Recording videos for your business or personal website can be simpler than you think.
Most smartphones offer great quality video recordings now. All you need is a good way to attach your phone to a tripod (for steady shots), good lighting, and clear audio.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of tools but a list of some of the favorite tools I use for quick and simple video recording with a smartphone. In my case, I use an iPhone, but all these tools are smartphone agnostic… so any smartphone should work.
Lighting
One of the best tips I can give on shooting video is to have great lighting. Even a poor video camera can give decent results if the subject is lit well.
A simple way to get great lighting is to record yourself outside during the day (at least when the weather is nice).
Natural lighting is really one of the best when you’re shooting outside. Just be careful of too much back lighting, hard shadows from overhead lighting, and too much direct sunlight on a face.
Non-direct sunlight is usually best… like on an overcast day. Stand in front of some green trees or bushes and hit record!
PBL Studio Photography Video Light Kit Continuous Lighting Kit Video Lighting EZ 24″x 24″ Softbox Photographic Lighting
Audio
While video and lighting quality is important, I think audio is even more critical.
You’ll generally find many more people willing to suffer through mediocre video quality as long as there’s good (listenable) audio.
But very few people will torture themselves with awful audio even if the video quality is Hollywood-worthy.
So never neglect your audio quality.
The audio on smartphones is actually quite good these days. But if you can attach a microphone for recordings, the audio will be even better.
For quick audio improvement, and if you don’t mind earbuds in the shot, you can use your smartphones headset with built-in microphone. The iPhone, for example, has earbuds that also have a microphone on them. Just like you use them for phone calls, you can use them for decent audio recording quality.
If you can get a lapel mic, that’s even better. Even an inexpensive lapel/lavaliere microphone can make a worthwhile difference in your audio quality.
This is even more important in noisy and/or windy conditions. The built-in microphone in smartphones and standard earbuds typically do NOT do well in noisy/windy conditions.
Rode smartLav+ Lavalier Microphone for iPhone and Smartphones (Great Quality Lavalier)
Audio-Technica ATR3350IS Omni Lavalier Microphone for Smartphones (Good value Lavalier for the Price)
Tripods & Smartphone Clips
Whenever you need a steady shot, a tripod is always best as opposed to holding your smartphone with your hand.
The smartphone clip I used is universal. Once you have your phone clipped to it, you can pretty much attach it to any standard tripod.
So if you go with the Arkon Holder below, just know that you can use the same clip for other standard tripods as well.
Arkon Universal Smartphone Holder and Flexible Mini Tripod for iPhone 6S Plus 6 Plus iPhone 6S 6 5S Galaxy Note 5 4 S6 S5 (Smart Phone Clip and a Solid Portable Tripod)
Smartphone Clip – Square Jellyfish Spring Tripod Mount for Smart Phones:
Smartphone Tripod (for the clip above) – Square Jellyfish Tripod and BallMount:
AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag
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