Creating videos on a budget: The right technology for YouTube & Co.

Nowadays, you can hardly do without videos on social networks if you want to promote yourself or your agency. Many successful videos have something in common: a person is at the center of the video, who creates an emotional and personal connection as the face in front of the camera. What equipment do you need to produce videos? In good quality and still affordable?

Before we talk about hardware and software for successful videos, I would like to say one thing first: Even more important than sound and image are good ideas, the right content format and the right approach. In my experience, it's easy for someone to get lost in technical details that, at the end of the day, don't really play the main role.

Of course, there are differences between a microphone for 5 euros and one for 500 euros. However, if your videos are meaningless and boring, your professional equipment won't help you either. That doesn't mean that the technology doesn't matter at all. After all, as a freelancer or agency, you want to come across as credible, professional and likeable.

The basics: What makes a technically successful video?

The good news is that you don't have to invest (immediately) in a studio with wickedly expensive equipment. When it comes to the purely technical side of good videos, three points are particularly important:

The right tone

Even if it seems illogical at first, good sound is more important than a good picture. Otherwise, it will quickly become tiring for your viewers. The sound quality is not primarily determined by the microphone, but by the environment. In other words, if you record your videos in an almost empty room with a concrete floor and large glass surfaces, it will be difficult to understand you. The reverberation is simply too strong.

Instead of investing in an expensive special microphone in this case, you should first optimize the room acoustically. Cushions, blankets, a sofa, curtains, bookshelves: all these elements reduce the reverberation effect because they either absorb or diffuse sound.

A simple method to test the reverberation: clap your hands loudly and listen to how it comes back as an echo. Test this once in the living room and once in the bathroom, for example, to clearly hear the difference.

The right image composition

Nevertheless, the image is of course important. Typical errors here are

• The person is standing too far away from the camera or, conversely, too close to it
• The camera is positioned too high or too low
• The image section is incorrectly selected

Let's take a closer look at these points. How large you should be in the image depends on the target platform and the video itself. If the clip tends to be viewed on smartphones (and is therefore in portrait format, for example), then you should usually also be large in the picture. Rule of thumb: If the upper chest area can be seen in addition to the head, you have most likely found a good size.

Ideally, you should position the camera at eye level or slightly above. Filming yourself from below is usually very unfavorable. As a rule of thumb, if the viewers can see your ceiling, then your camera is positioned too low.

And last but not least, use the rule of thirds to help you compose your picture: to do this, mentally divide the picture into three horizontal and three vertical sections. Then pay attention to where your eyes are in the picture: They are best placed on the border between the upper and middle thirds, not in the middle or even lower.

The horizontal positioning is still missing: in the center or rather left or right? If you want to keep it simple, then position yourself in the middle of the picture. This always looks harmonious. Being on the left or right of the image is particularly useful if you want to show something next to you (e.g. in an explainer video).

The right light

When it comes to lighting, the first thing you should try to do is avoid backlighting. This means you must not have a bright light source such as a window behind you. Otherwise you will only be visible as a dark outline in the picture.

In the next step, your aim is to illuminate yourself evenly, but not flatly. In other words, a few light shadows are allowed. However, the greater the contrasts, the more dramatic the image will appear - until it becomes distracting at some point. What you should never do is light yourself from above or below. This almost always looks unflattering. I'll go into more detail below about the "three-point lighting" that is common in professional circles.

With this knowledge in mind, you can now watch other videos more consciously to learn from professionals. How is the content conveyed? What do you like, what do you dislike? How good is the sound? How is the lighting? How is the camera set up? What of this can you "recreate" and how?

Equipment for simple videos

After these basics, let's take a look at the technology that can be used to create good and affordable videos. What exactly do you need? What do you already have?

Image: Smartphone or webcam?

Modern smartphones now have amazingly good cameras that can produce very good video quality. This is especially true with good lighting, which you largely have in your own hands for your own videos. A good webcam (at least Full HD) can also be enough to get you started.

