Thinking about Your Video Environment

The requirements of a video studio are very similar to an audio studio. You want a nice quiet location, with plenty of power. Video studios also require good ventilation, because lights generate lots of heat. You also should find a space with a high ceiling, both for the ventilation and for the lights. Surprisingly, it's best to find a space without windows.

Power
The big power draw in video production is the lighting. Most lighting kits have three lights, with bulbs that are in the 500 to 1,000 watt range. For every thousand watts, you're pulling about an amp of current out of the wall. A three-point lighting kit can easily be pulling over three amps. So you need to make sure that you've got at least a 10-amp circuit going to your studio, because the audio, video, and computer gear also are going to need power. The last thing you need during your podcast recording is for the power to go out.

Ventilation
The bulbs used in lighting kits are fairly inefficient. Much of the energy they're burning up is given off in the form of heat. Point three lights at someone, and you're basically slow cooking them. Your video studio must have adequate ventilation, or you'll end up having to take breaks every 15 minutes to cool off.

One problematic side effect of ventilation is noise. Commercial HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems are not installed with noise in mind. They hiss, rumble, and rattle all day long, which obviously is a big problem for the audio production. If you're lucky enough to be able to custom-build a space for your needs, be sure to let the contractor know that you need sound attenuation built in to the systems. HVAC noise can be reduced in many ways. It isn't cheap, but if you're building a studio from scratch, you may as well do it the right way.

Light
Because video production is all about light, gaining control over your lighting is paramount for high-quality video production. Controlling the light involves not only where the light is directed, but also the color and quality of the light. For example, you don't want to mix different types of light sources, such as fluorescent and incandescent light. You also don't want to mix sunlight with artificial light. For this reason, it's best to have a video studio with no windows so you don't have to worry about sunlight. Windows also are a notorious source of noise, which is another reason to avoid them.