5 Tips for Foolproof Smartphone Videos

Yes, DSLRs are great to have - you can change lenses and they have a bunch of different settings so you can really control what you are filming. But what if the only camera you have, the camera you are going to use, is the one in your back pocket? Your phone!

In this video I’m going to share 5 tips for filming on your phone that will help you level up your videography. All 5 tips can be applied to both android and iphones. And you don’t need to pay for any filming apps. All you need to use is the native camera app on your phone. 

No one will ever know you aren’t recording on a dslr with a giant lens that costs thousands of dollars. You are going to look like a pro.

(Although feature films have been shot on smartphones. Seriously. Look up the movie Tangerine. They used an iPhone 5S and it screened at Sundance in 2015.)

Tip number 1 - how to get high resolution, or quality, and selecting frame rate, or frames per second. 

Most cameras will give you the option of shooting in either 720p, 1080p, or 4k. You are going to want to select either 1080p or 4k.

You are also going to have several frame rate options - 24, 30, and 60. 60 frames per second will give you smoother motion but requires more light when you record. 24 frames per second is the most cinematic choice - it’s the frame rate feature filmmakers use. 30 frames per second is a good choice for uploading to someplace like YouTube, and honestly, it is very hard to tell the difference between 24 and 30 frames per second.

Tip number 2 - turn on grid lines in settings

In photography and videography there is a composition rule called the rule of thirds. This says that placing your subject in the right or left third of the frame will make for a more compelling image. These grid lines will help remind you of this rule.

Or if you are using your camera to record yourself, you can use the lines to place your face in exactly the same place every time you sit down to record.

Tip number 3 - lock your exposure and focus

When you set up your shot and get everything in focus and exposed exactly as you like, you can lock your choices by tapping and holding on your screen. 

Having your exposure and focus change as you move your camera around is a big tell that you are using your phone and perhaps aren’t a professional. Locking your exposure and focus will allow you to focus on the content that you are recording - the stuff you are the expert in - without having to worry about what your camera may be doing.

Tip number 4 - record in landscape orientation

When you are recording a video, you want to film in landscape. 

Always.

Film in landscape.

Please.

Turn your phone.

Turn it turn it turn it.

When I made videos for a big tech company out in Seattle, sometimes people would have to record themselves on their phones and send it to us to include in something like a holiday greetings video that was going department wide. We would tell people ahead of time to record in landscape. Then we’d include it in the written communication - please record in landscape. And inevitably we would get multiple videos from people  who I assume had either forgotten or didn’t realize the importance of orientation and recorded in portrait. 

Don’t be those people. Be the expert. Be the pro. 

Turn your phone.

Tip number 5 - do not use the digital zoom

Using the zoom feature on your phone will result in a lot of pixelation. In order to keep the crisp image you want for your video, don’t be afraid to simply move closer to your subject.

And that’s it! Those are 5 easy tricks for filming on your smartphone so you can focus on your own content!

Leave a comment below and share your smartphone tips and tricks. If you’d like to see more, I hope you’ll subscribe.

Until next time! Thanks for watching! 

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