I’m a big fan of video. I believe it is the best way to convey information to an audience. I want to make sure that our videos look good and sound good. But I didn’t want to just sit in front of the camera, I wanted to use the whiteboard to sketch out the big concepts. It looks more engaging when the presenter is up and moving around.
So I converted one of our garages into a studio. Rather than just showing the finished product, I thought it might be useful for other startups to see how $150 can make a decent studio. This video walks through that process. I also detailed a parts list at the end of this post and in the video.
Step by step instructions…
Paint one wall with a flat paint, preferably light and soft in tone.
Make a table that rolls that is at a good height to move your camera as needed. I used a 3 drawer file cabinet that I already owned and made a platform with castors on the bottom.
Hang your company logo and a whiteboard on the painted wall
Buy 2 light strips, LED is best. Attach to a piece of wood, I love using 1X2s for stuff like this. Attach the 1X2s to small blocks of wood like a 2X3, with hinges.
Attach the blocks to the ceiling so the lights can hinge down and up out of the way.
Find some 12 or 14 gauge solid wire (romex style) wire to screw to the ceiling that can easily wrap around the lights to hold them up and out of the way.
Use a light strip with a switch to control the lights if they don’t have a switch of their own. Attach to the ceiling. Usually you can use the outlet from your garage door opener.
Staple the edge of the blanket to an 8’ long 1x2. Then lay 4 mini-bungies over the stapled edge and screw the board to the ceiling with the stapled side facing up (creating friction with the ceiling and better holding it in place) PRO-TIP: find the ceiling joists first.
Find an old blanket that you can lay on the floor to further dampen sound.
Watch the video below for more instruction!
Blankets 3@ 5 = 5
Bungees 1 @ 7 = 7
Lights 2 @ 27 = 54
1x2s 5 @ 2.23 =11
Hinges 1 @ 2.99 = 3
Whiteboard 1 @ 60 = 60
Wheels 4 @ 3.19 = 13
Total $ 151