Six tests: how to check whether your video is good

You do not need to understand editing to judge a film. Six tests, none of which requires any technical knowledge, will tell you whether what you received is good enough to represent your company.

1. Watch it without sound

Is everything still comprehensible? Most viewers watch without sound, so if the film collapses in silence it will not work on social media at all.

2. Listen to the sound only

Look away from the screen. Is the speaker clear? Does music overpower them? Is there room echo? Sound is the first thing a viewer judges and the hardest thing to repair.

3. Listen to it in a car

A car is the most honest listening environment there is: road noise exposes every weak passage. If speech disappears under the engine, the mix is not finished.

4. Watch it on a large screen

A phone hides everything. On a television, soft focus, shaky frames and colour differences between shots become obvious — and your client may well watch it on a large screen.

5. Look at skin tone

Skin should look like skin: not yellow, not green, not orange. If faces are off, nothing else in the grade matters.

6. Watch it on a phone, vertically

A large share of viewers will see your film on a phone held in one hand. Check whether the text is readable, whether faces are cropped by platform interface elements, and whether the film still makes sense without sound.

What to do if the video fails these tests

Do not rush to reshoot. The three repairs that give the most, in order: sound first — a change is audible immediately; then colour and skin — one evening of work; then trimming — three minutes cut to ninety seconds and the film comes alive. Reshooting is only necessary when the footage is out of focus or the lighting was fundamentally wrong.

And if you are planning a new film, these mistakes are cheapest to avoid before the shoot — in preparation, and in choosing who will do the work.

Frequently asked questions

Can a video that has already been shot be fixed?

Most problems — sound, colour, excessive length — are solved in the edit. Only out-of-focus footage and fundamentally wrong lighting cannot be repaired.

How long should a business video be?

Sixty to ninety seconds for a corporate film, up to three minutes for an interview format. Longer films are watched only when they teach something specific.

How do I know whether the sound is good enough?

Listen in a car or on a phone speaker. If you have to strain, or you can hear the room, the sound is unfinished — and viewers notice that faster than poor picture.