Yesterday evening, I had a chance to do my first video interview with Sherman Hu, one of the speakers at the Social Media Telesummit. That’s a video snapshot of me on the left.

Doing video and doing audio are 2 totally different beasts. With audio, all I need is a quiet environment, then I just plug in my microphone into my laptop, launch Audacity, then record away.

With video, I had to jump through really big hoops to get the look I wanted. Plus I had to design my studio without going broke. So, here’s how I put together my home video studio on a shoestring budget:

• Camera – I used a webcam that’s installed on my sister’s laptop. Her laptop also has a microphone installed, so I didn’t have to wear a headset. I plan on buying a lavaliere microphone and a Logitech webcam so when I’m on the road or have to do a late night recording, I won’t disturb my sister who’s a Facebook power user. But for this interview, I was able to borrow her laptop which came with everything I needed. Because the webcam is installed at the top of the open screen, I had to put the laptop on a stack of books so I could lean back comfortably in my chair and still get my entire head – and shoulders – in the image.
• Lighting – I use energy saving lights in my home office and the ones I had cast a golden hue. These are the soft white energy saving bulbs and this is poor lighting for video. So, I headed over to Walmart and purchased cool white energy saving bulbs that cast a light similar to the ones used in broadcast TV. Now, the tricky part is that my light fixture is directly above my head which cast a shadow directly under my nose. So, I put one of the cool white energy saving bulbs in my desk lamp and positioned it above the webcam so it would shine directly into my face.
• Backdrop – Because I have dark skin, it was so important that I choose a colour for my backdrop that would really make me stand out. For that reason, I chose white. The only thing I could find in my house to create my backdrop was a duvet filling that I won in a contest about 8 years ago. I finally took that thing out of the package, unfurled it, then threw it over a room divider panel that I use to hide my messy desk from those who pass by the entrance of my office.
• Make up – The camera tends to make your face look really plain. So, I put on a little bit of foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lip gloss and mascara. When testing my webcam, the foundation gave me a shine that was distracting. So, I had to crack open the powder foundation that I rarely use and put a light dusting around my forehead, nose and chin. This helped to tone down the glare.
• Gestures – I had to get used to not multitasking, talking with my hands and shifting my eyes while doing the video interview. Also, I had to get used to staring into the webcam while talking and that was a bit uncomfortable for me at first. But as I practiced and watched the replay of my practice sessions, I became more used to staring in just one spot while talking. My facial expressions also look more extreme on camera, so I tried to not roll my eyes or crease my brow too much.
• Clothes – I wanted to ensure that my branding was consistent in the video. I wanted to wear either a purple, green or orange top, similar to the colours on my blog. In the screenshot at the top, I was wearing a white top during the practice run, but I felt it washed out my body. Along with the white background, I looked like a talking head, sort of like Max Headroom. So, I went with a purple sweater instead. It was a dark purple, not the purple that’s on my website. However, with more time, I’ll find a few shirts that match with the colours on my blog.

What made this work is that I already owned many of the tools I needed to create my amateur video studio. I will use these for now as this was my first video interview, but the time will come when I will need to upgrade.

Any tips from amateur videographers on what works in their home studios? I’m looking for other shoestring budget ideas.