How to shoot high-quality videos without leaving home
Miscellaneous / / June 16, 2022
Detailed instructions will help you decide on the equipment, choose the ideal angles and record high-quality sound.
Anna Khlebnikova
What equipment will be needed
If you are a beginner, you should not immediately spend money on expensive equipment. You can get by with the bare minimum.
Smartphone or camera
Now you can shoot high-quality video on almost any phone in the price range of 15-20 thousand rubles. The main thing - do not forget to wipe the lenses with a dry cloth before shooting. You probably often take the phone in your hands, and if the camera is not cleaned, the picture will be cloudy. Fix it when installation will not work.
Also, always choose the maximum resolution - ideally, if it is 4K. This is important for cropping: you can enlarge, crop a frame, change the aspect ratio for publishing videos on different sites.
If the quality of shooting on a smartphone does not suit you, buy an inexpensive video camera that is mounted on a tripod - you can meet 10-20 thousand rubles. Here are the budget models:
Canon IVY REC, Sony DCR‑SX65E, Rekam DVC‑560. And more expensive options: Sony HDR‑CX405, Sony HDR‑AS300.Microphone
The viewer can forgive a bad picture, but a bad one sound - never. I do not advise you to use the built-in smartphone microphone: it is sensitive to extraneous noise.
Better buy a separate one - an inexpensive lavalier will do. Such a microphone will cost you about 3-5 thousand rubles. Great budget options Aputure Deity V.Lav and Boya BY‑M1.
Tripod
Of course, you can put a camera or phone on a stack of books or a box, but it’s better to immediately buy a tripod with height adjustment - it costs about 1.5-2 thousand rubles. Using it is much more convenient and easier than building shaky structures every time.
Good quality sturdy tripod. For example, consider models HAMA Star-61, Raylab Travel 63 and Falcon Eyes Travel Line 3600.
lighting fixture
In extreme cases, you can get by with daylight, but I do not recommend choosing this option. Such lighting is uncontrollable, so if you're not lucky, the picture on the video will constantly change. And if the shooting drags on, the light at the end of the video will be completely different from that at the beginning.
A chandelier will not work either: if you limit yourself to it, in the video you under the eyes and deep shadows will appear on the nose.
A good minimum option is a table lamp and a diffuser (for example, white cloth or thin paper).
Even better, if you can buy one or two ring lamps, for example WALKER WLR‑3010 or Raylab RL‑0210 Kit, and a softbox for video recording. A good option is the Godox SB‑FW30120. One lamp will cost you about 3 thousand rubles, and a softbox will cost about 2 thousand.
Teleprompter
It is ideal for beginners and those who scared to speak in front of the camera to such an extent that the scripted words fly out of my head. But it’s also useful for everyone else: it’s easier to shoot, there are fewer takes. With a teleprompter, you will be able to speak calmly and confidently, knowing that you will not miss or forget anything.
Such equipment costs an average of 9 thousand rubles. Good options - Bestview T2 and Pixaero Mobus. But you can save money if you have a laptop - just use the free teleprompter program, for example from the website tv.panomama.ru.
You can also install a smartphone app, free or inexpensive. Here are options with a number of free features: Parrot Teleprompter, a teleprompter from BIGVU (iOS and Android), PromptSmart Lite Teleprompter (iOS). And inexpensive apps: Nano Teleprompter (Android), Video Teleprompter Lite (iOS).
How to arrange a place for shooting in an apartment
If you have a spacious beautiful room, part of which you are ready to give away as a studio, then feel free to use it.
If it’s not possible to equip part of the room specifically for filming, it’s not scary. You can shoot near the desktop, against the background of shelving or bookshelves. Just don't forget to remove everything you don't need interior looked neat.
If the subject of the video allows, you can shoot videos not only in the workplace, but also in the kitchen:
Or in the bedroom:
Another option is wall, preferably plain or with a simple pattern, textured, neutral color.
An important point: if you are using a wall as a background, do not stand directly in front of it, but take two or three steps forward. Then the picture will look larger.
If there is no place with a suitable design in the apartment, use a photophone. The most budget option is to fix a dense fabric on the wall. A more expensive option is to buy a special holder, such as a crossbar, and a fabric background.
