Amateur Mistakes Everyone Should Avoid Let’s start with some of the things that prove a video was truly produced by amateurs: Jump Cuts — When you edit from one shot of a person to another, and their body “jumps,” that’s a jump cut. Vertical Video — For starters, the vertical video most likely tells us it was shot on a phone rather than a professional camera. Take the time to use a tripod, or at least brace your camera against something while you’re shooting. The problem isn’t that these amateur mistakes prove you’re an amateur. If you can’t hear the main character or there are terrible shadows, the audience will start thinking about those things rather than the story. Telling Too Many Stories It’s just as tempting to tell too many stories. And some stories need more time to tell than others. The same happens with videos. Burying Your Video on YouTube Finally, the amateur errors can continue long after the video is produced. I absolutely hate when people post their video on one random page of their website.
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I’m not much of a cook, but I still love to watch cooking shows on TV. In fact, that’s probably why I watch so many cooking shows. There’s something magical about watching people who really know what they’re doing.
It’s also easy to pick up little tips like the right way to chop an onion or the preferred pan for searing steak (cast iron). Yet the tips that get etched permanently in my memory happen whenever a chef throws a fit about something they hate. I now know why it’s so bad to undercook chicken (it could kill you), mix fish and cheese (it could kill your soul), or use more than a little bit of raw onion (it could kill your tastebuds).
So, with that in mind, the best way to share my recipe for making a good video is probably to talk about what makes a bad video. After all, there’s an awful lot of poorly produced videos out there, so here are some of the cringe-worthy video issues that absolutely drive professionals crazy.
Amateur Mistakes Everyone Should Avoid
Let’s start with some of the things that prove a video was truly produced by amateurs:
- Jump Cuts — When you edit from one shot of a person to another, and their body “jumps,” that’s a jump cut. And my heart hurts every time I see one. Professionals know how to create shot sequences that gracefully tell the story without those jarring jumps. While this kind of cut has become popular for tutorial-style videos on YouTube, jump cuts are not the best choice for videos that are seeking to tell a fluid story.
- Vertical Video — For starters, the vertical video most likely tells us it was shot on a phone rather than a professional camera. Most longer-form videos are shown on a horizontal screen, so the vertical scenes waste space and create an unnecessary distraction. Of course, an obvious exception to this rule is Stories for Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook, where vertical is actually the appropriate format.
- Shaky Video — Nothing screams “amateur” more than a shaky cam. Take the time to use a tripod, or at least brace your camera against something while you’re shooting. You don’t want your viewers to get seasick!
- Terrible Audio — Microphones are not optional. The mic on your camera or phone is meant to capture ambient noise, not to record actual voices. If you want to really hear what somebody is saying, you need to use a microphone. Period.
- Miserable Lighting — Whether it’s an awful shadow or a shiny glare on somebody’s face, poor lighting drives me crazy. You can use natural light, as long as you use it well. But if you shoot a…
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