However, please note that both smartphone cameras and webcams usually use wide-angle lenses. In everyday life, these have the advantage that you don't have to "aim" very precisely because they capture a wide field of view. On the one hand, this is convenient. On the other hand, if you want to record yourself alone, this is not always advantageous:

• This means you have more of your surroundings (office, living room) in the picture than you actually want.
• This can make it difficult to find a good background that is not distracting.
• In addition, wide-angle lenses distort your face the closer you are to the lens or the further away from the center of the frame. This can look strange if you move around a lot during the shoot or don't point the camera at yourself precisely enough.

High-quality smartphones today have several lenses to choose from. Try experimenting with them! Professionals like to use lenses with a focal length of around 50 mm (in relation to the 35 mm format) for portraits, because they show the face naturally.

For this, however, the camera must be positioned further away from the subject. This will then only be possible with a tripod. Using a tripod is generally a good idea. There are suitable smartphone holders for tripods. Then you have your hands free and don't have to worry so much about whether you're holding the camera correctly, shaking too much, etc.

The biggest advantage of webcams and smartphones is that they take a lot of work off your hands. However, the biggest disadvantage is that you often can't determine exactly how you are being recorded. More on this in a moment when we talk about upgrades.

Sound: Built-in microphone or clip-on microphone?

As already mentioned, sound is very important, which is why you should start by optimizing the room. Once you have done this, the built-in microphone on your smartphone or webcam can be useful for initial experiments. These microphones usually have the disadvantage that they also pick up ambient noise. Just as with images, the same applies to sound: manufacturers design their devices to be as forgiving as possible. It's all about convenience and not so much about maximum quality.

You can already make a noticeable leap in quality with a clip-on microphone (lavalier microphone). This even applies to inexpensive models. The most important thing here is to find the right place to attach the microphone to your clothing. Once you have determined this, use the same place every time to achieve a consistently good sound. Another advantage of these microphones is that they are almost invisible and unobtrusive.

Another advantage of clip-on microphones is that you won't have any problems with "popping sounds" such as P, T etc.. Such sounds are problematic with microphones into which you speak directly (such as in a recording or radio studio). These microphones therefore have a piece of cloth between the speaker and the microphone, the so-called pop protection.

However, comparable microphones are generally intended more for pure sound recordings. As they should be as close to you as possible, they are inevitably in the picture. But some people also like this look.

Light: window, lamp, ring light

When it comes to light, you can start by working with the light sources you already have available. A window can already provide good illumination. The biggest disadvantage is that it is not reliable as lighting. If you take a longer shot or need several attempts, the light will constantly change on a cloudy day. You can see this in the shot afterwards. Your camera will also have to adapt to the changing light conditions, which doesn't always work well. And on a bright summer's day, it may even be too much of a good thing.

Alternatively or in addition, you can look around for a floor lamp. Or place a desk lamp in a suitable position. As mentioned above: don't shine the light at you from below or above, but rather at eye level and also slightly offset to the side. Ring lights are very popular - especially for video meetings. They generally produce a very advantageous, uniform light. Another advantage: ring lights are usually very compact.

One fundamental problem is mixing light types. Example: In many cases, the natural light that comes in through the window has a different color than the artificial light in the room. This is referred to as light temperature. Our human eye does not notice this so much, as we automatically get used to it. A camera, however, tries to neutralize the light optically. This is known as white balance: a white surface should always appear white, regardless of the light.

Today's cameras are quite good at regulating this automatically. But even they get into trouble if you use very different types of light at the same time. In this respect, you should make sure to use similar light sources or even just a single one (such as the window mentioned above). With a ring light, you can sometimes adjust the light temperature manually.

Which upgrades are worthwhile?

Sooner or later, you want to improve your videos. Then you ask yourself what you should spend your money on. Here are a few tips.

Picture: A "real" camera

Even though smartphones and webcams can deliver very good results these days, a "real" camera is still superior. However, this does not automatically mean that a more expensive camera is better than a cheaper camera when it comes to video. Nor does this mean you need a "full-frame camera".

