Video is one of the most powerful forms of communication, so it's really important to make sure video content is part of your regular marketing mix.
The Tech Update videos (delivered monthly, designed to be publish weekly) are an engaging way to keep your audiences educated about technology news that's relevant to the average business owner. They're typically produced fully finished and ready to go (complete with presenter), but we suggest YOU appear in the videos instead if at all possible.
Hopefully you'll find the below filming guide useful, but if you want to find out how to put it altogether into a finished video, then check out this editing guide. If however you don't want to do the editing yourself, we will be launching a Done For You service in the near future (we edit your footage). Just send an expression of interest to [email protected]
Who needs green screen!?
Watch an example finished video in our editing guide.
Unlike vertical 'Short' videos you see on Facebook Reels or YouTube Shorts (often designed to look quick and cheaply produced), the Tech Update videos are designed to look and sound more polished. This is a great opportunity to impress your audiences with professionally packaged content.
Although our default Tech Update presenters work in studios (with professional lights, cameras and green screens), if you want to re-record them, you don't need all that special kit. Technology has advanced so much that you can now use fairly inexpensive equipment to create great looking professional videos. We recommend that the best video solution for MSPs would also double up for regular videos calls.
The Technique and the Tech
Take a look first at the best techniques for capturing great footage, then check out the technology you could use to achieve it.
Technique - looking great on camera 🤩
Technique - looking great on camera 🤩
With your camera in landscape horizontal orientation, have at least some space above your head. This will avoid the 'flat top' look when the background is removed (find out how we suggest doing it in this editing guide).
Look as close to the camera lens as possible, for maximum eye contact. Setup your camera so that it's straight in your eyeline, or just slightly below (looking down about 2 to 3 degrees into the camera lens can help convey a sense of authority).
Always remember to smile - this makes a massive difference in looking approachable. This will feel artificial at first (you'll be concentrating on the script), but will soon become second nature the more you do it.
The lighting on your face should come from in front of you; never from behind (like sat in front of a window) or from the side. Good natural light is easiest and best to use, but just be conscious of bright unfiltered sunshine - this risks squinting, over lit patches and dark shadows across your face or body etc. If you're using natural light then consider a thin pale window blind to diffuse the light. Another great solution / addition is a regular office led ceiling strip light, to evenly fill the space with light. Investing in special filming lights for most MSPs is just overkill.
Makes sure the vertical edges of your arms are only cut off along the bottom horizontal edge of your shot. If you're too close to the camera (or you have the camera in portrait orientation) then you risk your arms being cut off on the edge of the shot - this will look strange when your background is removed.
Technology - The BEST solution (Prompter & webcam) ⭐⭐⭐
Technology - The BEST solution (Prompter & webcam) ⭐⭐⭐
LINKS
From extensive testing, probably the easiest and fastest way to record great video (so you enjoy the process) is to use Prompter from Elgato.
This item is both the teleprompter / autocue hardware and additional PC screen all in one. Yes there are cheaper separate teleprompters and screens, but Prompter combines both into one simple, sturdy plug and play USB unit.
The extra value is in the proprietary software that takes the script and puts it straight onto the screen - it can even detect your voice, automatically scrolling as you talk.
Plus in terms of other uses, as it can also act as PC screen extension, meaning you can drag any other content onto it. For example, drag Teams onto it to enjoy very natural video calls with great eye contact.
To be clear, Prompter doesn't include a camera, but you can put any camera with it. Yes you could use your phone (but that'll be fiddly every time), or you could use a DSLR camera (but these days there are cheaper alternatives).
From extensive testing of modern high-end webcams, we recommend the small but powerful Obsbot Meet 2.
This is an excellent 4k USB streaming camera / webcam. It even beats several better know cameras (including ones from Logitech, Insta360 and Elgato's own Facecam 4K) in terms of quality and colour. It's incredibly small, has a standard 1/4" screw mounting thread, optional magnetic mounting clip and a magnetic lens cover.
This is how you'd get everything setup on a Windows PC system.
