It used to be that home video studios were reserved for reporters and TV talent who needed the ability to go live the moment news broke. Sometimes, high-paid talent got a home studio put in as a perk but It wasn’t done often because it was expensive to make the home studio match the real studio.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly every media personality worldwide to broadcast from somewhere inside their house. Overnight, low-quality videos with terrible lighting and hollow audio that pre-pandemic would have never made air became acceptable. An industry that had been afraid to sacrifice quality in favor of lower budgets now had a green light. Decision-makers realized the cost efficiencies of talent broadcasting from home instead of in a studio or onsite at a game or event. The audience became conditioned to accept the lower quality product.
That is a long-winded way of saying the trend is here to stay for better or worse. So if you haven’t yet invested in making your home video studio look a little more pro, it is time. Here are a few essential items you need to make your set up legit. I reached out to a few of my industry friends who share their must-have home tv studio pieces of equipment.
The 5 Best Pieces Of Equipment For Your Home Video Studio
This is not optional! It is a necessity. My girl Jane Slater, who was a trailblazer in the home office studio set up space, shared her favorite light with me. It is super simple to set up. You can adjust the brightness. It comes with a warm and cool filter and a stand to hold a phone. I like the 18″. It is fairly large. They make smaller and larger sizes too, but for TV the 18′ is perfect. You will seriously love how much better this light makes you look.
I saw Kate Snow using this on the Nightly news the other night and put out a 411 on where to get it. Hayley Elwood DMed me with all the info we need and Sam Farmer asked me to share it with him, thus motivating me to write this post. Put your stack of books back on the bookshelf and replace them with this simple and pretty stand to bring your computer up to eye level.
3.AKTOP PRO LAPTOP PROJECTOR TRIPOD STAND
Hayley also recommended this stand for when you don’t have a desk or counter nearby and need to set up in front of a bookcase or other background. She has a 13″ computer so there is enough space to also hold her iPhone and hairbrush.
If you really want to be legit. Julie Stewart-Binks uses this camera to record her show Drinks with Binks on Fubo TV. The clarity of her shot is awesome. The $1600.00 price tag makes it a decent investment, but people who own it rave about it.
5.BLUE YETI USB MIC FOR RECORDING AND STREAMING
For high-quality broadcast audio at an affordable price, this is another recommendation from Julie Stewart-Binks. She swears by this easy to use mic.