It’s time to put the days of planning a huge production for a single marketing video behind us. The media cycle moves faster than ever and people are constantly starved for new content – so let’s give it to them!

Next time you’re filming a promo, social media video, interview, event, whatever, think about how you can use that footage for multiple videos instead of just one. Why waste the opportunity to build up materials that can be leveraged again and again?

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your footage.

1. Shoot as much as possible

You went through the trouble of getting the camera, the lights, the mic, and all the rest set up so take advantage of it. Film as much as possible, you can always cut out the garbage later. You never know how something could be used later so keep the cameras rolling.

And while we said to cut out the garbage later, you probably just want to set it aside, don’t delete anything. You never know when something might be useful even if it doesn’t work for the project at hand. That leads us to our next tip.

2. Get lots of generic b-roll

While you’re capturing all that extra content, try to get shots that are usable in many different scenarios. People talking and laughing, outdoor scenery, office environments, a pretty sunset. Think of it as building your own personal stock library that will save you lots of time and money down the road.

3. Interviews are invaluable

Just like you want to take advantage of having your equipment set up, you’ll also want to take the opportunity to extend an interview when convenient. You’ve got someone interesting sitting in front of the camera, so let them do their thing. Ask extra questions, film some silly banter, and never stop a digression.

People like filmmaker/podcaster Kevin Smith have launched businesses around nothing but talking so you never know what kind of valuable content can manifest through the recording of a simple conversation.

Here’s a DreamItReel user that gives us street interview videos to edit that are always hilarious:
[iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/162395803″ width=”500″ height=”281″]

4. Bloopers + Behind-the-Scenes = an extra video

You might feel inclined to delete all of that footage of people messing up their lines, cursing their mistakes, or dropping the mic on someone’s head – but resist! Bloopers make for great content that can humanize those involved and shed some light on your project.

Same goes for a behind-the-scenes video. These can be quick pieces of social media content, or if you’re producing something big, can help build hype for your video.

Here’s a fun blooper/behind-the-scenes video we edited that acted as an update for those that donated to a Kickstarter campaign:
[iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/171777421″ width=”500″ height=”281″]

5. Shoot once, edit a lot

Once you’ve assembled as much footage as humanly possible, figure out how you can turn it into as many videos as possible.

If you’re producing a 1-2 minute promo, you can also create 15 and 30 second versions. If you’re covering a big convention, break your videos down by specific topic and then create an overall recap. Get creative and don’t be afraid to be granular. Every piece of content is a new opportunity, so don’t settle for one video when you can produce many!

Need some help getting the most out of your footage? Email us at general@dreamitreel.com for a free consultation.