Filmmaking: It Starts With a Plan

Social video is simply a sub-genre of filmmaking, where people use a camera to capture a story. The same rules that apply to a feature film shown at your local cinema are relevant to the work you are doing as a content creator. The biggest difference between you and a major film studio is your access to resources — when you are starting out, you probably don’t have many. However, you should still follow the same concepts and ideas as the Hollywood directors in order to produce compelling content that connects with your audience.

To begin with, you need to stop and plan. Your best work will be the result of time spent thinking through the issues, trying things out, preparing for shoots, and laying the groundwork before you turn the camera on.

Community Activity: One of the best things you can do as a content creator is to share your knowledge. You have learned most of what you know from other content creators — it’s time to make your own contributions. For this activity, write a post (or post a short video) on one of your platforms describing a tool or app you have found helpful when creating social videos (such as the one Vinay Chowdhry describes in the video above). Tag your post or video @SVProOnline. Then, in the space below, copy/paste a link to your post. If we see your post, we will share it on our own social media!

When you register for the course, you will be required to complete this activity.