You do not need a studio. You need one corner that always works, and a way to solve the three real problems of filming in a Spanish flat: the blinds, the echo from hard floors and the summer heat.

Pick one corner and keep it

Find the spot in your home where window light comes in without direct sun and where the background does not distract. A plain wall, a tidy shelf, a light curtain.

Mark on the floor where the tripod goes and where you stand. A fixed set saves you twenty minutes per shoot and makes all your pieces look consistent, which is exactly what a brand wants to see in a portfolio.

Blinds, your best ally

The Spanish blind is a lighting tool nobody exploits. Lowering it halfway softens the brutal midday sun and gives you beautiful directional light.

Try three different positions and keep the one that lights your face best. It is free and replaces a fifty euro diffuser.

Echo from tiled floors

Spanish flats have hard floors, high ceilings and little fabric. The result is an echo that ruins the audio and that no brand accepts.

Free fixes: film in the room with the most textiles, put down a rug, open the wardrobe and leave it full of clothes behind the camera. And the fix that does cost but changes everything: a lavalier microphone.

Heat and noise

In summer the air conditioning hums and the fan is audible in the recording. Switch them off during the take and film in short stretches.

And one neighbourhood reality: between three and five there is less street noise in many cities. Use that if you live on a busy road.

Small spaces, solved

If the flat is small, film closer and use detail shots. Most UGC works better that way: hands, product, face, not wide shots of the living room.

A tripod with an overhead arm for filming on a table multiplies what you can do in two square metres.

The real minimum kit

A phone with a good camera, a tripod, a lavalier microphone, a white fabric and a small LED light. That is enough to invoice. Everything else is optional and can wait for the third client.

Where to go next

A fixed, reliable set is what lets you deliver fast and charge properly. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator covers the rest of the craft.