Most video producers want their content to be as professional as possible. We want ours to feel as professional as a TV programme.
I’ve done broadcast TV for over 20 years, and when I started Bellyflop in 2008, online video was little more than random short films on YouTube. It was quite rare for businesses to use it to communicate, apart from epic corporate films made every five years to show at trade conferences.
So, we use editorial and design that are commonplace on TV. In a quick nutshell these are:
- Flattering Shots: Interviews where the subject is looking as ‘least profile’ as possible.
- Clear communication: We aim to show what is said, so ‘here at our swimming pool we always have a lifeguard on duty’ will show a swimming pool shot, then a clip of the lifeguard at work, looking happy rather than bored!
- Clear Audio: Viewers shouldn’t be struggling to listen to what someone says. Radio microphones that can go on the chest just under the mouth are commonplace for us (and these are hidden whenever possible), with a backup microphone on the camera too as a failsafe.
We want our end product (if our customers do) to appear like it was a clip that has been shown on TV and then uploaded to social media.
There are many examples of our work on the website here, but if you have a specific idea or film in mind, send us details or a link to something you have seen that you like, and we can give you some thoughts.
Jonathan Robinson is the Founder and Producer / Director at Bellyflop.tv
