1 00:00:00,690 --> 00:00:03,100 Matthew Hughes - King of Video: What do you do if you've got a small budget, 2 00:00:03,110 --> 00:00:06,970 just a little budget, or maybe no budget, and you want to get started on YouTube? 3 00:00:07,210 --> 00:00:10,560 That is the question that I'm answering on today's podcast. 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,270 This is YouTube Success. 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,870 We have no jazzy intro, so it's me telling you it's YouTube Success. 6 00:00:16,570 --> 00:00:20,180 Please go and subscribe on the platforms that you're watching on, whether on 7 00:00:20,180 --> 00:00:22,400 YouTube, Spotify, all that kind of jazz. 8 00:00:22,630 --> 00:00:26,687 Don't forget to leave a like or a review or something cool that 9 00:00:26,697 --> 00:00:27,887 helps us get this out there. 10 00:00:27,887 --> 00:00:30,847 Maybe share the episode to someone that you think would find it useful. 11 00:00:31,187 --> 00:00:34,057 And don't forget if you are listening to this on the audio platforms, it 12 00:00:34,067 --> 00:00:36,817 is available on YouTube as well. 13 00:00:36,827 --> 00:00:38,057 Head over to my YouTube channel. 14 00:00:38,107 --> 00:00:41,967 A link is in the description, in the show notes, and you can 15 00:00:41,967 --> 00:00:44,377 watch me with my broken lighting. 16 00:00:44,377 --> 00:00:45,407 Now, you know, it's funny. 17 00:00:45,407 --> 00:00:48,427 I'm talking about gear today because the lighting behind me is blue. 18 00:00:48,717 --> 00:00:51,037 Usually have two of these lights and one of them is broken. 19 00:00:51,437 --> 00:00:55,217 So I won't be recommending that particular brand of lighting, but we're going to 20 00:00:55,257 --> 00:00:56,777 be talking about cheap stuff anyway. 21 00:00:56,777 --> 00:01:02,487 So before we get started, this episode has a gear guide associated with it. 22 00:01:02,487 --> 00:01:04,577 It's a free guide that my wife created. 23 00:01:04,617 --> 00:01:07,467 She's the graphics genius in our household. 24 00:01:07,477 --> 00:01:08,277 I created the content. 25 00:01:08,277 --> 00:01:09,127 She created the guide. 26 00:01:09,627 --> 00:01:13,157 It's beautifully designed and it has links to all of the 27 00:01:13,157 --> 00:01:14,087 stuff that I'm talking about. 28 00:01:14,087 --> 00:01:17,127 I'm literally going from top to bottom in this guide, so you don't 29 00:01:17,147 --> 00:01:19,347 have to go and get it, but it's free. 30 00:01:19,357 --> 00:01:21,637 It'll get you on my email list and you'll get all the good stuff. 31 00:01:21,647 --> 00:01:25,117 We'll be talking about TubeFest, conferences, all the great stuff. 32 00:01:25,117 --> 00:01:27,677 You'll get notified when we do new episodes, all that kind of stuff. 33 00:01:27,727 --> 00:01:32,477 So head over to kingofvideo.co.uk, click the start here button, and then 34 00:01:32,477 --> 00:01:37,457 you'll see the link to the budget kit or the budget guide or the starter guide. 35 00:01:37,457 --> 00:01:40,137 I call it all different things, but it effectively it is. 36 00:01:41,007 --> 00:01:43,797 Matt, I've got no budget or I've got a small budget. 37 00:01:44,577 --> 00:01:45,507 What do I do? 38 00:01:45,637 --> 00:01:46,557 How do I get started? 39 00:01:46,557 --> 00:01:52,197 How do I get the best quality video, audio, lighting with no 40 00:01:52,327 --> 00:01:54,107 money or with very little money? 41 00:01:55,090 --> 00:01:57,370 When we're talking about this stuff, I think we should call out the first 42 00:01:57,370 --> 00:02:01,120 thing, which is people always say, Matt, what's the best webcam to get? 43 00:02:01,150 --> 00:02:04,500 And if we think about cameras in general, when we start at cameras, 44 00:02:05,190 --> 00:02:07,660 know that all webcams are terrible. 