Help required setting up a yoga channel

P

Pankaj Saini

New Member
Hi everyone,

Apart from teaching Yoga, I've recently started a website (abhisaran.com) and I'm looking to add videos to the site. This is quite the new territory for me so I'm looking for some advice on the required infrastructure.

The basics:
The channel in question will contain:
1. 15-20 minutes guided meditation videos.
2. 10 minute short videos on yoga poses.
3. 30-45 minutes long Yoga sessions.

Currently, I'm using my galaxy S8 to shoot the videos. I don't have the budget for a dedicated DSLR currently (nor the knowhow to use one, actually). Typically, I'd be shooting 1-2 videos a week. These won't be professional quality videos, of course. But I'd still love for them to be decent enough to watch.

Currently, I'm looking for advice on the following:

1. Lighting: I shoot indoors in my living room. I'm around 6 ft tall so the camera is placed at a decent distance from me (especially during sessions shots where I'm constantly moving between standing and sitting poses). I currently have one softbox but it's lightning is not bright enough. What would you guys suggest?

2. Audio: What kind of microphone would you suggest? I used a lapel mic - the audio was decent in my tests, but of course when you are constantly moving, it isn't ideal (especially since it is connected by wire to the phone).

3. Editing software: My needs are quite simple - adding titles, trimming, adding subtitles, perhaps a bit of colour correction/etc. As this isn't my principal work, I can't afford to spend a lot of time learning the more complicated softwares. I was thinking about going for something like Adobe premiere elements or Wondershare filmora.

4. Computer capable of 4K editing: I've already decided to purchase a BenQ 27" 4K monitor that fits my budget. But I'm still undecided about the hardware. The options I'm looking at right now is something like a DELL XPS 15 (intel i7, 7th gen, GTX 1050 GPU, 16GB RAM with a dock to connect it to an external hard drive + monitor, etc) or going for a decent tower. The mobility factor appeals to me (as both my laptop and desktop are at end of life) though I'll be editing only from home. But I remain unsure whether XPS 15 is good enough for quick rendering/editing.

Any recommendations/help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Pankaj
 
Pankaj Saini said:
Hi everyone,

Apart from teaching Yoga, I've recently started a website (abhisaran.com) and I'm looking to add videos to the site. This is quite the new territory for me so I'm looking for some advice on the required infrastructure.

The basics:
The channel in question will contain:
1. 15-20 minutes guided meditation videos.
2. 10 minute short videos on yoga poses.
3. 30-45 minutes long Yoga sessions.

Currently, I'm using my galaxy S8 to shoot the videos. I don't have the budget for a dedicated DSLR currently (nor the knowhow to use one, actually). Typically, I'd be shooting 1-2 videos a week. These won't be professional quality videos, of course. But I'd still love for them to be decent enough to watch.

Currently, I'm looking for advice on the following:

1. Lighting: I shoot indoors in my living room. I'm around 6 ft tall so the camera is placed at a decent distance from me (especially during sessions shots where I'm constantly moving between standing and sitting poses). I currently have one softbox but it's lightning is not bright enough. What would you guys suggest?

2. Audio: What kind of microphone would you suggest? I used a lapel mic - the audio was decent in my tests, but of course when you are constantly moving, it isn't ideal (especially since it is connected by wire to the phone).

3. Editing software: My needs are quite simple - adding titles, trimming, adding subtitles, perhaps a bit of colour correction/etc. As this isn't my principal work, I can't afford to spend a lot of time learning the more complicated softwares. I was thinking about going for something like Adobe premiere elements or Wondershare filmora.

4. Computer capable of 4K editing: I've already decided to purchase a BenQ 27" 4K monitor that fits my budget. But I'm still undecided about the hardware. The options I'm looking at right now is something like a DELL XPS 15 (intel i7, 7th gen, GTX 1050 GPU, 16GB RAM with a dock to connect it to an external hard drive + monitor, etc) or going for a decent tower. The mobility factor appeals to me (as both my laptop and desktop are at end of life) though I'll be editing only from home. But I remain unsure whether XPS 15 is good enough for quick rendering/editing.

Any recommendations/help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Pankaj
Click to expand...


