Setting up a DIY Vancouver video production studio in your office? We have been producing videos for over 10 years and are now ready to expand our business into the world of feature films!
Video Kings offer professional quality production services including editing, sound design, music composition, special effects, and more. Our goal is to produce high-quality work that will be enjoyed by viewers worldwide.
Our team includes some of Canada’s most talented filmmakers who can provide you with a film project from start to finish.
Here are some tips guide on how to set up a Vancouver video production studio in the office:
Choose your equipment wisely. You will need the following for video production:
- A Camcorder – The latest and greatest is the Sony PMW-F3, although this is way out of the price range we are looking at. The Sony NXCAM is a consumer-grade camcorder that is much more affordable and will do the job just fine.
- Lights – You will need at least 2 lights, 1 for the key light and 1 for the fill light. The type of light you use will have a major impact on the look of your film, so it is important to choose wisely. There are two types of lights available:
- Film Lights – These lights are designed for a motion picture or Vancouver video production. They tend to be more expensive, but they feature better color balancing and are usually dimmable.
- LED Lights – These lights are much cheaper and easier to find, but they often lack in features and durability. They are not dimmable and hence you will need to stack multiple lights to get the same effect as a single film light.
3. Tripods and Grip Equipment – You will need a good, sturdy tripod to support your camera. I personally prefer models with a geared head because they offer more control and stability. As for grip equipment, you will need at least one microfiber cloth, one cleaning spray, and a small reflector.
4. Sound Equipment – If you want your film to be professional, you NEED to record proper sound. There are multiple types of sound equipment available, including lav mics that clip onto your actors and boom mics that can be suspended overhead. Whichever mic you choose, make sure it has background noise suppression because this will allow you to record in more locations with fewer hiccups.
5. Power – This may seem like a weird category for some, but it is important to know how you will be powering your video equipment. Traditionally, people power their equipment using the building’s AC supply. This works great unless you need to run a lot of lights or other high-draw devices. In this case, you need a bigger system. The 2 most common solutions are Generators and Inverters.
Multi-purpose generators, such as the Honda EU series, can run a variety of appliances, from drills to lights. Inverters is another option that allows you to use your car battery to power your video equipment. These are often cheaper and can be more lightweight, but they only work for a single appliance (such as a light), and they can’t power anything else when the car engine is not running.
6. Room Setup – There are several factors that will affect your room setup, including:
a. Lighting – I already mentioned lighting in the previous tips, but it’s so important that I’m mentioning again. Natural light from a window is ideal, but you can also use artificial lighting if necessary. It is best to use 200-1000W lights, depending on how powerful you want your lights to be and how much heat they produce.
b. Noise – Be sure to record your audio separately if there is a lot of noise in the background. The best way to do this is to reserve a room or section of a room for sound-only recordings, such as an audio booth or a closet with a microphone inside.
c. Privacy – Always make sure that you and your actors are adequately clothed. You may also need to suspend a privacy screen so that your talent is blocked from the view of the camera.
d. Props and Costumes – Since you will be shooting your actors against a green screen, you have the ability to composite in any background that you want. This means that you can film your actors in regular clothing and then dress them in superhero outfits during post-production! Also, it is best to only have a few props in the shot so that the composting process is easier later.
e. Set Dressing – The more props and set dressing that you place in your scene, the less you will need to composite during post-production. This will save you time and money!
7. Green Screen – You will need a green screen for this project because you will be replacing your actor with a CG element.
The most economical choice is a muslin backdrop panel because you can later dye it any color that you want. These panels, which are 30 x 40 inches, can be had for as little as $30 on Amazon or eBay. You will also need to suspend the panel from something because these panels aren’t heavy-duty enough to be freestanding. A good choice would be C-Stand Light Stands, which will cost about $100 for a pair.
For your actors, you need 100%-cotton clothing, which you can buy or rent from a costume shop. Place the clothing on top of the green screen, use tape to secure them in place, and then remove the actors so you can composite them later.
8. Audio – For audio recording, use a shotgun microphone with a wind cover and a cable extension if necessary.
You will need to record 2 audio tracks: The first is an ambient track that you can record while you are shooting your visuals. This comes in very handy when you are trying to re-create a seamless transition from visual scene to visual scene (for instance, when you want the eye camera to appear as if it is seamlessly going from one part of the sky to another).
Make sure that you carefully synchronize your audio with your Vancouver video production during post-production. You can do this easily by making an audio recording of your clips on your cameras using a separate recorder (a digital recorder is best for syncing purposes).
The second audio track is your voice-over, which you will record after you have completed shooting all of your scenes. You can write your script and record your lines in advance, but it is very helpful during post-production if you can create a scratch track to use as a guide while you are editing.
9. Shoot – Don’t forget to shoot extra footage in case you need color correction or visual effects later!
10. Post-Production – In order to make your Vancouver video production as seamless and realistic as possible, you need to perform color correction and use visual effects to composite your actors into their final scenes.
For color correction, you can choose to do it yourself or hire a professional. There are many color grading programs that you can use, but some of the most popular are DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro.
As for visual effects, there are many libraries of curated footage and images that you can use in your video, but some of the most popular are Shutterstock, Pond5, and iStockPhoto. If you need specific guidance on how to use these programs, there are many tutorials on the internet that can help you out.
There are so many different choices to make, and the list above is just a guideline. If you feel overwhelmed by all of the choices, the most important thing is to pick something and go for it. This is a great opportunity to learn, so be prepared for your first attempt to not go as planned.
