Read time: 4-minutes
We get it, sometimes you need to record a video on your smartphone. Whether you need to send out a quick message to your staff or you want to capture something in the moment. It’s not always feasible to hire a video production company to produce and record a high end videos – and we get that.
Sometimes the best video camera is the one that is available to you. With that being said, there are often many user errors associated with shooting video on your cell phone and we would like to help you eliminate as many of those issues as possible. So here’s three tips on recording the best video possible with your smartphone in 2020:
1. Optimize Your Cell Phone Settings
Recording video on your smartphone isn’t difficult to do, but unless you’ve gone through your settings, your phone probably isn’t optimized to record the best quality possible.
Record at the highest resolution – This is often UHD (Ultra High Definition 3840×2160). Be sure to change this back to HD after you finish shooting, as this file size will take up more storage space on your phone.
Turn off digital zoom – never use an optical zoom on your phone as this will cause you to lose image quality. It’s always better to move the smartphone closer to your subject, rather then doing a digital zoom-in, which will cause an unpleasant pixelation to occur.
2. Framing Your Shot
Okay, you’ve changed the settings on your phone, now it’s time to frame your subject. This is where things tend to go wrong, but with a few small adjustments to your setup, you can make a big difference with your smartphone video.
Clean Your Lens – I know, I know, but it had to be said. You’re constantly touching the lens on your phone and something as simple as a smudge can make your subject look darker or slightly out of focus. Use the lens on the back of your camera too, as it’s better quality!
Shoot Landscape – Unless you’re only shooting this video for instagram stories, you’ll want to hold your cell phone in landscape mode. By doing this, you’ll avoid having those ugly black bars on the left and right of your image and the video will be more aesthetically pleasing.
Hold Still – This is a big one. Quite often we see shaky video footage because phones are so light-weight and awkward to hold. Use a tripod! Cell phone tripods are quite affordable. There’s plenty available on Amazon!
Mind the Lighting – If you want to purchase lights for your video that would be fantastic, but we know that’s not always an option. The next best thing is to use what’s available. If it’s daytime, record near a window with the light hitting your subjects face (avoid backlighting at all costs, as your subject will be appear silhouetted).
Rule of Thirds – It’s our natural tendency to record the subject in the centre of the frame, but this isn’t always the most pleasing visually. Try to keep in mind the rule of thirds when shooting video with your cell phone.
3. Capturing Audio with Your Smartphone
Next to holding your camera steady, the audio quality tends to be the most troublesome aspect of recording videos on your smartphone. Ultimately your phone isn’t designed to record audio from a distance, but there’s a few things you can do to drastically improve your audio recording experience.
Use a Microphone – There’s plenty of options when considering a microphone for your smartphone. You can buy one that hangs off of your phone, or one that can attach to your subjects shirt. These products range from $20 and up, and there’s plenty of options online. Check out the video below for a list of the best options in 2020! Just make sure to double check that the product you’re viewing is compatible with your cellphone as some require a headphone jack.
Control Your Environment – Ultimately, if your subject is standing next to an active construction site, your video isn’t going to sound very good. Try to record in-doors and shut off any needless household appliances or distractions. You’ll also want to keep the phone close to the subject, while keeping in mind our framing tips above.
Use a Second Cell Phone for Audio – A second smartphone is also a great option to increasing your audio quality. The trick here would be to keep the second phone just out of frame, but very close to the subject. You will then record audio at the same time as the first cell phone records the video. You will need to sync the two later during the editing process.
Conclusion
Recording video with your smartphone in 2020 means there’s a lot of options in terms of quality and price. Look around for what works for you. The video quality on cell phones is increasing and it’s important to remember the tips above so you can give your video editor as much as you can to work with. Once you have a great looking/sounding video, your editor can apply anything from graphics, colour correction and audio mixing to make your video that much better. Happy shooting!