45 00:02:07,810 --> 00:02:08,690 That's the answer to that. 46 00:02:08,690 --> 00:02:10,130 I'm using a MacBook Pro. 47 00:02:11,190 --> 00:02:12,830 I think the most recent MacBook Pro. 48 00:02:12,860 --> 00:02:14,920 It's not so bad, the built in ones. 49 00:02:15,460 --> 00:02:19,480 And really if I had to choose a webcam, I'd go with one of the Logitechs. 50 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:22,630 The Logitech C920 had a massive resurgence. 51 00:02:22,630 --> 00:02:25,110 I remember buying them just before lockdown. 52 00:02:25,110 --> 00:02:28,260 I bought them for like 40 pounds, 40, 45 pounds. 53 00:02:28,580 --> 00:02:32,880 When lockdown happened, they went up to about 85, 90 pounds. 54 00:02:33,300 --> 00:02:37,230 I think even toppled, a hundred pounds at a time and because the demand was 55 00:02:37,260 --> 00:02:40,740 so high and I had three of them so I sold them all on ebay and made a bit of 56 00:02:40,740 --> 00:02:45,787 a profit on those second hand ones were making me more money than the new ones. 57 00:02:45,787 --> 00:02:47,677 But of course that's supply and demand for you. 58 00:02:48,237 --> 00:02:50,564 But so if I was going to choose something and I wanted something 59 00:02:50,564 --> 00:02:54,434 that was like a workhorse as a webcam, one of those would be it. 60 00:02:54,454 --> 00:03:00,517 But my old phrase is that all webcams are terrible And that's because, most of the 61 00:03:00,517 --> 00:03:04,297 time, if you've got a phone that's, you know, a mobile phone, a cell phone as you 62 00:03:04,297 --> 00:03:07,877 Americans call it, in the last couple of years, you've probably got more than you 63 00:03:07,877 --> 00:03:10,907 need in your hand to start on YouTube. 64 00:03:10,967 --> 00:03:13,277 So you don't need to invest in any equipment. 65 00:03:13,287 --> 00:03:19,257 If you've got a good, decent, mobile phone that films in HD, perhaps even 60 66 00:03:19,257 --> 00:03:24,177 frames a second, most of them now film in 4K, you can get started and even if 67 00:03:24,177 --> 00:03:28,197 you're sitting here, if you are on the audio version of this, you won't be seeing 68 00:03:28,247 --> 00:03:29,417 my little studio that I've got here. 69 00:03:29,417 --> 00:03:32,057 But even if you're sitting in a little studio like this, I can connect my 70 00:03:32,057 --> 00:03:37,027 mobile phone to this and make it look like I've got a static camera. 71 00:03:37,537 --> 00:03:38,527 It's really, really simple. 72 00:03:38,527 --> 00:03:42,777 And on Mac, it's even easier because actually it automatically connects 73 00:03:42,777 --> 00:03:46,917 to your Mac, your iPhone does, and it just becomes available as a webcam. 74 00:03:47,257 --> 00:03:51,167 Nowadays more than ever, it's so much easier to use your phone. 75 00:03:51,567 --> 00:03:55,587 And the quality of the camera inside your phone is largely better than what you 76 00:03:55,587 --> 00:03:59,597 get in webcams and there's a lot more flexibility you can do in it as well. 77 00:03:59,607 --> 00:04:01,547 So just know that that's the case. 78 00:04:01,977 --> 00:04:03,837 So the investment there is zero. 79 00:04:04,565 --> 00:04:06,655 You don't have to add any more investment. 80 00:04:06,685 --> 00:04:10,155 Now you could say, well, I've got to go out to buy a phone So 81 00:04:10,155 --> 00:04:11,365 there is some investment in there. 