We were inspired to create the Intro Video due to the fact that designers are more than just pretty pictures. Designing websites, apps, and illustrations is only a small portion of what makes a designer, much of what makes a fantastic designer is communication and logical thinking.
Creating Your Profile Pitch Video
The video pitch on your profile is your chance to make an impression on potential employers before getting to the interview stage. It’s an opportunity to show hiring managers your personality and talk a bit about your work. But what goes into a winning pitch video?
Keep it short
Video pitches should be 1-2 minutes long. While it may not seem like much time, it should be sufficient to show a bit of your personality and how you approach design projects.
Write a script
You may think you can skip the script for such a short video, but that would be a mistake. If anything, when you only have a couple of minutes to tell your story, a script becomes more important. That said, your script doesn’t need to be super formal. You can write out what you want to say verbatim (be sure to read it out loud to yourself so you can tell if it sounds natural or not), or you can simply give yourself a list of bullet points you want to be sure to cover.
Consider your environment
When recording your video, it’s important that you choose the right environment. Be aware of what’s in your background, as well as any ambient noise. You want the background of your video to look professional, or at the very least, not look unprofessional. A blank wall can be an excellent option for a background. Just be sure that there’s enough contrast between you and your background. And if all else fails, using a shallow depth of field so that your background is blurred out can be an excellent alternative.
Focus on sound quality
Viewers will forgive all kinds of visual quality issues when viewing video content online. But the number one thing that can make a video unwatchable is actually the sound quality. Use a quality external mic if you can, but even the microphone on most headphone sets can capture better quality sound without as much background noise.
Pro tip: if you’re using your phone, put it in airplane mode while you’re filming, as sometime cell phone signals can reduce sound quality. Make sure you put you put your phone in do not disturb mode, too. There’s nothing more frustrating than finally getting the perfect take and having a text notification or phone call come in and ruin it.
Let your personality shine through
Companies hire people, not portfolios. While the quality of the work in your portfolio and your skillset is vital to getting hired, your personality can be a deciding factor. Relax while filming and speak like you normally would. Let your passion for your work show and don’t be afraid to show some excitement over projects you’re particularly proud of. Watch some other short intro videos that others have done (both on and off Uxcel) and pay attention to how their personalities show (or don’t).
Take time to edit
It’s rare that you film a pitch video in one take and have it come out perfect. At the very least, you’ll probably need to trim the beginning and end of the video so you don’t have dead air or footage of you turning your camera on and off. Record multiple takes of your pitch and don’t be afraid to splice different parts together to create the best possible video you can.