Indoor Video Shoot Tips & Ideas for Professional-Quality Results

When preparing for a video shoot, there are two main options for the venue. You can either shoot outdoors or indoors. The venue you choose can make all the difference. An indoor shoot is entirely different from an outdoor shoot. Be it the lighting, camera angles, or timing, there is much to account for once you have chosen your venue. Everything depends on where you choose to shoot.

If you are planning for professional video production, there are a few tips and tricks to make an indoor shoot look professional.

A good camera is often the starting point for professional-grade shoots. A 4k video camera will make for a very good recording option. Depending on your budget, you can buy a camera, rent a camera or even make do with what you have. Most mobile cameras these days come with a 4k video recording option, but a professional knows it is no chance against a real camera.

When shooting indoors, one should be mindful of various aspects of a camera. Indoor shooting would mostly consist of takes with limited movements. Considering that one has to invest in good stabilizing equipment. It could be anything from a basic tripod and top handle for static shots to professional stabilizing equipment like a handheld stabilizer, a 3-axis gimbal, or a vest stabilizer. These different stabilizers also determine the angles and movements your video will have.

Another aspect regarding the camera is the filters. An indoor shooting also requires a range of filters to achieve the intended mood for the video.

Indoor shooting has a different set of rules when it comes to lighting. If you intend to use natural light, then the lighting is limited. It also doesn’t give you much control over the lighting as the sunlight and weather are inconsistent. When setting artificial lighting for an indoor setup, there are a lot of different ways to do it. Let us look at what goes into lighting an indoor video production setup.

The ultimate aim of lighting is to illuminate the room and its characters evenly without casting unwanted shadows.

You can think of hard or soft light when choosing a lighting option. Hard light is one with no filter and casts deep shadows. Whereas a soft light has a filter and casts soft shadows. You can also opt for ready-made light kits with stands to light up your indoor space according to your needs.

When considering lighting, it is wise to consider industry-standard 3-point lighting. It is a common light setup with three lights: the key light, the fill light, and a backlight. Setting up the light and viewing it through your camera lens will give you a great perspective that you can change according to your needs.

The indoor shooting also calls for taking colour temperature into account. It is best not to mix different colour temperatures. Keeping the colour balance is crucial for bringing a natural look to the footage.

Filming indoors poses a challenge to the sound team. There are many faces to this. Let us look at them one by one.

A Quiet Set: A indoor set means that any sound the cast or the crew makes can be caught on the recorder. The limited space means maintaining silence as much as possible. One has to also look for background noises. It could be a loss of resources if you film a shot only to find it riddled with background noises during the editing stage unless the background noises are part of your video.
Echo/Reverb: A set that does not have wooden floorboards or carpet provides more surface for the sound to bounce off and create echoes. Echoes can make your video production look amateurish. This can be solved with some cushions, doonas or tapestry to absorb as much sound as possible.
Audio Bundle: Investing in a good audio bundle will also dramatically improve your video quality to a professional level. A wireless or wired lavalier mic is a great addition to your video production. Another option is a directional shotgun mic which is great at picking up sound from the direction it is pointed at.

The setting of your indoor space and your video’s background are crucial elements in any indoor shoot. The background plays a huge role in making your video look amateurish to professional. You can do it at different budget levels.

Plain Background: If you are a little tight on the budget, you can use the available background or add a plain white sheet. This will provide a neutral background to your video.
Green Screen: The most brilliant thing about a green screen is that you can insert anything you want as the backdrop. You can invest in a green screen and use post-production editing software to insert the background you want.
Decorated Set: This is the most professional way to go about a video set is to furnish it and decorate it entirely. This gives you the freedom to create the set that you require. This could cost you much, but if done properly can make your video look highly professional.

The best video production ultimately comes from an excellent crew. It takes an experienced team to determine factors like lighting, space, background, sound, etc., and weave them together in ways that create stunning results. If your organization lacks such in-house expertise, it’s best to hire professional video production companies to do it for you.

Your ideas can come to life in the hands of an efficient team like Cinimage. We are a professional video production company with years of experience and a seasoned team of creatives. Whether indoor or outdoor shoots, our team is happy to provide any filming services you require. Get in touch with us for branded videos, TV commercials, corporate videos, digital ads, and more.