Self-Tape Setup Under $100

1. Wired lavalier mic — about $25. The single biggest quality jump you can buy.
2. Small bi-color LED panel — about $45. One light, positioned well, beats three placed badly.
3. Full-size tripod with phone clamp — about $25. Eye level, locked off.
4. Backdrop — $0. A clean wall in mid-grey, blue-grey, or beige.

That leaves the camera to your phone, which is where the money you saved goes to work: any phone from the last four years out-resolves what casting streams anyway.

Stand about 90 cm from the wall so the backdrop falls slightly out of focus and your shadow lands behind you rather than on the wall. Camera at eye level, two metres away, framed chest-up.

Put the LED panel at 45° to your left or right, roughly at forehead height, angled slightly down. Bounce it off a white wall or ceiling if the light looks harsh.

• 1080p at 30 fps — smaller files, faster uploads, no visible quality loss for casting.
• Lock exposure and focus on your face by tapping and holding.
• Airplane mode on so a call never kills a good take.
• Rear camera, not the selfie camera — better lens, better sensor.

When you have another $150, buy in this order: a second LED panel for fill or background separation, a proper collapsible backdrop, then a wireless lav so you stop taping tethered.