Tips for Producing High-Quality Talking Head Videos with Minimal Effort

How we produce talking head videos on the fly.

If you want to create content quickly and efficiently, here are a few tips to help you get started:

Essential Hardware

• 62” Phone Tripod: This is the best portable smartphone tripod we’ve ever purchased, offering stability and versatility.

• Rode Wireless Go II Dual Channel: Opt for dual channels, allowing you to use two speakers if needed. This wireless mic captures excellent audio, which is crucial for your video’s success.

• iPhone 15: Record using Apple Log for flexible and beautiful color grading in post-production. The iPhone 15 also allows recording directly to SSD, enhancing your video’s quality and ease of editing.

• LightChaser Pro Case: This camera case protects your lenses and allows you to add filters for better shots.

• ND Filters for iPhone: These filters help reduce sunlight for better exposure, especially for outdoor daytime shots.

Recommended Software

Davinci Resolve: Skip Adobe Premiere Pro and go for Davinci Resolve. It’s a one-time purchase and superior in features and usability for its price.

Blackmagic Camera App (for iPhone): This app provides full control over exposure and other settings that the default iPhone camera lacks. We use it for all our recordings.

ProTip: Configure the Blackmagic Camera App to record in AppleLog LT or Proxi to save space while still enjoying the benefits of Log recording.

Envato Elements: Though optional, this subscription service offers a vast library of b-roll, music, and sound effects. It’s useful for enhancing your videos with additional elements.

Shooting the Video

Content

Plan what you want to say and record three or four two-minute versions. Select the best take and delete the others to save time in production.

Lighting

Choose a location with an exciting background and good lighting. Watch the recommended video below for tips on maximizing ambient lighting without additional equipment.

Exposure

Avoid locations with fluctuating lighting conditions (e.g., clouds passing over the sun) to maintain consistent exposure.

Editing

Import and Edit

Bring in your footage, music, and other elements. Create a timeline from the clip of your best take.

Edit out anything that doesn’t add value. Keep it concise by removing unnecessary pauses and fillers. Here’s a good video on modern trends in editing:

Color Grading

Apply your standard color grading node tree. Resolve 19's new film look effect can give your videos a professional finish without extensive color grading skills.

Pro Tip: Spend about 20 hours learning the basics of color grading to build a solid foundation.

Audio

Voice Isolation & Dialog Leveler

Utilize Resolve 19’s AI Voice Isolation and Dialog Leveler tools to remove background noise and enhance audio quality, making your sound professional.

Transcribe Audio

Transcribe the audio with speaker detection turned on.

Select "remove silent portions” in the transcription window.

Read through the transcript, delete it, and correct it as needed. Deleting it from the transcript will automatically edit your clip. The video below shows how to create and edit transcriptions.

Add Subtitles

Use Davinci Resolve’s automatic subtitle creation tool to do this.

Pro Tip: Check out Opus Pro for another way to automatically generate subtitles.

Export and Upload

Choose the YouTube 1080p template for exporting your video (or whatever settings you prefer for different formats), then upload it to social media.

Here’s an example:

Good luck, and happy creating!