Improve Your Phone Footage
In this video I go in depth with some of the basics of video production and how you can apply it when filming yourself on your phone.
Audio
One of our sayings in the video world is that audio quality is more important than video quality. People are much more likely to tolerate a video with bad video and good audio than a video with good video and bad audio.
Analyze your space for noise and reverb
Reverb is a common problem in amateur videos. Reverb is sound bouncing off multiple surfaces before it reaches your ear. Reverb is more pronounced in rooms with flat, hard surfaces, so a carpeted room with lots of furniture can help. You can also lay blankets or moving pads on the floor.
Also analyze your space for other noises like air conditioning.
Proximity is Key
Being close to your microphone can also help reduce reverb. It increases the ratio of direct voice to the sound of the reverb and noise in the background. A close mic in tandem with a “dry” room (a room without reverb) is audio heaven.
Upgrade with a microphone
An external microphone connected to your phone can really improve your audio quality.
One option is a lavalier mic, a mic that clips on your shirt. This gets the mic nice and close to your mouth, while your body blocks some of the reverb and noise in the room. I bought the Audio-Technica ATR3350 on Amazon several years ago for around $30. This particular model is discontinued, but there’s another version (that looks exactly the same) called the ATR3550xis. It comes with an adapter to plug it into your phone, or you can use it without the adapter to go into a camera.
Another option is a phone-mounted mic like the Rode Videomic Me. This comes in two different versions, one with a 3.5mm plug and one with a lightning plug. This mic has a cardioid pickup pattern, which means it’s more directional and rejects some of the sound from behind it.
The lav mic will probably sound better because of its proximity to your mouth, but the cable could get in the way. The Rode mic is a more streamlined solution, but you still need to get it as close as possible.
Light
Use a large source
The most flattering type of light on the face is “soft light.” With soft light the shadows roll off smoothly. The opposite of this is hard light, in which shadows are clearly defined. These shadows enhance wrinkles and pores, whereas soft light floods light into wrinkles and pores and helps to hide them. Soft light is achieved by using a large light source. Since light rays are coming from a wider area, they’re able to fill in crevices easier. A large light source that most people have access to is a window or a white computer monitor.
Avoid direct window light
Direct light is light coming directly from the sun or another source. Since the sun is a tiny little spot in the sky, this acts as a small source and creates hard shadows.
Instead, you want a window that is in the shade. That way, all the light coming in the window will be indirect, sunlight that is bouncing off the outside environment and entering the window more evenly. Another option is to close the blinds. This way, the sun will hit the blinds, lighting them up and making them one large light source.
Make sure you have enough light
Phone cameras are tiny, which means they’re usually not very good in low light. You’ll typically see noise and loss of sharpness when the camera doesn’t have enough light, so make sure you choose a moderately bright space.
Camera
Look into the lens
You want to look like you’re talking to the viewer. It can be weird to see the person on camera looking just a bit to the side. Try filming yourself looking into the camera and at the screen to see how off-putting it can be.
Framing
One of the biggest mistakes I see amateurs make is leaving too much headroom, or space above their head in the frame. Generally you don’t want the face centered in the image. Instead, imagine two lines separating the image into thirds horizontally and keep the eyes on the upper third line. (Look up the Rule of Thirds if you want to know more.)
The other big mistake is filming vertically. This can work if you’re only sharing on social media, but if your video will be on YouTube or anywhere else, horizontal is always preferred.
Use a tripod
This allows you to use the back camera which is usually higher quality than the front camera. It also allows you to focus solely on delivering your message and be more expressive if you’re a hand talker.
Just remember the point about microphone proximity. The microphone will still need to be close to you to record clean audio. So unless you’re using a lav mic or have the tripod within arm’s length, this might not be the best option.
Conclusion
Hopefully now with these tips at hand you’ll have a better understanding of what goes into a great looking and sounding video. Remember, even though video and audio quality are important, the most important thing to ensure your viewers stay connected is the content. Without interesting or important content, viewers won’t want to watch.