Must-Have Equipment for Beginner Creators
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You don't need fancy, expensive equipment to kickstart your social media video journey. You need good lighting, quality sound, stability, and a high-quality video recording device. (Learn to use your smartphone to its full capacity before jumping right to a fancy camera and for goodness sake, make sure your lens is clean.)
Below are a few options depending on your budget.
Smartphone: Your Pocket-Sized Powerhouse
Your trusty smartphone is your best friend because it’s already in your pocket! Most smartphones today boast impressive camera capabilities, offering high-resolution video capture, built-in stabilization, and a variety of shooting modes. I have no brand loyalty, I just want the best camera. Sometimes it’s a Samsung, sometimes it’s an iPhone. (I do really love the airdrop feature of iPhones, though).
I like buying refurbished devices from Gazelle at a discount. (not an affiliate link, just something I like.)
Phone Accessories
Screen Protector: Protect your investment, get a screen protector and a good phone case.
Pop Socket Phones are so large - this helps maintain a steady grip, especially for anyone with small hands.
Lighting
You could just stand in front of a window and avoid harsh sunlight. If you want to buy something, consider a ring light or even better, buy a few floor lamps to place at 45-degree angles in front of you (to avoid the ring in your iris.) No amount of editing can fix bad lighting.
You could use a ring light or a light that clips right on to your phone (or monitor for Zoom calls). I’ve been loving the clip-on light!
Stability
With steady shots, viewers assume you’re more professional and experienced. Bonus if you buy two, one to keep where you normally film and one.
No Budget: stabilize the phone by holding it with both hands, keep your elbows bent and tucked into your ribs, use your legs to move smoothly.
Tripod A ring light can, of course, double as a tripod. I recommend getting one that is very tall because shooting with a dinky thing that falls over with the weight of a phone and only comes up to your hips when placed on the ground is less than ideal.)
Lighted Tripod with bending arm This one is great for makers or anyone who shows their hands (jewelry makers, artists, etc.) You could even have one video recording your hands and one recording your face as this one has two arms.
Gimbal/Stabilizer You could, of course, use your legs as stabilizers. Hold the phone with both hands in front of you. Bend your elbows and tuck them in close to your body. Slowly, walk in a semi-squat, wearing flat shoes, placing the heel and then rolling to your toes. You might look silly while filming but you’ll have smooth footage.
Use a gimbal to stabilize your footage. The Aochuan comes with an app that has auto-tracking and tutorials for a few different shots.
Sound
Quality sound is a surefire way to make your videos more professional. Consider a lavalier (lapel) microphone.
Video Editing
I like CapCut the best. It is available for free on your phone, desktop or tablet. However, I always recommend learning to use social media apps first, to the best of your ability.
Waterproof carrier
If you ever take footage on vacation or live a life near any body of water, this floating, waterproof lanyard phone case is gold.
On my wishlist:
Insta 360 So I can take drone-inspired shots without worrying about a drone’s pilot license.
There you have it creators! As long as you have a window, muscles and a smartphone, you're all set to rock the social media video scene.
Now, grab that gear, press record, and practice being comfortable in front of the camera.
Now that you have your gear, if you want to learn how to come up with content ideas that feed your business, consider The Reel You social media coaching membership. T.R.Y is a community of entrepreneurs who are all using their skills and passions to make the world a better place. Every month, there is a video lesson, an accompanying PDF, a monthly group coaching call, and a vault of additional assets (even a Social Media 101 video for anyone who needs it). Go in order to learn to build a social media strategy from the ground up or skip around to whatever lessons you need.
Click here to learn more about the membership - $19/month.
That’s all I have for you. Your message matters! I can’t wait to see what you create.
