Background shots in a video are important and a crucial feature that can be overlooked when starting to shoot video. Whether you’re shooting in a studio, a conference room, or at an off-site location consider what people will be behind the subject. It seems kind of silly to think about when really what you’re thinking about are the shots you need. Yet, in reality a background is what helps highlight the subject and can easily add interest to a video. That said, don’t feel like you need to spend a ton of time on picking a background – especially when you’re shooting on the road. Although, if you’re going to be creating a studio then spend a little bit of time on it and feel free to play around with different backgrounds. Here are a few things to consider when creating a background for online video:
- If there’s something in the surroundings that talks to what the video is going to be about, try to incorporate that. For example, what if you’re interviewing an award-winning director. Try to get some of the rewards in the background placed subtly on bookshelves or on a fireplace mantle that would still be in the shot. This adds a bit of interest to the video and reminds people of the credentials of the person being interviewed without you having to dedicate a lot of video time to it.
- Try to stay away from white. First, white is not exciting to look at. Think about it. Put something in front of a white background and it’s just not that interesting. Of course, if you’re doing a product photo you definitely want to do that, but this is not a product picture. This is a video. It should have interest. If that’s not enough, lighting white backgrounds isn’t the easiest thing in the world and you could be dealing with a lot of shadows looming in the background. Don’t get me wrong shadows aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but they’re definitely something you want to control in a shot and not the other way around.
- Creating a studio to shoot your online videos? Definitely spend the time experimenting with backgrounds. Consider what you want to see in every video since this is a good way to create consistency. Is it a company name? Is it worth getting a banner made or will that be something you add during editing? What is the mood/feeling you’re trying to convey in your video? Think about how a background can contribute to that.
- Green screens. Yay or Nay? By this point you might have heard of green screens or even taken the tour at Universal Studios as a child that shows you how ET was able to fly through the air. Green screens essentially let you shoot something and fill in the background later. That’s cool, right? Could serve all your background problems, right? Not so fast. You also need a lot of space to use them effectively. For example, you’ll need to make sure you have at least 6 feet between the subject being shot and the green screen behind them. Not everyone has that much space available. Besides that this is video for online, not some Hollywood blockbuster.
Here’s the magic sauce about backgrounds: They can change. Don’t be afraid to try out a few different options. Do your best not to make them too busy since that can distract from the “star” of your video, but don’t be afraid to move things around – especially if you’re shooting on location.
Read all previous parts to this ongoing series, Shooting Online Video:
Part 4 – Lighting And Content
Part 3 – Picking A Camera
Part 2 – SD or HD
Part 1 – Just Do It!
