Karine Laudort Starting a YouTube channel can be intimidating, especially if you are used to simply using your smartphone for anything and everything. YouTube is a bit more complicated than the usual social media platforms, with gadgets and applications needed. However, YouTube is definitely worth the effort, especially if your channel is based around a skill or passion.
Before you start anything, you need to obviously buy a camera. I recommend the New Canon E05 M50 Digital Camera. It is purely plastic meaning it’s very light, can easily be popped in a bag if you feel like vlogging, and is less likely to get damaged as a YouTube newbie! It is also well priced as a starter camera, at around £300. However, if you are already familiar with cameras, there are hundreds to choose from which you may prefer. Now you have the most important piece sorted, it’s time to move onto the tripod.
For a YouTuber, a tripod is a necessity, unless you feel like filming your videos on a stack of cereal boxes! I recommend the Joby Gorillapod and Ballhead X, which can also double up as a vlogging tripod, perfect for filming at home and on the go, so you can catch every single shot. This tripod is the go-to for even the most experienced of videographers, known for its amazing flexibility. Experts say this is a must-have piece and is priced around £100.
If you want to be more of a casual and vlogger YouTuber, there are also iPhone tripods out there, perfect for taking on the go. These tripods give you more choice overshooting height and angles, and will also apparently stay completely stable when tilting your phone, giving you shake-free shots every time. I recommend this iPhone tripod, which is definitely worth the money.
Depending on what type of content you want to make, if it’s more casual than you probably won’t need a green screen, but for more creative content this might be necessary! Green screens are usually cheap and easy to set up, allowing you to change your background and add effects to your content, perfect for a sitting down camera angle adding the perfect backdrop. For a YouTube rookie, I recommend these backdrops which can be easily folded and put away, not taking up precious space.
Even with the perfect camera and background, the lighting in a filming space will make or break your video. For natural lighting, filming outside is perfect but this is weather-dependent and in the UK the weather is extremely unpredictable. For indoor filming I would recommend a lightbox, these are not only affordable but high quality and simple to set up. This is one of the top pieces of equipment recommended by many professional vloggers. Two lightboxes are the perfect combination to mimic natural lighting and make your video look professional attracting viewers.
If you’re looking for all the tech gadgets I’ve recommended then a package deal would be better for you. This photo studio kit provides you with all the equipment you need; 2 softbox lights, 2 umbrellas, and a 3 colour green screen. It’s the basic starter kit for budding vloggers and extremely affordable for the amount of equipment you receive.
Now, it’s time for post-production software and editing programmes, I use Adobe Premiere Pro when editing, as it is a great choice for people who have a basic knowledge of film but want to make videos at a professional level. This software offers very high-quality video and audio editing and can be used on Mac and Windows products. The software is easy to use once you get the hang of it, however, a few YouTube tutorials may be necessary at the beginning! The software costs around £20 a month, but if you are interested in doing YouTube professionally, there are many packages which Adobe offers which you may prefer.
Hopefully, I have made starting a YouTube channel less daunting for you, all these products and versions of them will help you every step of the way on your YouTube journey. These products and having a keen eye for social platforms, influencers, and the media world will ensure you have a smooth YouTube beginning! I wish you good luck and have fun with YouTube! Get filming…
