The quality you are getting from your smartphone these days are getting so good that, when shot right makes it difficult to tell apart from more profession cameras. But if you just pull out your phone and start shooting you won’t be taking full advantage of your phone’s video powers!
How to shoot better video with any phone:
- Use a tripod to stabilize your frame.
- Get your microphone close to the subject who is speaking
- Don’t use digital zoom, instead walk towards your subject
Sounds pretty simple right? I know! Let’s break down exactly how we will implement these.
Tip 1: Use a tripod
This is such a simple tip but definitely takes our pick for number one here. There are a few reasons why it is so important to use a tripod to increase the quality of your smartphone video. When you are setting up a tripod you are conscious of what is actually in your shot, this allows you to spend that bit longer framing your shot and focusing on what is and what is not in your shot. The other, more obvious reason, is to stop the shake, shaky footage is not only annoying to watch, but also distracting. Your audience will focus more on your camera’s shake and less on what you are doing.
Tip 2: Get your microphone close to subject
When it comes to the quality of your audio, no matter the microphone, proximity is everything. So the best way to increase the quality of your audio is to get your phone as close as possible to your subject who is speaking. In fact we have any entire article dedicated to recording high quality audio on your phone here.
Tip 3: Don’t use digital zoom
I know how tempting it is, but don’t do it! Don’t digital zoom. When you digitally zoom in on a phone camera what you are doing is scaling up the current image that you have. So then you might ask “Wait, if that’s the case, couldn’t I just do that later when I’m editing the video?” EXACTLY. Digitally zooming in your phone camera will give you the exact same results as zooming into your image in your editing software. Which is pretty terrible if I’m honest. The best thing you can do is move closer or further away from your subject. I know, this takes effort. But trust me on this one, you’ll take me later.
