It can be stressful to try something new. If you’re thinking about being a fitness videographer, watching top-tier workout videos on Youtube that make us believe we need professional camera crews and a producer to film certainly doesn’t help.
In reality, you don’t have to worry about expensive equipment, football stadium-level lighting, experts on the scene every time you film.
This post will walk you through how you can make a professional workout video at home using practical strategies and filming tactics. So you can figure out exactly what your video needs to be, which platform to post it in, and successfully target your audience.
Plan the Content
Choose What You Want to Shoot
Establishing the purpose of your workout video and what you want your viewers to see can help you stay on the right track and not waste time on pointless things. When making videos for your target audience, figure out if your video can effectively engage and attract them.
Primarily, workout videos are filmed in two different ways: teaching and talking while working out or voicing over your workout session after filming it.
Pick Your Workout Routine
Now that you’ve determined the style of your video, select the workout or class you’re going to teach. Decide whether it’s going to be a video about relaxing body stretches for beginners or intense leg workouts for gym veterans.
If you’re making videos for beginners, give them tips on the posture they need to have, detailed information regarding the workout exercises, and remind them to have certain props like weights and gym lockers available.
Pick a Video Platform
There are plenty of video publishing platforms you can choose from, each with its own advantages and posting policies. If you’re planning to host on multiple platforms, keep in mind the video’s formatting and aspect ratio.
For instance, videos on Youtube need to be 16:9, with an MP4 format, and at least a 760p or 1080p HD video resolution.
While videos on TikTok and Instagram need to be filmed at 9:16. Videos on social media platforms should be shorter, anywhere near a minute long to keep the mobile viewers’ attention.
Decide the Video’s Length
The video’s length you choose also depends on the platform you’ll post it on. For instance, videos on TikTok are typically around a minute long, where you could show clips and teach one exercise at a time. Many people post longer-length videos on Youtube while showing highlights on TikTok and Youtube Shorts.
The sweet spot for videos on platforms like Youtube and Vimeo is about 8-15 minutes, where viewers can learn all they need to without feeling like it’s too much of a hassle.
Assemble Your Filming Gear
Set the Camera
Getting in front of the camera can be intimidating, especially when people think they need to have the best and most expensive camera on the market.
This is not true; as a matter of fact, the newest iPhone and Samsung phones can record cinematic videos easily with upto 4K resolution, so you can rely on your smartphone to film high-quality videos.
But if you still insist on using a camera, then basically any camera capable of recording at least 1080p videos with 30FPS should be good for filming a workout video at home.
Use Good Lighting
Lighting can absolutely make or break your video efforts. With good lighting, even your video quality can seem more professional than it already is. Your lighting setup largely depends on your location, like whether you’re filming indoors or outdoors.
Make use of natural light as much as you can because it creates consistent lighting and can make a big difference.
If you’re filming on a smartphone, add clip-on lights and light rings. If you’re going for a professional look, then invest a bit of money on a lighting kit with stands and filters.
Capture Clear Audio
Recording crisp audio is a difficult task that many fitness videographers face. This is because you need to constantly move to demonstrate exercises that make you sound out of breath.
An ideal solution would be using a wireless microphone that connects to your camera, or you could use a mini audio recorder strapped to your lapel or inside your clothes.
Finish Off with Expert Editing
You can add intros and outros, voiceovers, and polish out mistakes using simple editing programs for more sophisticated workout videos. When you’re on mobile, simply use the editing features that platforms like TikTok and Instagram provide with them.
If you don’t have a fitness video editor, are a novice editor, or just don’t want to deal with video editing, hire a professional editor who does the work for you while you film videos.
I began writing as a professional on my personal blog and then discovered my true calling, which is writing about technology, News, and gadgets in general. I am a technical writer, author, and blogger since 2010. An industry watcher that stays on top of the latest features, extremely passionate about juicy tech news and everything related to gadgets.
