Simple tips to use what you already have
Ira Glass—host of This American Life, one of the most popular podcasts in the world—shared a photo of himself recording a new episode while he had no access to his normal recording studio. His solution? Record at home, in a closet. Other big-name professionals like Jimmy Fallon have recorded from their homes, too. And as it turns out, many (if not most) of the best-selling products on Kajabi include videos that were filmed in the creator’s home. By setting up your environment properly, you can record professional quality audio and video without a professional recording studio.Begin with content
Many beginning course creators spend more time worrying about their recording tech than their content. But the opposite should be true. “Your content matters most,” said Cole Johnston, Video Production Specialist at Kajabi. “People will watch less-than-professional quality video if the content delivers value.” Before you start filming, take the right amount of time to develop your content and make it as valuable as possible. One rule of thumb is, “Make your content worth 10 times more than what you’re charging.”Camera and equipment
Do you need to invest in a $2000 DSLR and professional mic? No. In fact, you probably have a course-ready camera in your pocket right now. “I always tell people if they’re just starting out, start with their smartphone,” said David Hinchman, Video Lead at Kajabi. “Smartphones nowadays are so good. They’ve got 4k, 60 frames per second—it’s wild! Plus you already know how to do it. It’s familiar to you.” Don’t have a tripod specifically for smartphones? No problem. “If you don’t have a tripod, you just have to jerry-rig something,” Dave said. “Use a shelf and prop it up, point the screen towards you, and easily see where your shot is.”Lighting
Proper lighting draws attention to you, the speaker (plus it has the additional benefit of drawing attention away from any clutter that may have amassed).Use window light where you can
Filming your shot with window light is free, readily accessible, and produces accurate colors, including accurate skin tones. There are some downsides, like having less control over the light coming in as well as where windows are located in your home. Window light may change throughout your video if you live in a particularly cloudy area. “If you have a window with a white curtain, that’ll diffuse and soften the light a lot, making it look really good,” David said. To get the best results from filming at home, make sure to:- Shoot at the same time each day, either early morning while the light is soft or at high noon when the sun maintains its position longest
- Position yourself so that you have natural light from the window coming in from one side. Directly facing the window or having it behind you will result in light that is either too harsh or creates that nasty silhouette effect
- Turn off non-daylight light bulbs so the colors don’t cast a harsh tone across your skin
Lamps can work … if you’re careful
If you want to supplement your shot with additional light, or if you don’t have an available window, use a desk lamp with a daylight bulb. Avoid using tungsten bulbs, as their orange glow will cast a harsh orange tint across your face and clothing, again rendering unnatural skin tones. Position your desk lamp or other home light source to the side, out of frame and far enough away so that the light isn’t so harsh on your face. A great way to assist with this dampening of light (or “diffusion”) is adding a white bedsheet, shower curtain, or pillowcase in front of the light. You can also fasten a lampshade in place that may soften the direct light.Capture professional-sounding audio
Having high-quality sound in your course videos can be equally important—if not more important—than high-quality video. Low audio quality has a bigger impact on how immersed your viewers are than video quality or lighting. “I’m a stickler with audio,” said Kajabi Live Video Production Lead Irene Pavico-Tsukayama. “I’ve learned through the years that people are more likely to stick around longer and actually pay attention to your content if the audio is good. I’ve watched numerous YouTube tutorials that have been helpful even though they aren’t the best videos but the audio quality is amazing.” Before you run out and purchase a camera that costs thousands of dollars to up your audio quality, try these simple steps to get the best sound (and therefore, overall quality) out of the equipment you already have.Try starting with the equipment you have
Instead of choosing from a list of “budget microphones” that range from upwards of $300, focus on maximizing the audio coming into your webcam, iPhone, laptop camera, camcorder, etc. You have a great opportunity to master the hardware you already have. Why purchase equipment you may not even need or know how to use? Kajabi Live Video Production Lead Irene Pavico-Tsukayama has great advice for everyone recording at home: “Super important tip before you dive into recording a long video, especially if you’re using an external mic: make sure your audio is being recorded. Hit record, test audio, hit stop and play it. It’s a great habit to develop and one that I always implement at every shoot.”Reduce echo in your environment
Have you ever noticed how an unfurnished room has a loud, big echo, while even just putting a carpet down can cut that in half? Making your audio as clean as possible makes a big difference in the perceived quality of your videos. This means the best microphones you can buy are ones that effectively eliminate echo and background noise. You can also set up your environment for high-quality audio. To do this, try the following:- Hang up a couple of blankets or towels near your face. Make sure to hang them as close as possible without being in the shot or blocking light
- Add another blanket or towel on the floor beneath your feet
- Hang one more blanket or towel behind your microphone. This prevents your voice from bouncing around the room before reaching the microphone of your iPhone or other camera