82 00:04:11,365 --> 00:04:13,675 Well yeah, maybe that's true. 83 00:04:14,255 --> 00:04:16,965 But most people these days if they're running a business, they're gonna have 84 00:04:16,965 --> 00:04:22,485 a mobile phone anyway Yes, even you Samsung guys, if you're, if you're an 85 00:04:22,485 --> 00:04:27,995 Android user and you don't use fruit based devices like I do, then you Android 86 00:04:27,995 --> 00:04:29,245 guys are just in a good place as well. 87 00:04:29,245 --> 00:04:32,165 The Samsung hardware, the cameras that you've got on the Samsung 88 00:04:32,175 --> 00:04:36,125 hardware has always been brilliant, always way ahead of the iPhones. 89 00:04:36,125 --> 00:04:38,548 So you're in good and safe hands if you've got one of those as well. 90 00:04:39,379 --> 00:04:40,789 So we talk about that in the guide. 91 00:04:41,119 --> 00:04:41,819 I've got a link there. 92 00:04:41,819 --> 00:04:43,079 This is how old the guide is. 93 00:04:43,079 --> 00:04:45,659 It's got a link to an iPhone 11 Pro Max. 94 00:04:45,759 --> 00:04:49,909 I'll definitely get these updated to add the latest phones in there. 95 00:04:50,379 --> 00:04:51,579 Then we talk about microphones. 96 00:04:51,589 --> 00:04:52,929 So what can we do with microphones? 97 00:04:52,989 --> 00:04:57,499 Well, again, if you're in a quiet, safe, quiet environment like I am in my 98 00:04:57,499 --> 00:04:59,954 studio, an on board microphone is fine. 99 00:05:00,554 --> 00:05:04,324 You could just literally use the microphone that's built into your phone 100 00:05:04,834 --> 00:05:09,044 and then you're good to go But what I would say is if you want deep sound you 101 00:05:09,044 --> 00:05:13,394 want good deep sound, better than the microphone that I'm using I'm actually 102 00:05:13,394 --> 00:05:17,304 using a Yeti Nano on my desk I'm going to talk about this in the next episodes, 103 00:05:17,374 --> 00:05:21,284 the next level up but if you want a good deep sound, then I would invest 104 00:05:21,284 --> 00:05:23,574 in something like a Rode SmartLav+. 105 00:05:24,144 --> 00:05:27,614 So if you're on an iPhone, Rode SmartLav+ is made for iPhones. 106 00:05:28,104 --> 00:05:32,228 I've not seen a newer version of that, but the Rode hardware is generally good. 107 00:05:32,678 --> 00:05:35,968 I think there's some purists in the audio space that would probably say, 108 00:05:35,968 --> 00:05:37,898 Oh, don't use Rode, you want to use... 109 00:05:38,543 --> 00:05:42,303 Something else I don't even know what that something else would be but for 110 00:05:42,313 --> 00:05:44,023 me I think the Rode SmartLav+ is great. 111 00:05:44,033 --> 00:05:48,366 And this means that when you've got a lavalier, something that attaches to 112 00:05:48,366 --> 00:05:52,216 you, a lavalier attaches to your top, sometimes called a lapel as well and 113 00:05:52,216 --> 00:05:55,716 phone microphone, then it means the microphone is close to your mouth. 114 00:05:55,746 --> 00:06:00,361 So Whatever's going on, it's got a little muff, It's got a little muff 115 00:06:00,361 --> 00:06:05,871 or it's a, uh, a DeadCat or, sort of soundproofing device on the top of it. 116 00:06:06,111 --> 00:06:07,321 I think it's called a DeadCat. 117 00:06:07,821 --> 00:06:10,791 My technical knowledge is obviously not there because I've not looked at gear. 118 00:06:10,791 --> 00:06:13,461 I try to avoid gear now because I spend too much money on gear 119 00:06:14,224 --> 00:06:17,054 and I've got 10 versions of all of these things in my office. 120 00:06:17,544 --> 00:06:20,844 But if you've got something like some kind of sound, DeadCat or something on 121 00:06:20,844 --> 00:06:22,254 top of it, which is the fluffy thing. 122 00:06:22,734 --> 00:06:26,444 Then it stops the sound if you're outside as well, it stops the wind and 123 00:06:26,444 --> 00:06:28,684 all the background noise happening. 