Make Your Video
.jpg)
Making a short video is a great way of telling people a little bit about yourself and to deliver a personal and engaging summary of your project: It gives a face to your campaign.
No project in fact can go live without a video pitch. The reason being that we want you to have the best possible chance of success and projects with a video have a much greater chance. People are often put off by the idea of making a video but don’t panic, you don’t need to be an expert to make a great video for your PleaseFund.Us campaign.
Remember The Basics
This is your chance to tell people who you are, what your project is about and why you’re asking for funding. Don't assume people already know what your campaign is and what you're all about.
Introduce yourself, making sure you give your audience a little face time. Tell people why you care about your project and let them see how enthusiastic you are (hopefully it will be contagious).
Speaking directly at your audience makes your appeal more personal and gives a face to your campaign. However, it is important to also show your audience rather than tell: Use concrete examples, like photos, video clips of your work, testimonials from others, etc. Don't just face the camera and explain your campaign. Make your video a visual showcase of what you're all about, and give as much detail as possible.
Tell people what rewards they’ll be getting for their money, tell them how exactly are you going to spend your target fund and what exactly you need it for. Break your project down.
Keep It Short.
Keep your pitch under 5 minutes in length (2-3 minutes is ideal). You want to make sure that people don’t lose interest, which is why it is even more important to have a great opening that will instantly grab the attention of potential backers. (See more on this in Editing)
What Camera To Use
Most Mac computers’ integrated cameras are fine for achieving what you need (Photobooth), as is your iPhone, BUT…if you know of a friend who owns a digital SLR, then now’s the time to ask them for help. The newest Nikon and Canon DSLR’s for example can shoot amazing HD videos and will give you amazing results. Otherwise, consider using a digital still camera in video mode (anything that’s easy to upload onto your computer when you’re done.)
Sound
Regardless of what camera you use, good audio is key. Any unrelated background noise can distract the viewer and ruin your pitch, so take note of any potential background noise (refrigerators, air-conditioning units, builders outside, traffic, a neighbour’s dog etc) and take your video (or any audio recording) in a quiet echo-free space.
If you’ve got a microphone that you can use (or borrow), then do so. You can also try to eliminate white noise and static by using the controls in your video editor. If anything is at all still unclear, consider using subtitles.
Light
Make sure we can see you! Don’t film your video in a poorly lit room late at night because you’re in a rush to get your project uploaded. Cameras work better with LOTS of light, so try and get as much natural light as possible and be sure to use whatever lamps you have available to light up the room that little bit extra. Also, don’t be afraid to make use of any mirrors you have- as these reflect ambient light.
Practice Makes Perfect
Before recording, it’s a good idea to write a quick outline with three or four bullet points of what you plan to say. You’re unlikely to get it right first time, but start recording and give your spiel.
As soon as you’re done, decide what you liked about what you just said, then do it again immediately. Repeat this process five times. You’ll notice yourself getting more comfortable and conversational in front of the camera with every take. Then take the best bits of every take (which are usually the first and last) and put it together for your final one.
Editing
This is where you can make or break your video. This is where you can polish your final version and make your video the best it can be, adding a soundtrack perhaps and making sure your intro makes viewers ask for more. However, be careful not to overdo it. You want to showcase the good stuff you recorded, not obscure it with fancy editing.
Windows Movie Maker and iMovie both work fine, but remember to keep it short! Your video has to be punchy, and I can almost guarantee you that your first edit will be too long. Take a break, and cut out at least 25% of the video. Focus on isolating the good parts: the really crisp, clear lines, as well as the fun moments where you connect with the camera/audience.
Edit these together in big chunks, but you must be ruthless. Make sure your video isn’t boring. Show it to a friend and get some positive criticism. This is your last chance to change anything before you submit your project to go LIVE.
Uploading and Embedding Your Video
All happy? Well be sure to save your video first of all. You don’t want all your hard work to be lost.
Now you can get uploading.
YouTube is the most common video hosting site used on our platfrom. To find out how to upload a video to YouTube, click here (please note though that your video must be publically shared for it to register on our site).
Once your video is uploaded to YouTube, you can then copy and paste the embed code to the media section of your PleaseFund.Us project. Don't know how to get the embed code? Find out here.
If you're not a fan of YouTube, you can use alternative video hosting sites, such as Vimeo.
Some Inspiration For You
Crowdfunding Videos We Love is a blog from the PleaseFund.Us team showing four of our favourite crowdfunding projects. These guys have great ideas, great projects and a great video!
