How to set up a video station

Written By Shawna Ohm

By now, the secret is out: Video marketing works. But that raises a slew of followup questions from clients. The most common is: How do we get started? But this also opens a door to the biggest trap of video marketing. So… I want to share how to get started, and I want to do it in a way that will help you avoid the biggest potential mistake that will stop your video marketing efforts before they begin.

NOTE: I’m including Amazon links in this article. I don’t get any commission on these things. (Frankly, I’m too lazy to set that up and I like to reserve the right to change my mind if I find a better product. These are just things I like and use or have been recommended to me by partners I trust.)

The big trap

When it comes to video, perfection is your enemy. I can almost guarantee that you will hate the first videos you create. Even if you like them initially, you will eventually look back and hate them. This applies universally—it doesn’t matter if you’re amazing at video, using a perfectly-lit studio, or recording in your basement. Video is one of those mediums where we all get better over time, and you will hate your early work no matter what.

However, this phenomenon is even more pronounced if you (or your company) are new to video. Usually, it manifests in one of two ways:

  • You want the best equipment and the highest caliber production to cover for any insecurities you might have.

  • You wing it with an iPhone and don’t care about quality because you just want to get started and get it out of the way.

In reality, you should walk a line between the two. Don’t aim for perfection, aim for good. Create a strong baseline, then work towards perfection from there.

Once you’ve been doing video for awhile, you’ll get a sense of your style. You’ll learn what works for you. From there, you can figure out what equipment (or people) to invest in to make your video better. If you’re an, “I’m only going to record these if I do them on the go” kind of person, filming on your iPhone with a cheap mic and ring light might be all you need… but you may decide to work with a professional editor who can polish up what you create.

If you do better when you read from a script, you might end up investing in a teleprompter-style setup. Your style should dictate where you spend your money and resources, but you won’t know those things until you get started.

Get started: Buy equipment, but don’t go crazy

One of the easiest ways to get started at doing video is to create a video station. This might be creating a designated spot in your office, or it might be building a mobile setup that you can build on the go, at a conference or similar. If you’re hoping to record client testimonials, or want more “action” style videos, you might set up a video station at events. In any case, your two priorities are

  1. Microphone

  2. Ring light

Microphone is your top priority. It’s hard to listen to video with bad sound. We’ve gotten used to lower quality video because of social media, but our ears still have a hard time draining out extraneous noise. Plus, you can sometimes get away with “as-is” lighting in a pinch. (You can work with natural light, or get startegic about where you set up your shot.) A ring light makes your life much easier, though, so that’s your second purchase. That’s it.

Nearly every smartphone (and this includes older models) shoots in HD. Some of the newer models have 4K capabilities that rival a DSLR camera for basic video. So don’t reinvent the wheel on that front.

Lights to consider:

Which microphone

Some of this depends on your use case and there are pros and cons for each type of mic. Let’s go through them all quickly:

Stick mic

This is a red carpet style mic, and it works best for that type of event. You can create a branded mic flag with your company’s logo… but it also opens the door for user error and can mac editing harder.

Stick microphones to consider:

Cons:

  • User error: People know to hold the mic and talk into it, but they’re not great at remembering how far to hold it from their mouth for the best (and consistent) quality. This can create uneven audio, which can create more work in post production.

  • Same applies to a two way conversation. Both people are on the same mic, making it harder to banter—one person has the mic at the time, it isn’t always the right person, and the sound levels may vary based on speaker and distance between microphone and mouth.

  • These are usually corded; can create issues with tripping or range. You will almost certainly need an adaptor to plug this into your phone or camera.

Pros:

  • Branded flags—add your logo and stamp to the proceedings and create a professional feeling.

  • Usually unidirectional (not always)—these tend to be good at picking up the speaker and ignoring the background noise when you’re in a loud space like a conference hall, a red carpet, a bar, a sporting event, etc.

  • Easy to handle—just hand the subject the mic; most people intuitively know to hold it and talk into it, minimal explanation required. Here’s an example.

  • Easy two-way conversation. If you’re going to interview someone, you can easily hold it up for yourself and then hold it up for the other person. It’s straight forward without weird handholding or clipping to outfits involved.

Lavalier mic

These come in two options: bluetooth and corded. Lavalier (lav for short) are meant to clip onto your clothing, like a TV anchor, so you can be hands free and mobile. However, you may see social media influencers holding them like a prop. Sometimes this is necessary, as lav mics are omnidirectional and therefore not as good at tuning out background noise as a stick mic; you may need to position them closer to your mouth. Most of the time, however, this is a stylistic choice.

