in case the primary device is corrupted.
Video editing hardware and software
After shooting your corporate video, you will still need to edit it to obtain the final, usable footage. For this, you will need a good video editing system – hardware and software. For the hardware, a good computer or laptop with a fast processor and high-end graphics card will ensure that your editing is fast and smooth. For the software, there are several video editing applications available, ranging from free to premium ones. For the best results, premium editing software is the best choice, as it has more features – which will consequently lead to a higher quality video.
Summary
A good video production company can help you to create a high-quality corporate video that will capture the attention of your audience. However, with the right video production equipment and knowledge, you can create your own relatively professional video in-house. But if in doubt, go to the professionals, they already know all the pitfalls and will have streamlined the process in a way that ensures your brand is best represented in video format.
To read more on topics like this, check out the business tech category.
