Video on smartphones: a creative guide

16/12/2024

With increasingly professional image quality, smartphones are becoming essential tools for video creation. They are becoming an economical and practical solution for companies wishing to modernize their communications. Video plays a central role in engaging audiences, promoting direct, immersive interaction. For companies, it has become essential for promoting products, sharing ideas or presenting projects. Discover all the steps you need to take to create quality videos with a smartphone.

Step 1: Acquire the necessary materials

To guarantee the professional quality of your videos, you need the right equipment. If you don't have the financial resources to absorb the cost of a professional camera, you can film with your cell phone and produce quality videos.

Tripod and stabilizer

Image stability is crucial to a pleasant viewing experience. A tripod is the essential hardware foundation for avoiding camera shake and ensuring sharp shots. If you're planning to move around, a stabilizer or gimbal can add a fluid, cinematic look to your footage. 

Lapel microphone

Sound is just as important as image. Investing in a lapel microphone will enable you to capture voices clearly and precisely, without interference. This type of microphone is ideal for interviews or on-camera presentations.

Objectives

Lenses for smartphones can be interesting accessories for obtaining varied perspectives, expanding creative possibilities. A wide-angle lens lets you capture more of the scene, while a telephoto lens is useful for close-ups. Choosing the right lenses will depend on the nature of the content you wish to produce.

Step 2: Imagine and write the video script

A professional video always starts with good planning.

Subject and objective

Determine the precise subject and objective of your video. What message do you want to communicate? What feeling do you want to inspire? Having a clear objective will guide the tone and style of the video, whether it's informative, educational or promotional.

Dialogues and plans

Start by writing a script detailing dialogue and scene order. A good script structures the content, conveys messages clearly and engagingly, and avoids narrative inconsistencies. Think about your target audience and the impact you want to have on them. Designing a video storyboard can be particularly useful for building the outline of your video in images.

Step 3: Watch out! It spins

Now's the time to bring your vision to life and shoot with your cell phone.

Light

Lighting management is a key element in video production. Use natural light wherever possible, and supplement it with artificial lighting where necessary. Respecting lighting rules, such as the three-point rule, can improve the aesthetics of your videos.

Stabilization and sound

Make sure the camera remains stable, whether using a tripod or a manual stabilizer. Record sound in a controlled environment to minimize background noise, ensuring optimum sound quality.

Smartphone framing and functions

Think about framing by following the rule of thirds for dynamic compositions. Experiment with your smartphone's features such as resolution, exposure or shooting modes (slow motion, fast motion) to enrich your visual content.

You can use a tool like our video solution to create videos with ease. The solution offers you predefined formats such as interviews, onboarding, event videos, etc., with precise shooting guides. Cenareo Video also offers automatic video editing and access to various audience statistics to track the performance of published videos.

Step 4: Video editing

Editing is a crucial phase. Use editing software adapted to your level of expertiseexpertise. Take care toorganize your sequences logically,add harmonioustransitions andintegrate visual elements such as text or animations to reinforce your message.

Step 5: Disseminate and measure performance

Once you've edited your video, it's time to share it with your audience.

Publication

Choose distribution platforms according to your target audience, and adapt the format and length of the video accordingly. You can publish your video on the company website, on social networks, send it by e-mail or display it on screens. Digital signage is particularly useful for communicating both internally and externally via screens placed in strategic locations (retail outlets, waiting areas, etc.). Cenareo lets you connect your content and screens.

Measuring impact

Finally, analyze the performance of your video using analysis tools. Evaluate engagement, views and shares to understand the reach of your message and adjust your future productions.

Our latest articles

All the latest news on digital signage and video