At Newport Interactive Marketers’ May 2015 event, DIY Video: Tips From the Experts, we had four panelists Hal Landen, Jim Egan, Marc Creedon, and Scott Indermaur shared their decades of experience in photography and video to give us the best tips for creating effective video content.

Top 7 Shooting Tips

1. Don’t be afraid to shoot with your phone.
2. Make sure adequate battery and memory is available
3. Close all other apps.
4. Shoot in landscape mode.
5. Instead of using zoom, use your legs and get closer.
6. Pan the camera sparingly.
7. Don’t be afraid to get the shot.

Top 7 Editing Tips

1. Don’t edit on your phone; edit on the computer
2. Take advantage of free photo editing software.
3. Use short snippets to show different aspects of a scene.
4. Leave cliffhangers to entice people to watch your other videos.
5. Music is essential to make a video professional. Try Free Stock Music for free downloads.
6. Create a look by trying Font Squirrel for free fonts and Fiverr for logos.
7. Shoot a lot, edit a lot, and make mistakes.

Meet Newport Interactive Marketers’ Video Pro Panelists
Hal Landen is a cameraman, producer, and author who has traveled the world on assignments and written how to books to assist business people incorporate video in their marketing strategy. He says to check your equipment before you start shooting so you know that when the time comes, everything will be working correctly.

Jim Egan, who was a commercial photographer for 30 years and now runs the Newport Tower Museum on weekends, has also written 12 books and now shoots web content for agencies and businesses in Rhode Island. Egan says the key to a successful image is gesture and proper lighting. Motion, emotion and visual appeal are essential to a good video.

Marc Creedon, a photographer and video producer, says the best camera is the one you have with you. Journalists often use their phones to document what is happening, so learn how to use your phone to make your video look professional.

Scott Indermaur is a former journalist who is now a commercial photographer, handling multimedia projects for clients. It’s important to interview well, he says, but make it feel like a conversation, with moments of true emotion.