Okay, so you know I’m always messing around with tech in my house, right? Well, recently I got it into my head that I needed to figure out what’s up with Cris Collinsworth’s home setup. I mean, that guy is everywhere, and his broadcast setups always look super clean, so I was like, “I gotta see if I can get even a sliver of that!”
First, I started by just Googling around. Stuff like “Cris Collinsworth broadcast setup,” “Collinsworth home studio,” and “how does Cris Collinsworth film at home.” Nothing super specific came up, just the usual articles about his broadcasting career and some mentions of his PFF (Pro Football Focus) stuff.
Then I thought, okay, maybe I’m overthinking it. It’s probably just good lighting and a decent camera. So, I started experimenting with my own stuff. I grabbed my webcam, which is a Logitech Brio (pretty standard, I guess), and started playing with the placement. I tried putting it directly in front of me, a little off to the side, even up high looking down. Nothing looked quite right.
Next up was lighting. This was a headache! I tried a ring light I had lying around, but it made me look washed out and kinda ghostly. Then I tried just using the natural light from my window, but depending on the time of day, it was either too bright or way too dark. I ended up grabbing two cheap softboxes from Amazon. They were like 40 bucks each, but they made a HUGE difference. I positioned them at 45-degree angles to my face, and suddenly I didn’t look like I was broadcasting from a dungeon.
Audio was another beast. I initially tried using the built-in mic on my webcam, but the sound was echoey and just plain bad. I remembered I had an old Blue Yeti microphone in a drawer, so I dug that out. Plugging that in immediately improved things. I messed around with the gain settings and eventually got it sounding pretty decent. I also added a pop filter (another cheap Amazon purchase) to cut down on those harsh “p” and “b” sounds.
After all that fiddling around, I’m still not at Cris Collinsworth level, obviously. I mean, that guy probably has a whole crew setting up his stuff! But I did learn a lot about lighting and audio, and my Zoom calls definitely look (and sound) a lot better now. I even started recording some short videos for my friends, just messing around. It’s kinda fun, actually.
Here’s a quick rundown of the stuff I ended up using:
- Webcam: Logitech Brio
- Microphone: Blue Yeti
- Lighting: Two cheap softboxes from Amazon
- Pop Filter: Generic pop filter from Amazon
I know, it’s nothing super fancy, but it works! And honestly, the biggest thing I learned is that good lighting and decent audio can make a HUGE difference. So, if you’re looking to improve your home setup, that’s where I’d start.
Next Steps?
I am considering getting a better backdrop. Right now, I’m just using a blank wall, which is kinda boring. I’m thinking about maybe getting a green screen so I can add some cool backgrounds, or maybe just a nice-looking bookshelf. We’ll see! Anyway, that’s my Cris Collinsworth-inspired home setup journey. Hope it helps someone out there!
