[C] Tools You’ll Need

Before we dive into this section, I want you to understand that, while picture quality is important, it is a very far second to the quality of your message.  Let me say that again,

“the quality of your message is way more important than your video quality.”

It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by video and get caught up in having certain equipment [or not having good enough stuff] thinking it will make a huge difference for your videos. The truth is if your concept, message, and presentation of the information stink, the picture quality of your video won’t matter at all. Case in point, how many viral videos have you seen that have zero production value [meaning the audio is too loud and fuzzy, the video is too dark or shaky], but are extremely popular because they’re cute, funny, or sad? Content matters most and the tools you use are important, but they’re in second place.

Note: We’ll go into detail about each of these following topics in the Equipment & Gear section.

Camera

You’ll need a camera that shoots a minimum of 1280 x 720p. This is the standard streaming size for the internet and anything less will look low quality. We’ll almost always be working with 1920 x 1080p, which is common among modern consumer cameras, including smartphones and action cameras.

iMovie [or video editing software]

If you’re a Mac user, the iMovie program comes with every computer so we’ll be showing you how to import and edit in iMovie in this course. However, our post-production framework will work no matter what program you’re using, so if you’re not a Mac user, you can still learn how to organize and edit your footage here.

External Storage

Most of you are probably storing footage on your phone, in the cloud, or on SD cards.  These are fine while you’re shooting, but you’ll want to get an external hard drive because you’ll find that quality video files are large and take up a lot of digital storage space quickly. So, to avoid future frustrations, we suggest starting with a fresh hard drive that is dedicated to video.

Lavalier Microphone for iPhone

Audio makes up 50% of the video. Bad audio is distracting, so for about 10 bucks, you can up your audio game by getting a microphone that plugs directly into your phone.

Tripod

Shaky video is distracting and unprofessional. Having a stabilizer like a tripod is necessary. If you’re planning on using your phone for your videos, you can find a great smartphone tripod for just a few bucks.

Lights (Optional)

Ultimately, proper lighting is what makes good looking videos look so good. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank for the types of videos you want to create. You can get an inexpensive (around $200) lighting kit or ring light if you’re ready to invest in something.

Alternatively, you can always use natural window light and a white presentation board (less than $10) or a reflector (around $30). The importance of good lighting cannot be overstated: the better the camera can see what’s happening, the higher the image quality and the better the footage.