masma78983, Teenage girl with mobile phone filming male friends dancing in living room

Venture into social media videos
Are you thinking of using videos on social media but don't really know how to get started? Join our two-part series in which Anders Larsson from the Anders och Mia production company gives us his best tips for getting the ball rolling. And we will learn about programs and equipment that can be of use in your work.
Anders Larsson
About Anders Larsson
Anders and his partner Mia Kaasalainen run the production company Anders och Mia. Anders and Mia produce film for the web and social media for a long list of organizations, both private and public. They also teach social video classes at Berghs School of Communication.

Hi Anders! Why should I venture into videos on social media?
Videos have a stronger effect than text and still images. They impact more of your senses and are a strong medium for relaying feelings. Visual storytelling speaks to us on more than one level and we can express a whole lot in very little time. And thanks to rapid technological development, it is also easier and cheaper to produce videos today.
I'm a beginner, how do I get started?
Everything you need is right in your mobile phone. Your phone is the perfect tool to start experimenting! You have to be daring, learn something new, evaluate, correct and move on.

Start off small with themes and subjects that are close to your heart. Try starting with a tangible organizational need. Let's say you want to recruit new employees and see the benefit of using video in social media in doing so. Here, you have a clear purpose, and having a clear purpose generally energizes you and gives you ideas for moving forward.

Ask yourself how you can attract new employees through film. You could do a short story and interview people in your organization as to why they work there, maybe you want to show off something exciting or spectacular your company did in the past year, or maybe you want to share your challenging vision for the future, asking openly who wants to be part of the journey.

The possibilities are endless, but it helps to have a clear purpose for your video.
ima160833, Man photographing sea with smartphone
scandinav_ucg6

What equipment do I need? And is it expensive?
It doesn't have to be expensive. Technically, you need a camera, and your mobile phone is perfect for the task! I also recommend you get an external microphone to hook up to your phone. Keep in mind that good audio is more important than good images.

A tripod and some form of lighting, such as an LED light, can also be very useful, especially during the dark months.

You will also need an editing program, and there are a lot to choose from. Invest some time in learning the basics. There are great online courses, such as the Swedish website moderskeppet.se.
What editing program should I choose?
To get up and running fast, I recommend a fully mobile work flow using apps like iMovie or Adobe Rush, depending on if you're on iPhone or Android.

If you see videos becoming important in your communications and see lots of areas you could use them in, I recommend learning to use Adobe Premiere Pro (Mac and PC) or Final Cut Pro (Mac only). The learning curve is relatively high, but once you have mastered one of these tools, you can do anything.

There are a lot of simple programs and apps, but in my experience, you quickly grow out of these programs and often end up in work flows that have you needing more than one tool to bring your production to fruition.

If you are planning on using a lot of videos, it's just as well that you learn to use one of the more powerful tools from the start. If what you need is to produce simple videos and want it to go quickly, I recommend using your mobile phone.
masma68550, Happy friends dancing on street with woman standing in foreground
Supplement with
purchased videos
Not possible to film all the footage for your video? Then supplement with purchased video clips. Johnér's videos portray environments with the feel and imagery of Scandinavia.
Check out our videos!

What should I consider before starting my creation?
What's most important is that you do a classic needs analysis and draft a good plan. Why are we using video, what is the purpose of the video, what do we want our audience to do after viewing our video, who is our target audience, what is our message, in what channels can we find our audience, do we understand these channels, what contents are relevant for our audience, etc.

Once you have answered these questions, you write your script. You plan what scenes you will need to get your message across.

Then you can start thinking about the visual storyboard. What images do we need? When should I pan in and pan out, should the camera move, and why, etc? Make things easy in the beginning. Four to five video clips of well-chosen scenes can be enough to make a good video with a strong message.

With a thoroughly considered plan, your workflow will be smoother and the process from idea to completed production will be more efficient than if you "just start filming".
masma66138, High angle view of businesswoman attending video conference through mobile phone at desk in office
masma78943, Cropped hands of woman filming teenage girl dancing on street in city

Any last minute tips before we get started?
Make it simple, look at what others have done for inspiration and let yourself be inspired by videos that you yourself like and that seem to work.

A lot of people and organizations are good at using videos in their communications. You need to look beyond their reach and gain a better understanding of the effect videos have in social media today. In the beginning, everyone wanted to go viral and get lots of views. Today, we are more interested in conversion and the effect of our videos. Did we sell more, did we hire more people, did we exercise influence in some matter, did we fill our webinar, etc.

Here are three videos that may inspire you (in Swedish):
Beijer Bygg - Dom kallar oss hantverkare
PP-Pension - Tänk på pensionen, gäller även dig i mediabranschen
Stockholm Vatten och Avfall - Tack för att du sorterar dina matrester

More tips to come in part 2!
In the April 14 newsletter, we will take a closer look at what you should think about when filming and editing your videos. Have questions about filming or editing you would like answered? Get in touch with our web editor Victoria Henriksson.
Photographers: Hans Berggren (ima160833), Rania Rönntoft (scandinav_ucg6), Maskot Images (masma78983, masma68550, masma66138, masma78943).