Listing video tips

Examples

To get a quick idea, here are some class videos that we think look great:

General guidelines - the listing videos that you upload into ClassBento:

Should not rely on audio (we don't play audio on our website)
Can be either landscape or portrait
Should ideally be between 15 to 60 seconds in length
Can be any common video format (e.g. .mov, .mp4, etc)
Should make your experience / product look great!

Read on for more detailed tips!

Why good videography is important
Lighting
Camera types
Exposure
Composition
Storytelling
Other tips

Why Good Videography Is Important

Videography is important to connect to your customers.
Customers make decisions visually.
It shows the customer what they will receive / achieve.

There's been a significant shift from photos to video content as the main form of consumed media on platforms such as Instagram. Video now plays a crucial role in how people interact with and choose to invest in your brand. Well-crafted video content is essential for connecting your business with the world, while poor-quality videos or none at all can prevent potential customers from engaging with your business.

To sell online effectively, your videos must help customers visualise what they'll experience in your workshop. Use bright, warm tones and showcase genuine emotions to create an inviting atmosphere that encourages bookings.

Lighting:

Proper lighting improves the quality of your video.
Use natural lighting where possible.
If natural lighting isn't available make sure artificial lights in your space are on.
Avoid light sources directly into your camera.

Proper lighting enhances the visual appeal of your content and ensures effective communication. Good lighting makes your videos clearer, more attractive, and well-illuminated. Adequate lighting is essential for both your workspace and subjects.

Natural Lighting:

Natural Light coming from the window on the left

Natural lighting, sourced from the sun or ambient light, is ideal if available.

Artificial Lighting:

Artificial lighting coming from a soft box the left, colour matched to overhead lighting

When natural light isn’t enough, use artificial lighting, but avoid mixing it with natural light to prevent clashing shadows and inconsistent colours.

Avoiding Direct Light Sources:

Avoid shooting into windows or backlit situations. Instead, position the light source behind or to the side of the camera for a well-exposed shot.

Lightsource to the side of subject and camera .

Lightsource behind camera

Lighting coming from behind the subject blows the background out and makes the subject dark/under exposed.

Cameras:

Using an up to date camera can help create high quality video.
Older cameras may not produce the best quality image or deal with low light situations.
The four main camera types are smartphone, compact, DSLR and mirrorless. All of these can produce great imagery when used correctly so ultimately the choice of tool is dependent on what works best for you.

Using an up-to-date camera is crucial for capturing high-quality video. This could be a modern smartphone like an iPhone, Samsung, or Google phone with advanced video features, or a proper video camera such as a mirrorless or DSLR camera. Older phones and cheaper cameras often struggle in low light, affecting the quality of your content.

Types of Cameras:

Smartphone Cameras:
Modern smartphones offer excellent video capabilities. They're portable, easy to use, and allow for direct editing and uploading.

Compact/Point-and-Shoot Cameras:

Affordable and portable with automatic settings, these are a simple option for capturing video.

DSLR Cameras:

Versatile with interchangeable lenses, DSLRs have been a popular choice for high-quality video and photos.

Mirrorless Cameras:

Offering high-end video quality in a compact size, mirrorless cameras are feature-packed with good low-light performance and built-in stabilisation. Most manufacturers now favour these over DSLRs.

Exposure:

Exposure is how bright an image is.
The three main ways to control exposure are ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed.
Aperture is the size of the opening on your lens.
Shutter Speed is the amount of time your cameras shutter is open and lets light into the sensor.
ISO determines how sensitive your camera is to light, the lower the numerical value the lower the sensitivity, the higher the numerical value the higher the sensitivity.

Exposure controls the brightness of your video and is determined by ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Understanding these settings helps you control your imagery. With smartphones or automatic cameras, you may have limited control over these settings. With smartphones you can either use third party apps to have greater control over your camera's settings or click on different parts of the image on your screen to set the exposure to what you have clicked on.

Aperture:

Aperture is the lens opening size that controls how much light enters the camera. In low light, use a wider aperture (lower f-stop like f1.8), and in bright light, use a narrower aperture (higher f-stop like f9).

Shutter Speed:

Shutter speed is how long the camera's shutter is open. For natural-looking video, set the shutter speed to double your frame rate (e.g., 1/50 for 25 fps). Adjusting shutter speed can affect motion blur and clarity.

