If you haven’t noticed, we are in some pretty unprecedented times right now. COVID-19 has rocked our world and changed nearly every aspect of our lives. At least temporarily.
It’s been interesting to see how different organizations have reacted to the pandemic within their videos. Some choose to face the current situation face on and feature the pandemic and current safety measures (distancing, masks, etc.). Others choose to produce videos that resemble life before (and hopefully after) our current situation.
Before we go any further, it’s important to note that we are taking precautions to make everyone safe. We welcome you to check out our safety procedures in accordance with the state’s reopening plans.
Now, back to the blog. With the current state of affairs, how should your organization represent its videos in the coming months? Here are two questions you should ask yourself before hitting the record and our suggestion…
1. What Do You Do?
For any organization that has a lot of human to human interaction, showcasing their staff taking safety measures is a good option. If your organization is more about providing products, then it’s less important to have those safety measures front and center.
2. What is the Life Expectancy of Your Video?
How long are you expecting to use your video? If the answer is a year or less, COVID-19 will very likely still be around, so having people wearing masks, standing six feet apart, and washing their hands is not be a bad idea. If you are looking to produce a video that has an expected shelf life of 3 or more years, then featuring these precautions may not be as important.
Our Recommendation
Ultimately it will come down to you and your organization’s preference. Consider your audience. Will they appreciate you showing your team operating with all current safety measures or do you think they’d prefer to watch a video that didn’t remind them that we’re currently living in a pandemic?
There is no right or wrong answer. Our suggestion is to cover your bases. If your video is produced in a documentary style, with interviews from people, or even a scripted, direct address, the person doing the talking will not be expected to wear a mask while they’re speaking. However, when capturing the supplementary and complementary video, known as b-roll, it’d be easy enough to capture each shot or scene with both people wearing masks and not wearing masks. If you choose not to have people wearing masks or taking specific safety measures during your video, a text disclaimer that when the video was shot, all individuals took proper safety precautions can be added to the video as well and can easily removed in the future.
We hope this article was helpful for you as you continue to create great, safe, and thoughtful video content during this unique moment in time! Stay safe. Do Good and Be Fruitful! If you have any more questions or comments, feel free to let us know. Thanks!
P.S.
If you would still like to produce videos for your organization, but don’t want to bring in an outside person or company to do so, we have you covered as well. Our own, Kraig Westfall, produced a video on how you can shoot a good video on your phone or laptop.