So you want to make awesome safety training videos?
Maybe you just took our course and are looking to get started. You're in the right place!
This blog post was written as a guide to help you start making awesome safety training videos without overwhelming yourself with gear and equipment. We've focused on user-friendly, budget-friendly gear that will get you what you need without spending a lot of time learning to use a new system.
It's a good start that takes into account the busy schedules of safety professionals, simplicity and small budgets.
Cameras
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If you have a professional level camera, DSLR, GoPro, or even your iPhone, that's enough to get started. You don't need to invest in a new camera right away.
In fact, your smart phone most likely has a 4K camera, often the videos that are used for training are 1080 px, so you'll already have enough resolution to get going.
Not only that, but since our phones are always in our pockets, we can be ready to get great shots at any time. That includes cinematic mode, time lapse, slo-mo, features and more.
If you haven't yet, check out what your phone may have to offer!
For these reasons, I recommend you don't go out and buy a new camera right away but wait and see what you'll actually need. If you decide you do want to upgrate, here are some nice options.
| Camera for Recording Yourself On-the-GO: | DJI Pocket 2 | |
| Camera I use in my office studio: | Sony ZV-1 II | |
| Versatile sport cam: | GoPro HERO11 | |
| Compact drone for aerial shots (I suggest the Fly More combo with any drone. You'll need extra batteries. With this model, having the screen built-in and not needing to use the phone is a real plus): | DJI Air 3 |
If you eventually decide to get a new DSLR or other type of camera, do your research and choose the one that best fits your needs.
It's better to practice with some simpler versions first so you can determine what will be the best fit for you.
Microphones
The one thing a simple camera won't have is a good microphone. Good sound quality is crucial to learner engagement.
I have bought the bargain-version of microphones before and they let me down every time. They'd work for a few months and then stop working while filming and I'd end up re-doing work. Often the sound quality was passable, but not great.
With sound equipment, you can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars. What I've found is the most versatile and provides the best quality while also being simple are these RØDE mics. They are reliable, have a long battery life and record great quality audio. We use these and DJI's on job sites everywhere.
I recommend these microphones over other styles of mics because if you are working on active site, there will be a lot of background noise and recording sound as close to the person speaking as possible is crucial.
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Mics to Pair with Smartphones: |
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Mics to Pair with Your Camera: |
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| Mics to Pair with Your Camera: | ||
| Recording in your office: | RØDE NT USB+ |
Lighting Equipment
Lighting can be very tedious and take a lot of time.
The easiest way to improve lighting while talking on camera is with an inexpensive ring light or light panel. You can get these for your camera, webcam, smartphone, and more.
Your ring light will also serve as a tripod for your camera or smartphone. I have tried several but found the one listed below to be far and above the best quality and a joy to use.
A good quality light panel is also great for hooking onto your camera, creating interesting lighting using colors, and just overall, a very versatile tool to have in your creator's toolkit.
If you decide to get a lighting kit, start with a good beginner and upgrade if needed. I still use my old lights that I got off Amazon. They've endured abuse on jobsites but have been reliable.
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Light panel for your streaming & vlogging: |
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Ring light for Desktop: |
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Lumecube ring light: |
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| Light panel with multi-colors: | LED Camera Light | |
| Starter lighting kit: | Studio lighting and backdrops | |
| Some of my favorite lights: | Bi-color video lights |
Tripods & Camera Stabilization
Simple and versatile is best when it comes to camera stabilization.
You want equipment that will enable you to do still shots in tricky situations (think confined space, lockout tagout, etc.), and gimbals to help you get some nice motion shots.
You can get this equipment to hold either your smartphone or a camera. If you're using a phone, I've put the adapter at the top of the list.
Additionally, it's best to have a lightweight tripod for when you're going to have to carry it and a heavyweight tripod for when you need more fine adjustments and to hold up heavier items like teleprompters.
| Smartphone adaptor for tripods: | Metal phone mount | |
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Flexible Tripod: |
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| Lightweight tripod for camera | Tripod | |
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Lightweight 62” Tripod for Phone or Camera: |
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Gimbal for phone: |
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| Gimbal for camera: | DJI Gimbals |
Data Management
We talk about data management in the course because it's critical to editing.
One of the biggest decisions is whether to use an SSD or an HDD hard drive. I recommend using and SSD when you are actively editing and backing up to an HDD.
| SSD: | Solid State Drive | |
| HHD: | HHD External Hard Drive |
Teleprompters
If you want to follow a specific script, a teleprompter can scroll through your script for you using a tablet or a smartphone.
You will need an app for your device. I use the PromptSmartPro app but most are fairly similar.
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Teleprompter to use with laptop/desktop: |
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Full-size teleprompter: |
Music
Music sets the tone for the video. Although it’s not necessary to have music, if you want a more creative video, here are some options to get royalty-free music.
Do not use music you do not have the rights to use.
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Free YouTube Music library: |
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Epidemic Sound Membership: |
Editing Software
If you can create simple videos, editing yourself can be easy and fast. But if editing is just not your thing, consider UpWork or Fiverr to hire freelancers.
If you will be editing your videos yourself, I suggest going with the most prevalent programs out there so you can always find plenty of tutorial and help online to gain any extra skills you want.
Here are my 3 favorite programs:
iMove
Final Cut Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro
Great luck making videos! We hope you enjoy our course 'How to Make Awesome Safety Training Videos'!
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