My setup is smaller than people expect. I spent a long time thinking I needed more equipment when what I actually needed was better light in one spot. Here's everything I use, and the things I bought that turned out not to matter.
One big soft light, not three small ones
The single biggest upgrade I ever made was going from a ring light to one large softbox off to the side. Ring lights give you that flat, even, slightly clinical look — everything lit, nothing shaped. They're popular because they're forgiving, but forgiving and flattering aren't the same thing.
A big source at roughly forty-five degrees gives you shadow, and shadow is what makes a face look like a face instead of a sticker. You want the light high enough that the shadow under your nose points down rather than sideways.
The rule that made it click for me: the bigger the light source relative to you, and the closer it is, the softer the shadows. A small light far away is harsh no matter what you spend on it. A big light close is soft even if it's cheap. Distance and size, not price.
If you only have a window, use the window. Sit facing it at a slight angle on an overcast day and you have better light than most of what you can buy.
The cheap thing that mattered most
A white foam board from a craft store. Three dollars. I prop it on the opposite side from the light to bounce a little fill back into the shadow.
It does most of what a second light would do, it never needs a battery, and it doesn't add another stand to trip over. Move it closer for a softer, more even look, further away to keep the contrast moody. That one board gives you a whole dial to turn.
White bounces neutrally; silver is punchier but can get harsh; gold warms everything and I've never liked it on skin. White is the one to get.
Sound is half of video
People forgive a slightly soft image. They do not forgive bad audio — they leave. A cheap lav clipped just out of frame beats a good camera mic across the room every time, because the mic distance matters more than the mic price.
I also close the window and turn off the fan. Room noise you stop hearing in person is extremely loud in a recording. Fridges, air conditioning, a laptop fan spinning up — all of it lands in the file and none of it comes out cleanly afterwards.
Soft furnishings help more than you'd expect. A rug, a bed, curtains — a room with fabric in it sounds dramatically better than a bare one. Empty rooms with hard walls give you that hollow echo that immediately reads as amateur.
The background is part of the shot
I keep mine simple and slightly out of focus, with one or two things in it that have some depth. A completely bare wall looks flat and a little sad; a cluttered one pulls attention away from you.
Get some distance between yourself and the wall if you can. Even a metre of separation stops you looking pasted onto it, and it lets the background fall softly out of focus.
Whatever's back there, check it before you film. I have shot an entire clip with a drying rack in frame more than once.
What I don't have
No teleprompter, no gimbal, no second camera. I have a tripod, a light, a bounce board, and a very patient cat who thinks the tripod is for him.
I did buy a second light early on and it sat in a box for months. Two lights is a real skill, and until you can make one look good, the second one mostly gives you two problems instead of one.
If you're starting out: one good light, one quiet room, and something to bounce with. Everything after that is a nice-to-have, and most of it can wait until the basics genuinely stop being the limiting factor.