As an instructor for master classes that we teach at Storyteller bistro, I take pride in my students trusting me. If you are one of my students, I truly thank you for reading this and taking into account all the lessons that I taught you. I know you probably have learned many things and started to test yourself utilizing all what I have instilled in you. My teachings do not end there. I want to make sure that after you took the classes, you find yourself on the right path. That is why, here I am guiding you with the jump start that you need to fully establish yourself and practice what you have acquired.
First stop, you took my classes and you wanted to start to introduce yourself to the world but you don’t know how to properly start. Equipment and Gadgets. These two are very important especially if you want to broadcast yourself to the world. Here are some of the things that I highly recommend.
Video Cameras
I guess you already had this coming, yes, this is on my top list. Yes you can use any resources that you have like your phone or web camera, but getting a lot of viewers is not an easy task. People prefer to see quality videos, so they can fully understand or see you from their screen, otherwise, they will stop the video and proceed to other ones. These are the cameras that I strongly believe can give you the quality that you need.
1. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II
It offers great image and Full HD quality and can shoot up to 60fps for almost an hour, trust me this is a great thing. It has a 20.2 megapixel sensor lense and DIGIC 7 image processor which then improves auto focus and superb image stabilization. This camera received a lot of love from all its reviews!
Now if you are on a budget, there is still some other option like GoPro Hero 5. This one has a price tag that is very reasonable. It has a 12.0 Megapixel camera and is capable of taking 4k video footages, as result, beautiful photo and video quality.
3. YI 4K
This camera is one best from economic standpoint. It may not appear as attractive as the others but it can be really handy and will deliver good video quality. It is a sports camera that has 12 megapixel lens which allows you to shoot at the speed of 30 fps, 120fps, and 240fps. The amazing thing about is that it can shoot for up to 2 hours which is considerably great for a camera of its kind. It also has a built-in Bluetooth and WiFi and it the video footage that you shoot can be easily edited with the use of its camera app.
Microphones
You may think that this is not something that you must put a lot of attention to because you know that your camera has a built up microphone. You are wrong. Video cameras do have built-up microphones but these microphones will not give you the best quality of audio. Just like video quality, people also want a great audio quality, what is the use of a great of video if your viewers cannot understand whatever you are saying or they cannot hear you properly because of the sound distraction of the cars honking on street near you? Check out these microphones that can save your day.
1. Lavalier Microphones
These are very small clip on microphones. They are very useful and convenient especially to those who use their hand always in gesturing whenever they are talking. These mics are omnidirectional but since they are clipped to your clothing close to your mouth, noise suppression can be easily done.
2. Shotgun Microphones
These are the microphones that can be attached to DSLRs. They can cancel sounds that come from other directions. They basically capture a very narrow sensitive area waves in their front end. These ones are the most preferred for recording from a long distance.
3. Blue Snowball
This one is on the cheap side and is very popular amongst vloggers. The good thing with this microphone is that you can switch between two modes: Omnidirectional and cardiod. It’s a great microphone to use for recording in your PC.
4. Blue Yeti
It gives out good sound quality for its price. It also has a wide variety of sound capturing pattern modes. There are a lot of choices: cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional and stereo. Cardiod will be the most you’ll probably choose. This one has some useful buttons that you will not find with Snowball, it has mute and volume control and it also has headphones output.
Lighting
This might not be so important to others but this one really says something about your personality in the camera. How so? Well, if the lighting is not okay whenever you do a webinar, it appeal as if your face is dark, stressed, or tired. Remember that people subscribe or watch those who they think has the most credibility and having a dark-like personality will not help you with that. Take a look of the best lighting equipment that I can recommend you.
1. Julius Studio NEW 160 LED 160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Light
This is a very portable light which can be easily attached to your camera or even when you are walking while shooting. It has a very powerful LED light panel that it can be the main light in a stationary setup.
2. Neewer Camera Dimmable Ring Fluorescent Flash Light
This is circular light that is most popular with beauty gurus since this illuminates your face quite well. If you are establishing yourself in the world, image is a crucial thing. You want people to see that you look fresh and bright.
3. Aputure Amaran AL-528S LED Video Light
This light can be used as your main light because it is LED and has a long lifespan. It is light and thin.
Tripods
1. Manfrotto Compact Action Tripod
This tripod is light and extremely compact. It is something that can be brought when you want to vlog outdoors. It can hold larger size of cameras and it has a joystick head with scroll-wheel locking mechanism which enables a panoramic 360 motion.
Joby GorillaPod is more like an octopus tripod. It can be moulded and bended so it can fit or be placed in any space without any hassles. It can be used in many situations.
3. Manfrotto Tripod Kit MHXPRO-2W Fluid Head
It can produce a great cinematic video quality since it has fluid head on top. This is essential in making smooth panning shots. It is also sturdy which is important if you want to use bigger cameras with big sized lenses.
This Tripod can be attached to many types of cameras; it can be attached to iphone, GoPro, Point and Shoot cameras, etc. It also has a ball head mount with quick release which allows you to maneuver the angle and composition whenever you are recording.
5. Manfrotto 504HD,546BK Video Tripod Kit
Manfrotto 504HD is mostly used by professional vloggers. It provides stability and fast set up. It also has the ball Bearing drag system which enables its ability to be panned out smoothly and give cinematic shots.
BONUS:
This is email marketing auto responder website/tool that I personally use for managing my subscribers and sending out blogs, promotions and newsletters regarding my business, products, etc. This is really helpful in informing people directly of what you offer and what you can do for them and proven to be really effective. It is called aweber. It makes things a whole lot easier for you to communicate and maintain profitable relationships with your prospect customers. You can sign up below for 30-day free trial!
These equipment, gadgets and website are the basic things that should help you on your start. I hope this info has given you ideas on how to start your own thing and use what you have learned from me. Prosper more and be the best person you can be, share it to everyone and earn from your excellence!