124 00:06:28,974 --> 00:06:32,804 It just gets the, audio from what's in front of it, which is usually your mouth. 125 00:06:33,454 --> 00:06:39,079 So you sometimes see people that have like the DJI, Rode Wireless GO, which 126 00:06:39,079 --> 00:06:42,019 are like the little square devices and they'll hold them up to people 127 00:06:42,019 --> 00:06:44,509 when they interview them It's got the DeadCat on top of it the fluffy thing. 128 00:06:44,929 --> 00:06:46,439 All right, so look out that for that on TikTok. 129 00:06:46,459 --> 00:06:50,119 That's what they're using so the SmartLav+ comes with something like that and 130 00:06:50,119 --> 00:06:53,879 then you'll get deep nice sound and you can use those again as a microphone. 131 00:06:53,889 --> 00:06:56,004 You can even hold them and pass them around. 132 00:06:56,004 --> 00:06:59,204 I've seen people doing that and it just means it sounds guaranteed 133 00:06:59,214 --> 00:07:02,674 to be better than it would be if it was just directional like an 134 00:07:02,684 --> 00:07:05,824 iPhone or Samsung where it's just looking at what's in front of you. 135 00:07:06,084 --> 00:07:07,914 Sometimes you can get a lot of background noise doing that. 136 00:07:08,284 --> 00:07:10,584 So again, small investment. 137 00:07:10,584 --> 00:07:13,814 I think the last time I looked the SmartLav's were about 40, 50 pounds 138 00:07:13,874 --> 00:07:17,584 that and SmartLav's, because their Rode, they're more expensive than 139 00:07:17,664 --> 00:07:18,914 some cheaper ones you can get. 140 00:07:18,914 --> 00:07:22,154 We used to spend 20 pound on lapel microphones and then we're still good. 141 00:07:22,154 --> 00:07:25,394 And, and did as really well when we had the video company. 142 00:07:25,424 --> 00:07:27,834 And there's nothing wrong with getting cheaper versions of it if you're 143 00:07:27,834 --> 00:07:31,234 starting out and if you can't really afford to invest in that kind of thing. 144 00:07:31,254 --> 00:07:35,564 So that's some microphones, Boya BY-M1, I don't know if they still do it again, 145 00:07:35,574 --> 00:07:37,679 but that's what the Samsung guys use. 146 00:07:37,689 --> 00:07:41,139 So if you're on Android, that was always very well recommended. 147 00:07:41,543 --> 00:07:43,113 And then let's think about lighting again. 148 00:07:43,113 --> 00:07:46,483 If you've downloaded this guide and you're going for it, you'll see in the 149 00:07:46,483 --> 00:07:48,843 lighting section, we've got ring lights. 150 00:07:48,843 --> 00:07:51,723 And if you're on YouTube, just behind me here, you can see a ring lights, 151 00:07:51,723 --> 00:07:55,433 not that same one that's in the guide there, because the one you can see 152 00:07:55,433 --> 00:07:58,633 in the guide, Hmm, is it the same? 153 00:07:58,643 --> 00:08:00,323 No, I'm sure it's not a newer one. 154 00:08:00,353 --> 00:08:01,953 The one in the guide is the newer one. 155 00:08:02,463 --> 00:08:06,353 And what I tend to do, when you're looking for ring lights, and 156 00:08:06,353 --> 00:08:10,253 these are probably between 40 and 80 pounds, something like that. 157 00:08:11,083 --> 00:08:12,543 So sort of 50 and 100 dollars. 158 00:08:13,313 --> 00:08:15,773 When you're looking for these, go for the biggest one. 159 00:08:16,273 --> 00:08:21,083 You'll find that some of them are like 10-inch ring lights, 14-inch and 18-inch. 160 00:08:21,653 --> 00:08:23,193 If possible, get the biggest one. 161 00:08:23,513 --> 00:08:25,673 Ring lights are often called Beauty Dishes. 