Internal Memory (Recording Device)

Some video recording devices such as smartphones will have some internal storage available which will process and store your footage. 

It is important to make sure you have enough space available to record your desired video quality and duration. 

It is often also necessary to then transfer your video footage onto a seperate device for editing or storage. This might involve transfer cables, SD card slots or readers, or cloud transfer options. 

SD Card / Micro SD Card

SD cards are used to record photo and video images on the majority of cameras.

Android smartphones often have a slot for a micro SD card which can be used to expand the amount of memory available for recording photos and videos. 

The amount of storage available, measured in GB (Gigabites) is important to make sure you have enough space to record your video footage. 

In addition to the size, you also have to ensure your SD card is the right speed to film at the quality you are intending.

You may also need an SD card reader or micro SD card adapter in order to transfer footage onto your video editing device / storage device. 

Internal Memory (Editing Device)

You will need to ensure you have sufficient space available on your editing device. 

The process of editing can generate a high number of processing files called 'render files' in addition to your original video footage. 

You will need to ensure you have excess space available to account for this. 

If you do not have sufficient space available, you may need to purchase an external hard drive to allow you to process and store your footage. This options will not be suitable if youe editing device is your spartphone or tablet. 

You will not be able to edit from cloud storage, our internet speeds are still a long way away from being able to handle video processing. 

Flash Drive

Flash drives can be used to transfer video footage between computers, provided they're compatibly formatted, or for storing backups of your footage or finished projects. 

They are not suitable for editing due to they slow processing speeds. 

Backing up your footage

It is important that you get into the habit of backing up your files in more than one place both throughout your filming process and for your finished pieces. 

Footage can be backed up on the internal storage of your devices, on flash drives, SD Cards, external hard drives or via cloud storage platforms. 

External Hard Drive

External hard drives function the same way as the internal hard drive of your laptop or desktop computer. 

As such they can be utilised to assist with your editing process if you do not have enough space available on your device, or if you are using a computer that you do not own for editing. 

Make sure you check if the hard drive you choose is compatible with USB 3.0 or USB C or both to make sure that you purchase a hard drive which is compatible with the computer ports you have available. You can get adapters, but adding more links to the chain can result in unstable connections. 

Small capacity hard drive sizes are the most inexpensive, but you can often get double to storage for an extra €10-15 so it's worth checking for a good deal.

Brands I would recommend for both function and economy are WD, Toshiba, Seagate, G-Drive, Lacie and Samsung.

You can source these brands in local stores such as Argos, Currys, Compu B, Harvey Normans, etc, but are usually the least expensive on Amazon.

External Hard drives do not always arrive ready to use with your individual computer system, it may need to be re-formatted prior to use. Please see Hard Drive and Flash Drive Formatting for more information on how to complete this process.