- This is the complete updated
guide to shooting videos with your Android smartphone. We're gonna cover everything
step by step so that you'll learn how to film with Android, with all the latest settings
tools and Android video tips to help you get awesome results. Hey, it's Justin Brown
here from Primal Video, where we help you grow an
audience and scale your revenue with online video. If you're seeing value in this video, make sure you're giving it a thumbs up, it really makes a huge difference. And all the links to everything that I mentioned in this video, you can find linked in
the description box below. Let's jump into it. Now we've created video
guides like this before and the comments are always awesome, but it's been a few years
now and there's been some big updates on Android and with
the phone cameras themselves. So in this updated version, we're gonna cover off
on all the latest tips, the coolest smartphone gear
that we recommend right now, and all the key settings and
steps that you need right now to get the most out of
your Android device. And just to be clear, you don't need any additional
gear to get great results with the process that I'm gonna show you, but I will mention some of the
low-cost tools that I'm using along the way just in case you're looking to take things further. And just the same as last time, there is no need to take
notes as we go through, we've put together a quick
start reference guide for you to download and use
next time you're filming so that you don't miss any of these steps. So we'll have a link to
where you can grab your copy at the end of this video. Okay, so step number one
is to prepare your content for filming. And I know it sounds
obvious when you hear it, but it is so much easier to
create an amazing looking video much faster and easier if you
have prepared your content ahead of time instead of
trying to figure it all out once you're sitting in
front of your camera. So what I'm talking about
here is doing a little bit of planning upfront and working
out what it is that you wanna cover off in your videos. Now, for some people
that could mean writing a full-on word for word script, for others it will mean just listing
out a few dot points or guidelines for what you're
gonna cover in your video, but doing this upfront is
gonna make your filming much faster and much easier and it's gonna allow you to
create a much better video at the end of the day. Step number two is select a
suitable location for filming. So here you wanna try and
find a place where there is minimal background noise or
distractions for your viewers. So if your filming spot has a ton of noise from kids playing outside, or someone with a leaf
blower or a lawn mower going or planes flying overhead then it can be really
distracting for you creating the content that can also be
really distracting for your viewers watching your content afterwards. So you wanna try and find
a place where there is as minimal background noise as possible. You'll also wanna make sure
that the background you have selected does match the theme, the style, the overall feeling, vibe of the video that you're going to create. So it doesn't make sense to
go and film a cooking video in a gym, the background, the
location just doesn't match. So you wanna make sure that
the content you're creating is a match with the location that you're going to be filming in. And I'll also say the most ideal location will be somewhere where you
can just set everything up and not have to pack it all up afterwards. So if you are filming in the
living room of your house and you have to set up
and pack up everything every time your family comes
home or friends come over, then that can be a big distraction, a big procrastination point. So ideally your ideal location
would be somewhere that you can set everything up, walk
in, turn everything on, and you're good to go. The next step is to decide
whether you're gonna use the front facing camera, the selfie camera, or the primary camera, the main one on the back of your device. Now there's pros and cons of each. If you want the highest quality
video footage out of your Android device, then that's gonna be using
the camera on the back. But that's also gonna be
much harder for you to shoot, especially if you're gonna
be filming by yourself because you won't be able
to quickly glance across at the screen because it's
facing back the other way. Now I'll put a link up
in the cards to a video we did showing you a few
different methods where you can shoot your videos solo using
that back primary camera and still being able
to monitor everything. So I put a link up in the cards and below in the description for that one. The other option that you've
got is to use the front facing, the selfie camera on your device. Now this is typically
a lower quality camera, but in most cases, a lot of the front facing
cameras on the devices these days are definitely more than high
enough quality for you to create amazing videos. So the one I'm using right now
is the front facing camera on a Google Pixel 5, and it looks pretty good. I like the convenience of being
able to quickly glance back at the screen to make sure
that, "Yes, I am recording." Now if you are gonna be using
the front facing camera, you wanna make sure that
you're making eye contact with the camera lens, not the screen itself. This is one of the biggest
things we see all the time. There's a disconnect,
you're looking at yourself but you need to be
looking at the camera lens so you're making eye contact
with your viewers watching, so make sure you're
looking at the camera lens and not at yourself. The next step is to
clean your camera lens. I know it sounds very
obvious when you hear it, but most people don't do it. These are our phones that
are up against our faces, they could be our fingerprints,
