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How to Film Videos of Yourself with Smartphone (10 Easy Steps)
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so you've decided to film yourself using
a smartphone which is a great choice
with the rise of social media filming
yourself with a smartphone has become
easier and it's also a popular way to
share content and connect with others
plus with high quality cameras on most
smartphones you don't need expensive
equipment to create professionall
looking videos in fact this talking head
video right now is shot on my iPhone and
if you're new to filming yourself it may
seem like a daunting task but don't
worry with the easy steps I'm about to
show you you'll be able to create
amazing content in no time so let's Dive
Right In so step number one is to plan
your content ahead the saying if you
fail to plan you plan to fail holds true
when planning your content before you
start filming ensure you have a clear
idea of what you want to achieve with
your video ask yourself what is the
purpose of my video who is my target
audience and what kind of message do I
want to convey by answering these
questions you will have a clear
Direction and structure for your video
making the filming process more
efficient as an example the purpose of
this video is to show you guys how to
film yourself on a smartphone and my
target audience is aspiring mobile video
creators and the message I want to
convey is that anyone can start making
high quality videos using the camera
they carry in their pocket so once you
have your purpose your audience and the
message in mind start writing your
script or use bullet points to guide you
through the video this way you don't
miss any important points or drift off
topic if you're looking for a
teleprompter to use with your phone I
will leave links in the video
description below to my top
recommendations step number two is to
find a good location the ideal spot
would be a well-lit quiet environment
now I decided to film this video at home
with natural light and artificial light
now if you do decide to film outside
it's important to avoid a background
noise such as traffic rivers or busy
streets now when filming at home like
I'm doing right now you can get the best
quality video with plenty of natural
light so choose a spot near a window if
possible ideally you want to position
yourself so that the sunlight hits your
face from the front or the side not from
behind so avoid having that bright light
source behind you otherwise you will
have lots of Shadow now I have a mixture
of sunlight with artificial light
because it is cloudy outside so I'm
using the artificial light just to
brighten myself up step number three is
to set up your equipment after choosing
your filming location it's time to set
up the equipment by the way I will leave
links to all products mentioned in the
video description below now my setup
includes the iPhone 15 Pro Max a tripod
phone clamp flip screen mirror wireless
mic artificial light and optional wide
angle lens now investing in quality
tools like these can significantly
improve the quality of your video and
make the filming process a lot easier
and you'll see why as we move forward
now don't stress if you don't have all
the gear amazing videos are still
possible with what you have now I just
find that these tools are useful for my
mobile content creation and if you're
serious about regularly making quality
videos investing in good equipment is
worthwhile now when setting up my
equipment I first mount my phone clamp
to the tripod and then secure my phone
onto the clamp Now using a tripod like
the one I'm using right now from small
rake I can easily achieve stable shots
and position the camera however I want
to and when positioning the camera I
place it away from the background to
have depth in my shot and enhance the
background blur and after that choosing
the video orientation is important based
on the platform to which you upload the
video to so it's horizontal if you
upload it to YouTube and vertical if
it's for Instagram and Tik Tok now to
frame yourself more easily you can use
the selfie camera however the rear
camera is recommended for the highest
quality now since I prefer to have the
highest quality and have time to set up
everything I choose to film myself with
the rear camera now since I can't see
myself really a great tool to have is
the flip screen mirror by ncy rig I've
mounted It On Top by sliding it into the
C Mount and adjusting the mirror to see
my phone screen now using a flip screen
mirror I can easily self-monitor and
frame myself without constantly walking
back and forth to check the shot now
this is optional but sometimes
especially for vlogging I like to use
the ultra wide angle lens on top of my
main lens to just fit in more in the
frame and also I like how the
perspective looks like right now I'm
just using the standard lens but if you
want to fit more in the frame this could
be a great option and what's cool is
that I can clip the wide angle lens onto
the main lens and you'll see I can now
fit in more in the frame now I could use
the ultra wide angle lens on my iPhone
