How to Produce a Fitness Video

Health and fitness are popular topics today. It seems like everyone wants to know how to live longer and live healthier. Staying in shape is big business, and one of the most popular ways to make money in the fitness business is by producing a fitness video. if you have a fitness plan you believe would be beneficial to people who are looking for a healthier lifestyle, you can produce a video and turn your plan into a profitable career.

Write an audio-visual (A/V) script. Your script doesn't need to be complex, but having one before you start shooting your fitness video gives you a framework to build on. You can write the script in any word processor that lets you create two columns. The left column will have the heading "Audio" and the right column will be "Video." Write all dialogue, monologue and sound effects in the left column and action in the right column.

Enlist the help of friends or hire a small crew. You'll need someone to work the camera and handle the sound recording. You'll also need actors to demonstrate any workout techniques you'll include in the video. Decide if you will direct or appear in the video. If you're simply directing, you'll need a qualified fitness instructor to direct the actors and give advice to your viewers.

Find a suitable location to shoot the video. You can do this anywhere. A home workout area, your basement or even a rented auditorium is a good idea. Be sure the area you choose is well lit. If not, you will want to add lighting to ensure that your video shoot is clear and bright. If you need extra lighting, get what you can afford on your budget. Chances are you will only be lighting a small area for your video. Try shooting outdoors during the day if possible.

Combine action and monologue. Just filming a bunch of exercises won't make a good fitness video. Have your instructor talk to your audience between exercise routines and explain the purpose of each exercise. Ask your instructor to give additional fitness tips and healthy eating ideas. You want an instructor with the personality to engage your viewers and motivate them to use your video regularly to maintain a fit lifestyle.

Use a royalty-free music service to obtain low-cost music for your video (see Resources below). Most fitness videos use music to help pump up the audience. Obtaining the rights to use popular songs in your video can be cost prohibitive. Royalty-free music is a good way to obtain good soundtrack music for a fitness video.

Use video editing software for the post production aspect. Edit your footage down to about 60 minutes, which is ideal for a workout video. Use video editing software to cut, splice and synchronize your video until it looks as if it were shot smoothly and in one take. Ensure continuity--even if the video was shot over a period of time, make it look like it was all done in a single hour. There are several expensive high-end video editing programs on the market. Adobe Premiere is highly recommended but expensive. The ZS4 is free video editing software that provides a range of professional features (see Resources below). You could easily substitute ZS4 for more expensive software to save money on your budget.

Market your fitness video. A website would be one of the best ways to do this. The Internet is one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers. Find a Web host and register the name of your fitness video as your domain name. This can be done through your Web host. Ensure that the Web host you use specializes in business and offers shopping cart and online payment scripts for your website that will enable you to sell your video directly from the website. Don't forget to make use of YouTube and social networking websites such as MySpace and Twitter to spread the word about your video as well.