When you’re about to get started video marketing, you can create great videos with your phone however there are three products you’ll absolutely need to get started to have decent quality videos.
Product 1 – A Basic Tripod with a Cell Phone Clamp
Yes, these are two different products however you’ll be able to keep them together as one set. This is going to allow you to have your phone held horizontally and at a distance and an angle that is going to be most flattering. Most videos have a medium shot framing. This means you’re going to be recording from about the waist up. You’ll also want to make sure the lens is eye level, or slightly above looking down so you can have your neck extended and tall to eliminate wrinkles.
More about choosing a tripod-
Product 2 – A Wireless Lapel Microphone
If people can’t hear you, or if the audio is poor, people aren’t going to watch your videos. Yes there are less expensive wired in microphones, however that will limit you in the distance you have to record yourself. If you choose a wired in microphone you’ll have to purchase an extension cord to give yourself the adequate distance from your phone camera, and then you’ll have a cord to deal with. The Kimafun wireless microphone is a very easy to use microphone with a decent sound quality from multiple distances. See our video review where we test for various distances on an iPhone.
Product 3 – Lighting
Yes, people need to be able to hear you. However people also need to be able to see you clearly with minimal shadows. A lot of people starting out really love using the ring light. It produces great light, is easy to set up, and really makes you pop. The issue with the ring light though, is it’s a great key light, however it’s not a fill or back light. That’s why we suggest getting a set of three LED lights in order to set up 3 point lighting. This will light your face, eliminate shadows and give you separation from your background. LEDs also don’t get hot, so if you’re sweating it’s not from the lighting, it’s from nerves.
As a recap, to get started in video marketing with other than your phone you’ll need a tripod with a cell phone holder clamp, a microphone and preferably a wireless microphone, and lighting whether it be a ring light or a set of LEDs for 3 point lighting. Once you have the equipment it’s a matter of coming up with great content to share with the world!
We have included links for each product mentioned so you can learn more about each and if you’re ready, take the next step and order your starting equipment. Want to be able to move around and walk and talk with your videos? Then check out our post on “Accessories to Record Video On The Go”.