A special background costs from 2.5 thousand rubles, an example of a budget option is Fotokvant BG‑3030. Mounts (installation systems) - about 5 thousand. Examples: Falcon Eyes B-010 and Fujimi FJBS-8715.
When shooting from the background, it is also worth moving a few steps forward.
The advantage of this option: you do not have to equip the interior for shooting video. Minus: if there is not enough space in the apartment, the background will have to be removed every time.
How to set a frame so that the video looks professional
To do this, it is not necessary to learn cameramanship - you can shoot a simple video without it if you strictly follow the instructions.
Remove everything from the frame
The more distracting details, the more congested the picture will be. In the worst case, a sense of chaos will be created.
Adjust camera height and frame size
Decide whether it's more comfortable and easier for you to record video - sitting or standing. And if you sit, then decide on what. This will determine the height of the camera.
Choose the right plan for shooting. Of course, during editing, you can crop the image, but the picture will only be enlarged, not moved away.
Standard shooting plans:
- General: a full-length man. Well suited if you need to show the environment in which the hero is located.
- Medium: above the knees. The posture and gestures are clearly visible.
- Large: from the chest. Perfectly conveys emotions and facial expressions.
Have you chosen the right plan? Now use the rule of thirds. Visually divide the frame into 9 equal parts - smartphones have a 3 × 3 grid mode for this. Place the main objects on the lines and intersection points - that's where the audience is more likely to focus Attention.
If you plan to publish videos on different platforms, then during the shooting you should be in the center of the frame, in the middle of the grid. Then you can change the aspect ratio without cutting off the excess - turn a horizontal video into a square or even vertical one.
Take a test take. Follow to:
- There was not much free space above the head.
- The upper border of the frame did not “cut off” the top of the head.
- There was no cropping of the frame on the joints - elbows, knees, wrists.
If you notice such errors, move the camera and take another test take.
A word of advice: if possible, don't fold or put away your tripod after shooting. So next time you don't have to set the frame from scratch
Balance the left and right parts of the frame in size and number of elements
This is necessary so that the picture does not “fall over” on its side, as here:
If you want to move, for example, to the right, on the left side of the frame place presentation or other large object.
How to find the perfect angle
The safest and most versatile option is to have a camera at eye level or slightly higher. Firstly, this angle in itself does not produce any effect on the viewer. Secondly, thanks to him, facial features are not distorted. Moreover, if you position the camera just above eye level, the cheekbones will be smoothed out, and the neck and chin will look better.
All other angles have their own characteristics. If the chamber is significantly higher than eyethe person appears to be vulnerable or frightened. If, on the contrary, it is much lower, it creates a feeling that he dominates, demonstrates strength, or even threatens. In addition, the lower the camera is located, the more facial features are distorted.
The Dutch angle (shooting at an angle and from the bottom up) is disorienting. This angle is often used in movies to show the difficult psychological state of the protagonist, so it is better to do without it in home shootings.
How to use light in your home photography
The most important thing in a good picture is the right lighting. You can pay as much attention as you want to framing the frame, choosing the angle, background, camera, but if the lighting is inappropriate, all your efforts will be in vain.
Incorrectly exposed light can age you, "draw" bruises under the gases and visually add a few kilograms, so pay maximum attention to this moment.
Limit yourself to fill light if you only have one lamp
Close the windows with blackout curtains or blinds so that daylight does not affect the picture.
Place the lamp above the camera or to the side of it - just above the subject. So you get lighting with a minimum amount of shadows.
If the lamp is not LED, place a "screen" of white cloth or thin paper between you and the lighting fixture to soften the light. This will make them less visible wrinkles, uneven skin.
Please note: warm light makes the picture more comfortable, cold light - official and strict. If you don't know which is better, choose neutral.
Use fill and backlight if you have two lamps
Place the first lamp on the side of the camera or above it, just above the subject.
Place the second one behind your back so that the light falls on the back of the head and shoulders, - this will be the backlight. This is how you separate yourself in the frame from the background. It is desirable that the backlight and fill light coincide in temperature.
It is possible to combine cold and warm, but this is not a task for a beginner, therefore, without the necessary knowledge and skills, it is easier to spoil the frame than to achieve a cool effect.
Add background light to backlight and fill if you have three lamps
Place the first lamp on the side of the camera or above it, just above the subject. Position the second behind your back so that the light falls on the back of your head and shoulders.
