Sneak Peek: Frugal Studio

Ever since I've been doing the YouTube video thing, I've been relegated to late night shoots. Since I've always had to use my living room/kitchen as studio space. This involves not only waiting for my kids to go to bed, but also constant setups and strikes (tearing down the equipment). It's a discouraging cycle that has often left me drained and unmotivated.

My wife recently suggested we pare down one room, giving me about a third of it for studio space. While this seems like not enough room to do anything, it gives me a medium shot for standups (me talking to the camera) and "counter top" space where I show closeups for builds and reviews. It's also has many preset features such as built in lighting and fixed counter top cam (with easy to access SD card). For my A camera, it will move in and out of the room, but I've marked the floor with gaffer's tape, so I can easily restore my tripod and talent position.

While the left side of the background looks pretty industrial (storage crates and clamp lights), it's a work in progress and may change as I add things. The right side is a green chromakey, stretched tight and lit by the ceiling fan light that also lights me. I hope to include some kind of effect that changes with every video, fitting the content and breaking up the room.

What this all means is now I can shoot when the kids are awake and setup time is minimal. This should save me a lot of time and let me shoot when I'm a lot more coherent and awake. I also hope this helps me resolve my constant issue of posting videos late, something that really bothers me.

If you are making videos with any regularity, have somewhere to easily shoot is vital. It can save lots of time and energy, and hopefully increase the quality of your product. All you need is just a little to do a lot.

OTHER THINGS OF NOTE IN THIS VIDEO

Aftermarket remote for Sony NEX 5n (and others)
Frugal Clamp 1.5
250 watt work light
300 LED strip lights