15 Pro Max but for optimal quality
clipping a high quality wideangle lens
to the main lens ensures I get the best
image quality step number four is
framing yourself when framing yourself
properly it's best to use the rule of
thirds which divides the image into nine
equal parts to enable it head over to
your camera settings and turn on grids
on Android this might be different after
that position yourself in the center
with your eyes on the upper horizon line
for a balanced shot also ensure that the
camera is leveled and clear of any
distractions from the background step
number five is using the right camera
settings now that the framing is right
let's dial in the camera settings I
always choose the highest video quality
available on my smartphone so for the
iPhone 15 Pro Max that would be 4K if
your phone doesn't support 4K 1080p
works well and is suitable for social
media as for the frame rate I set it to
25 or 24 frames per second depending on
where you live and this great for normal
speed where you need to talk to the
camera and not slow down down the video
also ensure your phone is fully charged
and has enough storage for recording the
last thing you want is your phone to run
out of battery or storage during filming
now what is also important to check
which is often overlooked is cleaning
the camera lens a dirty lens can also
result in a blurry and distorted video
so make sure to wipe it with a clean
cloth before you start recording step
number six is to set up your microphone
audio quality is just as crucial as the
video quality if not more bad audio can
make viewers leave so investing in a
good microphone is worth it while the
built-in phone mics do an okay job an
external mic can significantly improve
the sound quality and there are various
types like lapel and shotgun mics but I
prefer a wireless mic as it allows me to
move freely while recording without any
wires getting in the way now I use the
DJI mic 2 it's super simple to use I can
just plug the receiver into my phone
clip on the mic and I'm ready to go now
I've also attached a lavalier mic to the
transmitter this also allows the
transmitter to be out of sight now
remember always do an audio test to
ensure everything works correctly before
recording now if you don't have any
external mic and decide to use the
built-in microphone be sure to be close
to the camera for the best audio quality
step number seven is to lock your
exposure and white balance locking the
exposure and wi balance is important to
keep a consistent look in your video now
inside the camera settings I I ensure
that wide balance lock is enabled to
avoid color shifts while recording after
that inside the default camera app I
lock the exposure by tap holding on my
face until AE and AF lock appears this
means your auto exposure and autofocus
are now locked now unfortunately you
can't separate the two to do so you will
need to use a Pro app like the
Blackmagic camera app now by simply
locking your exposure and wi balance you
are on the right track to getting a more
professional look for your videos number
eight is to switch to airplane mode this
step is often overlooked but is really
important switching to airplane mode
will disable incoming calls notification
while you're recording there's nothing
worse than getting a phone call from
your mom or notifications from your
ex-girlfriend which can ruin the entire
take step number nine is to record a
test video before you start your actual
recording doing a test video is always a
good idea this will give you the
opportunity to see how everything looks
and sounds on camera and make any
necessary adjustments it's also a good
way to check for any potential issues or
distractions in the background last step
number 10 is to start recording your
video now once you're satisfied with the
test video you can start recording your
actual content when talking to the
camera be sure to look at the lens and
not anywhere else this will create a
more engaging and direct connection with
your audience speak clearly and
confidently and try to stay natural and
relaxed now don't worry about being
perfect as some imperfections can add
authenticity to your video if you feel
uncomfortable talking to a camera try
imagining your having a conversation
with a friend remember that you can
always cut out the mistakes in the edit
now as a bonus tip after recording your
a-roll which is the main Talking part
add some buau to your footage these are
extra shots that visually enhance your
video like close-up shots of objects or
action shots of demonstrations Boll adds
a variety and makes your video more
engaging you you can see that I always
add b rolls in this video to keep you
visually engaged now be sure to grab my
free smartro filmmaking guide it's
packed with everything we've just
discussed plus a handy checklist so you
never miss a step when filming with your
phone so be sure to grab it the link
will be below thank you so much for
watching hope you enjoyed this one keep
creating and I'll see you in the next
video
[Music]
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[Music]
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