Why You Should Use Your Smartphone To Create Videos
Hey, souldiers! Are you ready to create videos? Do you want to create them on your smartphone? Using your smartphone is one of the easiest ways to get your
video marketing started, so I’m going to help you. I’m back with another how-to article on how to make bomb videos to promote your online hair company. In this, I am going to give you a few tips on how to minimize recording. Online hair companies have a unique position in the marketplace. Because there isn’t an actual storefront for company owners to sell their product,
video marketing is the most effective way to show off your products. Whether you are creating an informational video about your extensions and your company or creating a demonstration video to show how to properly use your extensions this type of marketing allows a consumer to understand more about you. I am going to keep it basic because the primary focus of this article is to help you get started. I know there are tons of ways to record video on your smartphone and there are apps that will allow you to record as well. The primary focus is to have your videos look good across all platforms especially if you are hosting lives on
Facebook or Instagram.
Lightning
Lighting makes a huge difference in the visual appeal of your videos. You need to invest in a great light setup because the
visual appeal is everything. Lighting options can vary depending on what you’re budget is and what you are looking for as far as aesthetic of your videos. You want your videos to be clear and in high definition. You can purchase a light set from Amazon which will have your lights, stands, and umbrellas all in one kit. The average price is about $50-$175. You can purchase a light for your phone, or you can buy
a ring light. The ring light is a good idea because you can mount your phone on it and be hands-free while you record your videos. There’s plenty of doing it yourself light kits you can make. Just search Youtube to find one you like, You can find the parts you need at your local Lowes or Home Depot. Once you have your lights setup and your setup is useful to prepare your phone to create your videos.
Tips when using your iPhone
Tip #1 Light Setting
When you are satisfied with your setup to lock the settings in on your phone. Set and lock the AF and AE on your iPhone. AF means autofocus and AE means auto exposure. When you lock your focus and exposure, you’ll see that your video has better clarity. On the screen use your finger and point to where you want the center of your video to be. Once you do this your phone will automatically focus on the area of the video you have chosen. At this point, you can lock in your AF and A because your phone won’t be able to change focus. Your auto exposure will work the same way, and you can adjust the lighting to help your subject appear lighter on video.
Tip #2 Stability
You may watch some videos, and it seems the screen is shaky. Regardless of the, they are sharing; a shaky video is not pleasing to watch. The main reason for unstable video is the iPhone not being stabilized. Whenever you are creating a video on your smartphone, you want to make sure you have it as stable as possible. A shaky video can look extremely amateurish. There are some excellent mounts available for purchase. Best Buy has some kits and mounts available so if you don’t want to purchase one online head into your local store. The flexible mounts are good because you can attach the mount to any surface. If you have a ring light, you can purchase a smartphone mount to connect your phone to it. I have two mounts I use for my videos. I have my Joby mount which is available online and in Best Buy. It does the job and is dependable. I can use it on my ring light as well. I wrap the flexible legs around the base of the light, and it keeps my phone in place while I record. I also have a mount for my ring light which is specifically for a smartphone. It’s what you should use when using them together, but my other suggestion is useful when you don’t have a mount. The mounts are compact and easy to carry so you can take them with you, and they don’t take up any space at all.
Tip #3 Charge your phone!
I don’t know how many times I start recording and I get the low battery notification. I suggest you put your phone on charge while you are setting up your recording area/home studio. If you are anything like me, I know you will want to be cute so while your phone is charging you can make sure you are camera ready and you have your notes available. You will need to have a reserve charger on hand and nearby just in case. You can plug your phone up if you're near an outlet or use one of the portable battery chargers.
Tip #4 Airplane Mode
I suggest putting your phone on airplane mode when you're recording. Nothing messes up a recording worse than hearing the notification sounds dinging in the background. For your demonstration videos when you are showing how to
style hair extensions, and you can record the demonstration and add your voiceover during the editing process. Of course, you can record your audio on our phone, but an external microphone works better because the sound quality is so much better. You get a cleaner and crisper sound without all the background noise. I bought a bomb kit from Best Buy that has a little portable tripod, microphone, filters and a remote.
Tip #5 Positioning
Always record your video horizontally. You may notice when you are watching someone's video they are recording on their phone they have a black bar on each side of the video. That’s because they didn't record it horizontally. To avoid this and to give your followers a better view record horizontally. When someone goes to watch it, it will look better. You want your hair company to set a standard and present it professionally.
Tip #6 Anti-Flicker Setting
Check your phone’s camera settings for an anti-flicker setting. If you are attempting to record video from another screen source such as a laptop or television, you will need to set the antiflicker to 50Hz.
Tip #7 Zooming
Do not use digital zooming for your videos. It doesn’t provide a quality visually. If you want to get, a high quality visual get as close as you can to the subject you are recording.
Tip #8 Storage
To make sure you can record the entire video you may want to download your videos as you complete them. You will use your internal storage up due to resolution requirements. I save all my videos to an external hard drive and label it.
Tip #9 Filters
Don’t use any filters while you are filming videos. You don’t want to use a filter on a video and then wish you hadn’t later. You will not be able to remove it later which means you may not be able to use the video. I use editing software to edit the video afterward.
Grow Your Hair Company Using Your Smartphone
Technology is making it super easy to create and share content. As a
hair company owner, you have a huge responsibility to market correctly to stand out in a billion dollar industry. If you are trying to increase sales and increase brand visibility, it’s been time for you to create video content. I know you can do it! Look out for the next video creation article which will help you figure out how to use your smartphone to go
live on Instagram and Facebook. Plus I’ll share a few content ideas to help you get started! Let us know what questions you have so we can help you get your videos created! Comment below with any great tips and ideas of your own because I'm sure they will help someone else as well. Remember you are the only one who can stop you from being successful. Forgot about proving the haters wrong. It's time for you to prove yourself right.
