He said the famous American photographer Chase Jarvis: the best camera is the one you have with you. Of course, this also applies to videos. And the answer today is always the same: that camera (or video camera) is the smartphone. It fits in your pocket, is always with us and also allows you to shoot videos. Especially Apple’s iPhones.
This is witnessed by short films and even full films shot in the last 5 years with Apple phones by directors such as Steven Soderbergh, Chan-wook Park, Zack Snyder and Michel Gondry. They have all shot real films, commercials, short films and other productions using minimalist yet extremely powerful technical equipment.
The technical tool is certainly up to par, but a little skill is needed. If you want to do a little more, even a couple of accessories that can radically change the performance of what you film. Below, 5 tips for those who simply want to shoot better during the holidays e another 5 for those who want to be a little more serious and try to create a personal project.
1) Take care of the equipment
It sounds unbelievable, but you forget to clean your smartphone lens lenses before shooting. Instead, it is very easy to touch them with your fingers without realizing it (it’s a phone, it happens) and the veil of damp strongly degrades the quality. Get in the habit of cleaning with a soft microfiber cloth before shooting. And make sure the battery is charged and there is space in the phone memory.
2) Always use rear lenses, not selfie lenses
While the front cameras used for selfies and video conferencing are of good quality, they are much inferior to the rear ones. In major versions of iPhones they are two or three, with different focal lengths and field widths. If we shoot others, they have the added advantage that the screen is turned to our side.
3) Choose the right video quality
In the app Settings of iOS, in the section Camera it is advisable to choose how Method of acquisition that More compatible and record video at 1080p at 60 Fps. If, on the other hand, you want to take a shot that we then want to edit with a dedicated software or see on the UHD home TV, better one of the 4K formats, which however generate heavier video documents. In the menu Record video, Apple indicates the size of a single minute of shooting in megabytes – make sure you have space on your phone. Especially if you want to edit the video, it is good practice to record at a higher resolution and then lower it when the project is finished, in order to have a better quality material.
4) How to improve the shots
Some tricks to shoot better scenes: better shooting in landscape format than vertical (apart from those who only shoot for TikTok), as it is useful remind who we frame to look at the phone lens and not who is taking it back; avoid places with loud ambient noises, backlit shots and very bright and illuminated backgrounds (a white wall in the sun). Pay attention to the shot: it must be interesting (not a sloppy background) and not crowded with details that can distract the viewer; better isolate the subject of the shot, have space, not have other things or people moving, so that the viewer’s gaze naturally goes towards what we want to show him. If the person in the camera is to speak, make sure they are shot at a reasonable distance: a distant dot at the bottom of the frame does not hear well and cannot be seen.
Generally, people watch videos on smartphones, then television shots are privileged (like American shots, close-ups, half figures) and not those with very long fields and very small subjects in the background.
5) Tricks for managing video files
When you’re done shooting, export the video using AirDrop (if you have a Mac or iPad) or cloud services such as Dropbox; or connect the phone with the USB cable to the computer and do the transfer with iTunes. If possible, avoid sending the original video by mail or with WhatsApp O Telegram and then delete it from the phone, because the material that is shipped is compressed and has a lower resolution that cannot be improved.
6) For those who want to do more, you need an app
If you want to do more with your iPhone, you should download a dedicated app to use instead of Photos: the best today is FiLMic Pro, which costs 16.99 euros. However, the leap in quality is considerable: the app is compatible with iPhones from version 6 and above (at least iOS 13) and allows you to adjust focus and exposure, shows the over and under-exposed areas in real time, has better zoom control, allows you to choose the lens and the stabilization mode of the shooting and above all makes available many more options both for the type and quality of the video and for the type of shooting aspect ratio (widescreen, cinema, super35, letterbox and various others). The app allows you to use both of the phone’s microphones for better shooting quality and stereo sound (Photo not or does) and is compatible with a number of optional third party external accessories (stabilizers, external microphones) which can be very useful .
7) Stabilize the shot and the grip
The main problem with shooting well with the iPhone (and other smartphones) is the grip: Phones are ergonomically bad cameras. On the market, apart from selfie sticks, there are more professional accessories at low cost: at around 50 euros you can buy a gimbal (literally cardan, a gyroscopic stabilizer) such as the Osmo 4 produced by Dji or the Zhyun Smooth 4. Yes hooks the phone and the handle at the base contains a replica of the shooting commands that are operated via Bluetooth: small and compact, it is suitable for shooting on the go. It costs less, but is more flexible a Rig adapter like that of Ulanzi U (on Amazon it is about 25 euros), which allows you to drive the phone in a more natural way during shooting and hook up to 3 accessories that could be very useful. Like the ones that follow.
8) Better audio with the half shotgun
To have a quality audio that is also less sensitive to external noise outside the field there are many solutions, often inexpensive. Aside from wireless microphones or wire microphones to attach to clothing who’s talking about (those like the Lavalier, starting at 15 euros), there are excellent compact semi-professional directional microphones. One of the best is the VideMicro by Rode: standard compatible mount for mounting on tripod, camera or the Rig to connect the phone to, it can be hooked via a 3.5 inch mini jack cable (you need the adapter for the Lightning socket from Apple, sold separately), allows you to clip it to all phones and is fully compatible with both the stock app and FiLMiC Pro. When protected by a windscreen (in jargon it’s called a cat), it radically transforms the audio quality of any take. Ideal for interviews in situations that are not fully controlled.
9) The best lights
As for photography, the quality of light is also fundamental for video. And while flash is used for photography, for video having a controlled light source makes one huge difference (even when making a videoconference). If you use the Rig you can hook up to two small LED lamps whose intensity and color temperature is adjustable. Battery-powered, they each cost from 20 euros upwards and allow you to create a journalistic-style shooting especially in closed and badly lit environments, or in very bright environments in which the subject is photographed for example with a window behind him or in a sunny area. Lighting the subject’s face softens the bright contrast and makes the exposure pleasant.
10) We use another lens for shooting
One of the most interesting features of FiLMiC Pro is that it is compatible with external lens adapters, including professional ones. One is that of Moondog Labs, which allows you to use a lens with an anamorphic lens (i.e. that vertically compresses an image in Cinemascope) and allows you to have a cinematic cut in 16: 9: the distortion of the lights is the same used by JJ Abrams for the films of Star Trek. Or you can use an adapter for 35mm lenses (such as those of the old Canon or Nikon SLR, which must be obtained separately), which must however be able to operate completely manually. Both solutions are only compatible with FiLMiC Pro and some other apps of this type.
A few more suggestions
The best videos are the ones that tell a story with a little editing: it’s not difficult, you just need to be a little organized. Even large iPhones can be uncomfortable, but even an older iPad can become a perfect tool for editing and video editing. To pass video from iPhone to iPad quickly and without connection, the best way is AirDrop. For editing, Apple has an excellent free software (also present on the iPhone) called iMovie that allows you to create even very complex projects. If you want a professional tool, compatible with FiLMiC Pro (especially with 10-bit color resolution and 4K or higher encoding) the best is LumaFusion (costs € 32.99), which works on the iPhone, but especially on the iPad, where it is used by Hollywood and advertising professionals; it also handles proprietary formats like FiLMiC v3 and is at its best when used with the Apple Pencil (to manage the timeline and move video segments). On a latest generation iPad Pro with an external USB-C drive as mass storage, it has the comparable power and flexibility of a professional workstation and a small footprint: it all fits in a 10-liter backpack.
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