A major reason why scripted videos fail is that they don’t know when to cut. These videos have one main gag that's funny enough, but then the producer drags out the action for another two minutes with variations on the same joke. If you get the point across after 50 seconds, and the video is still funny, end it on a high note. How do you know if you’re beating a dead horse? This isn’t an exact science, but generally you’ll find yourself struggling to come up with more ideas after your main joke. If this happens, don’t hesitate to end the video there. Web video is the only medium (outside of standup comedy) that can have a 30 second bit be a huge success. More is not always better.

Filters are translucent and often tinted camera components that alter the light before it reaches your camera’s lens. They can be either attached to the camera housing or, in some cases, may be included in your camera. Most video editing programs also have effects that act like physical filters. While many different filters exist, the one you will likely find most useful is called a neutral density (ND) filter. This filter contains no tint, but will filter out excess light to effectively lower your exposure without you having to adjust your iris or shutter settings.

No, this isn’t some after school special about the horrors of lighting setups gone awry. Chances are you all know how to handle lights, but just in case here are a few tips to make your productions are extra safe. For one, always handle lights with care. Professional lights can get VERY hot when in use, so make sure to handle both the bulbs and the barn doors (the flaps around the fixture) carefully. When handling bulbs, use a cloth so as not to smudge them and taint the purity of the light. As for add-ons, if you want to attach a filter or gel to your light, great, but make sure it’s the right kind. Using incorrect equipment can damage what you already have, or worse, start a fire.

The manual iris on your camera is the aperture that lets light through the lens and determines the exposure of your film. You may feel most comfortable with the auto-iris, but there will be many instances where using the manual iris will give you more control over how your subject appears. To use the manual iris correctly, you first must know what a good exposure looks like. Find an evenly lit area and look at it through the viewfinder using auto-iris. Once you know what that looks like, play around with the manual iris and try to make it appear the same through the viewfinder. The more you practice with the iris, the more comfortable you’ll be and the better the film will look when lighting conditions aren’t ideal.

The goal of editing is to convey a story smoothly without drawing too much attention to the cuts. Of course, fast-paced editing or cartoon-inspired wipes are designed to stand out, and that’s absolutely fine. But when you just want to tell a story, you generally want your cuts to be seamless. The best way to achieve this is by ensuring that the content (what happens in the video) motivates the cut. For instance, if you hear a door open and a character turns his head, you expect to see a cut to the door. That’s seamless editing.