Videography, a word that’s often overlooked. Even though it has impacted our lives positively, only a few people know even the basics on filming a good video. If we can just take some of our time to research on how to film great videos using only our phone, we can actually do that as if we were a professional! This guide will help you take your first steps on how to professionally film a video using only your smartphone.
Ever since the dawn of smartphones into our lives, we’ve always been hooked on using it. Even children at a young age are exceptionally good with it! Considered as tap masters since the day they were born, they have little to no difficulty learning where and what apps to go to when they need to. But going back, within that smartphone, there’s an application, a software, that’s so valuable to us that that feature got integrated into almost every smartphone existing in the world. And yes, that’s what you’re here for – the camera!
Wherever you may go, may it be on a long distance trip, a beach vacation, an adventure on the mountains, a local fast food restaurant, or even in the comfort of your own home, your smartphone is almost always with you. (You know that that’s a fact!) And when it’s time for your camera to be put to test, you should always follow these 17 tips to film a great video using only your phone.
Getting Your Phone Ready For Some Action
#1 Clean the Lens
As a neat person (if you’re not, then start being one!), we always need to make sure that our phone’s camera lenses are free from fingerprints and smudges before we film. Using a clean microfiber cloth, clean the area in circular motion for at least 10 seconds or when you see that the camera lens is looking crystal clear. In that way, your video recordings would look better and dirt free!
#2 Activate Airplane Mode
When you film a video, there’s a chance that someone from work, from your friends, and from your family (and even annoying scammers) will attempt to call you in the middle of your filming. If you wish to stop any major distraction or disturbance, you can do so by activating the airplane mode of your smartphone. Do this and you can assure that you won’t receive any disturbance during filming. But remember, tell your loved ones first in case an emergency is gonna happen.
#3 Battery in Optimum Level
When you’re supposed to shoot a video for a long time, your phone’s battery life shouldn’t be overlooked! And even if it’s only for a brief moment, some smartphones won’t operate its camera feature when they’re low in battery. To be on the safer side, with a handy power bank or portable charger, ensure you always charge your phone before you miss any action!
#4 Camera Settings: Video Quality and Frame Rate
You know you want your videos to be in HD. I mean, who wouldn’t? Just make sure you properly set your video quality beforehand to get that great shot you’ll never get tired of watching! Also, don’t forget to optimize that frame rate for the best results! With frame rates higher or equal to 60fps, the awesome-er your videos would be in slow motion!
Technicalities and Techniques
#5 Great Lighting
When you want your videos to look like it’s filmed by a pro, you always need to consider first the lighting for your video. With a great choice in lighting, the message or subject of your video would be clearer to the viewers. And when you play with lighting, consider that curiosity a positive indicator that you’re almost manifesting the videographer within. A bad choice of lighting would result in a mediocre or bad video that can be underwhelming. With some help of manual lighting equipment/tools (lamps, reflector, etc.), your subject gets the well-deserved spotlight!
#6 Always in Landscape Orientation
To get a more professional look to your wonderful video (claim it!), always shoot in a horizontal orientation. As much as possible, avoid doing vertical or portrait videos. (Unless, of course, it’s for TikTok!)
#7 Avoid Zooming
When you zoom in, the quality of your videos goes from great to worse! Smartphone cameras usually aren’t forgiving to zoomed videos or even images (if your smartphone has low specifications). Too much noise on your video would basically render it unpleasant to the eyes of the viewers (yep, including you). To avoid that, simply set the position of your smartphone (not too far and not too close). Consider the distance you want your subject to be in your video. Make it even easier through using grids. Just open your smartphone’s camera settings and then look for Grids or Grid Lines. Activate it and… ta-da! Your smartphone camera will now magically display lines (the square-like things if you know what I mean) that will help you with your subject’s placement on your videos or pictures.
