The Ultimate Guide on Shooting Video for Your Business from Home
We’ve all heard it a million times… VIDEO is (one of if not THE) most powerful ways to grow your business. But, something about being on camera, knowing what to say, and oh boy, the TECH, can make it a chore few entrepreneurs really look forward to.
The good news? I got you! As someone who has personally overcome the fear of video— I’ve rounded up my tried and true go-to tools and pro tips for shooting killer videos at home just for you.
Prefer to listen instead of read? Pop in your airpods and hit play:
Lighting
Probably the MOST important, even over audio, is your lighting. Why? Chances are people will SEE you before they hear you so prioritize the right LOOK before pressing record.
Without argument, the best light is natural light (sunlight). If your home office or the room where you’re shooting has big windows with natural light that will ALWAYS be your best bet. Shooting with your face to the window will create a natural glow and you don’t have to worry about glares on your glasses (if you wear them). (We all know this by now and still, we’re all plagued with shadowy videos in our feed trying to tell us how to live our life.)
🤓 Speaking of glasses… if you’re going to wear them, shooting with a monitor in front of you is typically a bad idea. It’s super distracting to see blue squares dancing in your lenses while you speak. If you’re using your computer as a prompter (more on teleprompters later…) turn down the brightness on your monitor, print your notes, or use a smaller screen like an iPad.
If you’re like me and you prefer to shoot from your home office, but you’re not blessed with much natural light — or, you don’t want to plan around a rainy day (I did my makeup for nothing?!) — you’ll want some artificial lights as a backup or in combination with your natural light.
I don’t care for the ring light. I find them to be cheap, harsh (even with those flimsy plastic covers), and they tend to cast a lot of shadows if you’re too close to a wall.
I prefer the Broadcast Lighting Kit from Lume Cube. There are some that attach to your computer, but I prefer the flexibility of the tripod so I can move them from room to room and they allow me to shoot from my iPhone camera or computer camera depending on what makes sense. They have great battery life, are relatively affordable, portable, and easy to use.
Audio
You might find that you don’t need a mic to record reels. The only way to know is to test it out. When I shoot from my home office, my iPhone mic picks up my refrigerator hum and sometimes my AC kicking on and off. I can’t hear these things on their own, but they always show up in my recordings!
For this, I use a $20 wireless Lavalier mic from Amazon. For being so inexpensive and easy to use (just plug in and go!) I’m surprised by how well it works to capture clear audio and remove low background noise.I’ve tried about all of the popular mics out there and I have two different mics that I use depending on the type of video I’m shooting.
When shooting from my desk for courses or more formal content, I use my Blue Snowball mic. It has great noise cancellation, it’s inexpensive (compared to what’s out there) and is SUPER easy to use.
Shooting
My secret weapon to getting DM’s like, “girl, your skin looks amazing” is an app called DJI Mimo. It smooths out my skin and adjusts the light without looking like an overdone Instagram filter. The downside… but also the upside… is that you have to buy the tripod that goes with it, BUT the tripod is awesome. Why? It follows you while you move, has awesome tilt features (for shooting from ABOVE! see more in Angles below), and can fit in your purse or laptop bag for on-the-go shooting. Here’s the link > (I’m NOT an affiliate), just an advocate for tools that ignite confidence on camera.
If you’re not into shooting videos on your phone and you want to create higher-quality long-form videos, I love my Lumina. It has easy-to-use built-in settings for lighting, a killer zoom that creates a wide angle and slightly blurs the background, and it sits on top of my computer creating a great top-down angle (more on that below). It’s great for everyday Zoom calls too!
PRO TIP: Hit record, then look at the camera and smile, count to 3, then start talking. Do the same thing at the end after your last sentence and before you stop recording. This makes it easier to trim the video with a few added seconds to the beginning and the end. Also, if you use a thumbnail of the video, you can grab the clip of your nice smiling face and not one where you’re face is mid-sentence.
Angles
Most women know that when having their picture taken you want the photographer to shoot from ABOVE. For many of us, it’s a MUCH more flattering angle and captures us in all our glory vs highlighting one part of our bodies (typically one we may not like). Just like you may have a “good side” there are good angles when shooting video and bad ones.
When I shoot, I put my tripod on the tallest setting and angle the lens downward. Here’s the result:
✅ ABOVE
❌ BELOW
There’s also some psychology at play here, shooting from below, especially while giving business advice, can look like you’re talking down to someone. Instead, we want to be eye-to-eye like you would in an in-person conversation.
Backgrounds
❌ DON’T stand or sit in front of a blank wall. While you don’t want your background to be distracting (more on that below), unless maybe you’re a software company, you don’t want to look like you’re shooting in a void. (Plus it’s just sterile and awkward/not real life).
✅ DO stand or sit towards the middle of the room with plenty of space between you and the wall. This creates depth and allows you to shape the look of your video by providing context.
❌ DON’T put personal photos, intricate artwork, or book spines behind you. Your audience will spend more time trying to decipher who’s in the photo, evaluating the print, or reading the book spines than hearing what you have to say.
✅ DO use furniture, plants, or other large anchoring items to give context to your space. Remember every carefully selected item within the frame is a reflection of your brand so make sure it makes sense.
Watch any documentary when they do an interview and notice how the subject is placed in the center of the room and shot at a wide angle. The furniture around them acts as a frame that guides your eye to the person speaking which is the focal point.
And, for what it’s worth, I’m not a fan of…
⚠️ DIY Green screens or glitchy virtual backgrounds. If you work from home, cool. Carefully curate one corner and invite us in!
Editing
There’s a gajillion video editing apps out there. Our in-house Creative Director uses Adobe After Effects for our most polished videos but when I want to do something myself, I use the paid version of Canva since it already has my fonts, logos, and other branding elements saved. There’s also some basic editing tools in Vimeo that get the job done and it’s where I store all of my videos for hosting on my website.
Teleprompter
I’m not a fan of teleprompters. No matter how good they are I can ALWAYS tell when someone is reading. Instead, write bullet points at eye level that you can reference to keep you on track. Flub a word? Correct it and keep going. Looking human makes you relatable. Confident speakers shake off a mistake and keep move forward, showing their viewers that they prioritize the message over perfect delivery. If you find yourself starting and stopping a lot, shoot short clips and stitch them together with a low-key transition. Just play around and do a ton of testing. Soon, you’ll find a formula that works for you.
Final Notes
If there’s anything I’ve learned about shooting video for my business is that once I invested in the right tools and started just hitting record (you can always delete it later!) what felt like a skill I’d never master is now as second nature to me as throwing up an IG post. I’ve also learned a lot by watching myself on video — both humbling things I’ve had the chance to work on — and good things, like reminding myself how much I really do know my stuff and giving me the confidence to share more.
Quick Links
To simplify life, here’s a round-up of all the tools referenced in this article. (I’m NOT an affiliate and receive ZERO compensation if you decide to purchase!)
Apple AirPods (Audio)
Blue Snowball (Audio)
DJI OM 5 Tripod (Shooting)
DJI Mimo (Shooting)
Broadcast Lighting Kit from Lume Cube (Lighting)
Lumina (Lighting)
Canva (Video Editing)
Vimeo (Video Editing and Hosting)
