Video Resources

Video content

Your video’s content is what will engage people and keep them interested. Our audience is very interested in the nitty gritty of how sustainable features work in the home, so don’t hold back on discussing details (within the time limit). Information like where you sourced your recycled building materials, how you found your architect/designer, specific challenges you faced in designing or building your home or how you made decisions in the building process are all great things to include. Ultimately, you know what’s most interesting about your home and your story.

Please note, you can not use copyrighted images or music in your video, or it will be removed by YouTube.

The following are some examples of content to include in your video.

Shooting and editing a house tour video

We are lucky to live in an era in which it’s easy for anyone to shoot a video of decent quality with their phones. There are many resources online that can help you shoot a professional quality video with a smartphone. If you are interested in going this route, we recommend using a simple editing app like Splice (for iPhone) or FilmoraGo (for Android) which provide free music, captions and many other features for video editing.

Smartphone video tips:

• Always shoot in landscape if possible, by turning your phone on its side. This video will be uploaded to YouTube, which uses landscape video layout.
• To avoid shaky video, use a smartphone tripod to shoot still scenes and a handheld stabiliser to shoot moving scenes. Both can be bought cheaply or created yourself out of household objects if you don’t want to purchase one.
• Think about your lighting and do a test shot to check how it looks. Avoid backlighting for scenes of people talking.
• Watch your recording back to see how it looks and reshoot if necessary.

Slideshow narration videos

Slideshow narration videos provide a simple way to share the detailed information our audience loves. It’s easy to make these videos through with a variety of methods, including Zoom and screen recording software.

Slideshow tips:

• Your presentation should look professional and eye catching. Canva is a great free online software for design which enables you to choose from hundreds of free templates to create professional looking presentations. Here’s a guide to using Canva for slideshow presentations.
• Don’t put too much text on each slide. The slide should be a reference for viewers, not an article containing every detail. On that note, it’s best to not simply read what is on your slides, but to speak about their content.
• Use photos! People want to see what you home looks like.
• You are the star of your presentation. Make sure your voice is energetic and engaging. Feel free to share your feelings and opinions to allow the viewer to connect with you.
• If you’d like to show a brief clip you’ve taken of your home, videos can be embedded in slideshows as well as still images.

There are several options for recording your slideshow presentation.

Screen recording: If you have a Mac, you can use either your screenshot capture or Quicktime to record your screen and audio as you give a presentation (see a guide here). If you have a PC, you can use an app like Screencast-o-Matic to do the same thing (see a guide here).

Zoom: By using a Zoom meeting, you can easily record a presentation including live video of yourself from your webcam. Simply start a Zoom meeting and screenshare your presentation. Start recording when you are ready to begin your presentation. See a guide to recording Zoom meetings here.

Audio

Audio quality is another important consideration for your video tour. If you are shooting a slideshow narration video, using headphones with an attached microphone will provide better sound quality than your computer’s built in mic. If you are shooting a video that involves scenes in different locations, consider sound quality. Does the room have too much echo? Is there a street nearby?

Make sure to test your audio before shooting or recording a presentation to avoid having to rerecord it later.

You can always add a voiceover to shots of your house. This can improve the audio quality by allowing you to record audio in a more controlled environment.

How to get help

We understand that making a video isn’t something everyone is comfortable with, and it’s possible you may need more guidance than is provided here. If that’s the case, please get in touch with us as soon as you can at shd@renew.org.au with the subject line “Video help”. We will have volunteers available to help you through the video process.