How I created studio-quality videos from home

Are you worried about the video quality and holding back from pressing the record button on your phone camera? Does the thought of filming from home only increase your concerns? Fear not! You don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of fancy equipment to get started. Today, anyone can create professional-looking videos from home.

The new normal has changed the way we work and have made our living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, and patios our new backdrops of everyday offices. Especially during these unprecedented times, it is crucial to keep the lines of communication open to let your customers and employees know that you are still conducting business as normally as possible while adapting to the ever-changing marketplace.

Video can fill those gaps, while you’re busy practicing social distancing. The explosion of videos in social media presents opportunities for businesses to inspire, evoke emotion, and appeal to the needs of their audiences in a real and authentic way.

By the end of this year, video content will represent 82% of all internet traffic -where video continues to evolve as a storytelling medium for brands and publishers, friends, and family.

While most of us were busy making homemade pizzas, I was busy creating homemade studio-quality videos

Read on to find out how I did it!

Firstly, consider working on your script before you get the scene and gear ready! The more time you spend planning your marketing or prospecting videos, the less likely you are to find yourself prepared for the shoot. Reading the script well is better than memorizing and being anxious in front of the camera. Try some trial shoots if this is your first time in front of the camera.

Setting the backdrop

All you need is a good view and some silence. I selected a white wall as my backdrop. I’ve always considered plain white to be professional. A white background is an extremely powerful way to draw attention while minimizing distractions. Professional lighting does give you that glow however, all you need is a bit of sunshine to light up your scene. Just pick the right spot at home, where you’re facing a window or there’s an optimal amount of light shining through.

Gather your gear

Fortunately, we all have access to affordable smartphones, that come with high-quality cameras for personal use. You’ll just need to turn on the camera grids and overlays and shoot with the rear camera in landscape mode. I never used an external microphone for these videos. But I have a small external microphone which I use for my podcasts. Check out the podcast quality I recorded with a microphone. A mobile holder or selfie stick is good enough, but I used a tripod here to stabilize my camera.

If you can afford it, I definitely recommend that you invest in a good tripod and an external microphone. Here is what I used:

Now that you’re all set, glam up a bit. Try to choose your clothes wisely. You’ll want your audience to focus on what you’re going to say rather than focus on your clothes. I had to record 3 videos, each 5 to 8-minutes long. All it took was three days (includes editing).

Start Camera, Rolling!

It’s different when you have somebody along with you to shoot. I self-shot myself. I took multiple takes to ensure I have the best shots. To end up having a polished studio-style video from home, it’s good to have an A- Roll (primary footage) and B- Roll (supplemental footage). Of course, you could drive the whole story with A- roll, but it can make your audience bored staring at that screen for a long time. Introducing a few zoomed-in shots, or different angle shots makes the story more interesting visually.

B- roll as the name goes, can make editing more flexible, helping you intersperse shots that will help you keep the audience engaged. B-roll footage can help you transition into or out of the primary footage.

Bonus: Should you have something not so perfectly shot on A roll, you could mask it with shots from your B- roll!

Post- Production

Luckily, we have an in-house video editor, who helped me edit the video and intersperse the A-roll and B-roll. But fear not! Editing is not that big a deal. Good video editing software can do magic. Another quick tip, you could try using GIFs or any additional graphics. Little things will grab attention.

Check out my videos👇🏻 to see how I made use of funny GIFs to drive home my story with a bit of humor.

Videos are the game-changer in marketing and sales. If you are still not adopting videos, what’s stopping you?

Have questions? I’m all ears.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjanarm/