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This week I’m going to talk to you guys about how to shoot an interview, testimonial, or video blog using just a smartphone, and under $200.

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Now ,we could’ve went dirt cheap and did a DIY thing but thats just ugly and takes way to much time and effort. Plus there are a ton of tutorials out there that race to the bottom, and we’re not about that life. We want something that’s affordable, but also looks classy. You’ve got clients to impress, ya know.

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List Of Things You’ll Need:

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Smartphone – Free

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Tripod – $17

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Mount – $15

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Lights – $120

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Mic – $19

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Mic Adapter – $25

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Total Cost: $196

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The Camera

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First, we need a badass smartphone, for me I’m describing how to shoot professional video on an iPhone because it’s simply the phone I own. You could easily do the same thing with any popular smartphone or even a low end video camera. There are apps we could’ve used but, we want a no skill, no cost setup, so we’re just gonna go with the good ole’ native camera app. In landscape mode of course, don’t be silly.

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Camera Accessories

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We need to stabilize the camera. Grab a tripod mount for your smartphone, I recommend the Square Jellyfish Spring Mount. Attach that bad boy to a low cost tripod and stick the phone in between the grips. Now you have a super steady camera. Well, maybe a little flimsy but remember, it looks good and its affordable.

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Lighting

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Now this right here is the key to capturing good looking professional video. There are many exceptions to this rule but generally we want 3 lights on the subject.

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The main light or key light, is the dominant light.  Set this light about 5 feet away from the subject and at 45 degrees to the right or left of the subject. This light should be as bright as it can be or close to it.

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The secondary light or fill light. This lights purpose is to make sure the shadows on your subjects face and body, caused by the main light, aren’t to dark. Set this light on the opposite side of your main light. Again, at 45 degrees and about 5 feet away. The secondary light should be at half power or less. We want some shadows for definition but not too much.

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The Backlight or hair light. This lights purpose is to make sure your shoulders, head, and hair doesn’t get lost in the background. Place this one behind the subject at a 45 degree angle and at enough distance so it is not seen by the camera. This light should be pretty high in the air so that it lights the top back of your subjects head.

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Audio

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At this point your professional iPhone video looks pretty kick ass but it might sound like crap. To fix this you’ll eventually want to invest in some audio gear. The most affordable mic, which still looks good, that I could find is the Audio Technica ATR 3350. Grab this for $27, pop an adapter on it for $7 so your smartphone can recognize it, and now you sound just as good as you look. Smooth.

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You now have a pro video setup that you can start using for your video marketing. You might look good and sound good but this setup won’t make up for crappy content so always remember to be using your videos wisely by putting just as much effort into your video strategy as you would any other part of your marketing.

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My name is Jimmylee for yup video. Thanks for watching.