The optics on iPhones and iPads are pretty good now. For many companies, they’re perfectly adequate for producing video content in-house, particularly for internal use.
Here are things to think about if you do:
- Try and "lock off" the camera to keep it stationary with tripod, desk or book etc. Don't shoot it handheld.
- Do not shoot towards the sun, bright light or a window.
- Ideally shoot with a reasonable amount of light.
- Tap the person on the iPhone screen to focus on them when you start filming.
- Film landscape (not portrait).
- Ideally film all in one go - don't stop and start. Keep an eye on the phone to check it is still filming (with enough memory and battery).
- If not adding a mic, make sure the mic part of the phone at the bottom is free/open and not against a wall etc.
- Work out how to back up the footage. Send the video by email when possible otherwise use hard drives or WeTransfer etc.
- Turn the phone onto airplane mode to increase battery life and prevent calls from interrupting filming.
If this is something that works for you than there are a couple of things you can do to improve your output.
- Video branding - Have a consistent intro, outro and straps so the top, tail and transitions are consistent.
- Audio - Get a decent sound kit to get better audio - This is the one thing that really lets the apple devices down.
- Tripod - Get something to lock off the device properly.
Ultimately if this is something that you are going to do often, we recommend moving up to a DSLR camera. Smart devices are certainly a good place to start.
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