 This video is here to provide tips and tricks on how to record the best video and audio using your smartphone or laptop From home DIY style. I'll provide supplemental links in the description And of course if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Alright, so first things first You're gonna need to be inventive. Get innovative. No smartphone tripod No worries let the internet guide you search for smartphone tripod hacks or smartphone stabilization Or just go watch this amazing video by Seth's bike hacks Next up is lighting go to the good light if we can't see it We won't care avoid direct overhead. We look hollow. It cast shadows watch out for harsh backlights or silhouettes There we go soft diffused lights what we're going for try out this technique bloggers use walk around your house Assessing the light and background here. We've got decent light, but I'm not so attractive background and a dog for distraction Again decent light, but the background is a bit. Oh are too bright keep going Okay, we're getting somewhere the lights nice. I think I can work with this we can work with this Here's a shot of where I found the good light. I'm lit from the front and the right I'm back far enough that the lights diffused and soft otherwise I'd use a white sheet or maybe my blinds to control the quality essentially whatever space you're committed to Find the good light Another essential tip is to give your scene some depth. Don't go smushing yourself up against a wall Ah much better. We can work with this Another thing super important is your angles our devices, especially laptops are designed to Unfortunately produce a terrible perspective in its natural state Explore and find what suits you eye level and slightly above are great options. These angles are more slimming and less So grab a stool or a stack of books do whatever you've got to do to find that sweet spot If you live in a windowless house, or you cannot find a spot with decent light Add some when I'm confined to my home studio I use a secondary monitor as my primary light source and I just set the desktop background to white But you could add a book light or a clamp light. I didn't have a decent lamp So here this lady's got a good one Sandwich whatever device you're using to record yourself between you and the light Remember you're going for nice soft even lighting. You may have to move your light source closer or further away Next up is composition and background Take your time Find what you like consider the story you want to tell or the vibe you want to put out there tidy up your background and omit anything that's not adding but possibly Distracting from your message. I'm not saying you need to rearrange But just be mindful Now that you're feeling good about your scene consider how your story is best told If you look off camera, be sure to give yourself some looking room If you're going to address the camera directly be sure not to let your eyes wander Maintain that eye contact and here's a couple of more examples of why it's important to take the time to craft your scene Antlers should be intentional not accidental and one real quick thing I really must address is please remember that you're on camera Try to be aware if you're fidgeting or You're welcome Audio much like video if we can't hear it. We're not gonna care Grab a box put some extra pieces of foam Maybe a towel and how about a tablecloth and boom? You've got a vocal box. Okay. This is me coming to you from outside the vocal box And now here we are speaking inside the vocal box I've turned my phone upside down so that the microphone is facing up and slightly towards the back of the box See me. Now some of you may have a stronger version to being on camera But that's okay. You still have a story to tell think B-roll all the same rules apply Go to the good light consider composition and take your time move slow. Don't forget to stabilize Show us your loud and demanding co-workers and all their distracting ways Whatever the view is like from where you are we'd love to hear from you Okay, so we're at the end I'm coming to you in a terribly cluttered space on top of three books using my secondary monitor as my primary light source I do have an overhead light on and it's a completely different color temperature as my monitor and the light coming in from this window to my left I've got no headroom. I'm dead center Right in the middle of that composition. This is a studio. This is a workspace and it's part of my story What's I trying to say I think I said it I think I said it Know the rules, but it's okay to break them. I'm not even using a microphone or a vocal box If you're looking for ways to be more creative and want to get into video editing Why not try out recording some of your own professional sort of Narration or voiceover using one of the homemade vocal boxes and then splice that in to some of your B-roll or Put all three together this journal entry kind of gritty kind of style mixed with your supremely recorded voiceover At with some pictures spliced in Yeah, don't put all that pressure on yourself. Have fun In the end it's about the story you want to tell and how you want to tell it Oh