Direct the light of the third lamp to the background. The device can be placed near it, so that the light falls from the bottom up, and behind your back (in this case, the backlight source should be closer to you), and on the side.
Try all three options and see which one you like best. Cold, warm light or even colored lamps are suitable - it depends on which mood you want to ask.
If there are four light sources, include one of them in the frame
Place the first lamp on the side of the camera or above it, just above the subject. Position the second behind your back so that the light falls on the back of your head and shoulders. Direct the light of the third lamp to the background behind you.
Add a point light source - unlike the other lamps, it will be in the frame. For example, you can install a floor lamp near a wall or background, arrange a garland on bookshelves, put a candle on the table.
How to achieve the perfect sound
A bad picture is forgivable. In the end, part of the audience listens to records like podcastswhile doing other things at the same time and rarely looking at the screen. But videos with bad sound will not be watched. Therefore, it is worth taking the following steps.
Improve the quality of the audio track
Here are some tips to help you with this:
- Turn off and remove anything that creates extraneous noise. Close the window tightly. Ask household members not to disturb you.
- Get rid of the echo - spread pillows around the room, pull curtains, cover the walls with textiles.
- Make sure your clothes and accessories don't interfere with the recording. You may not notice that the collar of the shirt is rustling, the chain is ringing, and the beads are tapping, but on the record it will hurt the ear. Turn on the microphone, move silently, gesticulate, and then listen to the recording. If there are extraneous noises, change clothes, remove accessories.
- Connect two recording channels: for example, a lavalier and a voice recorder on your phone. Otherwise, one mistake in the settings or a program crash - and several hours of shooting will simply be lost.
- Make a test recording and listen to it. If the sound is too quiet or too loud, or there is extraneous noise, fix it. Keep testing until you get a good sound.
- An hour before shooting, eat, rest, try to relax. The stronger the tension, the more “squeezed” the voice will be. Bring water to the "set" so you can drink if your throat gets dry.
- Be sure to do articulatory gymnastics to speak clearly, confidently and beautifully.
- Before filming, think about something pleasant, smile, relax your body - especially your shoulders and jaw - and remind yourself that if you stumble or do something wrong, you can always reshoot the bad take. The less excitement and stiffness in front of the camera, the more pleasant the audience will listen to you.
Use a teleprompter
Bad sound is not only a ringing in the microphone, an echo or the noise of a neighbor's puncher. It is also constant hesitation, parasitic words, endless “uh” and “mmm”. To speak confidently, calmly and without forgetting anything, use a teleprompter. So that it is not conspicuous what you are reading from the screen:
- Put the teleprompter away, make the text bigger. So the eyes will not run over the lines.
- Add interjections, colloquial vocabulary to the text. If you need to pause, insert a blank line.
- Adjust the speed of the text movement so that you are comfortable.
- While recording, use gestures, facial expressions, show emotionsDon't be afraid to take your eyes off the text. The tighter the posture, the worse.
- Be sure to rehearse with a teleprompter, go through the entire text at least once!
One more small tip: start shooting with a loud clap of your hands. This way you can quickly sync video and audio tracks. Otherwise, the editing will have to catch the movements of the lips and synchronize them with the sound, and this is very difficult to do.
Check list
- Arrange a place for video recording, remove everything unnecessary from the frame, make sure that the left and right parts of the picture are balanced. If you are filming against a wall or fabric, take two or three steps forward before recording.
- Select the height at which the camera will be located, and the plan: general, medium, large. Position the camera at eye level or slightly higher. Watch to over head there was not too much free space, the edges of the frame did not cut off the crown or joints. Do a test take.
- Isolate daylight. Place the lamp above the camera or slightly to the side, about 10 degrees above the subject. If the lamp is not LED, soften the light with a cloth or paper.
- If there are additional light sources, use backlight (which falls on the back of the head and shoulders) and background (highlights background details).
- Remove all sources of extraneous noise. Turn on duplicate microphones. Make a test recording and listen to it.
- An hour before shooting, eat, relieve stress (for example, take a walk), put yourself in order. Then do articulation gymnastics and bring to the "set" water.
- Before recording a video, straighten your shoulders, raise your chin, think about something good and pleasant, smile. Remind yourself that a bad take can always be reshot.
- When recording a video, use a teleprompter and do not forget to clap your hands at the beginning of the shooting. :)
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