“Recording is in progress”- 4 things to keep in mind for remote production

Do you prefer a production crew to handle remote recording for your corporate video? Or would you rather do it yourself? If you chose the latter, there are a few things to consider when you begin recording on Zoom.

1. ENVIRONMENT. Be sure to have a good light source, tidy up your surroundings, and eliminate any possible noise such as AC/heat units or the buzz that comes from an open window. The last seems to be especially important for post-production. Although it is technically possible to denoise the sound in post, it does not always work perfectly. Please take note.

2. CONNECTION. This one goes without saying - check your Internet connection before you start recording. Even with well-functioning Internet, the resolution of videos recorded in Zoom might be far from perfect. Still, if you want to keep the quality as high as possible, check the connection to avoid pixelated images, freezing motions, and distorted sound. If you see that your WiFi connection does not work properly, try using a hardwire ethernet cord if possible.

3. FRAMING. If you are a speaker, spend some time positioning yourself differently in front of the camera before recording. Don’t leave too much or too little space around yourself. For corporate projects, it is crucial to keep a consistent and professional look with framing, especially when a few people participate in it. Also, in post-production, editors need to have enough space for adding a graphic overlay with interviewees’ titles (lower thirds). Make sure to provide this space for them in advance. 

4. PIN VIDEO. If you are the one who records a speaker and you don’t want yourself to be on screen, please pin their video in zoom before you hit the “record” button. It will make a significant difference in post-production. In Zoom, sound often goes ahead of an image. If you watch a zoom recording of two people talking, you might see an image of speaker A is often overlaid with a voice of speaker B who began talking a second ago. In most cases, it is not fixable in post. However, pinning the main’s speaker’s video will not let it happen.