The Only Video Equipment You Need for Your Small Biz

Let’s talk about video equipment, Boss Babes! Don’t worry— for under $60, you can have a video kit that’s mobile & easy to use for your small business. In 2017 we shared photos and links all about the equipment we used to create out Boss Babe Features, recipe content, & more. We decided to republish this post (originally posted in late 2017) with some new information about the equipment we had originally purchased. Some items have held up really well & are still used on a weekly basis, but there’s some equipment that either turned out to be low quality or just not a good fit for what we need.

We incorporated video into our content rotation from the beginning because we knew this: by 2018, 80% of all online content will be video. And we’re sure you noticed that a very good photo will get a lotta likes on Instagram, but a decent video will receive over 1,000 impressions. Which would you rather have— the couple hundred likes or the thousand+ impressions? Yup. That’s what we thought. ;) Enjoy & feel free to ask questions in the comments and don’t be shy to jump into creating video. Stay boss. xx -G

HOW CREATING YOUR OWN VIDEO CONTENT HOME OR AT THE OFFICE WILL MAKE YOU FEEL.

Meet our best friend, the Ulanzi Smartphone Video Rig. It's small enough to fit in most travel totes and is adjustable, so you can use it with any cell phone. It's comfortable to hold and is great for one location filming with a tripod or shooting a live video while moving through different spaces. This perspective of the video rig is if you were shooting a video and were standing behind the camera. Available here. 

Update! This rig has been amazing. I’ve even used it without a tripod and held it while walking around venues or while shooting b roll clips for Boss Babe Feature videos. I would purchase this again and highly recommend.

Here's what our cell phone hand grip looks like all suited up with our Boya microphone, video light, & iPhone adapter. This perspective is if you were the interviewee and were situated in front of the camera. We recommend having an extra iPhone adapter specifically for your video kit. You don't want to arrive at your shooting location and realize you left your only adapter at home, right? Available here. 

We use our Boya microphone to cancel out any extra background noise. Of course it's best to shoot in an atmosphere where you can control the noise levels, but there's always going to be white noise you don't notice until after you're editing the footage. So best practice is to plan on using the microphone(s) that make the most sense for you & where you're shooting. Available here. 

Update! I never use this microphone anymore. So now when I say “for $50 or $60 you can have a video kit that’s portable and easy to use for your small biz,” I’m not including this microphone in that quote. I have found that a lapel mic has been a much better fit for Live videos and I use both a lapel mic (for back up) and a Zoom H2N Microphone to record our Boss Babe Feature videos. The Zoom mic is a high quality microphone that I highly recommend if you’re recording really sound sensitive video or audio, but isn’t necessarily needed if you’re just looking to get started.

We use our Ulanzi video light at every Boss Babe Feature shoot. Even when you think there's plenty of light, you could still use a bit more. It has a low to high setting on one side so you can choose how bright you'd like your setting. Available here. 

Update! I have recently also started using this light during Live videos and am really loving it. Highly recommend.

This is our trusty, portable tripod. It has 3 height settings, so you can shoot on a tabletop or on the floor. It's sturdy and attaches to our video rig perfectly. Available here. 

Update! This tripod ended up being terrible quality. It snapped into two pieces after just two months of use. I ended up purchasing a 50 inch Vivitar Tripod, but this has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. I would recommend this AmazonBasics 60 inch aluminum tripod instead. It has 4.5 stars and appears to be very similar to the Vivitar I currently have.

The cord on the left is our handy cable splitter. The cord on the right is our lapel mic. The splitter is so that we can plug in our noise canceling microphone and our lapel mic at the same time. Both mics need to connect to our iPhone. Find the splitter and the lapel mic on Amazon. 

Update! I no longer need to use a splitter cable because I’m not using two corded mics at the same time. When shooting a Live video, I use a lapel mic and attach it to an iPhone adapter, then directly into my iPhone. When shooting a Boss Babe Feature video, I use a lapel mic and my Zoom mic, but my Zoom mic is cordless. I still use this type of lapel mic, but have since replaced it and purchased a second one since sometimes I’m shooting a video with a business that has 2 Founders.

Oftentimes when we're recording a Boss Babe Feature video we need lots of cable to comfortably attach the lapel mic to our interviewee's shirt and run it under a table or across a room. This cable is 10 ft long and gives us plenty of space to capture the footage we need. Available here.

Update! I still use an extension cable when shooting a Boss Babe Feature video. My interviewee is often sitting around 5 feet away from me, but I need an extension cable so her lapel mic can be plugged in properly. This extension cable has worked well. I recommend it.

This is our portable ring light! It's perfect for shooting a quick video on the go, especially if you're going to be the focus of it. It just clips onto the top of your cell phone and you push a button at the top to turn it on & off. Be careful that it's stored in such a way that nothing is pushed against it's on/off button, otherwise it'll be switched on when you're unaware and the battery will drain.

Update! Surprise, surprise, this ring light is pretty bad. It never stayed charged because the button was constantly getting pushed by other objects in my bag. I ended up storing it without the batteries inside, but still never used it. I much prefer my Ulanzi light attached to my rig. It may seem more compacted to shoot this way, but it’s actually much easier to hold the rig and get a decent shot than it was to hold my phone with this ring light attached. Would not recommend.

All of our video is shot on a iPhone 6 Plus. We use a silicone case to keep it safe in-between use. You can snag this case on Etsy here. 

Update! I have since upgraded to an iPhone 7 Plus. I’ve enjoyed using Portrait Mode for photos and really like the video quality. Though, I’m sure an upgrade is around the corner.

Let me know what you think about my updates & about what video equipment you would recommend! I’m always on the lookout of ways to make our videos even better. Thanks for checking out our original video post & this updated version. Happy content shooting!