Five tips for filming professional online videos using your smartphone
Don’t spend big bucks working with an expensive videographer to showcase your business in online videos
Making footage shot on your smartphone appear more professional is easy to achieve. I’m sharing my top five filming hacks to instantly make your online videos high-end.
A whopping 84% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a brand's video. Now tell me you don’t need to spend time upping your video skills.
Video is the most valuable marketing tool your business has. It’s visual, has a high engagement rate and you can make your customers & clients feel like they’re sitting in a room with you.
There’s no denying your smartphone is an incredible bit of kit. You can shoot HD & 4K video, broadcast live from anywhere and communicate with your followers.
Few of us know the full potential of these little powerhouses, but when it comes to shooting videos I have five simple rules to maximise my phones’ shooting potential.
“Before you open the camera app you need to decide where you’re posting the video”
Here are my top five tips to elevate your smartphone footage.
1. Decide where you’re posting your video
Before you open the camera app you need to decide where you’re posting the video. That is how you’ll know whether to shoot your video in portrait or landscape.
Hold your phone portrait (vertical) if you’re creating content for Stories or Moments on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter. You also want to shoot portrait if you’re posting to TikTok.
Hold your phone landscape (horizontal) if you’re creating content for: an Instagram grid video, Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, Twitter status or YouTube upload.
2. Think about your setting
The location you choose for filming sets the tone of the video. It screams more about your brand in the first frame than you can say in three minutes.
Once you decide where to film it’s time to set-up your shot. Decide which backdrop of the location is going to be seen on-camera, you only need to tidy & rearrange the section of the room. Remember, if the viewer doesn’t see it, it doesn’t exist!
“...there’s no question that you need to keep the shot steady”
3. Keep your shot steady
Shooting a wobbly handheld selfie video is acceptable for a short video being posted to a Stories or Moment, but if you’re uploading the video for a Facebook page, Instagram grid, LinkedIn page or YouTube channel then there’s no question that you need to keep the shot steady.
You can balance your phone against a plant pot, place it in an empty mug or tape it to the wall. However, I’d recommend investing in a small table top tripod to securely place your phone anyway and be in control of your shot framing.
4. Think about the lighting
Being on top of your video lighting isn’t vanity, it’s a necessity. If the viewers of your videos can’t see you, or your product, then they won’t stick around to watch.
Always favour lighting your location with natural sunlight and avoid using harsh overhead ceiling lights as these cause hideous unflattering shadows. If you need to light the area artificially consider investing in a low cost filming lamp, such as a ring light.
“You have to physically move your phone closer to capture that all important detail”
5. Don’t zoom in
Using the zoom on your smartphone causes the footage to pixelate and look unprofessional. If you need to get a close-up of a subject then you have to physically move your phone closer to capture that all important detail.
Taking your video marketing serious may seem daunting and time consuming. But there’s nothing more fun and rewarding than getting creative, engaging your audience and producing videos you’re proud off.
I’m sharing lots more smartphone filming hacks on my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. If you have a filming problem I’d love to resolve it for you, so get in touch outlining your issue and I’ll give you the fix.
Enjoy getting creative!
