- Like, for example,
this still has the tag on it
because I don't know if I'm gonna keep it.
Wanna create quality videos for your business
without splurging a ton on equipment?
You're in the right spot.
Let's talk about how to create high-quality
video marketing content for your business.
And stay tuned until the end
where I'll share a list of all the tools
and equipment pieces
that I used to grow this channel
to over a 100,000 subscribers.
Let's dive in. (air whooshes)
My name is Elise Darma,
and I am an elder millennial here to bridge the gap
between the pre-internet world, the corporate world
and today's digital marketing world.
And today, we're talking videos.
When it comes to the equipment
you need to make really nice videos,
the fact is you probably just need your phone.
This guy right here. (bell dings)
If we're talking TikTok and Instagram,
your phone does all the filming that you need.
And even if we're talking about YouTube marketing,
your phone quality likely is high enough to get you started.
You really don't need a fancy camera or a mic,
or anything like that, especially if you're on a budget.
In fact, I grew this channel to over 100,000 subscribers
using a $600 camera and a lav mic
that plugged into my smartphone.
And when it comes to your phone,
you generally don't need the latest model.
If you're a couple versions behind
the latest, sexiest model from Apple,
your phone quality should be high enough.
In fact, for years, I always had an old phone,
and I remember going to a marketing conference
and someone commented saying,
"Oh, Elise, you're an Instagram marketer
and you're using an old phone?"
And I said, "Yeah, it's good enough.
It takes good quality enough pictures."
- What are you? I mean, who are you?
- Don't let them keep you down.
You don't need the greatest latest phone
to make good quality content.
So you have your phone and your camera.
Now, there are just a few more things you need
in terms of your equipment
to make your filming that much easier.
The first is a tripod.
This is a Joby tripod with bendy legs,
which I find really handy.
I use this to film both Instagram and YouTube content.
Now, this portion up here is a smartphone holder.
So it pops out like this.
And I can actually attach my flip camera to this too,
but this is how I'll film
when it comes to Instagram or TikTok.
I'll use this attachment.
Altogether, you can get both of these pieces
for about $40 on Amazon.
Now, if a camera like a flip cam or a DSLR
is feeling out budget right now,
what you can look at doing is buying a webcam.
Logitech has a really, really good webcam that shoots in 4K.
And this is what I currently use for all of my Zoom calls.
This webcam also has a wider lens
so you can actually capture more in your background
if that's important to you.
You can also turn this feature off.
But currently, this 4K webcam goes for about $200.
So it's much cheaper than a camera,
and you're gonna get really high quality video content
by filming with a webcam versus your phone.
Next, we gotta talk about lighting.
Lighting is really important
because if your face is well lit,
your video quality is actually gonna look higher quality,
than if you film in a darker setting,
your video is gonna look grainier.
So make sure, at the very least,
you're facing a window and leveraging natural light.
Now, I'm a big fan of ring lights.
I have a massive ring light that sits
in front of my desk, always.
And I'll use this for YouTube filming,
and I've also used mini ring lights that attach to my desk.
And I've used these for when I travel.
I'll pack the mini ring lights
and set them up so that I always have light on my face.
To get started, I would recommend the mini ring lights.
You can find these on Amazon for 20 bucks.
And if you're ready to invest in a longer term commitment,
a bigger ring light, those ones go for about $200.
And make sure you get a ring light that plugs into the wall
not to your computer through a USB port.
You don't want a ring light to be powered by your laptop.
You want it to have its own power source.
Speaking from experience.
So you have your phone, you have your camera,
you have your equipment.
We're doing good.
Next, we need to talk about editing.
How can you edit on a budget?
Look, we would all love to outsource our editing
and hire someone to create and edit
all of our YouTube videos, all of our TikToks,
all of our Reels.
I would love that too.
The good news when it comes to editing
is you can edit directly within the TikTok
and Instagram Reels app for free.
It's just gonna take you time.
