DIY Your Own At-Home Video Setup For Less Than $200
Video is the NEXT big thing in marketing. Not only have the experts been saying it, but we’ve seen this effect in our own business as well. We use video for Instagram Stories, online education, group workshops and more.
Gary Vaynerchuck, a serious TITAN in the entrepreneurial and digital marketing world, says this: “The single most important strategy in content marketing today is video. Whether it’s video on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Youtube, the content you need to be thinking about creating and marketing on social for your business is video. Period.”
You can read more about The Rise of Video Marketing from Gary Vaynerchuck here.
If you have plans to film for your blog, social media, to launch an online video course, or even start a YouTube channel, it’s SO easy to have a great video setup without breaking the bank.
We film tutorials and videos often for GoLive, from showing how to build Squarespace Templates to filming for social media, or even teaching for our online workshops. Our CEO and Creative Director, Promise Tangeman, recently bought a few more items to really hone in our setup, and you can get everything she uses for less than $200 on Amazon.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Go Live may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks!
Before we dive into the list of our favorite products for filming your own videos, tutorials, webinars, workshops or courses, here are a couple of tips and tricks for a great video setup.
Tips & Tricks For A Great Video Setup
1. Film in front of a window for the best possible light! Get all that natural light from outside to work for you. This works best if you’re facing the window and your camera is facing you, between you and the window. PRO TIP: Make sure it’s a time of day where the sun isn’t shining directly into the window, creating harsh sun streaks and weird shadows.
2. Avoid that double chin look, girlfriend. Raise the video camera (or your phone) up so that it’s angled down at you for a more flattering angle. We see a lot of videos on the internet where the phone or camera is held below the person’s face creating a frown and double chin effect. Plus, when you are more face-to-face with your camera or phone, it feels more personal and conversational to the person watching. To help with this, we have a tripod recommendation below, keep reading.
3. For extra professionalism, be mindful of your background. We love to use a photo backdrop with large craft paper rolled down. One of our business BFFs and favorite clients, Jasmine Star, uses a clean and well-lit part of her home for her videos. You could even go up against a wall and create a cute photo collage behind you for some visual appeal.
4. Avoid a room that is too echoey. If a room is really empty, your audio might sound a bit like you’re in a cave. Rooms with furniture, rugs, carpet, and/or artwork on the walls help dampen (or soften) the sound for your video.
5. Be relaxed and relatable. Don’t worry about being *too perfect* or scripted. People often connect with you more when it sounds like you’re just talking to your friend about your business, brand or blog.
Our Favorite Budget Buys and Must-Haves For Filming Great Videos From Home
1. Sturdy Tripod For Your iPhone
We found this great tripod on Amazon that has an adaptor to hold our iPhone. We actually prefer this over using a camera, or even filming from our laptop camera. With a newer iPhone, the video quality is actually SO professional-looking. When you’re on a budget, use what you have! Plus, it’s easier for us to quickly get the video from our phone to whatever platform we are using this way.
2. Blue Yeti Microphone & iPhone Adaptor
This microphone can make a huge difference for your sound quality and makes you sound like you’re recording from your own personal podcast room. We love this microphone from Blue Yeti because it’s got GREAT sound quality and is a great price point. This mic has a USB connector, so you can purchase the adaptor if you plan to film and record from your iPhone.
3. Boom Microphone Stand
If you’re like us when filming your videos, you may have notes, your keyboard, and your mouse in front of you while you’re filming, and you still need to be able to click around your computer to film for a course or webinar. While you can place your Blue Yeti mic on your desk or on a table in front of you, we love reducing any chaos in front of us if possible.
We do this with a boom stand. This moves the mic up closer to your mouth so you’re speaking right into it, and it gets the microphone out of your way so you can still easily work on your computer while you’re recording.
4. Pop Filter Mask For Professional Sound
Oh man, we love this guy! While this might be something you could wait on when you’re just starting out, we love this filter mask for filtering out extra echoes, and helping smooth out any lisp sounds or masking any extra bumps in audio like when you make “b” or “p” sounds and it makes that little popping sound on the mic.
Want To Take It The Extra Mile?
While filming in front of any wall or backdrop totally works (or maybe you’re only doing audio anyway), we love going the extra step with a colored backdrop behind us. Here’s our favorite backdrop holder, and our favorite roll of paper that we toss up behind us on the holder for a professional, seamless look.
The last thing you might want or need is a ring light if you really can’t find a great lighting spot! We love using this one on the rare days that it’s overcast or cloudy in Southern California and we need a little bit of extra light.
What To Read Next
Are you working from home too and loving tackling your to do list from your jammies? Here’s a couple of items you might want to read next:
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