Filming yourself - What equipment and how to use it?
- 2021-04-08
- Category - Filming Yourself
- Tags - Alone, Equipment, Smartphone
Filming yourself, even without equipment, can you still get a good video? Whether for a pre-recorded webinar, for a testimonial, for a birthday wish… there are more and more occasions where you need to film yourself. 🎬
Keep in mind: A good video makes people want to listen to your message. So the technical side behind the creation of a video is also important and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.
Generally speaking, we can refer to this general rule of thumb:
A good video = Good light + Good sound
1. EQUIPMENT
Camera
If you have one, and you know how to use it, take your reflex or your camcorder.
Otherwise, most people nowadays have a smartphone in their pocket that can take excellent videos.
Smartphone
Use the rear camera of your phone, as the quality is always better.
Of course it gets harder to film yourself alone, so try to find a colleague to help you out. Ask him to simply hold the phone at eye level and stay relatively stable. You can also activate the image stabilisation of your device.
Sound
Sound is very important and even in a quiet room, one can clearly hear the difference between an external microphone and an internal one.
So it makes sense to enventually invest in a lapel microphone that simply plugs into your smartphone. You can found some for 10-20€.
2. FILMING
A second general rule of thumb:
We want a soft light + good depth
Outside
Go outside when:
- the weather is good.
By good weather I mean here a soft light and little to no wind.
(We get a soft light outside when the sun is not at its zenith, and when the sky slightly covered with clouds) Also check out the Golden Hour. - the background is looking nice.
Inside
Inside, prefer a quiet room with a window (and face this window, with eventually a light curtain in front of it, to get this soft light) or find another nice and soft light source.
Also, care about the background. Don’t hesitate to add a plant or different props that will add color and depth.
Another tip is to get away from the wall. This will have a positive impact on potential unwanted shadows, it will give us a nicer background and above all it will give us that much desired depth.
Framing
There can be many rules for framing, so don’t get confused and just put your camera at eye level and try to get some symmetry in your image.
Also think about the final video you want to create and the post-production phase. Do you want to later insert different text or images? If so, then leave some space in the corresponding corner of your shot.
Sound + Leeway
As for the audio part, now that you know your microphone, just speak loudly enough and watch out for background noise.
Give yourself some leeway by looking at the camera 5 seconds before and 5 seconds after you speak. This will help you in the editing phase.
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