The question is: How can you shoot great video on a small business budget?

CanadaOne began our investigation into this fascinating topic by interviewing video pros Jordan Drake and Chris Nicolls of The Camera Store in Calgary, Alberta. We have since branched out in our research, attending video conferences and interviewing other experts while also trying what we learned out in the field.

Part I: Buying Video Gear for Your Small Business explains how you can select the right camera or camcorder. Now in Part II we outline seven tips that will help you shoot great videos for your small business on a budget.

1. Invest in great sound

Your first step in getting great video footage is to make sure you use a decent quality external microphone. The on-camera audio is rarely adequate, so you want to look for a camera that can be used with one or more external microphones.

Jordan recommends purchasing lavalier microphones that clip onto the shirt, tie or jacket of the person you are recording so that you will still capture the audio should your subject move. He points out that boom microphones — a microphone that is held above the scene, as you'll often seen in Hollywood productions — can work well, but are not ideal in a small business video production line-up because you need to hire people to hold them.

When shooting outdoors, Jordan always lines up Chris so that his body blocks the wind. Similarly, when shooting indoors you will want to use a microphone that picks up sound from the subject, but not the surrounding area.

Listen: Listen to the following clips to hear the difference between different types of microphones. This footage was taken at a recent tradeshow, where there was lots of background noise. You can hear the improvement in quality progressing as the internal microphone is eliminated and the background noise disappears.

• Clip 1: Internal microphone only (terrible quality) [listen mp3]
• Clip 2: Internal and external microphones (better quality) [listen mp3]
• Clip 3: External microphone only (excellent quality) [listen mp3]

Editing software made it easy to isolate the internal and external microphone inputs; turning off sound from the internal microphone was a simple as either deleting that individual audio track or turning it off.

Audio purchase tip: When shopping for a camera that accepts an external microphone, watch out for cameras that require have a small number of compatible microphones. Also, keep in mind that a good external microphone will last a long time. The Sennheiser microphone used in the example above was purchase in 2003 and still provides excellent recording quality eight years later.

2. Light-up your scene

Lighting is probably the most intimidating aspect of videography because it can quickly get complex - and expensive. Yet it is possible to keep things simple while dramatically improving the lighting of your footage.

At the extreme minimum, Jordan explains that you can light your videos with some shop lights from a hardware or home improvement store or some pretty good continuous lights (lights that provide a constant light source and are always on).

Chris notes that working outdoors immediately adds production value, because you get a nicer back drop and the light tends to be nicer. "It gives it the look of production value without having to actually spend any money."

However, something to watch when shooting outdoors is enthusiasm from those around you. Chris and Jordan have had people walk into the shot, wave at the camera, stare into the camera and even interrupt shooting to start chatting and asking questions.

After the basic lighting, you can add reflectors to direct light back into your shot and your subject. Jordan and Chris often use reflectors, but point out that this requires an extra pair of hands to hold each reflector.

3. Stabilize your footage

Unless you are a steadicam pro who can get good footage freehand, tripods to help stabilize your video are not an option, but a must.

Things to consider when selecting a tripod include its weight, portability, stability and how smoothly you can pan the camera. Make sure that your tripod is sturdy enough for the camera you have purchased; you don't want to break an expensive camera because your cheap tripod tipped over while filming.

We have four different tripods that we can bring to a shoot:

• a super-portable tripod for things like tradeshow interviews (after almost having a $4000 camera hit the floor we keep a very tight hold on this one the entire time we shoot);
• a sturdier tripod that is heavier, but won't tip over if it's bumped or jostled;
• a monopod (which looks like a long staff) for our DSLR camera that we use when we want to take photos at an event an occasionally do a pan or a very brief interview; and
• a super-lightweight tripod designed to hold lighting.

Keep in mind that you can always rent gear that you will need occasionally when trying to decide whether to make a major investment or choose simpler gear.

Go to Page 2: Prepare, adjust, monitor and edit 

Page 1: Sound, light & stability
Page 2: Prepare, adjust, monitor and edit