Filming in Germany usually means high ceilinged period flats, roller shutters and a winter in which daylight ends at half past three. Three conditions that shape the setup.

Old buildings and reverb

High ceilings and sparse furniture sound wonderful for living quality and terrible for audio. Reverb is the most common sound problem in German period flats.

The fix costs nothing: film in the room with the most fabric, so the bedroom rather than the living room. A bed, a rug and curtains absorb more reverb than any software can remove.

The roller shutters

Present almost everywhere, and they create either hard raking light or stripes across the face. All the way up and diffused with a pale curtain, or all the way down with artificial light. The middle option is the worst choice.

The winter

From November to February only a few hours of daylight are genuinely usable, and the sky is frequently overcast. Anyone delivering regularly in winter cannot avoid an LED panel: around 60 euros, placed in front of you and slightly raised, makes you independent of the clock.

In Germany that is the only equipment purchase I would recommend before your twentieth video.

The corner that always works

In front of the largest window, neutral wall behind you, in the room with the most fabric. Find it once, measure it, reuse it for every video. That saves twenty minutes of setup per shoot.

Rest of the technique: rear camera, 1080p at 30 frames, 9:16, phone at eye level, focus and exposure locked, flight mode.

For the full method, read filming UGC at home.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does my flat sound echoey?

High ceilings and hard surfaces. Film in the room with fabric.

When is an LED panel worth it?

In Germany, at the latest in your first winter with regular orders.

Half close the shutters?

Never. Fully up with a curtain or fully down with artificial light.

Do you need a microphone?

A twenty euro lapel mic is the second sensible purchase.