These days, anyone can have a YouTube channel and start creating videos. Smartphones are almost always equipped with a video camera in them. More than ever before, thousands and thousands of marketers are promoting products and services via video and YouTube.
You want to set yourself apart from the average video marketer. What is the average marketer doing? Anytime they want to make a video, they simply bust out their smartphone and hit 'record'. Another thing that they're doing is using their webcams.
Why do I consider this 'just average'? They're paying no attention to the quality of the video. When it comes to video, there is a particular order of focus that you need to keep your eyes on. It is:
- The message of the video is the most important
- Lighting comes next
- Equipment comes last
To set yourself apart from the average marketers, you need to incorporate the other two elements of video, the lighting and the equipment you use. I'm going to share with you some of the equipment and lighting principles that I use.
What equipment will you need?
You will need the following:
The tripod will allow your video to remain stable and eliminate any shake in the video itself. The soft box lightboxes are used to illuminate the background. This is important if you're going to be doing any sort of demonstration or writing on a board of some sort. The 3 point lighting serves to illuminate you as the presenter in the video.
Why should you get this equipment? You'll be able to shoot videos at nighttime when the natural lighting is poor. You can even take this to the next level and accept clients who want video work done for them. You see, your average competitor has terrible lighting. Imagine if Hollywood produced a movie like that. They'd get terrible reviews and low box sales.
A common question I get is, "What should the wattage be of the light bulbs?". There really isn't a right answer. Some prefer 45 watts and others prefer a much higher wattage. I personally prefer to use 45 watts for the soft box lightboxes and a 125 bulb for the 3 point lighting. As a general rule of thumb, the wattage on the 3 point lighting should be much higher than the wattage on the soft boxes.
Another common question I get is, "How do I position all of this equipment?". With a little bit of trial and error, you can find the sweet spot. I prefer to put the soft boxes at 10 and 2 of the presenter. Make sure you're facing the smartphone tripod. Set the 3 point lighting to either the right or left side of the camera.
I also get the question of, "How much should I spend for all of this?". There's always better equipment. You should start with a level that you're comfortable with. Even at the basic level of equipment, you'll be setting yourself apart from your competitors. When you're making more money, upgrade your equipment.
By applying these suggestions of purchasing additional equipment and getting proper lighting for your videos, you will stand above the crowd of the average mobile phone video marketers.
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