162 00:08:25,683 --> 00:08:28,243 That's what you'll find in photography world, a Beauty Dish. 163 00:08:28,543 --> 00:08:30,883 It spreads the light all around your face. 164 00:08:30,893 --> 00:08:34,753 So, and the reason why it's called a Beauty Dish is it hides the shadows. 165 00:08:35,103 --> 00:08:37,403 When you get shadows, it can make you look like you've got extra 166 00:08:37,403 --> 00:08:38,773 chins, all that kind of stuff. 167 00:08:38,793 --> 00:08:43,098 Like I can tell you the ring lights gives you the best opportunity 168 00:08:43,098 --> 00:08:44,998 to look the best all the time. 169 00:08:45,008 --> 00:08:46,748 Now it does give you rings in your eyes. 170 00:08:47,018 --> 00:08:49,408 Some people don't like that weird effect that you get if you're looking 171 00:08:49,408 --> 00:08:51,498 directly in the middle of the ring light. 172 00:08:51,518 --> 00:08:54,188 But I would say when you're getting started and you just 173 00:08:54,188 --> 00:08:57,158 want some good lighting, a ring light is a great place to start. 174 00:08:57,158 --> 00:08:58,348 And it doesn't have to be right in front of you. 175 00:08:58,638 --> 00:09:02,158 You can put it to the side if you want, and add a bit of mood lighting in there. 176 00:09:02,158 --> 00:09:04,388 But a ring light is a good investment. 177 00:09:04,388 --> 00:09:07,038 And the other great thing about the ring light is, and you'll see 178 00:09:07,038 --> 00:09:10,728 this in the picture on the guide, is you can put a phone holder on 179 00:09:10,728 --> 00:09:12,228 it, and then you're hands free. 180 00:09:12,578 --> 00:09:17,118 And for me, I'm a very hands on kind of speaker, so when I'm doing 181 00:09:17,118 --> 00:09:19,133 stuff, when I'm talking to you now, my hands are moving a lot. 182 00:09:19,353 --> 00:09:22,753 Even though I'm sat down in a chair, my hands are moving lots because I like 183 00:09:22,753 --> 00:09:26,313 to, um, uh, what's, what's the word? 184 00:09:26,363 --> 00:09:28,863 There's a word when you're using your hands to talk, when you're 185 00:09:28,863 --> 00:09:30,133 talking about stuff, right? 186 00:09:30,753 --> 00:09:30,883 So. 187 00:09:31,903 --> 00:09:34,373 lighting wise, ring light, that's a good investment. 188 00:09:34,393 --> 00:09:39,413 So we're talking £50 for a microphone, £80 for lighting, so £130. 189 00:09:39,783 --> 00:09:43,253 And then there's another suggestion there that perhaps if you don't want 190 00:09:43,263 --> 00:09:47,313 to just have the ring light to hold your phone steady, something like a 191 00:09:47,313 --> 00:09:52,703 GorillaPod, a little tripod to hold your phone is another good investment. 192 00:09:52,703 --> 00:09:55,733 If you've got good natural lighting outside, which is free, you don't 193 00:09:55,733 --> 00:09:59,633 have to pay for that natural lighting, then you don't need necessarily to 194 00:09:59,643 --> 00:10:02,863 have a ring light, but you could then invest in a gorilla pod, some 195 00:10:02,863 --> 00:10:04,823 kind of tripod to hold your phone. 196 00:10:04,823 --> 00:10:06,093 So your footage is steady. 197 00:10:06,413 --> 00:10:09,133 Steady footage is really, really important, especially if you're trying 198 00:10:09,133 --> 00:10:10,573 to get an important message across. 199 00:10:10,943 --> 00:10:14,373 When it's shaky, what people subtly subconsciously think 200 00:10:14,383 --> 00:10:16,273 about is horror films. 201 00:10:16,273 --> 00:10:18,703 And you don't want people thinking about horror films when they're watching 202 00:10:18,703 --> 00:10:21,288 your courses or any of your material. 