Source: Pexels.com – @vanessa-garcia
Videography is not exclusive anymore to professionals, thanks to the massive phone usage in society. Everyone tries to make the best videos for the world to see. If you’re interested in that as well, make sure you check out these tips to shoot captivating videos only with your phone.
Adjust your camera setting
High-quality videos are surely achievable, yet you probably need to adjust your camera setting beforehand. Before shooting videos, set your phone camera to its highest resolution. Different phones have different specifications, so go to the settings and choose the highest one. Some phones may even have the ability to shoot videos in 4K resolutions, allowing you to produce crystal-clear HD videos.
Frame rate is also one of the most important aspects of videography. Adjusting this may result in smoother, more cinematic videos. It’s a whole topic to get deeper into, but 60 fps might be a good start for newbies. Another thing to pay attention to is exposure. Most phones let you alter the video’s brightness—get the right amount of light by adjusting it before you hit record.
Movement matters
You probably notice that in movies, the cameras do not always record from one spot. Instead, they pan and move around according to what the scene needs. It’s good to apply this to mobile videography as well. Taking advantage of various camera movements might make your video way more appealing for the viewers. It can be tricky since phones are smaller and lighter than professional video cameras. Yet, it’s definitely learnable to get better shots.
Also, no one likes shaky videos. And it’s really bound to happen since we support our phones with our hands, which are not the most stable thing out there. Hence, it’s crucial to learn how to hold our phones steadily while shooting videos. You can pinch your phone on its four corners with your fingertips. If this is not achievable, especially due to hand tremors, you can always get equipment made for this.
Source: Pexels.com – @george-milton
Include a subject
It might be tempting to shoot an all-landscape video showing off the view in front of you, especially while you’re travelling to a scenic place. You can do that! But here’s a small tip for you: include a subject in your video to make it more interesting. When the camera is following something (either a person or anything else), it seems like you’re trying to tell something to the audience. Storytelling captivates people to keep watching.
Besides that, phones these days have multiple kinds of cameras in one device. Some phones can include wide, ultrawide, macro, and telephoto lenses all at once. This gives you the option to explore what each lens can do. You can utilize this by changing your focal points throughout the scene. It might help enhance the storytelling of your video.
Mess around with other modes
Your phone probably has more camera modes than you realize. Why not use them for creating more engaging videos? Start with exploring the slow-motion feature. Making use of this mode will help you in taking more dramatic shots for your video.
Another feature you can try is the timelapse mode. This feature comes in handy when you want to picture the gradual change of a place. Simply put your phone on a tripod in the desired location and hit a record. You will get a glimpse of how the objects in your video move and change really fast.
Get supporting equipment
Sure, your phone is enough to record good videos. However, when it comes to producing proper high-quality videos, you might need a little bit of extra help. There are numerous mobile videography accessories you can get to enhance the quality of your videos. You can buy a tripod for more stable shots, for instance, or an external microphone to get cleaner audio.
With the proper equipment, the quality of your video production can quickly improve. This really helps with the post-production phase. Editing good takes is way easier than trying to fix bad ones. Browse the web to explore the available phone videomaking gadgets for your needs.
Source: Pexels.com – @pok-rie-33563
Choose the right to orientation
When you seek advice on mobile videography, most people will tell you always to shoot horizontally. While this is not completely wrong, it’s not 100% true either. This particular advice comes from how videos are generally enjoyed on many devices: TVs, laptops, or tablets. Shooting horizontally allows your videos to be more versatile in different gadgets.
However, more and more people enjoy video content from their smartphones, and often vertically. Moreover, the rising competition of content creators in social media platforms like Instagram or Tiktok forces them to make better quality videos. So, if social media is your target, shooting vertically might be more suitable for your needs. Choose accordingly.
Lighting is key
Lighting is an inseparable part of making videos. You need to pay attention to the lighting surrounding the set while you’re recording. Different lighting can create different ambiences, and no lighting is definitely a no-no.
If you’re shooting a video outdoor, try to record in ‘magic hours’: a few hours after sunrise and before sunset. These hours have the best lighting you can get for your videos. If you have people in the scene, make sure to keep them in the shade. When you shoot indoors, make sure your subject is close enough to any source of light. For example, you can record near a window with natural lights or prepare proper lighting equipment like a ring light.