If you are considering starting or even increasing the amount of video content you are doing, it always helps to do a little research first. While we have found there is plenty of guidance on how to shape your content and how to implement it into your social media strategy, there isn’t a whole lot of practical tips to help you look and feel good behind the camera.

The idea is to get a professional looking video you feel confident sharing, without having to spend a ton of time editing or lots of money on fancy video platforms. Ways you can do this is perfecting your set up before you dive into creating content. Here are a few tips to consider when starting your videos.

1.  Lighting

Lighting is extremely important. Natural lighting is great, and some people are lucky to have the perfect setting in their homes, but not everyone will have that luxury. Try investing in some lighting and filming equipment such as a mobile tripod stand, assuming you will film on your phone, and a ring light. You don’t have to spend too much on these, but they can dramatically improve your filming set up. Even with your glorious natural light, using the ring light as well as that will enhance the overall look and eliminate unflattering angles or shadows. 

2.  Set Up

When setting up your phone to record, do it so your camera lens is facing you rather than having the screen facing you. This will stop you looking at yourself during the video and let you look at the camera instead. With the dawn of the regular Zoom call, I think we all began to realise how hard it is to not look at yourself when you are on screen. Flipping the lens to face you takes away that distraction and allows you to make ‘eye-contact’ with your viewers.

If you are doing a tutorial video or something that requires you to be able to see your face, now that you won't have the phone screen to look at, have a vanity mirror beside you off camera. This is particularly helpful for beauty or make-up tutorials. 

3.  Background

When making your video you need to consider the background as well as the set up and content. You can be as creative as you like with this making a ‘studio’ vibe with backdrops or just keep it plain and simple. Here are some quick points to consider:

-       Dress up your background by adding some nice décor or fairy lights depending on your brand.

-       Make sure the area is clean, you don’t want your viewer distracted or worse have to record the whole thing again

-       Keep it consistent. Try keep to the same background for each video if doing it at home. It instils a sense of familiarity for your viewers when watching your videos that becomes more personal. It is also easier for you to keep the same set up for every recording.

-       Try and avoid filming with a window behind you. This can affect the lighting throughout and you might not pick it up right away which could result in unusable footage.  

4.  Sound

Another factor to think about for your videos is sound quality. Do some sound checks by doing short recordings and playing back through your editing platform or on your phone just to ensure it is clear. If using a microphone these pick-up extra sounds as well so ask the other half or house mate to hold off doing the dishes until after you’ve finished recording.

While it is important to have good sound, it is no longer as vital as it used to be. Buffer recently shared that as much as 85% percent of video views on Facebook happen with the sound off. Keeping this in mind, you will need to think of ways for your videos to be engaging while on silent. If you plan on doing explanatory videos, then try including subtitles so viewers can watch and understand without needing to turn the sound on. As you get more confident with your video making you can try including visual aids or coming up with more fun and creative ways to get your point across without audio.