How can I level up my video making?
Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash
Let’s face it, most of us are winging it. We’re solo entrepreneurs or run a small team, so we have to wear all the hats - content creator, marketeer, video editor. And a lot of the time, we haven’t had any training in what we’re doing.
If you’re making video for your business with your phone, shooting when you find the time, and want to level up your videos, here are three quick tips that you can implement today -
Get a phone stand.
If you want to start using your videos on your website, for promotional material or a course, the best way to make them that little bit more professional, is to shoot with your camera nice and still.
A stand needn’t cost the earth, an octopus tripod with a bluetooth trigger can cost around £10 and is perfect for setting up on your desk so that you can go hands free and record with ease.
Image from www.nofilmschool.com
2. Pay attention to your lighting
Good lighting can take your video from drab to fab in the time it takes to switch on a lamp.
There’s no need to spend money on LED lights if you don’t want to. If you can find three lamps in your home, you’re on the way to lighting your space well.
In short, you’ll need one light behind you, and two in front for the perfect three point lighting plan.
This eliminates shadow and will improve your picture quality, even on a phone.
Photo by Jonathan Farber on Unsplash
3. Use a mic.
While your phone does have an internal microphone, when you’re filming it can be a long way away from your mouth, and it will pick up every sound in between. A microphone plugged into your phone and placed a short distance from your mouth will pick up what you want to hear, resulting in clearer sound and an easier listen.
Airpods (or similar) are perfect for this and have the added bonus of no dangling wires to add distracting noise. If you do have a mic with a wire, try taping it down with masking or decorating tape, or run it under your clothes!
Sarah Myles, of Rise and Shine, has a great Kit List on her website with suggestions of microphones from as little as £10.
