iPhone filmmaking makes things simpler when you’re making videos for your business content marketing plan. Smartphone video is the best solution for most small business owners, and here’s how to get ready for 2021, with tips for making your videos easier.
In this video I’m going to give you my tips on how to get the best out of your smartphone for your videos to grow your business and to get started quickly with little or no cost. iPhones or Android phones are ideal and the principle with both is the same. The quality is great plus the ease of use makes it a ‘no brainer’.
At the end, I’ll also give you a template script to follow to keep your viewers engaged while you give value, without rambling off on a tangent.
If you prefer a blog than to watch a video, then carry on reading …
So, the key is to start where you are and work with what you’ve got and if you’ve watched any of my videos or read my blogs, you’ll know that I’m all about a no fluff approach to take action and get the job done. Using your smartphones for video is the perfect solution as most of us have a smartphone and you certainly don’t need to go and buy a fancy, expensive camera.
All of my tips that I give you in my content are what I’ve found to have helped me and I hope they will fast track you to get quicker results too.
Can you make a film on your iPhone?
Most certainly you can, and here are some tips to get started.
So firstly, take a look at the camera settings on your phone
I use an iPhone but whichever smartphone you have, you will have the ability to do these.
I go into ‘settings’ and down to ‘camera’, and I want to check at what rate the video records. I have mine set to 1080p, which means that this records my video in HD. If I click to go into this, I can alter it to record in 4k if I wish. On Android, this may be shown as mega pixels, so see what difference they make. As I’m doing talking head videos and have no need to slow footage down, the 30 frames per second setting is fine. If you’re shooting a film and have sections of slow motion, then film at 60 frames per second so that your slo mo will be smoother, being that there’s more information in each frame.
For our purpose, 1080p at 30 frames per second is certainly good enough because remember, although 4k and high megapixels is a better resolution, it also takes more power and time for processing and storage later, but the choice is yours.
So talking about power and storage
… always make sure that before you start filming, you have enough space for your video on your phone and enough battery power to record it. You may want to put your phone on to ‘do not disturb’ mode too, so that your video isn’t interrupted by outside calls or messages.
I will also lock the auto focus and auto exposure on my settings, by touching and holding the screen until the AE/AF lock message shows on screen. This ensures that I am always in focus in the video and that the light won’t change in the video, due to any outside factors beyond my control.
The next thing is getting ready to film
With iPhone filmmaking, you don’t need any fancy equipment, and if you’re on a budget, just use what you have. I have put a list of the equipment that I use in the description below, which are affiliate links. However, you can start with a table and a pile of books if you don’t have a tripod, and a good work around for a phone holder is a 3 pin plug to sit your phone in. Make sure that you record your video in landscape and not portrait mode. This is 1920 x 1080 or 16:9. This is the correct resolution for YouTube and you can easily make them into a correct format for anything that requires square or 9:16 format.
Great sound in your videos
It’s ‘a must’ to make sure that your listener can hear you properly. The mics built in to your smartphones are good enough to get going as long as you are not too far away from your phone or not outside on a windy day. Have a practice and a sound check. If you decide that you want a better mic, I use either a lapel mic or the mic for my rig which is shown below in the description.
Both of these need the lightning connector to work with my iPhone as my phone has a lightning port and not a round hole to plug into. The rode mic also needs an SC7 connector too, as the pin on the end of that mic has 2 rings and for smartphone we need 3 for the audio, which is where the SC7 cable comes in. The lapel mic pin has 3 rings on the pin, so only need the lighting adapter and not the extra SC7 cable for this.
If you’re just starting with video, grab my FREE Video Confidence 7 Day Booster Journal HERE to help you get past any confidence blocks as well as giving tips & hacks to be more confident on video plus your clarity steps. It’s 38 pages of goodness …
This will give you more advice on how to keep things simple and make your videos more professional.
Lighting in your Videos
Next we talk about lighting for your videos and again, play around with what you have at home or work. The key is to light up the subject, so try standing under or just behind ceiling lights to see how this looks. You can also use extra lamps, lights or torches that you have, to shine from different angles. Lighting in your videos is a main factor for quality.
I use the ceiling lights in my office, plus I have 2 soft box lights that shine on me and my background. I also have a light on my rig and a selfie light in case I need any extra, but normally I don’t, just start with what you already have to get going and improve later.
You want to have a script in place …
You want to have a script in place to follow for your video content and flow.It’s up to you if you want to use a teleprompter or bullet points on a notepad, it doesn’t matter, but we want to avoid going off at a tangent and waffling.
So start your videos with a hook. This is a strong promise of what the viewer is going to learn in the video and give them a reason to stay around until the end, with a juicy or bonus tip.
Secondly, tell them in a quick sentence why they should watch and the credibility you have.
Then, deliver content points with information on what you promised in the hook, maybe 3, 4 or 5 points, whatever is needed to get the result for your viewer.
Then, let the viewer know that they can learn more from you and how they can do that, then wrap it up with your juicy or bonus tip.
Finally, any further call to actions can be given and there you have your completed, structured video, to the point and effective.
So to recap, hook and promise to start, then your credibility and reason to watch, next deliver the content points that you promised, point them to how they can learn more, the final bonus tip any any other call to actions that you’d like the viewer to do.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this and if you want find out more and about anything I’ve talked about in this video for your iPhone filmmaking, then drop me a message. The equipment I discussed is mentioned below.
Also take a look these videos next on how you’ll never be stuck for what to post when you make one video (how to use and repurpose the content) and how to use video to grow your email list and your audience.
See how I followed the structure that I mentioned in this video?
We cover all of this in my video monthly members Video Visibility Lab – join the waitlist HERE to be notified when doors open.
iPhone Film Making gear to help with your videos …
Which iphone is best for filmmaking?
Any that you have, just get going. Obviously the latest phones out are improving all the time with better lenses and more advanced functions but if your phone camera can record in HD (1080p) then you’re good to go.
How do you film steady on iPhone?
I use the tripod and rig mentioned in the equipment list with links above. That ensures that the video is still but if you’re making video with movement, maybe consider a gimbal or steady cam.
REMINDER: grab my FREE Video Confidence 7 Day Booster Journal HERE to help you get past any confidence blocks as well as giving tips & hacks to be more confident on video plus your clarity steps. It’s 38 pages of goodness …
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