Smartphone Video Production
Modern smartphones can produce excellent video. While dedicated cameras offer more creative control, a smartphone can be an effective filmmaking tool when used with the right settings and techniques.
- Clean Your Lens: A fingerprint or smudge can make footage appear soft or hazy. Wipe the lens with a clean microfiber cloth before filming.
- Free Up Storage Space: Video files can be very large. Make sure your phone has sufficient storage available before recording.
- Charge Your Battery: Video recording drains batteries quickly. Begin with a full charge and bring a charging cable or portable battery if possible.
- Enable Airplane Mode: Notifications, calls, and text messages can interrupt recordings. Airplane Mode helps prevent unwanted distractions.
- Beware Overheating: Keep in mind smartphones can easily overheat during long recording sessions, especially when filming outdoors on a warm day. Keep your device in the shade whenever possible. Removing the protective case can help keep it from overheating. If it does overheat and stop working, power down the device and move it to a shaded area. Do not attempt to charge the device if it overheats.
The following settings can be changed under the Camera app section of your Settings menu:
Resolution
For most projects, record at 4K (3840 × 2160) whenever your device and storage space allow.
Frame Rate
Record at 24 fps (frames per second) for most projects.
Use 30 fps (iPhone default) if:
- You are producing content primarily for social media or web delivery
- You are filming fast-moving action where smoother motion is preferred
- Your project requires consistency with footage already recorded at 30 fps
Use 60 fps only when you plan to create slow-motion footage during editing.
Whichever frame rate you choose, keep it consistent throughout the project whenever possible.
Those who want more control over their smartphone footage may wish to use the Blackmagic Camera app instead of their phone’s default camera app. The app is free and available for both iPhone and many Android devices.
Why Use It?
The Blackmagic Camera app gives you greater control over:
- Focus
- Exposure
- White balance
- Frame rate
- Resolution
- Audio monitoring
These controls can help produce more consistent, professional-looking footage.
Helpful Features
Focus and Exposure Lock
One common problem with smartphone video is that the image constantly adjusts brightness or focus while recording.
The Blackmagic Camera app allows you to lock these settings, helping your footage remain stable and consistent throughout a shot.
Tip: Tap to focus on your subject and avoid changing focus during a shot.
Audio Monitoring
The app includes audio meters that show whether sound is being recorded properly.
Before filming an interview, check that:
- Audio levels are moving on the meters
- Voices are clearly visible on the meter display
- Levels are not reaching the maximum limit and clipping
Open Gate
The Open Gate recording option is available on supported devices. Open Gate captures a larger portion of the camera sensor, creating a taller image frame than standard widescreen video.
Open Gate can be useful when you want more flexibility during editing, especially for projects that require multiple versions or formats, such as when you need both horizontal and vertical deliverables.
Depending on your device, shooting in Open Gate may have trade-offs when it comes to image stabilization, and is therefore best used when you’re shooting with a tripod or other stabilizing device.
To enable Open Gate in the Blackmagic Camera App, open the app’s Settings (gear icon) and go to the Record tab. Set your Color Space to Rec.709 (Apple Log and Rec.2020 disable Open Gate). Under Resolution, scroll down and select Open Gate.
Poor audio is often more distracting than imperfect visuals.
Best Practices
- If available, use an external microphone.
- For interviews, a lavalier microphone is often the best choice.
- If using a shotgun microphone, move closer to your subject. The farther you are from your subject, the more noise you introduce into the recording.
- Film in quiet locations whenever possible.
- Avoid wind, traffic, fans, and loud air conditioners.
- When filming outside, use a windscreen.
- Set audio levels whenever possible.
- Headphones can help you monitor the audio to ensure that it’s high quality.
- Record a short test clip and listen with headphones before filming the entire interview.
Hold the Phone Horizontally
Record in landscape orientation unless you specifically need vertical video.
Note: If vertical and horizontal video are needed, consider shooting in the Open Gate format using a third-party app. (See Black Magic Camera App tab for more info.)
Keep Shots Steady
- Use a tripod, phone mount, gimbal, or stable surface whenever possible.
- If filming handheld, hold the phone with both hands and move slowly.
Lock Focus
- Before recording, tap your subject on the screen to set focus.
- If your phone allows it, lock focus and exposure to prevent constant adjustments while filming. (See: Black Magic Camera App section.)
Enable Grid View
A 3×3 “Rule of Thirds” grid can help you align your subject along the intersecting lines, which can help improve your compositions.
To enable the 3×3 rule of thirds grid on your iPhone, open the Settings app, scroll down and tap Camera. Under the Composition section, toggle the Grid switch to the green “ON” position.
To turn on the rule of thirds grid on an Android device, open your Camera app, tap the Gear icon (Settings), scroll down, and toggle on Grid lines.
Use Good Lighting
- Natural window light often works well.
- Keep the main light source facing the subject rather than behind them.
- Avoid mixing different light sources when possible.
- To reduce shadows, use a reflector or white poster board to bounce light onto your subject.
Record Longer Than You Think You Need
Start recording a few seconds before the action begins and continue a few seconds after it ends.
Capture a Variety of Shots
Gather multiple shot types:
- Wide shots
- Medium shots
- Close-ups
From a variety of angles:
- High angle / overhead
- Low angle
- POV
- Over-the-shoulder of one subject while focusing on another subject in the scene
Incorporate camera movement when it serves the story, such as:
- Pan
- Tilt
- Tracking shot
- Push in/out
Use Optical Zoom Only
Before filming, learn how much optical zoom your device provides. Many smartphones have multiple camera lenses (e.g., wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto), but zoom beyond those built-in lenses is often digital zoom, which reduces image quality.
Best practices:
- Use the phone’s built-in lens options whenever possible (for example, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, or 3x).
- Avoid excessive pinching to zoom, especially for important shots.
- When possible, move the camera closer to your subject instead of relying on digital zoom.
- If you need to capture a distant subject, use a stable support and the highest-quality zoom option available on your device.
A closer camera position usually produces a better image than a heavily zoomed-in shot.
If you plan to edit your files on another device or computer, you’ll first want to transfer your files—and we recommend you back them up.
Recommended Transfer Methods:
- AirDrop (iPhone/Mac users)
- USB cable connection
- Cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox)
- Some Android devices may also support wireless file transfer applications.
Important: Transfer the original video files rather than compressed versions sent through text messages or social media.
Avoid the Following (which can reduce video quality):
- Sending footage through text messages
- Uploading to social media and downloading again
- Screenshots or screen recordings of video files
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Recording vertically when horizontal video is required (or vice versa)
- Ignoring audio quality
- Filming with a dirty lens
- Running out of storage space
- Zooming digitally instead of moving closer
- Recording shaky handheld footage
- Forgetting to back up files
For every shoot, ensure the following:
✓ Lens cleaned
✓ Battery charged
✓ Storage available
✓ Airplane Mode enabled
✓ Correct video settings (resolution & frame rate)
✓ Audio tested
✓ Files backed up after recording