How often do you have a great idea - even start planning - to shoot that video for your website or social feeds, and then in the next thought it has changed to "I'm not quite ready yet"?
🙋♀️ Me too.
These days, it's possible to create great looking videos at home or in the office (the car, not so much!). And sometimes it's also beneficial to not have it looking 100% slick... You know, keep it real!
Still, for some it's a little daunting, but with a few tips you can get some great content that is plenty good enough for posting on your website or Facebook feed!
Here are 5 tips for filming your own videos!
#1: Find a Quiet Spot
When you’re filming, the 2 most important things to worry about are sound and lighting. Lighting comes up in the next tip, but for audio you need to make sure the room or area you’re recording is as quiet as possible.
A lot of the time, background noise that isn't that noticeable while you are speaking, can create a big problem when you watch the video back after recording. It's distracting and makes your video seem, well, budget.
If you can keep the environment quiet, you can get the video sounding great without the need for any special audio equipment.
#2: Find (Or Create) Some Good Lighting
The next most obvious thing after a noisey background is terrible lighting, and should be a major factor for shooting videos at home.
Natural lighting is great (and preferred), but if there are no options in a dark space, artificial lighting can still work well. First, use the brightest room in your office (which may even change throughout the day), and also take note of the best times to create your videos. Some rooms will look great in morning light, others in the afternoon.
Once you nail the sound and lighting, you’re 90% of the way there to creating a video on your phone that looks pro!
#3: Get Your Angles Right
Don't look down at the camera. Don't look up at the camera. Nobody wants to look up your nose or at your bald spot! Set up so that you are looking at the camera as if it were a person sitting across the table. You want that conversational feel when talking about your business or products.
Obviously, a tripod is going to be super handy in this situation, but you can always prop your phone up on a couple of books or on a shelf to get the positioning right.
#4: Use The Best Camera Available
Sure, if you have a DSLR or proper video camera, use it, but I'm talking about the camera within your phone. On the iPhone, the back-facing camera is WAY better quality than the "selfie" camera, so resist the temptation to use the screen-side! Using the back camera also stops you looking at the screen while you record - look right at the lens. Trust me, it's obvious when you don't!
#5: Do A Test Run
Don't record a 9-minute-long video and then realise that you aren't in the frame! Do a quick test run to check for all of the previous tips before you do the full version.