How to Produce a Quality Video on a Tight Budget

The other day I stumbled across “How to Make and Publish Movies for Free” in PC World. It outlined some great resources for free audio and video clips, as well as editing software. Since corporate communicators are on tight budgets, I rounded up some more money-saving tips:

Plan ahead
Create a solid storyboard and stick to the plan. Last-minute changes during filming are expensive and unnecessary.

Keep it short
If you can cut the 10-minute video back to a solid three minutes, it’ll cost less to produce and edit. Know what else it will do? Increase the likelihood that your audience will view the piece in its entirety.

Casting
Instead of hiring actors, especially A-list celebs, have your customers or employees provide testimonials. Your audience can relate to the “real” person, and you don’t have to toot your own horn.

Location
Does the set have to be in Nappa Valley or Times Square? Probably not. Save money by filming locally—and indoors when possible. A plain black or white backdrop is cost-effective and looks professional.

Camera
You need a quality camera, so it’s best to not cut corners there. The good news is cameras are getting better and better and costing less. To save money, consider purchasing last year’s model as soon as a new model is released.

Lights
Instead of buying—or even renting—overpriced lights, be creative! Use desk lamps with high wattage light bulbs instead of spotlights. And use foam poster board instead of bounce cards. Every penny counts.

Audio and Video
Paying royalties for songs or video clips can get expensive, especially when there are lots of free options out there. As PC World recommends, Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of audio, video and photos through their copyright licenses, is a great resource. Another free option is using footage in the public domain.

Editing Software
In a perfect world, we’d all use the top-of-the-line video editing software, although there are many freebies out there that work just fine. There may even be one already loaded to your computer. For Windows users, there’s Movie Maker; Mac users have iMovie, and Linux users should check out OpenShot.

Have you created a corporate video on a tight budget? What made the cut? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock.