We’ve all been there. We’ve planned our video, we know our content and we hit that record button and our brain leaves the building.
It’s annoying.
So how do you remember what you’re saying when recording a video?
Here are a few tips for you.
1) The Old Fashion – Pen and Paper
You can’t beat good old pen and paper. You can write down three bullet points and position your notepad so that you can glance at it or use a post-it note.
[Tweet “Write down three bullet points on a post-it note as a prompt when recording videos says @Visual_Punch”]
The trick with this technique is that you need to keep your notes short and sweet. The aim of the bullet point is to act as a catalyst to trigger your memory.
For example, if I am recording a video about the 3 top tips for filming, I would have a note that would say ‘horizontal’. This would then act as a trigger for me to say “Before you start filming always make sure you rotate your phone to a horizontal position”.
If you write long notes you will instinctively start looking at your notepad and reading it word for word. The problem with this is that we want our videos to look as natural as possible and we as an audience can tell when you are reading from your notepad as your eyes keep darting back and forth between the camera and the notepad.
2) High Tech – Autocue
If pen and paper aren’t for you then maybe a high tech approach is. I have recently been introduced to an app called BIGVU. This app turns your phone screen into an autocue allowing you to read your prepared script.
What is great about this app is that you can have it for your phone or desktop (I KNOW right!!!)
Obviously, there are limitations when only using the free version as with all products but this is a pretty nifty app.
3) Chunk it – The left field answer
OK, I’ve gone rogue on this one. To me this is the most glaringly obvious thing to do – EDIT YOUR VIDEO!
Let’s run through a scenario that you have tried to record a video and you keep messing up on 1 small section. Instead of trying to be a one-take genius – give your self a break and record the bit you are messing up separately and edit it into the video. We all consume so much video content that we have become a little blind to it, but all the content we consume is edited. It is very rarely one continuous take.
I don’t have time to edit my videos
I can hear the cries of “I don’t have time to edit my videos” being carried across the wind.
But think of it this way.
Instead of wasting an hour trying to film a continuous video and becoming really frustrated you could spend half an hour recording your video when you break it down into three smaller chunks and then half an hour to edit it together.
Doesn’t that sound a little easier?
Hopefully, these tips will help you on your video journey. If you have any suggestions or solutions that you’ve discovered I would love to hear about them too!
Thanks for reading and watching.
