Recipe Video – 7 Steps to a great Recipe

What is better that a good recipe video! I can watch them for hours and plan my cooking adventures. Here are the most important things you need to know to make a successful recipe video:

#1 – Lighting — Good lighting is as important for video as it is for photography. The key difference is that shifts in sun/shade can make big swings in the consistency of the look and exposure of your video. If you have a great natural lighting set up at home for photography, you should be okay. But if you (like me) have found that your schedule doesn’t always allow for bright, by-the-window video shoots, you may want to consider a powerful, but soft artificial light

#2 – Camera — Just as with food photography, you can do good video with just your iPhone or Android. The main issues I had in using my iPhone were 1) storage and 2) inability to see what I was filming. If neither of these is an issue for you, then by all means, don’t invest in too much equipment until you get the hang of video editing

#3 – Microphone — It may seem like video is the only important part of video, but actually audio is one of THE most important parts of video. No matter how good you, your food, your hands or your pans look, if the sound stinks, your video just won’t look professional. For true “hands in pans” video where you never speak or do a voice-over, this may not be an issue. But I recommend getting a simple (but reliable) wireless microphone just in case.

#4 – Music — If you’re not narrating your videos (or even if you are), you’ll likely want a little music to move things along and add interest to the viewer (remember what I said — audio is SO important in video). Remember, music needs to be licensed or copyright-free.

#5 – Invest in an Intro — I highly recommend this as a way to add a really polished branded feel to all of your videos. You can get one of Fiverr. Keep it short, though.

#6 – Don’t Let the Audience Get Bored — You may not realize this, but any TV show you watch these days transitions it’s screen about every 3 to 4 seconds. Don’t believe me? Count ‘em next time you’re watching your favorite show.

#7 – Have faith you can do it though. It’s like the first time your pressed publish on your blog or took that first picture. You Just. Have. To. Get. Started.

In this video: Mung Bean Cleanser by Happy Earth People