ISO:

ISO sets your camera's light sensitivity. Lower ISO (e.g., 100) is better for bright environments, while higher ISO (e.g., 1600) is for low light. Higher ISO increases image noise, so keep it as low as possible.

Capturing Your Videos / Composition

Composition is how the subjects are laid out in your frame.
Landscape (horizontal) videos are best for websites and youtube.
Portrait (vertical) videos are best for social media and for your listings to accompany photos.
Make sure your videos are stable, either by practising keeping your arms steady or with the aid of camera accessories such as tripods or gimbals.
Make sure to vary your shots, this could be how close you are to your subject, the angle you are filming your subject and the subject itself.
Be creative with alternative shots such as point of view, overhead or close ups.
Ensure camera movements have purpose such as panning across a room, tracking from your subjects hands holding their craft to their face, panning from one subject to another.

Composition is about arranging subjects within the frame for the most visually appealing results, guiding the viewer's eye through the picture. This involves careful framing and eliminating clutter, ensuring everything in the frame is intentional. For example, remove items like water bottles or phones to keep the studio tidy and presentable.

Landscape or Portrait (horizontal or vertical)?

The first thing you need to decide on is whether you are going to be capturing your video horizontally or vertically. Both have advantages and it will depend on the end use of your video.

Shooting Horizontal Videos:

Landscape videos work best for websites and YouTube. When shooting vertically, apply the rule of thirds, which divides the image into 9 parts with intersecting lines. Position subjects along these lines for a more visually pleasing result. You can enable a grid in your camera or phone settings to help with this.

Capturing Vertical Videos:

For social reels and class listings, shoot videos vertically. Centre the subject, as the narrow frame doesn’t allow for the traditional rule of thirds used in horizontal videos.

Stabilisation:

Keep your footage steady to avoid distracting jitters. Practice holding the camera steady or use accessories like a stabiliser or tripod to prevent shaky footage.

Vary Your Shots:

Capture a mix of wide, medium, and close-up shots. Wide shots show the entire workspace or subject, medium shots focus on details like a person and their craft, and close-ups highlight hands or facial expressions. This variety creates a more engaging and dynamic video.

Close Up

Medium

Wide

Alternative Shots:

To add variety, use flat-lay (overhead) shots and POV (point of view) shots. Flat-lay captures a top-down view of your work, while POV shows the process from your perspective, like using an action camera.

POV

Flat Lay (Overhead)

Avoid clips where hands or crafts are obstructed by objects.

For inspiration, check out content from other creators online or in your field on Instagram.

Ensure vertical videos are shot in 1080 x 1920px for HD and 2160 x 3840 for 4K. Horizontal videos should also be 1080 x 1920px for HD and 3840 x 2160 for 4K.

Camera Movements:

Camera movements should be deliberate and purposeful. Move the camera to follow subjects, pan across spaces, or reveal details, but ensure there's a clear reason for each movement. Keep movements slow, steady, and thoughtful.

Capture the space’s beauty with wide shots and details that tell your story. Show genuine human moments and avoid busy or distracting backgrounds.

Film engaged subjects and avoid forced interactions. Aim for clips 5-10 seconds long for editing flexibility, avoid overly short clips or close-ups that don’t show relevant activity.

Video orientation, quality and rights

Capture your videos in the best quality your camera enables.
Avoid text or any other graphics being added to your video.
Make sure you own the rights to your video, if someone else captured it you will need their written permission for you to use it.

Capture your videos in the highest quality your camera supports, typically 4K or 1080p (HD). Higher resolution means better quality.

Avoid adding text, logos, or watermarks, as these can detract from your video and might be cropped out.

Ensure you own the rights to your video or have explicit permission from the owner. Copyright holders regularly check for infringements, so secure written consent if you didn’t film the video yourself.

Camera Accessories

Use a high quality mobile phone (such as iPhone 15, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy).
If using a dedicated camera use a up to date DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
If filming yourself use a tripod (full size or mini).
If you want to capture moving clips a stabiliser can be helpful (such as a mobile phone gimbal).
If your workshop is very dark artificial lighting can help (such as a ring light or softbox)

Telling Your Story Through Your Shots

Customers make purchasing decisions by seeing what they are buying.
Your clips should grab the attention of the customer, display what they will leave with, capture the purpose and atmosphere of the workshop and help them imagine themselves at the workshop.
Using a variety of shots will help convey the above.
Create a shot list to help you capture all the shots you need.

