How to Film Great Video on Your Phone for Our Project

Tips on how to film great video on your phone for our project. I’m excited to have you contribute to this project! Your clips, filmed on your phone, will be edited together with the professional footage I’m capturing. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a filmmaker. If you follow these simple steps, your video will look fantastic and fit right in with the final edit.

1. Hold Your Phone Sideways

Please turn your phone horizontally (landscape) when recording. Wide video matches my professional cameras and gives me the flexibility to crop for social media later.

2. Step Back and Leave Extra Space

When you frame your shot, give me a little more space than you normally would:

  • Leave room on the left and right sides.

  • Leave some extra space above the head.

We will be making a horizontal video and a vertical video, and need room to crop the video for the vertical version.

How-to-Film-Great-Video-on-Your-Phone_vertical_crop

3. Use the Highest Quality Setting

Check your camera settings and select the best resolution available. 4K is ideal. The clearer the footage, the better it blends with the professional shots. The higher resolution (like 4K) will allow us to crop in on the footage without losing any quality.

4. Pick the Right Frame Rate

  • 24 fps for normal clips. This gives that smooth, cinematic feel.

  • 60 fps (or higher) If you want to capture action. fps stands for frames per second. 60,120,240 fps is perfect for action shots.
    If you’re not sure, stick with 24 fps. That’s what I’ll be using on my end.

5. Turn Off HDR Video

Many phones default to HDR video (on iPhones, it’s called Dolby Vision). HDR can cause brightness and colour problems in editing. Please switch HDR off in your video settings before you start recording.

On iPhone

  1. Open the Settings app.

  2. Scroll down and tap Camera.

  3. Tap Record Video.

  4. Look for HDR Video (High Efficiency) and toggle it off.

    • On some models, it’s labelled Dolby Vision HDR — turn that off.

  5. Go back to the Camera app and record as usual.

On Android (may look different depending on brand/model)

  1. Open the Camera app.

  2. Tap the Settings gear (usually in the corner).

  3. Look for Video settings or Advanced settings.

  4. Find options called HDR video, 10-bit video, or HLG video.

  5. Toggle them off.

  6. Go back and record normally.

6. Keep the Lighting Simple

Lighting is the biggest factor in making your footage look professional:

  • Always keep the light or sun behind the camera, shining on you.

  • Cloudy days are perfect, soft, even light.

  • Fully shaded areas are fantastic.

  • If you’re inside and filming one or two people, get as close to a big window as possible. Place the window behind the camera and shut off all the indoor lights.

  • Avoid mixed lighting like sun and shade or outdoor light and indoor light. One light source is best.

7. Stay Steady and Quiet

Shaky video or distracting noise makes editing difficult.

  • Hold your phone with two hands or prop it up on a table or use a tripod.

  • Record in the quietest spot you can find.

  • Start recording a few seconds before speaking and let it roll a few seconds after. This gives me room to edit.

8. Audio is Most Important

If you are recording somebody speaking, make sure to be in a quiet place. Avoid traffic or a place where lots of people are speaking at the same time.

To have the best audio of someone talking, use a mobile wireless mic if available. I really like this affordable phone mic kit. Hollyland Lark Mic Kit. Otherwise, just make sure the background is quiet when somebody is speaking on camera.

Quick Checklist Before You Record

  • Phone sideways (landscape)

  • Framed a little wider than usual

  • 4K or highest resolution selected

  • 24 fps, not 30 fps

  • HDR off

  • Good lighting

  • Hold steady and quiet

  • Good audio

Why This Matters

Your phone footage is a key part of telling this story. When you follow these steps, your clips will match the professional footage seamlessly. That means the final video will feel polished, cohesive, and easy to watch, exactly what we’re aiming for.

How-to-Film-Great-Video-on-Your-Phone_infographic