Last updated on January 22nd, 2019 at 02:08 pm
Committing to your dream of having space for a YouTube video studio can make other dreams come true that you didn’t think were related to it.
Working on a big dream project will always be a domino effect. In my case the domino effect was creating a block to getting to my next fitness dream goal of making more fitness videos.
Creating a YouTube video studio requires a little space.
This is not rocket science. Top YouTubers record what they want, when they want. Like the Vlog Brothers (the team that created VidCon), Jenna Marbles (whose subscription rate is off the charts), or XHIT Daily (who are churning out workouts daily). Take a closer look and you’ll notice a trend in good video quality.
YouTube fitness videos can be anywhere: Outdoors, in the gym, or in the case of my YouTube video demonstrating push-up form your living room floor. The issue of where to shoot really comes down to what do you need to see. In my case, a close up head shot just won’t cut it when I’m trying to demonstrate a push up.
A quick browsing of YouTube on any topic will clue you in that not everyone is concerned with quality video and sound. Just take a look at some comments on videos that you can barely see or can’t hear at all. Of course the goal of any video project is the get the message across.
Making it easy to enjoy with clear video and audio is something that sets top YouTube video apart, no matter what they are shooting.
What to look for in your YouTube video studio
Giving up space usually reserved for daily living is a start. Now you have a few other considerations to make capturing the best video you can a lot easier.
You don’t have to dedicate an entire room to this process, or get all fancy by separating the space too much from the rest of your world. You do have to choose wisely.
On location, in your house
In the corner of a room you can plan for head shots or half-length, similar to a newscaster. To create room for this type of shoot you need to create a “dead zone” for sound and “on-air zone” for what the camera can see.
This can be as simple as moving around a few pieces of furniture and deciding on a backdrop to give you the styling you are looking for. The environment will impact the outcome of the video quality. If you have color on the walls, that color will be reflected back on you and give you a weird skin tone. Stick with neutral colors surrounding the video space to avoid this problem.
Control the Light
This is the hardest for anyone who is new to photography or video to grasp. Every light source will impact your scene. Unless you are shooting exclusively with natural lighting, we have to block any external light. Video needs a lot of light to look good!
To eliminate external lighting, windows need curtains or masks to stop any light from entering. You can overlay existing blinds with dark fabric, or mask out the window with dark fabric and painters tape. Doors can leak light too, but mostly at the bottom and can be temporarily blocked by a towel.
Do you really need to be in a dark room to start lighting? Try shooting in the space with various light source blocking in place. Start with nothing and watch where there is glare, dark spots or bright spots. Getting light consistent throughout the scene is a baseline to capturing clear YouTube video. Start here and then you can start playing with lighting that adds drama to see what works best for you.
Sounds like…
Just like light, sound bounces off of everything around you. The more stuff in the room, the more chance of getting an echo effect. Big cushy things like couches, beds and carpet will help absorb the sound. There’s some science behind how items will impact the sound, but we can keep it simple and try a few sound tests.
Once you’ve cleared your space for the scene, try a test video with the sound equipment you are planning on using. Are you getting an echo? Can you hear any background noise? Choosing a time when you know outdoor sounds are at their lowest.
If you don’t have the floor space to rearrange or remove too much from the room, you can create a sound “dead zone”. Just the same way you controlled the lighting in the space, by covering or blocking the stuff that is causing the echo. If you have audio recording equipment that lets you level the sound, you can cut down on the noise pollution.
Starting work on my YouTube video studio.
To give you a back stage look at what I’m working with, here is the room that I’m planning on transforming.
The good news is that I have the room to play! Well, not room yet. This room has been a media room, workout room or both like it kind of is now. In past years I ran my business from this space and it was filled with desks and computers.
Since then this room has been the catch all. Overflow of my husbands photography business, a temporary holding space for stuff that goes “somewhere else” and the answer for “where can we put this that’s out of the way?”.
All that stuff you see in the photo has a home. That’s where the domino effect of this project comes in. In order to clear this stuff, the garage needs to be cleared out. To clear out the garage, we have to sell some big items. To sell big items, I need to post them on Craigslist. To post them on Craigslist, I need a few decent photos of them.
It’s the same stuff everyone who has a dream goal can relate to. Find the smallest block to your dream and work on that first. And then celebrate it . We have to celebrate the wins on own fitness dream path no matter how small they are.
Have you considered adding YouTube video to your dream goals?
Heather Montgomery
Go get your fit on
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Heather Montgomery is a fitness writer, triathlete, and serial entrepreneur who is devoted to sharing what she has learned about becoming a triathlete after age 40. She uses her Metabolic Training Certification to help other women struggling to get fit in mid-life. She lives and trains in Santa Rosa, California, the new home of the Ironman triathlon. You can find her biking the Sonoma County wine trails.
Note: Articles by Heather may contain affiliate links and will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
