Tips and Tricks for Recording Video
Guidelines for Recording a Video
Proper video etiquette is very important. We would like to be able to use all submissions. The criteria should be followed in order to attain the best possible look and outcome for the production. Please see below for some tips.
Recording a video shouldn’t be much different than pitching a prospect face to face. Don’t fret if it takes you a couple takes to loosen up on camera.
Look directly into the camera and act like you are speaking to a real person. Don’t hesitate to let your personality shine through.
Speak slowly, pause between sentences, and adjust your voice accordingly. Refrain from using profanity or slang.
Vary your face, hands, and tone of voice naturally as you speak and have fun!
Have someone operate the phone/recording device or prop up the device so that the frame of the video is landscape (Horizontal)
Don’t worry about a few ‘ums’ or ‘ahs.’ They tend to make the videos feel more natural.
Smile!
Tips for Recording Better Video with your Smartphone
Landscape
Nothing ruins great footage like having two black vertical bars along both sides of your video. To avoid this amateur mistake, make sure to use landscape orientation and not portrait orientation while recording.
Nothing ruins great footage like having two black vertical bars along both sides of your video. To avoid this amateur mistake, make sure to use landscape orientation and not portrait orientation while recording.
Not only does landscape make your video seem more aesthetically pleasing in general, it'll also make it more enjoyable to watch when viewed on a widescreen or television. Plus, you'll capture more in the actual video.
So just remember: never hold your phone vertically while recording.
Framing
Now that you're recording in the proper orientation (see above), completely fill the frame with your subject. You can also put him or her or it slightly off-center to create a more visually interesting scene. Just play around and see what looks best.
Now that you're recording in the proper orientation (see above), completely fill the frame with your subject. You can also put him or her or it slightly off-center to create a more visually interesting scene. Just play around and see what looks best.
Zoom
Nothing is worse than digital zoom - just ask any professional photographer. Most smartphones unfortunately feature digital zooms, which are just software tricks that'll make your subject appear closer but not without copious amounts of pixilation.
Nothing is worse than digital zoom - just ask any professional photographer. Most smartphones unfortunately feature digital zooms, which are just software tricks that'll make your subject appear closer but not without copious amounts of pixilation.
If you don't have a smartphone with optical zoom, you'll need to get closer to your subject or use an accessory. In general, you should always get as close as you can, especially for tight shots on faces.
Back-lighting
There's something else you should keep in mind when thinking about lighting in general: avoiding bright backlit-settings.
There's something else you should keep in mind when thinking about lighting in general: avoiding bright backlit-settings.
You may not be able to see people and their faces when they're overly backlit. Your device camera usually cannot adjust and will typically output footage with a bright light haloing a dark figure. That figure will also have no visible features, meaning you just missed whatever it was you were trying to capture.