dirt, grime, makeup even on your camera lens and this will lower the
quality of your videos, it will create a smudgy,
smeary looking image, looks pretty bad. So all you to do is to clean
that camera lens before you create any videos or even
any photos for that matter, build that habit of just
wiping it on your shirt if that's all you've got. Ideally you're gonna be using some sort of microfiber cloth or lens cleaning cloth, glasses cleaning cloth will also work, but you wanna make sure that
your camera lens is clean before you take any photos or videos. The next step is to stabilize and position your camera for filming. So unless you're after that
blare witch style shaky video footage look, you're gonna wanna try and
get your phone out of your hands wherever possible. Holding your phone outright
is the shakiest position, the worst position for you to
be creating your videos in, even using a selfie stick
is gonna be better than hand holding your phone, it will help take some of that shake out if you're gonna be walking around, but also if you're
gonna be walking around, that's where you could look at some sort of gimbal stabilizer like an Osmo Mobile to really help you take that shake out. But if you're not gonna be
moving around and you're gonna have a static shot, a
locked off shot like this, then all you need to do is
position your smartphone with whatever you've got so that
it is just below eye level, I do mean ever so slightly
just below eye level, whether you're gonna
be sitting or standing. Now, ideally here, if you have a tripod, that's gonna make it much easier for you. A great little portable tripod
that I like and that I'm using right now on this
setup is the Arkon tripod, it even comes with a little
smartphone holder so that you can hold your phone in both
portrait and in landscape mode. And these is currently selling for around the $20 price point,
so ridiculously cheap. And you can also see in this
shot that I'm literally just using a box to get that tripod
and specifically the camera up to the right height, so
it is just below eye level. So for you, if you've got a tripod, you wanna set that up
now to the right height. If you don't, use whatever
you've got to get that phone out of your hands, to get it stable and to get it to that right height. It could be that you're
just placing your phone up on a shelf or on a
bookcase or a TV cabinet, whatever you've got to
get it out of your hands and to get it at the right height. The next step then is
to set up your lighting. Now the most important piece
when you're lighting your shot is to light the subject of your video, whoever is in it or the whatever
you want your viewers to focus on, that is the
most important piece. So you wanna light that first
and then if you've got any additional lights, then use
those to light the scene or the background to
make that look good too, but the priority is
always whatever the focus of the video is going to be. Now, if you don't have
access to any lights then you can just sit in front of a window and get that nice natural light coming in through the window, but really any light that
you've got access to can help improve your shot, it
could be a desktop lamp, it could be a bedside table lamp, whatever it is that you've
got access to, pull it in to again help light up
the subject of your video. Now a great portable light
that I use and that I recommend is the Yongnuo YN300 Air;
crazy name, amazing light. It is ridiculously cheap and it throws a really nice soft light. So in terms of this shot here, I've got a lot of light coming
in front of a big window that's right in front of me, but I've also got a lot of light coming in off the side as well. So to even up some of that light, I have got one of those Yongnuo
lights behind the camera here which is lighting up and filling in some of those darker shadows on this side. So it's not a totally remove them, but just to lighten them up a little bit so the shadows aren't so harsh. And this is what it looks
like with that light off, so it's not a massive difference but it definitely adds to the
overall shot having it on. So now that you've got
your lighting sorted, the next step is to
connect your microphone, now audio, I would say is
probably more important than the video, the picture itself. If you've got amazing audio, it can be much easier for
your viewers to stick around and watch your video longer
than if it was scratchy, if it was distorted, muffled,
or really hard to hear you. Also if you've captured good audio and something happened to the video piece and it wasn't usable, you could still create
a piece of content using B-roll stock footage,
photos, text, graphics, whatever it is, you're
still able to create a piece of content because
you've got decent audio. If it's the other way around
and you've got an amazing looking shot and you're talking in it but there's no audio or
the audio is not great then you're not gonna be
able to create an effective piece of content. So audio really important. What I would suggest wherever
possible is that you are using an additional microphone
and not just relying on the built-in one inside of
our Android devices. If that's all that you've
got, just the built-in one, still use it, still create videos, but at some point when you can upgrade, it is a solid investment and will be my number one pick for anyone. If you're gonna buy something
to level up your videos, it's gonna be a microphone. Now the microphone I'm
currently using for this video is just a $20 wired lapel
microphone called the Boya BY-M1, and actually a lot of
the early videos on our YouTube channel we just filmed
with this exact microphone. So for just $20, this microphone sounds
amazing and will work on both smartphones and on DSLRs. Now if your phone doesn't have
a headphone jack plug on it then you will need to use an
