15 DIY Tips for Recording Your Course Content on a Budget

Deciding to start filming yourself for your course is an incredibly exciting decision. You’re about to start exploring a new medium and reaching new people, and we’re so excited for you. We want you to have the best experience possible, so here are a few tips for filming your course out without requiring expensive equipment.

The first tip sounds basic, but what we mean here is be sure you’re looking at the lens of the camera, not your own reflection if you’re using a front facing camera.

It’s easy to get caught up in checking how you look as you speak, but making direct eye contact and sitting with your shoulders facing the camera will make you look confident and direct as you speak to your audience.

You don’t need fancy lights to have an attractive filming setup. In fact, sunlight is one of the best light sources around. We suggest filming in the morning or evening rather than at midday, because the light is ambient and soft, creating less shadow.

However, if you’re filming on a cloudy day, go for midday light to make the most of it. Cloudy light is already diffused.

You’d be surprised at how noisy our homes are. Those background drone noises can really pick up on camera, so be sure you’ve turned off your air conditioning or fans as you’re filming.

We also suggest to try moving away from nearby fridges, if possible, as well. To test your setup, film a ten second audio of just the ambient noise in your home and see what your microphone picks up.

You don’t need to have a fancy set to film, but remember that your students should be focusing on what you’re saying, not what’s in your house.

Choose a simple background with minimal clutter. It should go without saying that you should pick up any mess laying around.

One of the best things about smartphones these days is that most of them have incredible cameras built in. Many course creators use their smartphones to film, and it works great.

However, if your phone is older and the camera quality is low, you may want to borrow someone else’s phone or get a camcorder. You should look for a camera that uploads at least 720p.

It’s tempting to use your front camera to keep an eye on how you look, but we strongly recommend using your back camera to film. It’s a better quality camera and will keep you from giving into the temptation to look at your reflection instead of the camera.

In daily life, we’re used to using our phones vertically. But for filming purposes you need to use the landscape mode. Set it your phone on its side (you’ll need to prop it up on something) and be sure your video footage is wider than it is tall, or it won’t work on the platform.

You don’t want to make your viewers feel seasick, so be sure your footage is level before you film your content. Many smartphones have a grid overlay feature that can help you check your phone’s level and avoid slanted footage. You can also use an actual level tool to make sure.

If you mess up, some editing programs have cropping tools that can correct your footage, so don’t panic!

Even before you’ve delivered any information, your body language tells a story. Stand or sit straight, square your shoulders, and relax your jaw. It might help to do a few stretches and warm ups before you start recording, because your goal is to appear open and receptive, not closed off. So uncross those arms, sit with both feet on the floor, and take a few deep breaths.

For all that movies glamorize erratic, genius professors, most of us would prefer to learn from someone with a good attitude and a pleasant demeanour. If you’re nervous, you may end up forgetting to smile!

Start with a friendly greeting and a smile; it goes a long way to helping you and your audience feel relaxed and excited to learn.

It’s easy to get hung up on having the highest quality, 4k ultra HD camera, but in all honesty we think that good audio ends up counting for more than blisteringly high production values. All videos cap out at 1080p on our platform, so even if you film using a 4k camera, it won’t matter.

Consider investing in an inexpensive lav mic to give clear, crisp audio that will help your users follow along as they learn from home. It goes a lot further than an upgraded camera.

Sometimes the most nerve-wracking part of filming is just starting. If you’re feeling anxious, try doing a practice run! You can even set up your camera without turning it on, but run through your content.

You may find you’d benefit from writing a script ahead of time, or maybe you need to have some notes propped next to the camera. Practice will help you decide what works for you.

When filming by yourself, it can sometimes feel like you’re talking to yourself. That can be a bit uncomfortable, so if you find yourself getting hung up on the sound of your voice echoing around, imagine your camera has a friend at the other end of the line.

Pick your nicest, most encouraging friend and picture them smiling attentively. Sounds corny, but this tip actually works.

We know you didn’t decide to film a course because you wanted to do it halfway, but our final tip is to relax and give yourself permission to not get it perfect on the first attempt.

Video content is truly an art form, and it may not come out exactly how you wanted. Just remember that video is a skill that takes practice, so don’t get hung up on perfection.

No upfront costs. No commitments. Get started for free.

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