Countless cooking enthusiasts set up makeshift studios inside and outside of their homes with the intention of filming food videos that they'll post online. If you have a passion for cooking and an interest in filming and editing clips of yourself, you may be ready to take the plunge, too. If the primary focus of the videos will be outdoor cooking — grilling and smoking, for example — it can make sense to construct an outdoor kitchen that will serve as your set. The lengths to which you go will largely depend on your budget and your belief in how successful your videos will be, but here are some tips that can help you along the way.
Position Of The Sun
The placement of your outdoor kitchen is as important as how you set it up. One placement-related detail to think about is how the sun hits your yard throughout the day. The sun can be an effective tool for adding light to your outdoor kitchen set, but you don't want it to wash everything out. Choosing a location for your outdoor kitchen that gets some sunlight will be important. For example, you don't want to set up the kitchen where it's surrounded by thick trees that keep the area in the shade.
Look Of The Background
You'll also want to give some thought to the background of your outdoor kitchen, as it will be on full display while you shoot your cooking videos. In many cases, the background will be the side of your home, but you should think about which sections of your home's exterior are most visually engaging. Shooting in front of a sliding door might not work well, because of the glare of the glass and the potential of your family members walking by in the background.
Spots For The Camera
As you're figuring out how you want your outdoor kitchen to look, remember that you'll always need to have your video camera sitting on a tripod a few feet away from you. There are several details to consider when it comes to this topic. For example, if it's raining, are you able to have a sheltered area in which you can place the camera? Or, will you be unable to shoot during inclement weather? If you're going to set up the camera in different spots based on what you're cooking, you need to ensure that there's a suitable location for the camera for each of these shots.