What Makes Great Video Content for Virtual Events?

Hybrid and virtual events require just as much, if not more, attention to keeping audiences engaged with content delivery than live events do. Luckily, for these types of events you can rely on an arsenal of tools to create high quality produced video to deliver messages that move, motivate and engage.

But what, exactly, makes a great video? What about the best videos?

The best videos are the ones that make you forget you’re watching a video. They never interrupt your experience of the video itself and appeal to your emotions. Videos that elicit emotional reactions means that all the various technical and creative elements used to create the video are working together – fluidly and seamlessly.

Here, we break down the elements that make the best videos.

5 things to focus on when creating an engaging video

The basics

This should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: a video will never be great if it doesn’t start with these basic elements executed flawlessly.

• Sweetened, leveled audio
• Proper color correction
• No errant cuts or other basic errors

A video simply can’t be amazing if it lacks these fundamental components. No exceptions.

Beautiful footage

This might seem obvious, but you want your footage to be stunning. You need it to jump off the screen with color and clarity.

To capture gorgeous footage, start with excellent lighting. If your video has interviews, you want your subjects to be lit appropriately for the look or the mood that you are going for. The ideal lighting feels effortless – it’s the kind that you don’t realize is professional lighting. You want your subjects to look natural, bright, and attractive. Put people in their best light, literally.

Movement

Action is critical. No one wants to watch an endless take of a talking head. Unfortunately, that’s often what happens in corporate videos, when you’re capturing people’s stories, often consisting of interviews in a stationary setting.

Introducing movement into your video makes it instantly more lively and interesting. There are a number of tools out there to pull this off: gimbals, drones, sliders, dollies…the possibilities are nearly endless. If you’re able to incorporate them (when the story calls for it), go for it.

Even the most mundane subjects can be transformed by motion. Look for simple ways to make your video more dynamic.

If you’re shooting a beautiful finished plate of food on a table, why just record a static shot of it on a tripod? Why not put the camera on a slider and pan the camera around the plate while you slide from left to right? Or why not use a slider push-in mixed with a rack focus? These techniques aren’t difficult, but they bring your video to life.

Related article: The Importance of Video in Your Live or Virtual Event

The right music

Many people underestimate how important music is. But try watching a video you love without the sound on. It’s missing something essential, isn’t it?

Music is the very first thing our video production team works on. Before we do any editing at all, we pick out the music. It’s a roadmap that guides us through the edit. It’s the foundation of the house.

Music can dictate so much of how you experience a video. It evokes emotion like nothing else. If you want people to feel happy, or sad, or nostalgic, or fearful, or any other emotion – you have to start with the music.

It also becomes your guide for timing. Once you have that perfect track for a video, build around it. Edit according to the tempo whenever possible to give your cuts (and your video overall) a rhythm your viewers can feel deep in their bones.

Also, don’t forget to change the music track throughout a video. Keep it interesting. Surprise your viewers. Don’t let them get bored or complacent. If your video is longer than the normal length of a song (say, three minutes or so), change the music halfway through, especially if the story calls for it. Remember: a good turning point needs a new music track.

A strong ending

The grand finale is your moment to shine.

What do you want viewers to see and hear in those last moments together? What do you want to stick with them?

Make sure your music ends on a strong note – something that packs a punch when you fade to black or show the company logo for a final time. Never just fade a song out. It’s a shortcut, and it’s not worth it.

Take the time to plan out your ending so the video concludes with a definitive moment. End the piece with purpose, and your viewers will remember it.