In order to make a purchase, customers want to be sure that they know what they are buying. Videos of your class illustrate all the facets of what the customer will experience and achieve during your workshop.

The clips in your video should:

Grab the attention of customers and encourage them to book your workshop
Display what they will leave with at the end of the workshop.
Capture both the purpose and atmosphere of the workshop.
Help customers imagine themselves participating in the workshop.

Using a variety of shot types will help convey a variety of information about your workshop. By mixing and matching these shots in your videos, you’ll give customers an accurate portrayal of your workshop.

Shot List:

A shot list outlines the objects, people, and angles to capture in your video. While not essential, it helps streamline the process and ensures you don’t miss important details. Consider including elements that showcase your brand, workspace, class activities, and outcomes to give customers a clear idea of what to expect.

Show the class setup before students arrive, including workstations and materials.
Display the tools and materials used in the class.
Showcase your workspace.
Film people arriving, getting settled and preparing for the class.
Capture teaching moments and any additional class features (prosecco or snacks etc.)
Record key workshop activities and interactions with materials.
Highlight moments of joy, such as smiles and laughter.
Show participants with their finished products to highlight what they will achieve.

Class setup before customers arrive

Tools and materials for class

Showcasing workspace

Customers arriving

Teaching moments

Moments of joy

Interactions with materials

Customers with finished products

Video Style Tips:

Your videos should not contain any overlaid text, logos, or watermarks, as this detracts from the overall feel of your listing and would also be inconsistent with how we display our listings.

Do’s

Show the teachers and guests enjoying themselves.
Show teachers helping students.
Show the final product to illustrate that anyone can achieve and complete your craft.
Have the work-in-progress, or materials related to the class visible in the shot (but make sure they aren’t blocking the customer creating their piece).
Have both the teacher and/or guests' faces visible in the videos (unless capturing a close up of the craft).
Show teachers helping students.
Show students using the materials you provide.
Show students with their finished creations.
Show different details of the process of the craft through different stages of creation.
Show close-ups of a work in progress, have hands or tools in the shot to give a sense of being part of the experience.
If it's a shot of the craft materials by itself, style the shot to make it interesting.

Don’ts

Avoid expressions that are too concentrated/don’t show positive emotion.
Avoid shots of people covering their face with their hands
Avoid having elements blocking the student performing their craft (such as other students, items on tables etc.)
Do not show the teacher in a setting not related to the class.
Do not shoot too far from your subject.
Avoid having the teacher or guests' back to the camera.
Avoid only having the teacher/guest in the video with no visible work-in-progress or materials related to the class.
Avoid footage that don't show the context of what's happening in the class.
Avoid having shots of materials by themselves in an unstyled way.
Avoid excessively covering the shots of the craft with an arm or object.
Avoid having a work in progress craft shot without hands/tools in the image.

Audio:

Audio enhances social media videos by boosting visibility and setting the tone—calm music for a relaxed vibe or energetic tracks for excitement. However, on ClassBento, videos are posted without audio, so avoid relying on voiceovers to explain your workshop.

Editing:

There are a host of editing apps you can use to create your videos both on mobile and desktop. Some examples of free apps you can use are:

CapCut
Adobe Rush
GoPro Quik
YouCut
Your phones built in video editor
Luma Fusion
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie

Get to know your editing software for tasks like trimming, cropping, and applying basic effects.

Focus on storytelling in your edits: create a compelling narrative, evoke emotion by showing enjoyment and accomplishment, and maintain audience interest. Ensure good pacing and structure to naturally showcase the class experience.

Editing Tips:

Organise Footage: Create separate folders for raw and edited clips.

Use Your Shot List: Cross-reference with your clips to speed up editing.

Select Quality Clips: Choose well-lit, steady shots that highlight key details and actions.

Include Establishing Shots: Provide context by showing the workshop environment.

Mind the Pacing: Adjust clip length to set the video’s rhythm—fast for action, slow for a relaxed feel.

Check Export Settings: Ensure your video’s resolution and codec match your original quality, especially if using a computer-based editor.

We hope you've found these tips helpful! We're looking forward to seeing you use wonderful videos to showcase what you have to offer.

Want to take your workshop business further? Read our free guide to building a profitable workshops business — it covers everything from workshop design and pricing to marketing strategies.

Examples

Contents

Why Good Videography Is Important