Sometimes, if you’re working with a professional video production company, you’ll find that the cameras used cost thousands of dollars, and various sound and lighting equipment that can reach that same cost for high-quality production value.

But especially if you’re starting out or trying to pitch in-house videos for your organization, there are a ton of constraints. You might be in a startup, or in a less glamourous department than marketing. So, to bring your video ideas to life you need it to be easy enough to do yourself, fairly quick to do, and most of all on a practically nonexistent budget.

But we want to share our insider secret. It’s one you won’t hear from many production companies. And that is if you have one of these – a simple smartphone – you can produce a quality video for your organization. Pretty much all newer smartphones will shoot in Full HD, and some of the latest consumer models, like the iPhone 11 Pro and the Google Pixel 4, can even shoot in 4K.

Perhaps more importantly, the specific tools and peripherals to enhance smartphone shooting have become more advanced and more accessible budget-wise in this last year alone– so there is no better time than now to create budget-friendly videos.

So let’s take a look at what you’d need. First are smartphone tripods and stabilizers. Shooting video while just holding your phone will likely lead to a shaky video. A tripod will ensure you get clean static shots, and if needed, a stabilizer will allow you to capture beautiful moving shots.

Next, is lighting. This will likely be the most impacted by your budget constraints, as more lighting will always be better and give you more control, but it is possible to shoot quality footage in “natural light” only – if you know how to work with it. But, if you are looking to invest longer-term in more video content, than it is absolutely worth it to look into lighting rigs and equipment like O-rings.

Those are the fastest ways to enhance your videography. The next thing we’re going to talk about, actually maybe what we’d say is the single most important thing to make your videos feel professional and not homemade. And I say “feel” and not “look” because I’m talking about your audio.

Your video can look phenomenal, but if the sound is inconsistent, “tinny,” static-y, or just quiet, that ruins the whole video. Conversely, very high quality audio can and will save lower quality footage, or simple visuals.

What you need to know about sound is that while your phone, or video camera, has a basic internal microphone, it works just like a human ear. It hears louder sounds when it’s closer to the speaker, and softer sounds when it’s further away. If you’re moving around and shooting with the built-in microphone you’re going to realize later that the sound is completely inconsistent, which distracts from the core content and makes editing very difficult. It’s also going to hear more of you, the shooter, than it is of them.

And that’s why we believe that before you invest in an expensive camera, get a decent mic for sound. It’s a cheaper, faster way to upgrade your video content.

Now that’s just shooting your video. Editing it is a whole different step, with just as many factors to consider.

First is cost. On a lower budget, and if you’re not looking to create more than a couple videos a month, it doesn’t make sense to pay for a subscription with the “industry-leading” editing programs. However, you also want to be cautious of “free” editing platforms” that carry certain cons like watermarking your exports, or limiting the number of exports or uploads that you can make at a time.

If you’re already shooting on your smartphone there are actually apps out there that are specifically made for you to edit videos within your phone. There are certain limitations, but in our course we teach you how to use our favorite in-phone app for editing, which also lets you transfer your project on a standard computer so that you can get the best of both worlds.

And that’s the list of accessories and peripherals that you’ll want to consider investing in, to start making really high-quality videos for your organization, on a shoestring budget. Again, all this is just by enhancing your smartphone shooting, instead of just investing in a really high-end camera.

Now we’re not saying that you’ll never need to collaborate with a professional video production company again. There will always be a need for high quality creative content. However, when it comes to quick internal updates or putting out short educational content on social media, having the basic skills to produce your own videos in-house can be extremely valuable. We want to help companies feel confident to shoot and edit good quality video content on their own when needed.

Ready to take a hand at making your own video content? Check out our extensive online course to become your own DIY video making expert. Prefer to let a professional team handle your video content? Contact us here to get started with Arc and Crown Media!

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