Plug in Prompter to your PC or laptop via USB, install the Camera Hub software
Follow their first time use guide if troubleshooting needed
Mount the camera into Prompter (all fittings included) and plugin via USB
Download the Obsbot Center software so you can make adjustment to the camera settings
Add a new script in Camera Hub by clicking the + under Content
Paste the raw script text via Notepad to make sure all line breaks and formatting are removed (otherwise chapters are automatically created)
In Camera Hub's settings you can pick how the text will scroll (to use automatic voice sync, you need an NVIDIA RTX 2060 graphics card or better). If you want, instead you can put use your mouse / trackpad on the Prompter screen to scroll the text manually
Open Windows Sound Settings to make sure the right microphone is selected. The one built into the webcam is pretty good, but it'll be muffled because it's behind the Prompter. Instead we suggest reading our guide on capturing better sound
Use our guide on the best techniques for setting up your shot
You can either record within Obsbot's software, or instead open Window's Camera app and use the Change Camera button in the top corner to make sure the right camera is being used
Rehearse the script a few times. We suggest watching the 'ready to use' version of the Tech Update for guidance on using the script, plus check the duration of the 'no presenter no intro outro' version - you need to match this duration (or just under) with the main part of your recording.
When you're ready, hit record!
PROS
Excellent picture quality (especially if using the Meet 2)
Very easy and fast setup in Prompter
Script can scroll with your voice, rather than continuously
Prompter can also be used for other screen content, like video calls
CONS
Setup costs a bit more (around $370 / £320 in total)
Prompter will need a bit more space on your desk (but you could mount it differently if needed)
Why you'd use this setup
You want to enjoy the fastest and easiest way of creating the best looking footage, plus have the best setup for video calls at all other times.
Technology - The BETTER solution (your phone) ⭐⭐
Technology - The BETTER solution (your phone) ⭐⭐
LINKS
Free Android Elegant Teleprompter app
Smartphone technology has improved so much, the cameras are now outperforming a lot of webcams and even some older DSLRs. We've found the Android ecosystem is much more flexible, so this guide is written with it in mind.
Download the free Elegant Teleprompter (ET) app from the Google Play Store
Download the Tech Update script to your phone
Open the ET app (accept all permissions), click the plus button to import your Word document
Clean up and edit the script if needed, press the save button and then the play button
Press the Picture In Picture button in the top right corner. When permissions are accepted you'll now have a floating window
Open your phone camera, put the phone in landscape orientation and select the front facing video camera (make sure the lens is free from grease!)
Tapping the ET floating window toggles the controls visibility. With controls visible, click and hold the arrow in the bottom right corner to reduce the width of the window as much as possible
Tap hold and drag the top bar so the window is as far left as possible so it's on top of your front facing camera
Press play on the ET window and match your reading speed to the scrolling speed by selecting + or -
Use our guide on the best techniques for setting up your shot
The chances are your phone microphone will pick up your room's echo, therefore read our guide on better microphones and how to use them
Rehearse the script a few times. We suggest watching the 'ready to use' version of the Tech Update for guidance on using the script, plus check the duration of the 'no presenter no intro outro' version - you need to match this duration (or just under) with the main part of your recording.
When you're ready, hit record!
PROS
Other than maybe a microphone and tripod, you don't need to invest in extra kit
The picture quality will probably be very good
CONS
Matching your talking and script scrolling speed can be hard
Can be fiddly preparing phone for recording, then getting the recording off the phone for editing on a laptop / PC
Why you'd use this setup
You want an economical solution that doesn't require buying much in the way of extra kit (other than possibly a better microphone and stand).
Technology - The GOOD solution (Center Cam) ⭐
Technology - The GOOD solution (Center Cam) ⭐
LINKS
Center Cam V1 (the one we recommend)
Center Cam V2 (still good, but there is a 10% discount until midnight 16th Sep)
From extensive testing, the best cheaper solution is using something like the Center Cam V1. This is basically a small high quality webcam that clips to the top of your screen and extends down over the screen itself. The main benefit is that you can, when positioned correctly, have great eye contact on video calls, but also improve video recordings too.
The company behind Center Cam have released a second version, but the quality of their first camera remains the best in our opinion.
