Carry the Identity Into Video

Video is where most artists are seen now, and where identity is most easily lost, because every clip is made in a hurry. A few fixed choices keep even simple footage recognizably yours.

Photo: “Dylan Fujioka” by Incase., CC BY 2.0.

Color

Use one look. The edit you defined for photos in step 15 has a video equivalent, saved as a LUT or a preset in your editing app. Apply it to everything, phone footage included.

Before filming, check the light with your dials from step 7 in mind. Footage shot in the right kind of light needs very little correction afterwards.

Framing

Pick two or three ways of framing and repeat them:

• How close you usually are: face, waist up or full body
• Where you sit in the frame: centered or off to one side
• Whether the camera is still or moving

A fixed, slightly low angle in every rehearsal clip becomes a signature. So does a slow handheld walk. Mixing every style you saw this week does not.

Film vertical for short video platforms and horizontal for long video. If one take has to serve both, shoot wide and keep yourself in the central area, as with the safe area in step 18.

Titles and captions

On-screen text follows step 20: your two typefaces, your palette, the same position each time. Set this up once as a template in your editor.

Many people watch without sound at first, so subtitles help. Style them once and keep that style in every clip.

In video, repeat the look, the framing and the letters. The content can change every day.

Thumbnails and cover frames

The frame that represents a video is a small cover, and the rules from step 17 apply: one clear subject, strong contrast, few or no words. Choose it yourself. The automatic pick is usually a blink.

Start and end the same way

A consistent first second and last second ties videos together. It can be as small as your wordmark for a moment at the end, or always opening on the same kind of shot. Keep it short. People leave during long intros.

Simple is fine

None of this needs a crew. A phone, a window, a tripod and the same four choices every time look more professional than one expensive video surrounded by random clips.

Do this now

Write four lines: your color look, your default framing, your caption style, your ending. Apply all four to the next clip you post.

We direct and finish video content for artists remotely, from footage they shoot, with one look across everything. See how.