Setting Up a Low Cost Production Studio in the Office

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Save time and money while achieving great results.
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Setting up a low cost production studio in the office is easy.  Get your studio in place and take advantage of the ease of creating great video content for your business to inform and educate both your staff, customers or clients.  

With the proliferation of online meetings and online content, now is the time to get started!

Find the right space.

If you have the luxury of space in your office space, try to allocate space that you can maintain as your permanent studio.  Having a dedicated space will mean you are more likely to create a stream of video based content but it also means you have a professional environment to run Zoom meetings and presentations.   As our world changes post COVID19, video and online will become an embedded part of our working lives.  Why not set up a ‘video ready’ space in the same way you will have your desk set up ready to work.  

If you are unable to have a permanent space, then keep a video kit ready to go so set up takes only a few minutes.  We will cover a little more of what you need in this blog so read on! 

Lighting

As any actor knows, lighting can be your best (or worst) friend.  It all depends on where it comes from.  Overhead lighting will cast downward shadows so don’t just reply on ceiling lighting or the vagaries of the sun through your window. A quick google search will throw up a range of studio lights from those that will plug into your laptop to self supporting standing.  You can spend anything from $45 to hundreds of dollars.  However, the simplest proposition is to position a light behind your camera to light your face. Try covering the light with a piece of plane white paper. You will instantly create great filtered light. Alternatively, use natural light from a window falling directly on your face (face the window) for best effect. If you are using your phone or an iPad, consider a tripod with light plus lighting kit readily available on Amazon.  Some will even include a microphone all in a portable kit. 

Sound 

Dogs barking, cars honking, the rubbish truck clattering by.  Sound familiar?  Background noise can derail an almost perfect video right at the last moment.  Only this week, someone alerted me to a platform called Krisp which is designed to remove background noise.  This is an ingenious low cost solution for anyone who is recording or simply on phone calls.  You may also wish to choose an optimal time to record for example in the evenings when the traffic is less and the neighbourhood dogs are happily engaged with their owners. 

Consider the sound exposure of the space you are in.  Carpeting and soft furnishing will minimise echoes. Use a lapel mic for better sound quality or a studio quality mic if you are really keen on a studio style sound.  

As with everything, keep your audience and purpose in mind.  Are you recording a professional promo style video for your business or simply updating your clients on a new product or service?    Don’t let ‘perfect’ be the enemy of ‘done’. If your audience won’t care about perfect sound then the odd bit of background noise will not be fatal. And a final tip, don’t forget to turn your phone to flight mode.  A call or text during filming is a real killer! 

Backdrop

Give some thought to the image you would like to project.  For the ultimate professional image a printed (or green screen) fabric backdrop on a stand will give you exactly the backdrop you need.  There are many online businesses such as this one Backdrop Source. The cost is minimal but there is some setup time required so this may not be the best option for a home office. 

A more minimal style might be a pull up banner (try Officeworks) with your logo. 

Finally, consider the image you wish to project whether that is corporate or a dynamic creative image and have your background reflect that image.  The Masterclass series make great use of backgrounds to reflect the style of the presenter.  Writers appear in book lined rooms and musicians in home studios.  The key is to enhance, add interest but do not distract!

Sit, stand or interview style

One of the challenges for those new to video is getting comfortable in front of the camera.  As creators of online video learning content, our advice is to do whatever makes you most comfortable.  If you feel better standing and using your hands or even a white board, then do so! If you feel uncomfortable speaking directly to the camera then interview style is a great option.  Check out this video Ah-a moments in Learning as a great example of an in person interview style. Here is another example of the interview style via Zoom. It doesn’t matter if you sit or stand but the more relaxed you are, the better the experience will be for the viewer. 
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Conclusion. 

Don’t forget your phone, iPad or laptop have a highly sophisticated microphone and camera. Use what you have available and plug the gaps with low cost and portable solutions wherever possible.   Ultimately, the content you are delivering and your personal style will be the key so don’t let the tech set up get in the way of video creation.  And if you need any convincing, just hop on YouTube and see how ‘on the go’ content creation is the future of information sharing!

To find out more contact us at:

info@vidversity.com

1300 928 090
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