#8 Lock the Focus or Exposure
Smartphones are notorious to auto focus on subjects that may not be the main character in the video. While filming, tap on the point you want to focus on or where your subject is. By doing that, you’re able to adjust the focus and the exposure of your camera – ensuring that your main character has the spotlight on the video! This will give you a great shot towards your subject and ultimately, your video! If the auto focus feature of your smartphone’s camera isn’t really functioning as it’s supposed to be, then be at liberty to manually focus your subjects. This may take more energy from you but it’s worth the effort.
#9 Camera Point of View
Every video conveys a different message. Say you’re on a vacation and you want to film the beautiful mountains, beaches, or surroundings, shooting at a higher altitude or angle would benefit more as it has a wider coverage. (You should and would always want to capture the beautiful surroundings with you!) With the right camera angle and point of view, your audience/viewers would be more indulged and captivated by what you’ve recorded.
#10 Audio from Microphone
It’s not an easy feat to catch audio from your smartphone. First thing you have to remember is to shoot a video in a quiet place. You don’t want to have your subjects compete with the noise in the surroundings. (That’s not ideal and you know that!) Make it easy by using a bluetooth microphone or even connecting a professional mic to your phone with an adapter! Catching what your subject is saying won’t take much effort anymore. If you’re not really keen on investing your money with that, you can try borrowing a second smartphone. That way, you can just put the borrowed smartphone in the subject’s pocket and keep filming your video even though you’re meters away from your subject. It may need some preparation beforehand as your subject needs to wear a suitable top where the borrowed smartphone can be placed. And when it’s time to edit the video, you or your video editor can easily sync the audio with the video. No problemo.
#11 Keep it Steady
It’s pretty common that many of us fail to “get a grip” on this basic technique. (No pun intended.) When filming a video, always use both of your hands to ensure your shot is as steady as a rock! The steadier you are, the better the video will be. Otherwise, expect a light to bad headache for you and your viewers! (Not to mention, your video editor.) Having too much movement is just pretty impossible to watch and to comprehend!
#12 Choose Your Background Wisely
Choosing a good background on a vacation, adventure, or trip can be an easy task. By simply including the beautiful background, your video will captivate the eyes of your viewers. There’s no mistaking what Mother Nature has blessed us with. But if you’re nowhere near nature, aim to look for an interesting place to be the background. By interesting, pick someplace that’s not too boring to watch at even if it’s only for background purposes. Remember, having a story and emitting a vibe are plus points for creativity toward your videos!
Other Tips to Remember
#13 Slow Mo and Time-lapse Effects
Adding a slow motion effect to your videos is an easy way to give your viewers that Wow Factor! On the other hand, time-lapse is perfect for long exposure that’ll certainly add charm to your video! Take advantage of these features to show promising results!
#14 Other Useful Accessories Gimbal Tripod
If you’re looking for better video stabilization, investing on a gimbal or a tripod will never be a mistake! You can do more with your recording while using only one hand to hold your phone.
#15 Double Check Your Recording
Whether it may be a short or a long one, it is best practice to double check your recorded videos. Don’t come home only to find out that your videos have a ton of missed opportunities and bad focus and lighting. If there’s a need, refilm again to perfect that shot!
#16 Plan Your Video
When you have a long day ahead, planning the what and where of your video location is a great asset for directing a story for your video. It doesn’t hurt to prepare ahead of time which parts of a trip, adventure, or vacation would be great for filming!
#17 Check Your Storage
Lastly, never, ever forget to check your storage! Nothing’s worse than knowing you’re already full and you don’t have access to any storage. Keep it a common practice to optimize your storage to avoid this sticky situation.
Editing Your Professionally Filmed Videos
Knowing even the simple things can make your videos look as if they were filmed professionally! And not only that, but the fact that you’re only using your phone! Shooting videos professionally can make a great impact even on a small scale to your life.
If you want to turn your raw footage into something memorable and enjoyable to watch, contact us! VACA.video is a video editing company with a team of professional video editors that knows how to turn your raw footage into something worth your time. Make your memories remembered forever with a video!
