Best practices for smartphone / selfie video recording
Not long ago we would never consider shooting high quality videos on our smartphones since the results were so inferior compared to a camera. Today smartphone quality is much improved and you can't beat the convenience. We now have incredibly powerful cameras sitting right in our pockets!
Here are the four main types of considerations that you should think about when approaching the production of your own selfie video:
Framing / Composition
* Shooting in Landscape (Horizontally)
Place the camera at least at eye level or slightly above. Experiment and see what you like
Pay attention to the background
Look directly into the lens
Position yourself to one side of the frame
Allow a little headroom
Place the bottom of the frame just below the chest
Environment
When possible, it's great to make the environment your filming in contextually-related to the subject matter of your video.
* The vertical vs. horizontal debate
It wasn't long ago that vertically-shot videos/portrait, as opposed to horizontal/landscape, were shunned as an inferior approach to smartphone video recording, but that is changing now that this form of filming (is the most intuitive and natural when holding a smartphone), and is also the most prevalent form of shooting on social media platforms. As a result, it is really up to you to decide which is best for your needs.
A couple things to think about:
-What is the platform that this will be viewed on? If on Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, etc., it may be best to shoot in vertical.
-If this will be on Youtube, Vimeo, or on a website, perhaps it may be better to shoot horizontally.
-If you are going to be editing this footage with other visual material, it may be a good idea to align your shooting in the same format as your other media.
Here is a video produced at the Bok Center that demonstrates a few of these suggestions:
Natural and diffused light (e.g., sunlight through a translucent window shade) are great for selfie videos
It is often good to position your face at roughly 45 degrees from your light source, so you can create a gentle shadow on one side of your face.
* Recording Indoors
Use natural sunlight when possible
Pay attention to the position of the camera (don't put the camera facing the window)
Pay attention to the position of your body
Watch out for glare in glasses
Try to schedule your shoot when the sunlight is the best
* Recording Outside
Pay attention to the direction of the sunlight
How powerful is it
How much of the shot is in or out of sunlight
Audio
* Shooting Outside
When recording outside, do your best to find a time when it's not too windy and in a location that is not overwhelmingly noisy from other sources (cars, construction, dogs barking, etc.)
The phone's on board mic will pick up a lot of external noise
Earbuds will sound much better, but not look as good because you can see the wires.
A lavalier microphone will look and sound better, but it is an extra purchase. You can also use it with your computer. If using an iPhone, you will need to use a lightning to 3.5mm headphone adaptor
* Shooting Inside
Same tips as recording outside except for wind noise. But there could be other background noises (refrigerators, fans, air conditioners, etc.)
Delivery
* Before You Start recording
Practice, write out your script, think about what you want to say - the more comfortable you are with the material, the better the delivery will be
Be personable! Make sure to smile and speak with emotion
Gentle hand gestures, as long as they don't affect the stability of the shot, can be effictively employed as well
Redo a take as often as needed
To help with file size, shoot your video in smaller segments
This also makes it easier not to make a mistake
Keep track of what take you are on at the beginning of each segment to help you locate your best recordings