I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how I shoot and edit my videos, so I thought it would be helpful to have a little FAQ here. If you have video questions that aren’t answered here, shoot me an email through my contact page!
How do you shoot your videos?
I film all of my videos on my iPhone 6 on a table set up underneath a sunny window.
I now shoot using my iPhone 8+, still on a table. Instead of daylight, I now use a clip light with a daylight bulb on one side of the table, aiming the light through a softbox to diffuse it. On the other side, I use a reflector to fill in the shadows.
How do you shoot overhead?
I use a special tripod called an Overhead Pro. You can use the discount code Glue&GlitterReader at checkout for $10 off.
You can use it to do stable overhead shots with your phone or camera, and the retractable arm lets you move the camera closer to or further away from the tripod base.
If you’re wanting to shoot video with a regular camera, the Overhead Pro’s phone holder unscrews, so you can screw in a regular camera for still or video shots. Just make sure you hang a weight from the tripod, to prevent tipping. I hang a bag with some cookbooks inside, and it works great.
The whole overhead apparatus comes off, as well, so it doubles as a regular tripod, which has made my still photos 1000 times better
Disclosure: I’m an Overhead Pro affiliate, and I get a small cut of your sale, at no additional cost to you. I really do love this tripod! I’ve had it for over a year, and it works great.
How do you edit your videos?
In Final Cut Pro, though you don’t have to buy expensive software to edit overhead videos.
Before getting Final Cut, though, I edited in iMovie, which comes free on your Mac. There are limited options, but as long as you’re keeping things simple, it should do everything that you need it to do.
Where do you find your music?
YouTube has a library of free music, and you can sort by license. Make sure that you choose the correct license.
If you’re planning to monetize, for example, then only choose songs that include monetization in the rights. Some artists also want credit, so be sure you give that to them, where it applies.