In an age where attention spans are notoriously short (stay with us here), there’s never been a more important time to capture, create and edit snappy video content that people want to watch.
Here are our tips for creating a scroll-stopping Reel:
Optimise your camera settings:
First things first – you can’t shoot a high quality video if your camera isn’t putting in the work. Here are some quick wins to make sure you’ll get a great shot:
- Set your ‘record video’ setting to the highest of 4K at 60FPS. This will make for smooth, clear and high-res content.
- Make sure the ‘record slow-mo’ setting is also at its highest of 1089p HD at 240 FPS. This will help you create cinematic-like slow-mo video. No jolty video here!
Length:
Keep your reels short and sweet. Between 6 – 15 seconds is ample (any longer and you risk viewers losing interest), with around 7-10 seconds being the sweet spot.
Choose appropriate audio:
We don’t judge other people’s music tastes around here… except for when they’re editing a reel!
Choosing the right song for a video will make or break it. Trending audio is good but the most important thing is that the audio’s ~ vibe ~ matches the content. You wouldn’t use hardcore rap for a luxe, dreamy video, nor would you use classical music for a street party wrap-up.
After selecting your sound, edit the music and video so that any clip changes are on beat – this high visual and audio cohesion makes for a very satisfying Reel.
Open your toolkit:
There’s a variety of simple editing tools that can take your content to the next level! Slow motion, sped up, reversed or cropped video can really help to achieve the aesthetic you’re going for.
What to capture:
Viewers stay engaged when there’s a variety of shots in a video.
If you’re filming at a restaurant, for example, try panning shots, close-ups and movement to keep viewers engaged. Take it a step further by replacing a shot of someone with a wine glass in their hand with a shot of them doing something – clinking their glass, taking a sip or swirling the glass.
Close-up, detail shots are also great for giving that ultra-satisfying, ASMR-for-your-eyes content that people love!