With the bluetooth versions, most kits come with multiple mics, which makes two-way conversation easier. (Here’s an example—just note, both mics will record to the same channel.) You can also pass a lav back and forth for a more casual feel, as in this example. Corded lavs are smaller and sleeker; this is the closest you’ll get to a true TV-broadcast-quality microphone and look.

Lavalier microphones to consider:

  • Gold standard, corded. About $60 but excellent quality and available with multiple adaptor/plug-ins depending on your camera or phone.

  • Cordless/bluetooth. Best starter option. Highly-rated and comes with two mics so you have that option, even if you only use one. Various plug in options plus the dead cat option (see callout at the end of article) should you want to use that.

Cons:

  • Quality varies significantly based on type (corded vs. cordless) and brand.

  • Cordless versions may have a subliminal association to “amateur” or “social” video if not used well.

  • May take some trial and error to figure out the best setup.

Pros:

  • Corded version is most professional looking from a “broadcast TV” perspective.

  • Cordless version is a great way to handle two-person interviews.

  • Hands-free option can help you appear more natural on camera.

  • Can appear either sleek OR casual depending on how they’re used.

Radio or podcast mic

I would only use these for a desk setup. They’re designed for a podcast or radio interview. Culturally, we’re used to seeing video of podcast and radio conversations. As such, we’ve gotten used to the large mic with the windscreen. But this can still feel distracting for anyone trying to record a true video conversation. Still, these mics usually produce the best quality audio. They’re omnidirectional, like a stick mic, so do a good job of filtering out background noise. When you’re at a desk (versus in a conference hall) background noise might be an air conditioner or outside traffic—but screening out these subtle sounds is what creates that crisp, professional quality audio.

Cons:

  • Hard to hide; they can be distracting.

Pros:

  • Best quality audio, almost universally, even at lower price points.

Podcast mics to consider:

  • Best starter option, from a podcaster and video editor (lowest price point he recommends for good quality).

  • The gold standard, still reasonable Blue Yeti. I’m linking it in black instead of blue for aesthetic reasons; small (maybe $10) price difference.

Trivia: The windscreen on a mic is to prevent you from popping your Ps. When you say a word with a P, you (by necessity) expel a burst of air. That’s what makes the sound. A microphone pics up the impact of the air as well as the sound of the P, which creates a distraction. A windscreen helps block that burst of air, and thus offers a cleaner sound. Similarly, a wind muff (sometimes called a dead cat) on a boom or lav mic operates in a similar manner, but it’s to screen out any unnecessary wind or background noise, not just the letter P.

If you’re ready to upgrade your camera…

I recommend starting with iPhone or similar smartphone, as they’re high quality. While Samsung has long rivaled Apple in terms of quality phone cameras, that universally high quality doesn’t translate to computers. Apple is lightyears ahead of its competitors when it comes to laptop or desktop camera quality. If you want to record video on a PC, you may want to upgrade your camera. Here are the two best cameras recommended by my video editor.

If you’re going this route, I also suggest recording using a high quality recording platform, or studio. These function similar to Zoom (or QuickTime if you’re recording solo). Riverside is my go-to favorite. The video quality is better—you can also select how high you want the resolution to be—and you can monitor your audio levels in real time. This means you can optimize for any new mic you’ve purchased by adjusting the levels or your computer’s inputs proactively, and without any additional expertise or training.

Riverside also records isolated channels, meaning if you are talking to someone, or presenting a document, you each have your own feed. This is very important if you want to do any kind of post production editing; you can choose which audio or video screen to show.

Riverside also offers transcription services (though the process is kind of a pain if you don’t pay extra), and can auto-cut clips and edits for you. I don’t love this feature for advisors since Riverside doesn’t have subject matter expertise, the transcriptions tend to have typos as a result, and you’re still going to have to go in to make compliance-related edits (like adding a disclosure) that quickly cancel out the convenience. But again, when you’re just starting out, perfection is the enemy of doing. If automation helps you get moving, do it!

Alternately, I have colleagues who like Zencastr for podcasts, Opus for social cuts, and so on… but as they expand the type of videos they record, most of them end up switching to Riverside at some point.

Before we wrap…

One thing to remember? It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole with this kind of equipment. Audio, in particular, comes with so many bells and whistles. For instance, if you get into professional sound quality, you’ll quickly move from a direct plug-in mic to an audio switchboard. That is the quickest way to feel overwhelmed when you’re just starting out. Which is why I suggest starting basic. The quality you will get from using any mic and light over just shooting with a phone or basic camera is leaps and bounds. Start there. Then, upgrade in the areas where you feel called to upgrade. Trust me, these will stand out to you as you go.

Questions? Post a comment below, email the team, or set up a consultation to discuss.

Shawna Ohm
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