“How do I make a good video?”
Making a video is easy. Making a good quality video is easier said than done.
“Where should I set up my camera?” “What equipment would I need?” “How can ensure I the sound is audible?”
Do you find yourself frequently asking questions along these lines when trying to make a good video? Well, you’re in luck. Close all your tabs, because we’ve got the answers you’ve been looking for all this while!
Here are 3 essential steps to creating a professional-looking video with your iPhone! All you need to do is follow the guidelines as stated and you’ll discover it to be a smooth and straightforward process.
What do I need?
- An iPhone
The quality may not turn out to be as good as a DSLR camera, but guess what, it works well enough. Most importantly, you might already have it! - An audio recorder
Of course, a professional microphone would be the best option here. However, read on to find out how you can record decent audio with another iPhone, and a earpiece (with a built-in mic). - A tripod
Say what you want about steady hands. We hold high regard for a tripod. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one, but as long as it essentially stabilises your camera, you’re good to go!
Step 1
Choosing a location.
We put this on the top of the list simply because we strongly believe that the surrounding environment of whatever you intend to shoot speaks volumes as to whether your subject matter stands out nicely or not. So, pick a nice spot where no unsightly distractions ‘pollute’ the frame.
Examples of bad locations:
Untidy wires on the right, unpleasant card-boxes above the subject.
Back facing the primary light source, causing the subject to appear dark.
Strong echoes and traffic noise.
If your company possesses a wall displaying your logo, or an awards display, it would be ideal to use them as a backdrop for your video!
TIP*: You can auto lock the exposure on the iPhone and adjust it with the ‘sun’ icon that appears. This allows the shot to constantly be in focus.
Step 2
Get. A. Tripod.
Let’s face it. Despite the image stabilisation feature that the latest iPhones have, your video is still susceptible to shaky footage when hand-held. Even professional videographers with professional cameras use tripods to ensure stable footage. Furthermore, with online shopping, it’s not that hard to get your very own tripod at an affordable price these days. We got ourselves a Selfie Stick / Tripod at only $20. It may not be tall enough to get a full body shot, but put it on a tabletop and voila!
“But I need to shoot a video NOW, and I don’t have a tripod on hand!”
Fret not, if there’s no tripod in sight, you’ll just have to make do. Here’s one method: stack a few books atop one another and place your iPhone on a topmost surface (ensure it’s stable enough).
TIP*: Remember to shoot your video in landscape mode (horizontal) instead of portrait mode (vertical). Given this age of Instagram Stories, this might tend to slip our minds.
Step 3
Recording your audio properly.
It’s not uncommon for many of us to overlook audio quality when recording a video. But, lest we forget, the quality of your audio is equally – if not more important – than the quality of your visual footage.
Unless you are filming in a really quiet (near-soundproof) room, the built-in mic from the iPhone would pick up every kind of background noise you can imagine, resulting in poor audio quality. Obviously, this is not what one would wish for. Here’s what you can do.
Using the original iPhone earpieces, tape them under the lapel of your blazer.
Keep the iPhone used for recording audio close; either in your pocket or on a nearby surface.
Open the Voice Memos App on your the audio-recording iPhone and start rolling. Once that’s done, send a copy of the audio file to your email, then sync it with the video file during editing.
That’s all there is to it! We hope that you will be able to bear in mind these 3 key pointers whilst you’re filming your video. We strongly feel that making videos shouldn’t be perceived as rocket science, and everyone should be able to confidently shoot their own video as and when they please, and be proud of it.
With that, we wish you the best of luck in the making of your next video!
If you do have any queries, feel free to leave a comment below, or you may contact us directly!