4 Technical Video Marketing Skills for Young Professionals

After Content Specialist Lisa Gulasy shared my blog on different apps for video marketing via social media, she received an interesting question from a connection of hers:

“What would you guys tell senior MarCom students they should know about video (for an entry level gig)?”

She shared this with me and I immediately started thinking about my training in film and video production. What are the technical skills I have developed that help me the most on a daily basis? Which of these skills are the most important to me as a video marketing professional?

In a follow up to Lisa’s “5 Strategic Video Marketing Skills for Young Professionals,” I have thought of four technical video marketing skills for young professionals.

A Young Professional Interested in Video Marketing Must:

• Know How to Work a Camera: As a young professional interested in video marketing, having a basic understanding of how a camera works and different shooting techniques is imperative. Being able to demonstrate that you can properly use a camera and understand its different modes can go a long way. It may sound simple, but having a strong understanding of a camera’s zoom, white balance and focusing tools are the main features that make your video look great. Aside from these functions, knowing where you can hook-up auxiliary equipment, such as external microphones and lights, is also important.

• Manage Proper Lighting and Sound: Proper lighting and sound recording can make or break any video production. As a young professional, it would be good to know about the different lighting styles like three-point lighting and flat lighting, as these are the styles you will use the most. You want your subjects to appear crystal clear on camera, so adjust the lighting as needed. There are some situations where you will have to manipulate the ambient lighting a lot and others where you will barely have to touch it. You can also fix lighting in post-production, but avoid doing this as much as possible by having the proper lighting in the first place.

  When it comes to sound, proper microphone placement is key. If the mic is too far away, it will pick up too much ambient noise and not enough of your subject. If your mic is too close, you run the risk of distorting your audio. Also sound check your microphone beforehand and wear headphones during the shoot to ensure your audio is clear.

• Understand Benefits of Different Mobile Video Apps: A bulky video camera or DSLR isn’t the only way to shoot video anymore. As with most things in this day and age, video is going mobile. As I stated last month, there are many different apps that allow you to shoot, edit and share your videos across various channels. Being familiar with apps like FilMic Pro and iMovie can help you be ready to shoot on the go.

• Edit Using a Non-Linear System: Editing is what brings everything together for video. This is where you splice your footage, add in compelling graphics, b-roll and transitions and add music to the piece to make it a coherent story. Learning the basics of a non-linear editing system, such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Avid, can be a little difficult at first, but once you have learned them, editing will be a breeze. The biggest benefit of learning a non-linear editing system is that they are all similar. As soon as you know the basics of one, you should be able to pick up another quickly.

Aside from these strategic and technical skills Lisa and I have shared with you, there are a couple other points we want to make. As a young professional interested in video marketing, having the right attitude is always important. You should go into every shoot willing to help with any task, ready to adapt to a constantly changing situation and unafraid to offer your opinion where you see fit. It is also important that you have example ready to show when you go into an interview to prove you know what you are doing.

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With a degree in Electronic Media, Dan Romanski has five years of video production, both professionally and independently. When he is not assisting with lead nurturing campaigns and projects at Kuno, he can be found exploring different parts of Cleveland with his camera. Connect with him on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google Plus.