In today’s article, How To Use Your Phone To Make YouTube Videos, I am going to show you how to keep it simple and easy to make great videos that attracts customers to your business just by using your phone.
Watch the video version of this article below:
There are a lot of gadgets to film videos out there that offer a lot of nice features. But today, we will be focusing and discussing on how to film a YouTube video using your mobile phone only.
This article will not dive into the technicalities since the phone is supposed to be portable, simple, and easy to use. I own a digital agency called WSI Priority Media, where we make videos for our own YouTube channel and for our clients to generate leads. Sure there are a lot of ways to take videos, but what I have found that works best, is keeping things simple.
When people ask me about how to use your phone to make YouTube videos, I always advise them to keep everything simple. The more complex things you do to film, the harder it’s going to be to produce your video.
The most important things to remember when creating your video for YouTube is to come up with a great content, to be creative, and to create a video message that attract your target market.
Tips when filming your YouTube video using your phone
It is enough to own a decent phone with good video quality. Better if you got the latest phone model, since the latest phones have a very good video quality. Here are the pro tips when taking your video using a mobile phone:
Use a gimbal
Make sure that you have a good gimbal, especially when you are moving. A good gimbal is a great tool for you. I use favorite DJI gimbal and what I like about it is it is one of the most compact gimbals on the market. If you are not moving, then you can also screw it and use it as a stand.
Use natural lighting when possible
Lighting is important to avoid dark faces or images. Your video is going to look best with a natural lighting. The use of natural lighting is keeping things simple and easy too.
If you want to have some special lighting, you can use your phone filter if available or you need to opt for a DSLR camera instead.
But if you aim for something simple, try to face your subject into a window with natural light. If you need some filler light that’s portable and not bigger than your phone, I recommend the boling light. This lighting is small but it gives great lighting effect. I am also able to use a color selection as well.
This lighting tool is a powerhouse. It lasts a long time and adds an extra bit of light that help me get rid of any shadows.
Use a microphone to improve your audio
A good audio is the most important thing when you’re making a video. Do not rely on your phone’s built-in mic as most of the times, this will not give you the quality audio that you need for a good YouTube video.
If you have a really good, crisp video but your audio is poor, it’s going to be a bad viewing experience. So here’s what i use for my microphones:
Cable lapel mic
I like to use a 16 or 20 foot cord to film across a room. A longer cable across the room is going to work really great. Instead of clipping it on the outside, what i do is i tape it on the inside of my shirt. This does two things: 1. it gives me a clean look and2. it acts as a pop filter too without having any big extra foam to be able to create those good sound.
Rode mic
I have a micro rode mic that is very compact and really easy with a converter cable. This can fit it right into my iPhone, or if you’ve got a 3.5mm jack, you just plug right in and it gives a good sound.
This is a directional boom mic, so it’s not going to pick up ambient sound around. Instead, it’s going to direct right to where the person’s voice is going to be.
Shoot in landscape mode
Always shoot in landscape mode. Don’t use the zoom function. Do not use the optical zoom. That’s no good for detail or imaging quality. Be careful when you’re zooming because you can lose quality and your video can get grains on it.
Put your phone in airplane mode when shooting
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have gotten that perfect shot halfway through, my phone rings or it beeps. It is embarrassing and frustrating at the same time.
To conclude
So keep it simple when shooting a video on your phone. The combination of power, simplicity, and portability, plus there are apps out there that control the aperture settings of a video phone, there are so many great features for you with your phone alone.
By keeping things simple and following the tips I have recommended for you here, you will always get a good enough shot for YouTube videos.
