How to create a video studio in your office

Today digital marketing is all about videos. Effective and compelling clips generate more sales than articles, ebooks, infographics and any other type of content.

If this article included a video, you would most likely click on a video first and then decide whether you want to read the accompanying text. If you could choose between an article and a video, you would prefer a video. 

Another thing is corporate education. It is much easier to motivate employees to watch a video, than to read a manual.

Visualisation is key. You understand that and want to build a studio, but where do you start? This article will help you to plan and build a complete studio in your office.

Location

Building a studio requires understanding key elements of a successful video production. And the first key element is where you're gonna shoot.

You need an isolated space, which will accommodate all the necessary equipment. You can measure everything and manually calculate which equipment will fit into the allocated space. Or you can choose a ready-made studio and find the space that fits its requirements.

You need good sound, but what if the space has paper thin walls? You can opt for a sound proof layering and install special panels. Or you can choose a solution that guarantees quality sound. For instance, a studio software that allows you to reduce background noise and enhance speaker's voice.

You need good lighting, but what if the space has no windows? You can pick and choose professional lighting equipment and that requires expertise. Or you can opt for a complete studio solution that includes lighting equipment.

Video production equipment

So, you've found your ideal space. Now you need equipment to shoot videos. How do you choose it?

If you want to build the studio from the ground up, you need every piece of machinery to be compatible with everything else.

So, first you have to find cameras, recording equipment, teleprompter, projector, screens, touchboards, etc. Then check their compatibility with each other.

You also need computers and tablets to control the shooting process. And all tools must be compatible with them.

Don't forget about the software! Each and every piece of equipment must be compatible with your chosen software. And the video format recorded by your camera must be compatible with your editing software.

It is incredibly frustrating when you shoot a full video, but cannot edit it in your chosen programme. And all the software comes with its licensing fees. So choose everything carefully and check compatibility thrice before you buy.

Alternatively, you can order a premade studio which will have all the hardware and software compatible with each other.

Lighting

We've already talked a little bit about lighting in the Location section. It is crucial for creating compelling high-quality videos. You need several light sources positioned in all the right places. That way your videos won't be too dark or too light. You need to correctly light up the speakers, so they look healthy and pleasing to the audience. And with the right lighting you can make them irresistible :)

That being said it's hard to choose lighting and even harder to position it correctly. You need to be familiar with different types of lighting: ambient/general, task and accent.

The first provides an overall illumination, like a chandelier, a ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures. The second is for performing specific tasks and can be compared to tape or track lighting and portable lamps.

Accent lighting adds drama and creates visual interest by directing at least thrice more light on the focal point than the area around it. Like lighting in a museum, which concentrates on the artworks you came to see.

Depending on your goals for shooting videos, you may need only one type of lighting or all three. But there are other aspects you have to account for.

Different types of lamps produce different types of light. There are incandescent, fluorescent, halogen and other lamps. And there is cold light and warm light. One is good for illuminating objects, another – for illuminating people. So you see how choosing lighting can become a headache.

However, you can find a complete video production solution, which includes lighting sources. And the solution provider will install those sources in just the right places :)

Backdrops

You've probably noticed that video communication platforms now include background options. Your colleagues, friends and customers can opt to show or hide their surroundings. And they have a gallery of templates to choose from.

This is important for shooting videos. You need different backdrops for different types of videos. Educational videos shot against a white background are more engaging and easier to grasp. But if you shoot a corporate video to celebrate your company's jubilee or to congratulate your customers with an upcoming New Year, white backdrop won't do.

You need to decide how many backdrops you're gonna use. A good combo is a white and a black backdrop as they cover many different formats of videos:

• Educational
• Explanatory
• Training
• Marketing
• Advertising
• Entertainment

You may choose to add a chroma key backdrop to digitally change your surroundings. This is extremely useful for corporate education, entertainment, marketing and advertising videos.

With chroma key you can change your background many times during a single video. For example, you can show your products, then teleport to your office and then demonstrate key infographics against a simple white background.

Whether you chose one backdrop or several, it is important to check the compatibility of fabric and colour with the colour rendering of your software. It may sound strange, but different graphics cards display colours differently. And matt or glossy fabric also changes the perception of colour. Make sure that your audience sees the same picture you see in the studio during the shoot.

You can also choose a video production solution, which already includes several backdrops. So compatibility and colour rendering will be checked for you.

