by By: Rita Herbstman
When developing social media strategy, it is important to make sure your brand is posting quality content that followers can easily digest. Even though there are thousands of free available high-quality stock content available online, it is always best to incorporate your own work within your posts.
This past summer, I studied abroad in London and took a visual journalism class that focused on specific techniques of iPhone videography. The iPhone camera improves each year and has become a tool for social media if one can’t afford a high-end camera or if an event happens out of nowhere that should be recorded. The iPhone screen recording also works great for those who want to install applications like Loom (checkout their best site) for making tutorials and portfolios. For journalists, it can take pressure off bystanders that they may want to interview because they don’t have a huge video camera a few inches from their face.
There are also lots of photography, videography and editing apps available which you can download to enhance your work even further. Plus, you could jailbreak your iPhone – visit http://kubadownload.com/ for a tutorial on how to do this – which will allow you access to lots more apps of a similar nature.
Here are a few tips for using the iPhone camera for filming videos:
ALWAYS Shoot Horizontally.
It is important to shoot videos holding an iPhone horizontally because most platforms that it will be posted on are expecting a landscape video. If not, there will be distracting black bars on each side of your video. Also, shooting horizontally makes it easier to hold the camera still so the person filming will be less likely to shake. People should make sure to hold the camera as close to them as possible for minimal shaking.
Use Headphones as a Microphone.
See those buttons on Apple headphones that adjust the volume? If you didn’t know, the other side of it is a microphone. If someone is using their iPhone for an interview, this is a great way to improve the sound on your content without having to spend a lot of money.
You can buy these here.
Use the Grid Feature.
The grid feature helps people frame shots professionally. The feature is also a consistent reminder to shoot videos using the rule of thirds. This is especially useful when shooting videos horizontally.
Turn on Airplane Mode.
Turning on airplane mode prevents notifications and calls from getting in the way of the recording. When shooting a live event, alerts like these can really mess up the shot. Another plus, it saves battery life.
Make Sure Your Phone is Fully Charged.
Recording video takes up a good amount of battery on an iPhone. If your phone dies while filming, none of your previous recording will save. Making sure your battery is high is any easy fix to interruptions in your recording.
You now know some easy steps to recording a high-quality iPhone video!
It isn’t unheard of for phones to be damaged when taken out for any reason, including photography, and although no one wants to think of their phone being damaged it can still happen very easily, and is unfortunate when it can be costly to have Apple fix it. However, there are many other places that can do iPhone repair where you might be able to find a far better deal, so it can be wise to keep a few places noted down just in case.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Twitter: @rherbstman13
LinkedIn: Rita Herbstman
Thank you Rita, for these helpful tips! The ability to utilize your iPhone for optimal quality content is convenient to capture a moment and be on-the-ready without lugging around a bulky camera. I never thought about turning off notifications with airplane mode to avoid any disruption. I will definitely be thinking about these tips next time I find myself in ‘journalist’ mode.
Great post, Rita! I am a huge champion of iPhone photography. We have such a powerful camera in our pockets and so many people don’t know how to use it to its full capability. Also, nice job finding pictures to match each of your points!
I loved this post because I had never even thought of some of these tips! I would consider myself a pretty avid iPhone videographer so I was able to relate with much of this article. I recently have tried experimenting with vertical videos despite the footage not adapting to many platforms and I agree that is much harder to remain stable when recording. Also I use “Do Not Disturb” to get some of the same effects of Airplane mode
Great post, Rita! It’s amazing how with every new release of the iPhone comes an even better camera that challenges that of professional equipment. These are great for on-the-go content creators to make sure they are optimizing how they utilize this great tool to make sure they are producing the best visuals possible.
Awesome post! I really like this post because I personally am not a very good photographer, especially when it comes to using my iPhone. I was never aware of how much things like using the grid feature and turning the phone sideways when shooting video an effect on the quality of the video being produced. These are some great tips to keep in mind next time I want to pull out my phone to shoot a video!
Really enjoyed reading your post, Rita! It’s amazing how much the world has changed since the introduction of camera into everyone’s pocket. For those who can use it properly, it becomes such a tool for communication, essentially making everyone a journalist to some extent.
Great tips! Love that you chose to make the post instructional. I think we could all use some advice when it comes to shooting video. Very few people actually own a video camera anymore and many people in marketing and journalism jobs will require this type of knowledge. Well done!