How To Take Quality Video Using a Smartphone or Tablet

Person filming themselves cooking with social media reaction overlay

Ah, video. Something that was once produced with giant camcorders with blank VHS tapes now can easily be created with that tiny thing in your pocket you make phone calls with. Although it may seem simple, there are some tips you can use to make your videos the best they can be. Forget about hiring a professional and create your own video masterpieces!

Review video settings and features before beginning.

Check out your phone. Even if you’ve had it for years now, there could be video settings that you aren’t familiar with that could really come in handy when it comes time to take video of your dog going to town on his squeaky toy. Things like auto focus, lighting adjustments, and more can all be pre-set or set to auto. Play around!

Be aware of your surroundings.

You just got done filming that perfect shot of a customer giving a testimonial , which is always good content to promote your business. They just got done spending three minutes talking about their experience with your company and why they love your products or services. But when you go to play it back, you notice that the noise from the street drowned out your customer’s audio, making the whole video useless and your customer doesn’t feel up to another take. Don’t let that happen to you! Take a beat. Look around and make sure your environment is in a decent state for the video you’re about to take, and that there’s proper lighting.

Film horizontally.

Even us in the marketing world are guilty of this one every now and then. When filming a video, try to always film it with your device horizontal, not vertical. It will open up your shot to capture the moment better, and you’ll have a more satisfying watching experience, especially if you plan to convert these videos in the future or keep them on your computer. Vertical video is okay for social media, but that’s about it.

Start a little earlier than you think and stop a little later.

This sounds a little weird, but if you plan to record someone who has a planned monologue or something similar, make sure to start a couple seconds before they begin and stop a few seconds after they’re finished. You can always cut off dead space after you’re done recording but cutting off the first and/or last words of your video after finally getting the perfect take cannot be un-done.

Need help with quality audio video production for social, your website, or other components of your marketing strategy? We’re here to help! From assisting with videos taken on your cell phone to coordinating and executing full-production video shoots, we’ll help you develop a winning video library for your company. Call us today at 605-716-5666.