Screens

Imagine that you just shot a video as a speaker and from your perspective everything went great. But when you watch the clip you see that behind you, to the left and to the right of you there were problems. For example, the equipment was partly visible. Or the content you were showing didn't display correctly. Or there was something wrong with your wardrobe :) Have you ever been in this situation in real life?

If you have, then you know how frustrating it is to shoot everything from the beginning. And how nervous you become when you think about all these little details you cannot control. Because you don't see them.

This is where screens come in. You add a speaker's screen, so the person in front of the camera can see what the audience will see when they watch the video. This way you can fix the problems and either re-shoot or continue shooting and edit the clip later. Speaker's screen is paramount during live-streaming events, because you cannot correct mistakes after the shoot. They will be there, on the big screen, for everyone to see. And imagine the embarrassment of hearing about the issues from your audience during a live-stream.

As any other piece of equipment, screens must be compatible with other hardware and software. You need to check their measurements and make sure they fit into your space. And you have to check that the speaker will see everything on the screen:

• Is it big enough?
• Is the quality high enough?
• Is it syncronised with the camera and recording software?

If you think it's too much, there are ready-made studios which include speaker screens already compatible and syncronised with other hardware and software. And the provider will install them for you.

Touchboard

When you create any type of video, you need content. A talking head is a thing of the past. But how do you integrate the content into your video? Do you add it later? Or do you utilise tools that allow real-time demonstration? If so, which tools do you choose?

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic many scholars went online and employed glassboards to create content in real-time. But glassboards had their disadvantages and educators had to:

• Literally turn their backs on their audiences OR
• Write in reverse, so the students could read their notes
• Clean the board every time they ran out of space or switched to the new topic
• Deal with markers that dry out or erasers that smudge the board
• Continuously buy markers and erasers
• Accept being limited to drawing and writing with their hands
• Make do without 3D objects, infographics, animation and interactive elements

Sensor touchboards have none of the aforementioned disadvantages, but do have a lot of perks. With them and the right software you can:

• Write or draw on the screen directly with your fingers or invisible markers
• Face your audience when you write or draw AND
• Write or draw in the ordinary manner as the image would be mirrored for your audience
• Save your scribbles or doodles directly into your presentation
• Switch between slides with notes or drawings you already created and the new slides on which you can write or draw some more
• Turn your creations into interactive objects: drag them across the screen, scale them and draw/write directly on them
• Pick and choose pencils or markers in several colours. And they will never dry out
• Erase scribbles or doodles with a special eraser or by pressing one button
• Reveal or hide your creations by pressing on the screen
• Add 3D objects, infographics, animation and interactive elements to your presentation

Whether you need an ordinary glassboard or an extraordinary touchboard :) depends on:

1. the scope you wish to cover with your videos
2. the quality you strive for
3. the competition you're up against

If you opt for a sensor touchboard, first check... you've guessed it, the compatibility with other hardware and software. If you choose the glassboard, check the dimensions and the functionality. Make sure it fits into your space and peacefully co-exists with other pieces of equipment.

And you can always install a ready-made solution, which includes a sensor touchboard already compatible with all the other imagery and machinery.

Software

You've chosen your space and bought equipment: cameras, lighting, backdrops, screens, glassboard/touchboard, etc. You've checked the compatibility thrice and it fits! :) Now you need to bring your studio to life by connecting everything and integrating it into your chosen software.

But how do you pick the correct software for your studio? There are several mandatory and a couple of optional requirements.

Mandatory requirements:

• Software is compatible with every other piece of equipment – can't stress this enough!
• Software has all the functions you need to achieve your goals. For instance, streaming, recording and editing videos + creating and integrating presentations into videos
• Software produces video format that is compatible with streaming platforms and integratable with websites, – so you can post your video on sites, blogs and social media

Optional requirements:

• Software is continuously updated and doesn't become redundant for as long as possible
• Software allows you to integrate third party programmes into your videos/presentations – demonstrate websites, show screen casts and connect online communication platforms

Choose your software carefully, because this component directly affects the success of the whole operation. You can replace any other piece of equipment, but the software is the core or the heart of your video studio.

If you want to minimise risks, consider hiring video solution providers as consultants, who will guide you through choosing the correct programme. Alternatively, check ready-made studios which come with installed and configured software.

Conclusion

Building your own studio is no small feat. In this article we've given you a step-by-step guide and several recommendations. If you've decided to opt for a complete studio solution check out Jalinga.

Jalinga allows you to shoot compelling educational, explanatory, training, marketing and advertising videos 2-4 cheaper and 20-40% faster than you would with traditional video production solution.

Learn how Jalinga can benefit you

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