How to Film on your Phone
Everyone who wants to film for themselves or their business has the same question when they’re starting out: how do I make it look good?
At Aspire, we support a lot of creators and help them make content of their own. Whether they’re sending their work to us to edit or want to shoot, edit, and distribute on their own, there’s some simple guidelines to follow that will give you a serious advantage.
Keep reading and we’ll go over equipment (hint: it’s your phone!), framing, lighting, and some settings that will take your videos to the next level.
Film with your phone! It’s okay. Really!
When you’re first starting out, start shooting video on your phone. The gear-buying bug will bite you before you know it, we promise. Keep it simple when you’re learning the ropes.
The phone in your pocket is a better video camera than anything we had when we were first starting out. An iPhone’s video quality is amazing compared to many small consumer cameras, like GoPros, for instance.
Shoot with what you have. We’ll give you plenty of tips and tricks to help.
Turn your phone sideways (usually)
If you hand someone your phone on the street and ask them to take a picture, chances are that they’ll keep your phone straight up and down and start clicking away.One of the easiest ways to make your photos or videos better is by turning your phone sideways.
When you turn your phone to landscape orientation (sideways) vs. portrait (up and down), you give yourself the most flexibility.
With horizontal video, you can always “reframe” your video. You can easily do this on your iPhone or in most editing software. Adobe Rush–Adobe’s mobile video editing app–or Adobe Premiere Pro (the desktop version) both let you to reframe your content from horizontal to vertical, allowing you to post your horizontal content correctly on Instagram Reels, TikTok, etc. The biggest advantage of one of these programs over your phone’s native app is that it will track the motion of the subject, allowing for additional flexibility.
If you have the time, there’s nothing wrong with filming twice–once horizontal and once vertical. But if you’re crunched for time, just shoot horizontal.
Always add plenty of room to the left and right of your subject if you think you might want to reframe the video.
The other big thing to remember when you’re framing your shot is to position yourself so there’s plenty of background on the left and right. You can follow the rule of thirds when possible but make sure you give yourself flexibility.
Using the rule of thirds, you’ll usually have plenty of flexibility to crop or reframe your video.
Adjust a setting or two.
Don’t worry if this part is confusing. Your phone is going to pick settings that will get you good content most of the time. There’s just a couple things to look out for that will make quality just a little bit better, whether we’re receiving your files or you’re editing yourself.
If you’re filming day-to-day stuff, 1080p is perfectly fine. Don’t get caught up in “needing” 4K video. It just means more headache to transfer and edit.
For frame rate, consider either 24fps or 30fps, depending on which one your phone offers.
And one more for our iPhone users (everyone at Aspire…): for video work that’s destined to be delivered to us or put in editing software in general, disable “HDR Video”. The file it gives you is an overexposed version that requires tweaking in your editing software.
Choose the best light you can.
Whenever possible, try to use natural light. If you’re inside, get close to a window and look towards it, so that the light is coming in towards your face. Otherwise, you risk being backlit. You’ll look like a giant shadow while the window will look perfectly natural.
Lighting will never be perfect. Use what you have a frame when you need to.
Another good idea is to pick a secluded outdoor spot for your video. A local greenway, walking path beside your office building, or your back porch are good locations too.
Quiet but not too quiet.
One more thing while you’re picking your location: find somewhere that’s quiet. Don't run and hide in the quietest room you can find, though.
When you’re choosing a location for authentic, approachable video, an echoing room or loud air conditioning vent will be far more distracting than a car driving by for a few seconds or the birds chirping.
Every editing software has a noise reduction feature. We’ll use that to tidy things up–and it’s easier to do that than try and fix an echo or constant hum.
Two-to-three takes MAXIMUM, then send it!!
The easiest trap you’ll fall into is chasing perfection. Remember: you aren’t a professional actor. You aren’t a filmmaker. You don’t have a fancy crew, script, or lighting.
Nobody expects you to. When filming your own video, especially starting out, you want to film for authenticity.
It’s fine to take two to three takes to get used to things and reduce those “ums” and awkward pauses. After that, though, run with it.
If you’re sending files to us, we usually use either Google Drive or Dropbox. When you’re uploading files, make sure to choose the highest quality you can each time.
End of the day, have fun with it.
If you’re considering doing video, regardless of your goals, the best thing you can do is be consistent about it. Part of making consistency easier is having fun with it.
In the beginning, you’ll fumble. You’re being brave and trying something new! Just shoot, learn, and always be willing to adapt.
We hope these tips help you out. Questions? Contact us today.
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Aspire is a full-service marketing agency based in Blacksburg, Virginia. Our goal is to build our community through impactful storytelling, exceptional marketing services, and care for southwest Virginia. Our team is committed to this goal and always ready to support new endeavors. In addition to these educational articles, we also provide full video production support through our in-house team.
