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How to Make a Cooking Video – Overview
How to make a cooking video – Do you have a passion for cooking? Have you ever thought about sharing it through a vlog?
Like those cooking videos you see on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms but don’t know where and how to start?
Well, let me tell you, you don’t need to be an expert in video editing or videos in general to start creating cooking videos. Here are some tips and things that you’ll need to get started.
5 Things You Will Need to Start Making Cooking Videos
1. First and foremost, you’ll need a camera. Ideally, 2 cameras. If you own a DSLR camera, that will be perfect.
A flip-screen camera can give you a big advantage, as you can easily see what’s being recorded in real-time. But if you don’t have one, that’s no problem.
You can use your phone; just make sure the quality is great and make sure that you’re shooting at a 1080p setting minimum. Here is a handpicked list of the best cameras for cooking videos.
The Canon 6D Mark II is a popular camera for creating cooking videos, offering good image quality and performance.
2. You will also need a tripod. This will help you have a stable video while you shoot. Avoid handheld shots to ensure stability; instead, use a tripod for smooth and professional-looking videos. There are tripods for DSLRs, as well as tripods for phones.
3. You’ll need lights. One thing that discourages a viewer from watching a video is having dark, badly lit scenes.
Many Lighting Kits are available online if you’re serious about shooting at home. You can also do an inexpensive setup.
Use soft LED or CFL bulbs; light stands, or clip-on lights for even and diffused lighting. You can try a DIY method for softboxes by covering a lamp with wax paper for diffused lighting. However, ensure it does not pose a fire hazard. The one thing you don’t want for these videos, especially for close-ups, is hard light. Otherwise, you’ll get harsh shadows.
4. Mic, I think this is optional, but if you want to, you might want to get a boom that you can hang over what you’re cooking so it can pick up the sound.
If you don’t record audio, you can add music during editing. For clear sound quality, consider microphones best for cooking videos, like the Rode VideoMic or similar options.
5. Video Editing Application. There is free software available. iMovie (free) for MAC, Windows Movie Maker is no longer supported, but you can use Windows Photos for basic video editing on PC, or Filmora Wondershare Editor (inexpensive and easy to use for beginners, for MAC & PC)
6 TIPS for the Production of Cooking Videos:
Once you’ve acquired all these, here are a few tips on making quality, helpful cooking videos that will be successful online.
1. Camera Setup. You must do two shoots if you plan to include yourself or the chef in the video. One will be from an angle focused on the chef.
Second, there are close-up shots of the food being prepared and cooked. One of the most popular angles is the top view angle you usually see online, such as the ones done by Tasty.
If you make your edits seamless enough, it can look like the two shots work together in real-time.
Or you can simply do a top-down view, giving your viewer a close-up look at everything happening. In the background of the video, you can add narration or simple instructional text.
2. Have a clean and organized workspace. One of the biggest proponents of these videos is good set dressing. You don’t want a dirty cooking surface. You want cool, clean things to attract people to watch your videos.
3. Colors. Cooking videos feed the eyes of their viewers, and the goal is to make them crave and want to create your dish.
So, it’s important to keep the aesthetics of your ingredients and overall meal in mind. If you’re creating a dish with very pale ingredients like creamy pasta, try garnishing it with herbs or shrimp, and use a colorful plate to put it on afterward.
Set the white balance on your camera before filming to ensure accurate color representation.
The easiest way to do this is to hold up a white sheet of paper and adjust the white balance until the paper looks white.
4. What you wear is important. Avoid wearing shirts with loud prints or plain white, as they may clash with the background or distract from the food. You want your viewers to focus on the food, not your outfit. Try wearing a bright but solid-colored outfit instead.
5. Remember that video of a moist cake being sliced, a burger oozing with cheese and a mouth-watering patty, or gooey chocolate being drizzled on a dessert?
You need to have that. Make every shot as appetizing as it can be. You want people’s mouths to water when they watch your recipes being made!
6. Captions. I also watch cooking videos and one thing I appreciate the most is if the ingredients are written on the video.
Also, if you’re already typing in words to your videos, adding subtitles can be a big help, especially for those who have a hearing impairment.
Now that you have a good idea for making a cooking video, it is time to start creating. Grab your ingredients, prep your kitchen, and start cooking. But don’t forget to turn on that camera!
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