Video success: simple steps to get it right

This bite-size training is for all community groups and charities to help you get started with video, without needing a budget, fancy equipment or previous experience. Video is a powerful way to reach and connect with people.

Transcript

Slide 1

Hello!

Thank you for joining me for this Support Cambridgeshire bite sized training: Video success: simple steps to get it right. We’re going to explore how charities and voluntary groups—just like yours—can use video to tell powerful stories, connect with people, and make a real difference but without making common mistakes. And the best part? You don’t need a big budget or fancy equipment to get started.

 

Slide 2

We will be looking at: Why you should use video. How to plan your video. What equipment you need to film. The common mistakes people make. Tips for editing and accessibility. And how you can share and repurpose your video.

 Slide 3

Why use video?

Video is powerful, personal, and cost-effective, and video posts perform best on social media. The good news is you don’t need a big budget or a production company. A smartphone, tripod, and mic are enough to get started. Viewers today value authenticity over a professional polished production.

Video has many possibilities and really does open a window to your organisation. You can attract volunteers by showing what it’s really like and engage supporters with real stories and faces.

It is a great way to promote your services and signpost. For example, you could help ease nerves by offering a friendly walkthrough of your premises. Why not show people what to expect when they arrive either as a volunteer or a service user—highlight the welcoming environment, introduce some familiar faces, and give a glimpse of the space they’ll be stepping into.

Video can show impact and let funders see where their money’s going. You can show how life has changed because of your work.

People love stories so always make sure your video has a beginning, middle and end. For example, what was life like for your service user before your support, what changed, and how is it now?

Please aim to reflect a diverse range of voices wherever possible, including differences in gender, age, race, culture, ability, and other lived experiences. Avoid tokenism—make inclusion meaningful. Show real people, real stories, and real impact. We need to make sure everyone feels seen and heard.

Look at our ‘Lights, Camera, Impact’ blog to find out why video is so effective.

 

Slide 4

Planning your video

A well-planned video is more engaging, inclusive, and effective. It helps you stay focused, save time, and reduce stress.

It is best to avoid scripts. Let people speak in their own words and keep it short and engaging. If interviewing, then ask open ended questions and edit out your voice afterwards.

Be ethical, make sure you always gain consent. Respect privacy and anonymise where needed. If the video is quite an emotional subject it may be a good idea to check in with interviewees before, during and after filming to make sure they are ok.

When planning your video, it’s crucial to ensure that beneficiaries are not portrayed as victims. Please approach their stories with sensitivity and respect, and make every effort to reflect their dignity, strength, and individuality throughout the film.

Work with the people featured in the video, co-create and involve people in shaping their own stories. Perhaps create a storyboard together.

Make sure you’re always transparent especially if funding is involved. This builds trust.

 

Slide 5

What kit do you need?

The good news is you don’t need a film crew. Your smartphone is more than enough. Add a small tripod to keep things steady, and if you can, use an external microphone for better sound. Inexpensive tripods and lavalier clip-on mics can be found online. Nowadays you can get effective results with minimum equipment.

 

Slide 6

How to have a successful shoot and avoid common mistakes

Let’s run through some things for the best results.

Do you want to film in portrait or landscape? First, work out where you will be posting your video and then you can decide what is most suitable orientation. For example, for longer videos on YouTube, it is best to film landscape. TikTok, and most social media short videos are portrait.

Look at your smartphone’s video settings. Make sure it is filming at a high quality – 4K 30 fps is best, however most smartphones default setting is good.

Please make sure your phone lens is clean and that you turn off notifications by using airplane mode – to avoid noises and distractions.

Natural light works wonders, and a quiet space with a tidy background will help your video look and sound great. Don’t worry about having absolute silence. A bit of background noise or a laugh in the middle of filming can make your video feel more real and relatable.

Ensure you have a nice background and check that your subject is framed well. Framing someone slightly off centre is effective. Make sure you avoid objects that will distract or may make that person look silly, such as plants behind which appear to be growing out of your subject’s head.

Please don’t use the zoom function on your phone as it can alter the resolution of the video. Just manually move your phone to set up the frame.

If filming a person, don’t get too close as it can look too intense. Provide space in the frame – particularly at the bottom so you can add captions later.

We also don’t want to include objects that will date the video, especially if you plan to re-use the video. Avoid things like calendars and Christmas decorations.

Why not pop your charity’s roller banner behind you if you can’t find a suitable background – it can also hide any mess.

It might be a good idea to avoid clothing that has a striped or checked pattern as sometimes these can vibrate on screen.

It is essential that your subject is well lit, you don’t need to buy lights, simply sit your subject so they are facing a window. Do not have the window behind them as they will appear dark.

If you wanted to buy a light, then ring lights are a good option for filming with a smartphone.

It is always beneficial to do a test before filming, to make sure your subject can be seen and heard clearly. This is essential with audio. People are more sensitive to bad sound than bad visuals. It is a good idea for people to speak slowly and avoid moving around so they can be heard clearly.

If you are in a particularly noisy environment, you could always film and then add a voiceover afterwards. A stationary car works nicely as a soundproof box to record a voiceover.

Top tip! Run the video for a few seconds before and after filming as this will enable you to pop on a video transition when editing.

 

Slide 7

Editing and accessibility

Once you’ve filmed your video, you might want to tidy it up a bit. However, remember on-the-fly videos get just as good engagement.

There are many free editing apps—like iMovie, Clipchamp, CapCut, InShot, or Canva—that make it easy to trim clips, add music, or include your logo.

And most social media platforms have their own editing tools such as: Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Just remember to keep it simple. Make sure music isn’t too loud or distracting and use high-quality images and text. You can also include links to your website and social media.

You can utilise free photo libraries like Unsplash or Canva. I would recommend steering clear of generic stock photos of people, as they often lack authenticity and can disengage your audience.

Accessibility is key. Most platforms now offer automated captions, which you can edit for accuracy, these work with screen readers.

You can always create an audio descriptive version if you wish.

Please find a link to an accessibility training video in the further resources section below.

 

Slide 8

Sharing and repurposing

Once your video is ready, don’t just leave it sitting on your website, please share it. Post it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn —wherever your audience is. Tag people, share it with partners, and embed it in your emails and newsletters.

And don’t forget to include a ‘call to action’. Ask viewers to visit your website, subscribe to your channel, or even donate.

You can get so much more out of your videos by repurposing them. Snip out the best bits and share them as short videos. Use still images from your footage for social media posts. Turn transcripts into blog posts or even the audio for podcasts.

You can also revisit older videos—update them with new logos, voiceovers, or graphics to keep them fresh and relevant.

Tip: Look through unused footage—there’s often gems left on the cutting room floor!

 

Slide 9

Final thoughts

And finally, don’t be afraid to have fun with it. Share your bloopers. Laugh at the dog that kept running into your shot. These moments are what make your videos human and memorable.

Charities do amazing work, and it’s time to show that off. Be proud. Be bold. And most of all—just give it a go. The more you do it, the more confident you’ll become. And the more stories you share, the more people you’ll reach.

Thank you.

 

Slide 10

You can also contact our team at: info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk

 

Further resources