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Plugging in via USB, get it setup like a normal webcam
Place the Word document script behind the Center Cam
Open Window's Camera app and use the Change Camera button in the top corner to make sure the right camera is being used
Drag the Word and Camera windows into split screen mode
Adjust the script font size and location so it's all the text is as close to the lens as possible (if the words are too far away from the lens, your eyes will be seen moving too much)
Add two simple rectangle shapes in Word that match the shape of the Center Cam's cable and lens
Right click the shapes and select 'wrap text around'
Open Windows Sound Settings to make sure the right microphone is selected. The one built into Center Cam isn't very good. Read our guide on capturing better sound
Use our guide on the best techniques for setting up your shot
Rehearse the script a few times. We suggest watching the 'ready to use' version of the Tech Update for guidance on using the script, plus check the duration of the 'no presenter no intro outro' version - you need to match this duration (or just under) with the main part of your recording.
When you're ready, hit record!
PROS
Center Cam is cheaper than a good smartphone camera
A dedicated setup that doesn't use your phone
Can also be used for video calls
Easy to flip the camera out of the way when not in use
CONS
A bit of work needed each time to prepare the script for recording
More risk your eyes will be seen moving
The picture quality is very good, but not as good as most phones or a more expensive webcam
Why you'd use this setup
You want an economical solution that doesn't require using your phone, is always plugged into your PC and can also be used for very engaging video calls.
Don't forget the sound 🎙️🔊
Don't forget the sound 🎙️🔊
LINKS
A video can look fantastic, but poor sound can actually ruin the whole thing.
Although noise cancelling technology is improving, the quality of in-built microphones in most video devices is quite poor. Because you'll no doubt be recording in a room with a few hard surfaces (eg walls, wooden floors), the sound of your video may need an extra helping hand.
Microphone shopping can be a nightmare to navigate, because there are just so many of them out there. Here are our three recommended options (and how to use them).
A cheap wired lapel (lavalier) microphone
This is a great economical option, especially if you plan to record video on your mobile phone. The microphone plugs straight into your phone, so everything can stay in a fairly neat self-contained package. This the leaves your laptop / PC always separate from your video recording solution.
Yes, you could also plug one of these into the 3.5mm socket of your laptop or PC (if you go for the Center Cam or Prompter setup) and yes, you could also use the same microphone with your video calls, however you'd find the trailing wire and constant clipping and unclipping annoying (and prone to breaking).
This microphones will either have 3 bands on the 3.5mm jack plugs (TRS) or 4 bands (TRRS).
TRS plugs should work straight away in your laptop or PC. However if your phone only has a USB-C input, then you'll need to get an adapter that matches the plug you have (they're available for both TRS and TRRS).
For easy shopping, here is a TRRS wired lapel microphone on Amazon US (or Amazon UK) and a USB-C adapter that will work with it Amazon US (or Amazon UK).
A clip-on wireless lapel microphone
Made popular by vloggers, this modern style of microphone clips onto clothes and communicates wirelessly to a small base unit which plugs into your phone or PC via a USB-C plug.
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Because a lot of videos have been made using these kinds of microphones, viewers are now used to seeing them (you don't need to worry about hiding them discreetly).
The sound quality is great, they're very easy to attach to your clothing (versus a wired lapel microphone) and could be used with all our mobile phone and PC / laptop video recording solutions (although might be too fiddly for daily video call use).
The model we have picked out is the economical but high quality KM18 from respected audio / video brand Neewer. Here it is on Amazon US (or Amazon UK).
A podcast style desk microphone
This is probably the best type of microphone if you're planning to use either of our Center Cam or Prompter video setup solutions. They can sound great, look great (viewers expected to see them in videos these days) and also they double up as microphones for video calls.
Most of these podcast style microphones will plug directly into your PC / laptop via USB. Some connect via XLR, which would then require an additional audio interface box.
These microphones will sound better when aimed directly towards your mouth and as close as possible (without looking too close on camera).
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The FiFine K688 we have chosen can use both USB and XLR, is quite cheap, sounds great and also can come with boom arm to attach it your desk. Find it here on Amazon US (or Amazon UK).
Affiliate sharing links in no way influence genuine recommendations.
If you've read our guides and still need help, don't hesitate to get in touch. Either use the chat icon in the corner, or email [email protected]