In the early days of the web, basic text was really the only option for sharing information. With advances in technology and the increased bandwidths now available, more powerful media presentations can be easily downloaded and streamed. Those who dislike pouring over pages and pages of text have the option to create videos to express their ideas. Similar in concept to the blog, a vlog is web log in video format.
Although the means of vlogging is accessible to everyone, producing quality videos is not always easy or intuitive. Improving the methods of generating video information enhances the presentation and makes communicating with your audience more effective. Without being an expert or employing fancy studio equipment, there are quite a few ways to get better results with some basic techniques and equipment upgrades.
Setting Up Your Camera
Just about any camera capable of capturing video can be used, but it is preferable to work with one that already records in digital format. Older cameras that rely on tapes are cumbersome and are often of lower quality. Transferring the video into a form that your computer can use is an extra hassle that you can live without.
Small handheld cameras that capture video on flash drives are good, but the best options are full DSLR cameras. They provide good picture and audio quality. Even an entry-level DSLR camera is a good option when your budget allows for it. You can browse and learn about a variety of DSLR cameras ideal for video recording in online stores such as Markertek.
Get Your Lighting In Order
Usually grainy images are caused by inadequate lighting. For filming, you should have four lights in total. With three lights you can get enough illumination on your subject. Use one for your key, fill, and back light. The fourth light is placed in the background.
A professional LED lighting system can be expensive, but you can achieve significant improvements with just some basic household lights placed in the right positions. Lowe’s has a series of floor lamps that you can explore and purchase to fulfill your lighting needs.
Teleprompter
It’s easy to get lost when you are delivering a speech. Many amateur vloggers splice together segments of videos into a disconnected string of ideas that really don’t make any sense. Instead of tripping over your own dialogue, effective communication requires some planning. You don’t necessarily need a full teleprompter system, but you should have at the very least some visual cues to keep you on track.
A laptop placed just out of camera range with a scrolling text is effective. Make sure that the angle of your visual cue is near to the camera height. You should look like you are still staring directly at your camera, and try to avoid just robotically reading the script.
Microphone
A cheap lapel microphone works the best for simple videos. It can be directed to capture just your voice. Instead of a general purpose microphone or the microphone in your camera, these smaller microphones pickup less background noise. You won’t have to compete with passing cars or singing birds for your audience’s attention.
Headphones
Not everyone likes to use ear pieces when they are recording, but it can be helpful to gauge how your sound quality is coming along as you go. Instead of finding out afterwards that you are inaudible in your film, you will know right away if your voice can be heard clearly. Full sized headphones that cover the ears give you better sense of your performance. The smaller ear bud style headphones are less noticeable in your video, and many prefer these for the way they look.
With just a few tweaks and upgrades in your recording equipment, you can up your vlog game and captivate your audiences with your next post!
