These past few years Facebook has begun focusing more on videos as the future of their platform, inticing their users to share and create new content with both audio and video being the primary aspect. And so forth, it has been a success. Thousands of people are sharing their lives and dreams with their friends, family and followers by live streaming or recording their daily life and editing it together.
Facebook Live as it is called has very few requirements for users to get started, so if you have found this article looking for information on how to become a super user with this new technology, you’re in the right place. The good news is that you don’t really need all that much equipment to start your Facebook Live adventure, as most people these days already have a smartphone capable of recording high quality videos. Still, with a few extra additions to your gear set, and some modifications to your living quarters, you can up your production value tremendously, and still do so for a low cost.
The most important thing, apart from a good video camera, is an external microphone, as you will often want to record from far away, and the built-in microphone is not always ideal in picking up the audio from across the room without sounding hollow or wrong. An external microphone is therefore one of the few so called must have items on our list, and it is also one of the easiest and cheapest ways to add production value to your content as a good sounding microphone will keep your audience entertained and interested.
We won’t go into much detail concerning the microphones, so if you would like more information on this subject, there’s a few resources such as the Wikipedia page on microphones, and if you are an Apple user, then check out this list of iOS microphones. And as always, we encourage you do to your research before purchasing any products, as it’s always easier to change your opinion rather than your past purchases.
Once you’ve gotten a good quality camera, and a good microphone, you can start recording and see the results immediately. Sometimes you will want extra lenses for your camera, such as a fish-eye lens or a macro zoom lens, but most of the time for normal streaming you can do without this.
Another important part of any quality video production, has to do with how stable the camera is when recording. If you are assigning your friend or family members to holding the camera while they are recording you, no doubt you will see a lot of movement in the finished results. This is why we advise you to consider a camera stand, such as a tripod or something similar, to keep the camera steady when filming, so your viewers won’t get dizzy watching you. A quick tip is to use a stack of books or some other household objects to fix the camera in place, but this solution is often unreliable and not suited for outdoor use or any on-the-go shooting.
We hope this guide helped you consider which aspects of video production you are lacking in, and which you already have covered. And as always, leave a comment below if you would like to know more!