Some people, for example, reach for the large and expensive models from long-established brands such as Nikon or Canon. These are still often a good choice for professional photographers (although it also depends on the application). When it comes to video, however, they are sometimes inferior to more compact models such as those from Panasonic or Sony, because the video function only plays a secondary role.

What some people like about the larger cameras is that, for technical reasons, they can blur the background more than smaller models (professionals refer to this as depth of field). This is an effect that can look chic and professional. However, you also have to pay very close attention to the focus so that you yourself are in focus in the picture.

In general, cameras offer you more flexibility compared to webcams and smartphones. You can usually change the lens, set the white balance manually and also determine exactly where to focus and how to expose. In return, this flexibility means more work. Whether this effort is worth it depends on:

• Your personal taste
• The type of video
• The target platforms
• The impression you want your clips to convey (professional scenario, which can also look "staged", versus a more authentic or personal recording)

You may have different requirements for likeable, funny videos on newer social media platforms than for a 30-minute explanatory and image video on YouTube. Do you want to appear young and unconventional? Then your videos will have a different style than if you want to gain trust in the B2B sector.

I cannot make any specific recommendations for camera models here. The market is constantly evolving. In this respect, I would advise you to study test reports. Ideally, you should already know what is important to you about the camera. Because only then can you assess the extent to which the impressions and conclusions of a test report suit you at all.

Sound: A better microphone

It's the same with microphones as with many other technology categories: the leaps in quality become smaller as the price increases. You soon reach the point where you only notice an improvement with headphones and under idealized conditions. It's also similar here to the camera: an expensive microphone is not automatically better. You always need to know what you need for your specific application and what suits you best.

For example, directional microphones can deliver excellent sound quality while being placed outside the visible range. You will see them on professional film shoots for movies or TV reports. But you will also see that one person is usually exclusively responsible for ensuring the quality of the sound recording. This is because these directional microphones only work well when they are perfectly aligned. If you are recording your videos alone, they are rather unsuitable. Or you need to choose a model that forgives minor positioning inaccuracies.

Also make sure that you can connect the microphone directly to the camera. This is easier than if you have to record the sound separately. However, how good the quality is depends on your camera. If you want to get the maximum quality, a separate recording device for the sound can be a good idea. Get advice on all these points from a specialist dealer (think #supportyourlocals if possible). There is simply too much choice.

Light: Three-point lighting

In professional circles, three-point lighting (also known as "3-point image lighting") is usually the measure of all things. It works like this:

• The first light is in front of the person, slightly offset to the side. This is the main light, which is there for the basic illumination.
• The second light is in front of the person on the other side. It is either dimmed down or further away. It is used to brighten up the shadows coming from the first light.
• The third light is positioned behind and above the person and illuminates the back of their head. This gives the head a slight glow that makes it stand out from the background. If you are standing directly in front of a wall, you can also illuminate the wall from below to achieve a similar effect.

Such a setup is of course complex and not so easy to implement without a dedicated room. Incidentally, the lights themselves do not have to cost very much. The most expensive element is usually the special, extremely powerful light source.

Compared to the higher quality models, cheap lamps usually have a wobbly construction and are not very durable. If you set them up once and leave them alone, this is not necessarily noticeable. However, if you want to assemble and disassemble your lamps, it is worth spending a little more money.

My conclusion on the topic of creating videos

The best camera is the one you have with you, they say. And when it comes to the topic of this article, the best equipment is the one that suits you, your budget, your constraints, your personality and your ideas and plans. So don't let anyone tell you that you have to spend thousands of euros to produce "reasonably acceptable" quality. That is nonsense.

If you've acquired a taste for it and want to upgrade, the possibilities are endless. But here too, you should always start by considering what you actually need for your purposes. Feel free to share your own tips on the right technology in the comments.

Pictures in the article: Jason Anderson, Leo Wieling