Tips for Shooting Eye-Catching Cooking Videos
What grabs your attention first when you scroll through your social media feeds and get caught up watching cooking tutorials? Maybe the recipe uses one of your favorite ingredients. Maybe the bright colors in the video caught your eye. Or maybe you’re hypnotized by how neat and quick their cooking process is! When you shoot your tutorials, take inspiration from your favorite channels. Use these tips for shooting eye-catching cooking videos, and soon, your audience will be hungry for more.
Pick a Vibe
How do you want to shoot your videos? Alton Brown’s groundbreaking show Good Eats featured him as a presenter and storyteller. His personality was a huge part of the cooking process, so viewers always saw his face as he cooked. But recently, the “Tasty style” became a go-to for tutorials, from cooking to crafts. Tasty’s videos feature the presenter’s hands, but not their face.
Once you’ve chosen how to shoot, do a little set dressing. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, works against a lush background with decadent-looking cooking implements. Meanwhile, Great British Bake-Off winner Nadiya Hussain prefers fun candy colors against a no-fuss background.
Gear Up
Depending on the style of the video you’re shooting, your camera equipment will look a little different. If you, the presenter, want to be a part of the video, you’ll need a tripod to hold your camera steady as you work. Having two cameras attached to tripods on your counter will allow you to shoot from different angles to add visual interest.
If you prefer the newer tutorial style, where you only see the presenter’s hands as they knead and mix ingredients, get an overhead rig. The right overhead camera angle will give you crisp, shake-free footage that shows your audience all the ingredients on the counter and the techniques you use.
Time and Edit
Viewers who watch from their smartphones love short videos. If you can keep your video under 2 minutes, you’ll keep a clipped pace and avoid boring your audience. It may take 10 minutes to knead that enriched dough, but your viewers will get the point after 3 or 4 seconds. If you leave the dough to rise or a dish to bake, try time-lapse footage so they’ll see a whole hour pass in 5 seconds.
A time constraint means you’ve got to be ruthless with your editing. Each step should only take a few seconds to demonstrate; you can speed up the footage a little if needed. And for those who watch videos with the sound off, basic captions like “knead for 10 minutes” or “1 tbsp paprika” will keep your viewer up to speed.
Start your cooking channel off on the right foot with a little extra thought before you shoot. These tips for shooting eye-catching cooking videos will get your creative muscles tingling; pull out your favorite recipe and give it a whirl today!