Filmmaking Tips: How to Create Different Moods in Your Videos

Being a filmmaker gives you a lot of power to manipulate the emotions of the viewer. This can be achieved in several ways. Peter McKinnon shows examples of the same clips edited with various techniques to evoke entirely different moods.

In his new video McKinnon shows several components that are keys for setting the tone of your visual story.

Frame Rate

In a nutshell, for most beginner filmmakers this could be the difference between slow motion and normal speed. Slow motion may make the video look cool, bring drama, or allow the viewer to focus more on the details over an extended time period. In the current example, normal video speed even may look like you want to set a feel of urgency, especially when combined with non-stabilized camera movement. There are other examples of frame rate changing look and feel, but that's one of the most common uses.

Sound

Audio is one of the most important aspects in you video. Do not underestimate it. Simply changing the background music can tell a different story to the viewer. Adding background sounds, even without showing anything that produces them in the frame, may work wonders in our imagination. In this video, McKinnon adds siren sounds to a footage of a running man. Even without showing the sources of these sounds, our imagination adds them subconsciously. This way you can increase the production value of your video without having to actually shoot police cars or ambulances.

Lighting and Color Grading

Changing the light in-camera or color grading the footage in post is one of the most common visual ways to change the mood of the story. In the video, McKinnon shows how introducing the topic of the video in a low-contrast, soft-light environment feels totally different than doing it in a cold, under-lit scenario. Same words, same information, but different visuals. The result: a different mood.

Shooting footage with a given white balance doesn't mean it can't be changed in post to tweak the planned in-camera tone. Usually, warm tones tend to evoke more positive emotions while cold and blue tones get the viewer into the blues.

Next time when you watch videos or films created by masters of the craft, take a look at those aspects of the story. You will be amazed how frequently those techniques are used by great directors, cinematographers, and editors. Now you know a little secret, and it's time to apply it to your own videos.

For more great tips from Peter McKinnon check out his YouTube channel.