Audio: You can also get wireless lavalier mics :) Else I would recommend getting a condenser microphone with cardioid polar pattern (high sensitivity in the front, isolates unwanted sounds from around, example traffic from outside etc). put that on a mic stand, preferably next to the camera. as for a recording program, if you don't want to spend any money, you can try audacity, but probably you already know that :) personally I use cubase for everything, but I'm a professional music producer. you won't need that much.

Editing software: I'm not an expert on that, but I like to use Adobe After Effects, since I also don't do that much editing, on my music videos and it's rather easy to figure out :)

hope that helps.

Cheers!
 
Jamie said:
Audio: You can also get wireless lavalier mics :) Else I would recommend getting a condenser microphone with cardioid polar pattern (high sensitivity in the front, isolates unwanted sounds from around, example traffic from outside etc). put that on a mic stand, preferably next to the camera. as for a recording program, if you don't want to spend any money, you can try audacity, but probably you already know that :) personally I use cubase for everything, but I'm a professional music producer. you won't need that much.

Editing software: I'm not an expert on that, but I like to use Adobe After Effects, since I also don't do that much editing, on my music videos and it's rather easy to figure out :)

hope that helps.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Thanks a ton! Would something like a Blue Yeti usb do the trick? (can't post the link: it says candioid on the box).
 
Pankaj Saini said:
Thanks a ton! Would something like a Blue Yeti usb do the trick? (can't post the link: it says candioid on the box).
Click to expand...

I'm not quite familar with the quality of the blue yeti but from what I remember, it's a desk mic right? I don't know how your set looks like but if you are doing yoga on the floor, it's not such a good idea to put the mic on the floor as well (frequencies will be transmitted through the floor). It's better to get a mic stand.
 
Jamie said:
I'm not quite familar with the quality of the blue yeti but from what I remember, it's a desk mic right? I don't know how your set looks like but if you are doing yoga on the floor, it's not such a good idea to put the mic on the floor as well (frequencies will be transmitted through the floor). It's better to get a mic stand.
Click to expand...
Ah yes, it is indeed a desk microphone. Currently my set-up =
Mobile phone on a tripod at three feet of height. Connected to the laptop via sidesync so I can see myself on the screen. The laptop's placed upon a coffee table around 2 feet high. I was planning to place the mic on the table. But there's a reasonably priced Rode too (I think NT1?) which is cardioid as well).
 
Pankaj Saini said:
Ah yes, it is indeed a desk microphone. Currently my set-up =
Mobile phone on a tripod at three feet of height. Connected to the laptop via sidesync so I can see myself on the screen. The laptop's placed upon a coffee table around 2 feet high. I was planning to place the mic on the table. But there's a reasonably priced Rode too (I think NT1?) which is cardioid as well).
Click to expand...

Rode is always a great option :) I have the NT1 myself!
 
Hi Pankaj, you answered a lot of your own questions there and seem to be on the right track already. I just wanted to add that one softbox probably isn't enough.. you will get a grainy image. In fact definitely is not enough. If your filming with your phone it won't pick up light as well as a proper dslr cam so compensate with making the lighting as good as you can, and watch some youtube vids to learn where is best to position them. A couple of cheap softboxes from amazon or similar will be less than $50 but spend more of course for better stuff.
Oh and do you really need 4k? everything will take longer to edit, you will need masses of storage space etc etc.. 1920x1080 hd might be better?
 
Thanks a ton UhoohExtra :) Would you have some suggestions for decentish lighting without breaking the bank? I can spend up to 150 Euros or so (so not professional grade, of course).

On the subject of 4K - I guess it is my way of "future-proofing" the vids a tad, considering the higher resolution screens seem to be becoming more and more common. More importantly, in my mind, something capable of editing 4K right now should hold me up for a good 3 years even if I decide to edit in FHD for time/storage constraints
 
can't post links in here but search Think Media TV and find his 'Best Budget Lighting Kit for YouTube' video. Thats quite good. Features LED and cheaper alternatives too. Or just search amazon for softbox and you can find x2 softbox kits on stands including 80W energy saving bulbs (equivilant to about 800w ordinary bulbs, per box) for about £40.. dont know what that is in Euros. about the same. Thats the cheapest. For your budget you can afford LEDs which will be more reliable.
 
That's awesome you are so well prepared and sounds like it will be a great quality channel. Remember to spend as much time if not more on social media to build your tribe and brand.
 
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