203 00:10:21,668 --> 00:10:23,678 You want them to focus on the important message you've 204 00:10:23,678 --> 00:10:25,638 got in a nice and steady way. 205 00:10:25,648 --> 00:10:29,728 This is why I'm not holding my camera or holding my phone when I do a lot 206 00:10:29,728 --> 00:10:33,168 of these things, even if i'm doing a TikTok or something like that, I'm 207 00:10:33,168 --> 00:10:35,848 generally using a tripod to hold my phone 208 00:10:35,848 --> 00:10:36,928 so it's nice and steady. 209 00:10:37,208 --> 00:10:39,818 Okay, and that's it. 210 00:10:39,828 --> 00:10:42,358 There's a little summary in the guide there, so you can just look at an 211 00:10:42,398 --> 00:10:46,288 overview of what's going on and an invite to the website and that kind of thing. 212 00:10:46,298 --> 00:10:50,668 So that's the FREE Budget Guide, the Budget Gear Guide, £200 or less. 213 00:10:50,708 --> 00:10:52,908 I think we were well under that £200 budget. 214 00:10:52,908 --> 00:10:56,758 Prices vary, different times, things like right now when I'm recording this, it's 215 00:10:56,758 --> 00:10:59,848 almost Black Friday, so there'll be some good deals that you can get out of there. 216 00:11:00,498 --> 00:11:04,078 But by investing in these things, a bit of lighting, a little microphone, 217 00:11:04,078 --> 00:11:08,398 a tripod, you can just level up the stuff that you've got already. 218 00:11:08,428 --> 00:11:12,968 By moving from a webcam to your mobile phone, you can level up the output 219 00:11:12,968 --> 00:11:14,288 that you're putting out there already. 220 00:11:14,528 --> 00:11:19,038 And there's plenty of YouTubers out there that will be making good 221 00:11:19,593 --> 00:11:22,913 gains, they'll be growing their channel, they'll be making good money. 222 00:11:23,403 --> 00:11:27,413 And just using the mobile phone to film, edit and post their 223 00:11:27,413 --> 00:11:28,613 YouTube videos, all right? 224 00:11:28,683 --> 00:11:32,153 So I am looking for one of those to interview on this podcast so we can 225 00:11:32,153 --> 00:11:35,623 talk about, you know, their whole process and workflow and all that 226 00:11:35,623 --> 00:11:38,673 kind of stuff, but right now I just want you to know it's possible. 227 00:11:38,673 --> 00:11:41,013 You do not have to invest a massive amount of money. 228 00:11:41,253 --> 00:11:43,593 When I'm talking about this, it's not just about what's possible. 229 00:11:43,603 --> 00:11:45,173 It's about what your excuses are. 230 00:11:45,173 --> 00:11:49,483 If you think if one of your excuses is about gear and it's about equipment, 231 00:11:49,483 --> 00:11:52,433 I don't have the right things to get going, but you've got a mobile phone. 232 00:11:52,793 --> 00:11:53,453 Trust me. 233 00:11:54,138 --> 00:11:56,318 That excuse can no longer exist. 234 00:11:56,318 --> 00:11:58,728 I've explained to you why in this thing, right? 235 00:11:59,368 --> 00:12:01,468 You can go and download that guide and it's free. 236 00:12:01,868 --> 00:12:05,798 So again, there's no real excuse to stop you from doing that. 237 00:12:06,338 --> 00:12:08,358 Alright, so this is the YouTube Success Podcast. 238 00:12:08,358 --> 00:12:09,908 That is the Budget Gear Guide. 239 00:12:10,348 --> 00:12:13,418 Feel free to share that with anyone you think would find this useful. 240 00:12:13,418 --> 00:12:15,938 Anyone you think that struggles with getting started with video. 241 00:12:16,553 --> 00:12:20,509 Don't forget to join the YouTube Community on youtubecommunity.co.uk. 242 00:12:20,959 --> 00:12:23,449 Now take a look at the website and leave us a review. 243 00:12:23,509 --> 00:12:24,139 Thanks so much. 244 00:12:24,139 --> 00:12:25,529 My name's Matt Hughes, King of Video. 245 00:12:25,989 --> 00:12:29,709 I'll see you for the Pro Gear Guide in the next episode. 246 00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:30,849 Bye bye.