A picture can speak a thousand words, but many pictures will help you sell t-shirts. Putting together a promotional video may seem a little out of reach for small brands, but with the technology currently at your disposal and a little bit of creativity there are no limits on what you can achieve. If you have the budget for it, the contacting a production company would be the best idea, but if you don’t, here are some basic elements you’ll need to create your own promotional video:
Lights. Do not underestimate the importance of lighting. Good lighting can make the difference between a terrific video and an awful one. Luckily there’s no need to spend tons on a lighting equipment.
HD Camera. You have to do HD. There’s is no way to go around it. It is particularly important for fashion brands to feature clear crisp videos where the real colors and quality of the garment can be appreciated even if it’s being watched on YouTube. Unfortunately, most of your budget will go on the camera. According to YouTuber Sharon Farrell, a good camera for video can go anywhere from £350 to £800. See it as an investment. If you’re serious about your business, then this artifact will not only serve you to shoot promotional videos, but also to take amazing pictures for catalogues and social media for years to come.
Microphone. You may forgo the microphone if you don’t plan on recording audio yourself, but if it’s the other way around then I highly recommend getting one. The ones that come with the cameras (even the expensive ones) tend to be rubbish.
Editing software. Professionals may prefer Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, but there are other options out there that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. There is free software like iMovie that might surprise you with the quality finish it can achieve. If you’re uploading the video to Youtube (which you probably will) then YouTube editor is a also great choice.