Hook your audience with these creative video making tips and tricks 

This is the second instalment in our capsule series on creative video techniques. Last week, we looked at the camera angles, camera movements and specialty shots you can work into your next video to captivate your audience and keep them watching your video all the way to the very end. 

You can check it out over here if you’ve not read it yet. 

Otherwise, stay with us. Because in this blog post we’re considering a few more ways to make your videos more creative through: 

• Performance 
• Narration 
• Sound effects 

There’s no time like the present – let’s go. 

Your performance is key 

If you’re serious about making more creative videos, you really can’t afford to dismiss your on screen performance. Whether it’s you under the spotlight, a member of your team, an industry expert or even a paid actor – performance is key. 

But it can be difficult to truly understand how you’re coming across when you’re in the thick of it. While you might think your energy levels are rising through the roof, you could actually be coming across as completely monotonous and humdrum. Which isn’t exactly widely entertaining for your audience … 

So how do you fix that problem? Have someone on set who’s able to give you live feedback. This might the director, producer or someone who you trust and work closely with. Whoever it is, just be sure that they have an understanding of your video’s topic, the key messages you’re trying to hit and the audience you’re talking to. That way they’ll be able to pull you up when you perform in a way that doesn’t quite match your video’s purpose. 

Play around with narration and voice over 

We love voice over and narration here at Moonshine Agency. If you’ve seen any of our impact films like Take Heart, Take Heart: Deadly Heart and Conquering Cancer, you’ll probably have noticed that narration plays a big role in the storytelling. 

Narration helps to keep the films more engaging, but also more cohesive for viewers. 

We also use voice over in the Moonshine Moonshot YouTube series. Every episode, Mike and Sue are joined by ‘voice over guy’ who interjects their discussion with interesting facts or pithy anecdotes. He really helps to keep the series more fun, upbeat and – most importantly –watchable. 

And while narration or voice over can cost a pretty penny, it doesn’t have to. You can jump check out sites like Fiverr or Upwork ti source a voice over artist who can help fill the role for you professionally and affordably. 

Don’t be afraid of sound effects 

Sound effects might sound gimmicky but we promise they’re awesome and can really elevate your video to a whole new level of creativity. 

Sound is incredibly important in the video making machine – not only does it lift the overall production value of your film, it’s also very stimulating for your audience. Sound can determine mood, illustrate suspense and really bring home what’s happening on camera. Plus, it helps your audience comprehend the story they’re watching, which is a major win. 

Sound effects can emphasise atmosphere, big ideas or a swift environmental change. They can also indicate emotion, activity and action to make each scene feel more believable and realistic. 

It’s also one of the most affordable ways to make your videos more fun and creative. There are a stack of low cost sound effect libraries online too – we tend to use Premium Beat but you could try  SoundStripe or Pond5. 

Now go forth and start making incredible content!

They were our three tips for this instalment, but be sure to tune in next week for three more! 

To recap what we cover in this post, we looked at:

• Your performance – namely ensuring that your energy levels are matching your video message 

• Working with narration and voice over to really enhance your video storytelling 

• Introducing sound effects to illustrate mood and halo your audience understand the story unfolding before their eyes 

So tell us! What did you learn? What will you include in your next video? And what techniques would you like us to cover off in future episodes of Moonshine Moonshot? 

To catch the video version of this topic, click here 

And for the podcast, head over here 

And be sure to subscribe to both platforms so you know when knew episodes land! 

To subscriber to our YouTube channel, click here 

You can subscribe to Moonshine Moonshot on Apple Podcasts and Spotify