If you’re thinking about launching a Kickstarter campaign, your video is going to be a vital component of the process – according to Kickstarter, projects with a video succeed at a much higher rate (50% vs. 30%), and they also raise more money. So it’s important. However, the likelihood is that you don’t have the budget to hire a professional to make you your killer video. The 5 tips below give you practical advice on how to go about making a video that will resonate with the Kickstarter audience.
1. Look at what works
Spend some time on Kickstarter looking at campaigns that reached or exceeded their funding requirements. You’ll start to notice some common themes quickly. The vast majority of the successful campaigns feature the founder or co-founders in the video. The founders come across as authentic, personable, passionate, and also grateful to their potential backers.
Although some of the videos may have professional touches that are outside your budget or know-how, you will pick up tips on how to best compose your video, what content is truly compelling, what camera shots look well, and how the businesses are selling their ideas and vision. What tone of voice are they using? How did they demonstrate their ideas – screenshots, footage, photos etc.? Take notes and integrate these ideas into your plan.
2. Plan your video
There is some research to suggest that the best length for a Kickstarter (or any crowdfunding video) is 2.5 mins. This means you have to be disciplined to tell your story concisely. A basic plan for your video could be:
- Introduce yourself and your product
- What’s the problem you’re solving
- How are you going to fulfil your vision
- How you’ll spend the money
- Thank your backers
Once you have decided the plan, start mapping out the story of the video and what shots you’ll need. Plan your script and time how long each segment will take. As you are going to be speaking directly to the camera, try and get someone else on board to help with your video, as it will feel more natural talking to someone real, and they can also help with the recording process.
An important aspect to consider before and during the filming is what the experts call “fill shots.” Fill shots are shots that can lead from one scene into another or can be faded in over a narration. We have found that you can never really have enough fill shots, as this is the footage that plays while your narration continues in the background. So this could be your product in action, you at work, users interacting with your product etc.
3. Invest in the basics
You can make a great video on a tiny budget, but you will require some basic equipment. First invest in a tripod. Nothing screams amateur more than shaky footage. Luckily you can pick up tripods on Amazon and other retailers for less than $20. If possible, try and use a microphone. Sound recordings without a mic from regular camcorders/video phones probably won’t cut it, and muffled sound is a real turn off (see this great parody of Kickstarter videos from Vooza). Again, these can cost less than $15. If you are using your iPhone or other smartphone for the recording, you will need an adaptor to plug in an external mic (just Google this and you will see tons of options).
The real difference between a video that looks amateur and one that looks professional is the lighting. Don’t worry, you don’t have to invest in pro-standard lights, but do think about the lighting of each shot. If you are using natural light outdoors, be aware of the location of the sun (and clouds!). When recording indoors, try to use as many lamps, lights and other sources of light already available to you as you can — even consider bringing in some lamps from home if your video is looking quite dark. There are tons of tutorials on the basics of lighting, so take a few minutes to get some ideas on how you can improve your lighting without investing in more equipment.
4. Learn from simple techniques
There are some basic techniques you can implement when making a video that will immeasurably improve the overall look of your video.
Invest some time learning your camera settings like zoom and focus (simply put your camera model into YouTube and you’ll get lots of tutorials) and even learn some basic camera shots (here’s a great video on basic camera shots to get you started)
Another great tip is the rule of thirds: By using the rule of thirds, you will make the shot more interesting by placing your subject either in the first or last third of the screen (look at any good videos and you’ll see this technique used over and over again). Remember, this is just a rough grid, and you don’t have to be exact. Some camcorders and phones now allow you to bring up these guidelines automatically. Often beginners place themselves slap bang in the middle of the screen and either too close or too far away in the frame. By simply mapping out the grid in your mind and placing yourself in the right-hand or left-hand section of the grid, you are already on your way to making a better video.
Once you’ve recorded all your footage, it’s time to start editing. There are lots of interesting tools you can use. If you are using a Mac then iMovie would be perfect. If you’re on a PC then you can try a product like ours, trakaxPC, which will allow you to create professional looking videos without blowing your budget.
Going through the footage requires patience, there may be just a few seconds from a long piece that you’d want, so set aside time to review the footage and really be able to look at it in detail. I find renaming the video clips can help to identify what footage to use and what can be discarded.
The soundtrack is one of the most important elements of video. Pick a track that sums up the vibe and style of your company. The best practice is to use a royalty-free track and there are tons of sites offering professional soundtracks at relatively low cost. I always pick the soundtrack first and then start creating the video – it sets the pace for the video and gives you the discipline to keep the video short.
When editing your video, you can try and implement techniques called J cuts and L cuts. Although you may not be aware of the technical terms, you see these transitions every day. For example, the video may begin with you introducing your brand and products. The screen will then cut to you working on a product while your voiceover continues to explain the process. This gives your video a flow, rather than abruptly cutting from one scene to the next.
Finally keep transitions and text simple – either a straight cut or a subtle fade is enough. When using text, keep it classic with a plain font in either white or black (Fontsquirrel.com has tons of very nice free fonts.)
5. Be yourself
The amazing thing about Kickstarter is that almost every idea is driven by someone who is passionate about the project – it’s this passion that will see a good idea over the line, so the founders need to convey this to potential backers. Motion graphics often can’t create this relationship – actually seeing the real people behind the projects can. The campaigns that get funded, in the main, have videos that show that the founders really care about their project and this is the first step in creating a relationship with your user base. Your delivery should be simple, genuine and honest. Most importantly smile and have fun!