Now, if you find either of these apps glitchy,
I'm not gonna lie,
sometimes they're totally glitchy for me
and I get frustrated.
- [Woman] Do your job!
- There are other paid apps you can use
to make the editing process easier.
In fact, I cover all the apps and how to use them
in this video right here.
Go ahead and check it out.
Now, if you're a YouTuber like me,
you're gonna want a desktop editing program
to edit your YouTube videos.
I am a Mac user, so I use a program called ScreenFlow.
And yes, there are free programs that come directly
with the Mac, I believe it's iMovie.
But I prefer ScreenFlow
because it has more features that help me edit even faster.
One question I get all the time
is how do I talk on camera like this,
but also show my phone screen next to me.
Well, I record myself on camera.
I record my phone screen,
and then I bring both of the files together
inside of ScreenFlow.
So I highly recommend it.
It's really user friendly,
and you can get started with ScreenFlow for about $150.
Now, if you're not a Mac user and you love the PC,
you can find a similar program to ScreenFlow,
and it's called Camtasia.
Camtasia is about $200 up front,
and then another $50 per year.
But same idea as ScreenFlow.
It's very user friendly,
and it has some of the more professional editing features
that you could use outside of iMovie
or whichever program comes on a PC.
But it has some of the more professional features
that are gonna make your editing that much easier.
Now, we've covered all the technicalities,
but what about the stuff in videos
that really add personality and fun?
What I'm gonna share with you is a little bonus tip here,
and this is how I bring my personality to all of my videos.
And that is props.
Wardrobe and props.
They really make my videos pop.
In fact, you've probably seen my video
where I have a massive hat on.
It's like six feet in diameter or something.
I intentionally bought this hat as a prop
to use in my videos.
And it was $100, but it was worth the investment.
That hat has been used in ads
that have been seen by millions of people.
And I still get comments and DMs
from my Instagram followers talking about this hat,
this amazing hat that's now in storage,
and one day it's gonna be hung up on my wall.
I'm never leaving it.
But it was worth the investment.
- Yeah, I was worth it.
- So where am I going with this?
What I'm suggesting is as you get more
into creating video content,
it is helpful to invest in items or props
that you can use to bring your personality to life
or just to have fun with.
So I always like to have hats on hand,
glasses or sunglasses, different shirts.
I'm always wearing my fiance's shirts.
And if I've already worn all his shirts,
what I will do is go shopping online,
and I'll order a bunch of clothes from Zara.
Like for example,
this still has the tag on it
because I don't know if I'm gonna keep it.
- Genius!
- But I've been known to order clothes online,
wear them for on camera and not wear them out, of course.
And then if I don't like them, I might return them.
It's just part of the job.
News anchors do it too. I'm not the only person.
In fact, if you've ever done that before,
if you've ever bought clothes,
used them for one occasion and returned them,
let me know in a comment.
I believe I'm not the only person when it comes to this.
And if I am, just lie to me so I feel better about myself.
But it's one of the tricks of the trade.
I studied video and radio and television arts in university.
I literally went to university for a degree in this arena,
and believe me, the broadcasters do it too.
So it's just smart. It's just smart budgeting.
So outside of my little Zara secret,
to sum up everything that you need
to start making video content today,
what I'd say is invest in this tripod device.
I've had this for years, highly worth it.
Get your smartphone.
And if you're not gonna use a smartphone,
get a camera or a webcam, whatever suits your needs.
And one last piece to this puzzle is a lav mic.
You don't wanna forget about your audio.
Now, your camera or your phone will pick up decent audio,
but for really clean, crisp, clear audio
I highly recommend a lav mic.
And the one that I have used for years
is super easy because it plugs directly into my smartphone
and I record through the Rode app.
So it's the Rode smartLav+ mic,
and it costs about $100.
Highly worthy investment for good quality audio.
Now, that you're all set up, you've got your gear,
next, you're gonna wanna brainstorm content ideas
of what to actually film in video form.
So for that, I want you to check out this next video
for tons of content ideas.
I'll see you there.