Image courtesy of Flickr user jsawkins. Image courtesy of CC BY-SA 2.0.

So you know that your nonprofit needs to embrace design to survive in our changing market, and we just gave you 7 ways to embrace graphic design online, but what about video? After all, it did kill the radio star. 

One of the most notable videos in the digital age for nonprofits was KONY 2012 for Invisible Children. The nearly half-hour long video proved to be very successful, the cost for the film and its production reached into six figures. Unless money starts growing on trees any time soon, that’s not manageable for most nonprofits.

But there is a way to use video for your nonprofit’s outreach without breaking the bank. With the rise of Vine and Instagram’s video feature, your video can compel visitors in 15 seconds or less. Here’s how.

1. Plan your shots. Knowing what and where you plan to shoot before you do provides you the opportunity to visualize your final product before its recorded. It also allows you to have a better idea of some of the conditions that might disrupt your shot and distract your viewers, so you can plan to miss those.

2. If using a camera that allow you to set a white balance, set it for the color temperature of light you will be using. For example, if your white balance is set for incandescent lighting, any footage you shoot with daylight will appear very blue. If your white balance is set for daylight, then any indoor footage you shoot will be yellow. Be aware of how lighting affects white balance settings on your camera, and adjust it accordingly.

3. Use natural daylight as much as possible. It’s hard to see videos in low light, but make sure you use this in conjunction with rule #1 - if your subject is backlit it won’t make for a good video (unless you like shadowy figures) while too much lighting in the front can cause your subject to squint.

4. Make cuts. It’s important to maintain all your footage, and to develop your finished product through cuts afterward. Even more so, it’s important to use cuts as transitions, so your audience’s attention can be kept throughout the entire video.

5. Don’t laugh. Unless you have a tripod. Laughter is the best medicine, but save your prescription until after you’re done filming. It’s nearly impossible to laugh without shaking your body at least a little bit (seriously, try it). The shakes move from your body to the camera and create a shaky video.

6. Sound is important. Just because your video has a visual aspect doesn’t mean the sound doesn’t matter. Some of the most annoying videos in the world are those with unsynced sound or sound in a much lesser quality.

So whether you’re using a fancy HD video recorder or your smartphone’s embedded camera, take these tips to heart to improve the quality of your nonprofit’s videos.