Reddit reviews Julius Studio 6 x 9 ft. / 1.8 x 2.8 M/White Photo Video Photography Studio Fabric 100% Pure Backdrop Background Screen, JSAG103

Your best bet is just doing it yourself using you iPhone and these few items from Amazon. It'll cost you about $100 for these 3 items, but you'll never have to pay someone to do it for you, so its worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Photography-Backdrop-Background/dp/B015YHXHWQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526082839&sr=1-3&keywords=white+photo+backdrop

https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Background-Backdrop-Photography/dp/B072BCNRTY/ref=pd_bxgy_421_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B072BCNRTY&pd_rd_r=3P35Q5G0Z2FWQG3Q4TAK&pd_rd_w=ZQN9c&pd_rd_wg=ReAuO&psc=1&refRID=3P35Q5G0Z2FWQG3Q4TAK

https://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-DK2-Professional-Photography-continuous/dp/B004TSCARK/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1526082936&sr=1-7&keywords=studio+lighting

I think you're over-killing this. My daughter is a professional photographer so I'm somewhat familiar with the needs and requirements.

For less money you can just buy a much lighter gear for this. It will be also more versatile, easier to store and offer the bottom background - all in one.

Example:


https://www.amazon.com/Julius-Studio-Photography-Backdrop-Background/dp/B015YHXHWQ

The Amazon Basics Video tripod (make sure it's the video one with the pan handle) is a good starting point, $23.49. You'll need some sort of iphone to tripod adapter too - they're available at price points from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. No need to overspend if you're just starting out.

I'd recommend you keep that iphone on a tripod at all times - it's so small and light that hand-held footage will be shakey and offputting.

For lighting, assuming you're in a bedroom-sized space then a 3-point photography CFL lighting kit like this will be great. Nice, soft light which will make whatever you're reviewing look good. Cheap too - $46.99

Although I may be biased, I think sound is probably where most of those funds should go. People will happily watch 240p, grainy, blocky, blurry video on youtube but if they can't hear what you're saying then they're gonna switch off.

For piece-to-camera shooting I'd recommend getting a Rode Smartlav for $71.90. You can plug that straight into your iPhone for sync sound recording.

I'd also suggest getting a large-diaphragm microphone for voiceover work - i.e. whenever you're not filming yourself while talking at the same time. The Behringer C1-U is a great budget option that plugs directly into your computer's USB port for recording for $59.99. You'll need something to put it on such as a Suspension Boom ($17.99) and to make sure your audio is clean you'll need a pop filter. ($8.99)

So that's the very basics covered for $157.45 give or take though you can probably get that cheaper if you shop around. That leaves you $242.55 for some more specialist gear...

Depending on what you're reviewing, I'd recommend looking at lightboxes (5-walled cubes that you put the product in to give yourself a white background and even, soft lighting), and a motorized lazy susan (turntable) to give you some interesting options for b-roll.

If you're filming bigger stuff, then a white backdrop would work as well. You could go for something in optical green for chroma keying but keying is a pretty precise art and chances are if you're a total beginner it won't look that great until you really get the hang of it - so go for plain white first.

Chances are you'll still have some money left over after that too... iPhone footage is pretty damn good but you should start putting together a kitty for upgrading to a proper interchanagable lens camera.

Is a backdrop like this any different than a large white piece of fabric that you can buy at walmart or target?