Hometap Client Testimonial – Our 4 Latest Authentic Social Media Videos: Editing and Finishing

Last year in early 2021, Skillman Video Group, one of Boston’s leading video production companies, created a Client Testimonial for Hometap, and later in 2021 created 4 new versions of the original long-form video. These 4 new iterations of the client testimonial were designed for various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Each of these videos are formatted specifically to these respective platforms in various video shapes. The challenge was making sure that each of these different videos were their own unique product that felt at home on its platform, rather than being a carbon copy of the same video file.

Post-production with Hometap

We worked with Hometap to deliver the best end product with the client testimonial that we had already created for them in early 2021. The strong foundation was already in place for a collaborative discussion about the short-form iterations of the testimonial. Hometap had strong ideas for the design and structure of these videos, and we responded with thorough questions to ensure that all the big components were ironed out. Our priority was preserving the values and key messaging of the original video and translating it in an authentic way. Once the core ideas were set, the fine details of the text graphics and animations could be workshopped.

Repurposing video content

The key to creating effective effective content across platforms is to ensure that there is a consistency with the end result, and that the original message is preserved. We were always aware of the tone of the video being paramount to the legitimacy of the content, and worked with Hometap to strike a playful, yet professional tone. There is a lot of information in these short videos, and we needed to strike the perfect balance so that viewers would be absorbing the information that introduces the brand.

Pacing the information in a digestible manner is the key for an effective client testimonial. When creating short-form content for social media, the finer details are much more apparent to the viewer than they would be in the nearly 3 minute original client testimonial. The small details needed to be pristine, which is why the text animations were the bulk of work, in order to ensure good pacing without obstructing the focus on Nana’s story.

The 5 phases of Editing

Skillman Video Group employs 5 phases in the Editing process:

• Assembly Cut
• B-Roll
• Color
• Audio Mix
• Final Review

Phase 1: Assembly cut

The assembly cut’s purpose is to show all the different working parts of the product, before they are fine tuned. The raw footage and audio is minimally edited together to give the client a general idea of what the story looks like before our high-precision editing keeps everything succinct. The video goes through a trial-and-error phase, where productive conversations begin to tweak the product to reflect Hometap’s vision.

Phase 2: B-Roll

B-Roll of the client Nana Appaw was shot for the interview-style video, allowing maneuverability when stitching the final piece together. Using the B-Roll was essential in order to create seamless edits between the topics that Nana discussed. For interview-style brand videos, it is especially critical that the editing should not feel like it alters what the interviewee is saying. It should be an accurate and authentic representation of their values.

Phase 3: Color

Color is an important branding tool so it was crucial to ensure that the colors reflected the Hometap brand well. The set, Nana’s outfit, and the props were all important aspects that ensured visual homogeneity for the initial video, with an inviting teal that catches the eye. The lighting created soft tones with the colors, as there was an even mix of natural and studio light. The lighting was carefully set up so that minimal digital color correction was needed. The social media videos needed to reflect that same stylistic homogeneity, and so the text graphics along with the text backgrounds were carefully created in accordance with the color scheme.

Phase 4: Audio Mix

The Audio Mix is where all the audio is finetuned for clarity and the different audio sources are balanced against each other. We had an audio engineer who was able to remove loud sounds from the set, like the really loud air vents that would have distracted from the client testimonial. The audio setup was straightforward, as the main components that needed to be balanced were the background music and client’s voice. The audio was edited so that the testimonial was delivered in a clear and concise way, and any blips that would otherwise taint the audio quality were also removed.

Phase 5: Final Review

This phase is where the final back-and-forth occurs, where we discuss with Hometap the finished video, ensuring that everything passes the quality check and that everyone is happy with the end result. Every part of the video should be lined up at this point, and only minor changes should be made. This stage is mostly for the purpose of ironing out the very small details as all the big picture content has been deliberated prior to the editing.

Check out the Client Testimonial along with the 4 new social media iterations of the video below! If you would like more information on the post-production process as well as the entire production process check out the Skillman Video Group Blog. If you would like to create your own project with us, send us an inquiry at [email protected]!