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Have you ever wondered how I make my videos? That’s what we’re going to be talking about today.
Believe it or not, it’s actually really easy and really simple. And to be honest at the beginning I was quite surprised with how simple it was.
It’s very easy to overcomplicate things and think that can need everything to be perfect and the perfect lighting and the perfect equipment to get started. But it’s just not true. I could have started by using just my computer. I didn’t want to because I wanted a slight bit more quality than that. But it’s as easy as that.
RESEARCHING EQUIPMENT
For me when I started I did a lot of research on equipment and I found this guy called Sean Cannell who is my go-to for everything YouTube. And through watching a lot of his videos I made my choice on the equipment to purchase because I was thinking also about how much it would cost. I didn’t want super expensive equipment, but I wanted decent quality.
So, what I got was a Logitech Webcam which is what I’m actually filming this on right now. It was $50 and the reason I got it was because it was small, it was easy to carry around, you could just hook it up into your computer and it had 1080p quality which was important.
The other thing I got to go along with that is an Arkon Tripod so that I could set it up on something other than my computer because I wanted my camera set a bit higher so that it was looking down on me rather than looking up at me from the top of my computer. Because you can just attach the camera to the computer.
The other thing I got was a Yeti Microphone and that was about $80, and I love it! It produces quality sound for me and it’s enough for me. It doesn’t have to be super perfect where you can’t hear anything in the background but it’s just a crisper, clearer audio quality that comes with this microphone. And also, because you can just connect that into your computer as well and you’re good to go.
BACKGROUND SETTING
Now when I film my videos I don’t really think too much about background specifics. I just have a piece of art and a wall. In my last location that I filmed a lot of my videos in, it was a bedroom and I’d sort of set it up so that it looked a bit more presentable.
But I kinda like just having a piece of art behind me in the background. I don’t think too much about it. It’s not a TV show! Maybe one day if I get to that level then I’ll start thinking about staging and everything but for now just a piece of art on the wall is good enough for me.
I also use natural light. Some of my videos can seem a bit dark and others a bit brighter; they’re not the same which is fine. I know a lot of people like continuity but I just don’t care. It’s about getting the content out you know! And, you can see me! It’s clear enough! It’s not that big a deal right now.
LIGHTING
I’m trying my hardest not to film on days when the weather is overcast or when it’s raining because, first of all you can hear the rain in the microphone, and second of all it’s just a bit too dark.
Sunny days are really good cause they give natural light but depending on if there are clouds or not it can make it dark. But again, I don’t really care as long as you can see me, then that’s all that matters.
EDITING MY VIDEOS
After I film my videos, and I film them all on Quick Time Player which is a free app that comes with Mac’s. I then edit all of my videos in I-Movie, which is another free app that comes with Mac.
At first, when I started using it I was like “What the hell? How do you even use this thing?” But now that I do it all the time it’s just really easy and really simple to do.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed this but editing can actually make or break a video. Now I’m not saying I’m a pro at editing at all, but I just like to do it the way that I do it. I try to make the content fast, so that I get to the point quickly and I’m not taking up too much time.
Because people’s attention spans now are like, a second, and it’s gone! So, I try to get to the point in my content and because when I’m filming I’m just filming me, I have to chop and edit certain moments. It could be that the pauses is too long, or for slightly more dramatic effect or for humor. I try to edit it better.
I edit to try and condense the content as short as I can.
INTRO & OUTRO MUSIC
So, for the music that I put in my videos, there are different channels like Audio Library and NCS that let you use their music copyright-free, so you can actually put it into your videos. Most them ask that you give them a credit in your description, which is fair enough. And in I-Movie you can actually attach the music to whatever point you want it to start.
After all the editing is done, what I’ll do is export the file into an MP4 file and then I will uploaded to YouTube.
So, it’s actually really simple: get a camera, get a mike, film your content, edit it and then upload it to YouTube.
It doesn’t have to be complicated and if you’ve been thinking about doing video for your business, but you’ve been putting it off because you think you need to have everything perfect, let this be a testament that it doesn’t have to be perfect! My videos are so amateur, but it’s about the content that you’re delivering. It’s about showing up!
That’s it from me today. Now I’d love to hear from you. Have you been thinking about doing video for your business and if so, why have you not started yet? Let me know in the comments!
