With the lasting popularity of YouTube, Instagram, and Vine, a lot of people understand how much of a phenomenon smartphone videography is. Thanks to phonemakers’ efforts to release bigger and better cameras on new phones, you can now easily use your smartphone to record life’s greatest moments.
Mastering smartphone videography, however, can be a little challenging. Here are some aspects you have to pay attention to when you want to shoot like a pro with only your phone.
Understanding technical aspects
Let’s face it: even though today’s phones are better than ever, a smartphone is still no DSLR. Understand the technical limitations of your smartphone. By default, most phones don’t have a decent zoom capability, which means you’d have to get closer to your subject manually when you want clear footage.
Sound is also an issue, as most smartphone microphones aren’t the best gadgets in cancelling background noise. You can choose quieter environments or invest in an external microphone.
Finding balance
Videography is all about the balance of different elements. First of all, you have to balance your footage. Smartphones are lightweight by nature – even your slightest movement from breathing can ruin a decent shot and render a clip useless. Ideally, put the phone on top of a steady surface when shooting or get a tripod for your unit.
Another aspect to balance is light. Just like still photography, your video can be over- or under-exposed. It’s important that you completely understand the concept of lighting in videography before you start shooting.
Putting it together
To achieve the best results, you have to edit your clips and make a good story out of it. In this aspect, you must have a computer capable of editing videos, some stock footages or maybe Apple Motion or AfterEffects templates for you to work with, and background audio you can use for the final cut. Remember that the point of a video is to tell a story, so use your clips to create a coherent plot.
At MotionElements, we offer different footage and templates for videographers to work with. We have a large collection of videos that can fit your next project and make it a lot more interesting. Talk to us today and learn more about what we offer.