The idea of creating your own videos, whether it is for social media, for educational purposes or as a marketing strategy is a huge trend in 2021 and has been for several years. With everything else going on in the world, it should be no surprise that home studios are popping up in households all over the world.
It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner influencer who wants to start growing his or her audience, a teacher who is creating instructional content from home or someone who wants to share ideas and knowledge with the world through videos.
No matter your goal for creating video content, it is of vital importance to create high-quality content for all your communications.
One way to do this is to set up your own video studio at home or at your office. This article will walk you through a home studio setup from discussion about light source, audio, equipment, location and editing software.
Home Made Video Does Not Mean Low Quality!
The reality is that you can create a basic setup for shooting your videos at home, and it doesn’t need to be complicated or absurdly expensive if you have the essential knowledge and gear. No one starting out who needs to set up a home studio is looking to break the bank!
Homemade videos are considered to have more genuine content, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be high-quality videos or need to be complicated.
If you are a crafty and resourceful person. In that case, you can set up your own space at home with all the essential equipment required for a good quality video, including lighting, sound and video editing software.
Home Video Filming Setup Tips
It would be best if you had a few things in mind when you start planning the setup.
Budget
The first thing to consider is how much money you are willing to spend to create your filming set at home. While you can achieve a professional outcome for about $100, the quality of the lighting, video camera, and video editing software do impact the overall quality of the video, since these aspects make a significant difference in the result. Always compare different options, prices and quality levels, keeping in mind your level of expertise on handling the gear and the space you have at home.
Space
How much space can you use at home for filming and editing your videos? If you can have a dedicated area like a spare room to turn into your studio, that would be the ideal setup. Still, if you do not have that option, you can always pick a corner of a room to set your filming area, if you don’t mind sharing it with other activities.
Goals
What is the objective of your video production? Is it to grow an audience, or gain customers and clients? Or is it a strategy to increase your earnings? Is this only a hobby or something you want to do in your free time? Designate the required space according to your objectives.
Topics
What kind of topics will you be covering in your videos? Will you create video tutorials where you teach people how to cook or bake something in the kitchen and needs to have a specific viewpoint from the camera? Or will you be speaking directly in front of the camera, like making a makeup tutorial? You’ll have to consider these questions: you will need props or tools for the demonstration. After you have considered all these things, make sure that your setup will make sense for the videos’ objective.
Filming Setup Video Equipment
Even though we all know that anyone can record a video with a smartphone and an app, the reality is that if you want to be successful at vlogging in the long run, the more planned, original, relevant and engaging the content is the better response you’ll have from the public.
If your goal and strategy make video creation a long-term project, you should invest in equipment!
Video Camera
A DSLR camera on video mode can achieve excellent quality if you have different lenses for different purposes.
For example, a 16 mm ultra-wide lens can make your space look more expansive, contrary to an 85mm lens that will give more compression to your shots and it’s a better option for close-ups or headshots. Research your lens options and pick those that best suit your needs.
There is no reason you shouldn’t experiment using your smartphone for a second view on a tripod: consider acquiring a clamp-on mount anywhere design that will provide the possibility to change the position of the camera as needed.
Sound / Audio
The sound quality is probably the most critical element in a video; if you have a limited budget, this should be your one splurge. An external microphone will provide the quality you’re looking for since the camera built-in microphone does not offer the best results. Good microphones will filter out background noise.
These are some excellent external microphone options:
Adjustable Microphone Arm. It can be a Clamp-on or USB desktop, and this is your best option if you are planning to make videos where you are not going to be moving around too much and will be mostly speaking directly to the camera. You may also want to add a pop filter that helps eliminate the POP sounds when you talk. Examples include a shotgun mic and the Blue Yeti podcasting mic.
Wired or Bluetooth Lavalier Microphone. This type of mic is best for video tutorials where you are most likely going to be moving your head and shoulders while you speak. These mics do well paired with a smartphone is that is the camera of choice!
Lighting
To achieve a professional look in your videos, you can apply the 3 point technique:
1.- Key light: Primary source of illumination.
2.- Fill light: Used to fill out any dark spaces created by the key light.
3.- Background light: Typically used to add three-dimensionality to the scene.
The larger and softer the source of light, the more gentle it will be on the skin. A diffuser 4 feet wide would look much smoother than a 1 inch LED pointed straight at your face.
If you need to invest in lights, you could get a lighting kit, including a large movable boomarm. A more affordable alternative would include a ring light, or led lights in the room. Of course, if you can record your videos in front of a window, the natural light should do the trick during the day.
Video Editing Software
If you are a beginner in the video editing world, start with a simple video editing app. Once you get the hang of video editing, we suggest an upgrade. As you start gaining confidence and knowledge, there is a wide array of options for editing videos, from apps in your smartphone to software for your computer. Free trial are a great way to check out various apps and software available, then evaluate cost and your skills level to help you choose the best option for your needs.
Location: Where to Setup Your Filming Area
When you start planning the space to use at home as your filming area, finding the perfect spot will greatly depend on the type of video and topics you’ll be covering.
Suppose you will be teaching yoga in a room or a fitness workout, then, it would be best to have a space devoted to that purpose, a spare room, basement, or even your garden, to set up all your equipment and gear.
For a cooking show, you’ll need to organize and set your kitchen up for filming.
If you are tight in space and will be sitting in front of the camera speaking about a specific topic, you can find a corner of a room and decorate the background to make it look like a dedicated space in front of the camera.
With some creativity, the right equipment and gear, and some craftiness, you can create great professional-looking videos to share on your favorite platforms and social media. All that is left to do is setting up a Youtube channel and start uploading Youtube videos!
Happy Filming!
