Visuals for Cheap

Five budget-friendly ways to make your content stand out.

You might not have the budget to get someone to produce your content for you, but that’s no excuse to create boring videos. Here are five ways to make your content stand out:

1. Lens Filters

These things can give a really unique look to your footage. Whether that’s muddying it up or making it crystal clear, it’s gonna stand out. Snag one of these from Moment for around $75.

2. Fog

Fog is a staple of cinematic footage. Don’t overdo it, but a tasteful amount in the air will provide depth for your shot and give your lights some texture. Haze it up with some Atmosphere Aerosol at B&H for $12.

3. Lights

Turn off the damn overhead lights. It looks horrible. Pick up a 2-pack of GVM lights on Amazon and never touch that ceiling fan light switch again.

4. Pre-Production

Don’t just spontaneously shoot during your lunch break. Know your lines, shoot at the right time of day, write a solid script, and plan so you’re not rushed. I would say this is free, but time is money, so not quite.

5. Music & Sound Effects

Quiet b-roll sucks. So throw on a killer track and a handful of juicy sound effects to give your visuals some meat. If you’re making enough content throughout the year, it’s worth getting a subscription to a service like Artlist.

Seriously though, the world has enough mundane content out there, so if you’re shooting on a budget, please use some of these tools to spice it up a bit.