Producing high-quality videos these days takes a little bit of thought and effort, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. You might even already have all of the necessary tools. If not, you should be able to get everything you need for under $300!
There are four main elements to producing videos. They are 1) the camera you’re using, 2) your audio input or mic, 3) your lighting, and 4) your editing software. Let’s go through each one individually to see how you can produce high-quality videos on a limited budget…
Camera
To create a video, you’ll of course need something to capture it with. There are actually 3 general options for capturing video these days:
1. Computer, Laptop, or Webcam
If you’re creating videos where you’re sitting or standing in place, then you might be able to use your computer or laptop’s built-in camera at no extra charge. But if your computer is more than a couple of years old, chances are the quality will not be very good. Trust us, we’ve tried using our 5-year old Mac Book Pro’s camera and it doesn’t cut it. In that case, you can get a webcam that plugs in and clips onto your computer for under $50, like this Logitech one. We have gotten a lot of good use out of ours!
2. Smartphone
Your smartphone can be an option too, especially if you’ve got a fairly new iPhone or Android and it’s not overloaded with apps and data. With that said, phones usually do best with short videos and are typically limited when it comes to camera features, but can do the job in a pinch.
3. Camcorders & DSLRs
For the highest quality video, you can get a decent camcorder like this Sony Handycam, for around $250. All footage captured is digital and can be transferred to your laptop or computer via USB or memory card. Another option is to get a DSLR. While the video feature is usually secondary to its main camera function, we’re still talking really good quality HD video here. And because of that, you’ll have a top-notch camera for taking great promo pictures as well. While prices can easily get into the thousands, you can get a good starter model, like this Canon Powershot, for around $200.
+ Related: 20 Video Content Ideas for Musicians on YouTube
Audio Input
Believe it or not, audio is actually the most important element of a good video. Even if the footage is a little grainy or the lighting is slightly off, as long as the audio is of high quality then you can still enjoy it. If the audio is hard to hear or even worse painful to listen to, people aren’t going to want to watch it, no matter how good the video quality is. Most devices including computers, webcams, smartphones, and cameras come with built-in mics but most often the sound quality they pick-up is not great. For around $40, you can get a starter shotgun mic that can plug into any of your devices and enhance the sound quality. To get the best sound quality possible, especially for performance videos, you’ll need an audio interface console, which you can get for under $200. This allows you to use a standard mic, like the Shure SM48, while recording it straight to your computer. If you have multiple channels, then you can also plug in and record your instruments as well.
Lighting
After sound quality, lighting control is probably the next most important thing, especially if you’re recording your video indoors. For under $35 you can get a Ring Light with all the needed accessories. These are nice because you can adjust the intensity as well as the tone of the light from bright white, to cool, to warm. If you want to step up your light game another notch, you can get a Light Kit for under $60.
+ Related: Best Live Streaming Equipment for Musicians
Editing
The last thing you need when producing a video is editing software. Luckily, most computers come with good editing software these days. For Macs, you have iMovie, which we love. For PCs, you should be able to edit videos using the Photos software as long as you have Windows 10. Here’s an article that shows you how to do that. With that said, you shouldn’t have to buy any software to edit decent videos.
So there you have it! There are several ways that you can produce high-quality videos, even on a tight budget.
+ Watch: Booking Tips in 4 Minutes: Your Promo Video
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