Video Tip of the Week- Making a Prank Video

Laura Nickerson • August 7, 2016

Britney Spears recently pranked Jimmy Kimmel in the middle of the night and the video  quickly went viral. Radio stations have jumped on board with the “Prank Video,” especially on live streaming. Some with fantastic results, and some that went awry.

Here are some tips for making your prank video the best it can be:

  1. Think Story. This video has a beginning (Britney Spears sneaking into his house), middle (Jimmy waking up to the pop star and dancers in his bed), and end (Jimmy calling for his wife and hugging it out with Britney).
  2. Edit. If you are not live, take some time to edit the video down to the key parts of the story. Try to film from multiple angles so you can have something to cut to. Using two cameras or phones can make sure you get both prankers and prankees.
  3. Go Big. This video was funnier because of the grand scale of it. She could have just woken him up in bed, but by adding backup dancers and a guy in a disco lights suit it went to the next level.
  4. Get the Reaction . Don’ t just film the action, film the REACTION of the person being pranked. That is where the humor is.

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