Shooting on your phone
Your phone is an excellent camera if you know how to take it off autopilot. The same principles from the rest of the course apply here: lock the exposure, take care of the sound, stabilize and think about the shot.
Settings before you shoot
- Resolution and fps: 4K at 24 or 30 fps in the US (25 fps in the UK and Europe) for general use; 1080p at 60 (or 50) if you're going to slow it down. Look for these options in the camera settings.
- High efficiency format (HEVC): takes up less space; if your computer struggles when editing, use “most compatible” (H.264).
- Lens lock: stops the phone from switching lenses automatically while you record, which causes jumps in the image.
- Clean the lens: the most common mistake. A fingerprint gives you a milky image and halos around lights.
Lock exposure and focus
Press and hold your finger on the subject until a lock notice appears (AE/AF). From then on, exposure and focus won't change if someone walks in front. Then slide your finger up or down to adjust the brightness.
Some recording apps let you set the shutter to 1/60 (1/50 at 25 fps), the ISO and the white balance in kelvin, and shoot in log profiles. With them, your phone behaves like a video camera. Some recent phones already include a “pro” video mode in the built-in camera app.
Choosing a lens
Most phones have a wide-angle, an ultra-wide and a telephoto lens. The main one (1×) performs best in low light. The ultra-wide distorts nearby faces and gives more noise. The telephoto (2×–5×) is great for interviews and portraits, with a cleaner background, but it needs more light.
Pinching to zoom between lenses enlarges the image by cropping it, and it loses quality. If you need to get closer, use one of the lenses (0.5×, 1×, 3×) or physically move closer.
Cinematic or portrait mode
It simulates background blur by calculating depth. It works well with a single person and simple backgrounds; it fails on hair, glasses and thin objects. Many phones let you change the focus point after recording. Use it sparingly and check the edges.
Sound on your phone
The phone's microphone is fine at a hand span and bad at 6 feet (2 m). Options, from basic to best:
- Record the voice with a second phone in the speaker's pocket and sync it in the edit.
- Lavalier mic with a USB-C or Lightning cable.
- Wireless system with a receiver for the phone.
Useful accessories
Vertical or horizontal
Shoot in the format it will be watched in. If you don't know, shoot horizontal in 4K and leave room at the sides: you'll be able to get a 1080 × 1920 vertical by cropping the center. The reverse, getting a horizontal out of a vertical, doesn't work.
- Clean the lens and choose resolution and fps.
- Lock exposure and focus with a long press.
- Use the real lenses, not digital zoom.
- An external mic or a second phone for the voice.
Your turn: one minute, phone only
Make a one-minute video about your neighborhood or your workplace using only your phone.
- Lock exposure and focus on every shot.
- Use at least two different lenses.
- Record your voice-over with the microphone a hand span from your mouth, in a room with furniture.