adapter from USB-C to that headphone jack plug so
that you can plug in and connect this microphone. Or as another option, if you are gonna be moving
around a lot with the videos you're creating, then
another great microphone is the Rode Videomicro, a little
mini shotgun microphone that again you will need an adapter to use with your smartphone but it's gonna give you amazing
audio without the need to be tied or tethered or physically
connected to your phone like I am here. Next up, we're gonna prepare
our phone for filming. So we're gonna make sure
that we have enough storage space available on our
device to hold the recording of our new videos that we're making. So if your phone is full of
photos and videos and stuff, I would say back those up, remove them from your
phone so that you have room for the new videos you're going to make. You'll also wanna check to
make sure that you have enough battery life, you don't
want your phone going flat in the middle of filming. You'll also wanna make sure
that your camera recording quality settings are correct as well, and ideally set as high as
they can be for your particular device. So you wanna open up the
Camera app on your device, then go to the "Camera Settings", and in there you'll be able to see your video recording resolution. So if you've got the ability to do 4K, I would recommend it. If you've got the ability to do 1080, then 1080 is gonna be fine. And if you've got an older
device in the highest quality setting that you've got access to is 720P, I wouldn't say that that's a
deal breaker, it's not ideal, but 720P will still be enough
to get you good results. Now there's one more setting
that I wanna mention, which is mainly found
on the newer devices, and that is that they have a
setting for HEVC recording, for high efficiency video codec recording. Now if you have this on, it is gonna let you create
a smaller video files, but there is still a lot of
video editing apps and programs that won't be able to read those files. So if you wanna create a
video file that will work in pretty much any app or any
video editing application then I would recommend
that you are disabling or turning off HEVC recording. For me, I normally turn
it off just so I've got the ability to use any app or any program without any issue. Next up, I would strongly
recommend that you are enabling flight mode or "Do not disturb" mode or
blocking mode on your device so that you're not being interrupted while you're recording your videos. So it could be that you have
a phone call coming through, a video call, lots of emails, I mean, these are our main
communication devices. So using it as a video camera, it's likely that you're
gonna have distractions and things come through. So turning on flight mode or
turning on do not disturb mode can save your sanity and
your video files as well. Next up, you wanna lock
down your camera settings so that nothing is going to change while you're actually recording your videos. So by default, our phones are set to auto, which means that they're
gonna automatically make adjustments as things change in your shot. So it could be that someone
walks through your shot, your phone might brighten the
shot up just to expose for that person walking through
or something happening in the background might change
the overall brightness, might change the overall
focus of your shot as well. So we wanna lock these down
so that you are in control. You're setting things
the way that you want instead of your phone having that automatic adjustment capability. Now for most devices out
there really can be as simple as tapping and holding on your screen and there'll be a yellow box that appears, and that yellow box will
then pop up and say that auto exposure and auto focus
is locked at that point. So if you wanna make minor
adjustments to brighten or darken your shot then you can do that there on the screen, and when you let go, when
you remove your hand, then it's gonna lock it
and hold it at that point, so it's not gonna change. So your focus will be
locked and your brightness or your exposure will
be locked at that point. Now if you're gonna be filming by yourself and you're going to be filming using the back primary camera on your device, then you could bring something
else into shot to focus and set the brightness on. So it could be a light, it could be a pillow, whatever you've got, something to set that focus point and to set the brightness as well. Then obviously move it back out of shot to get ready for you to
produce that content. Now there's some devices out
there that have a pro mode or professional mode that
will give you much more granular control over your shot to be able to really lock everything down, to be able to adjust things
like your shutter speed, your ISO, your white balance, and even your microphone
volume level as well. If your phone doesn't have
that capability built in, then there are amazing
third-party camera apps like Filmic Oro, which is our top pick, which gives you access to all
of those DSLR like settings or professional camera like settings from your Android device. And they'll even let you record
at higher qualities as well. So if you want the most amount of control, and if you want the best footage
out of your Android device, then I would strongly
recommend using an app like Filmic Pro, or
another great alternative that's close to Filmic Oro,
but free, is Open Camera. So one of those two is gonna
give you a lot more options for your video recording. All right, we're nearly there, you're nearly at the point where you're gonna create your video but there is one really important step that a lot of people miss and it creates a lot of headaches and stress for people
when they miss this step, and that is to record a test video. So now that you've got everything set up, you wanna get into position, you wanna do a test run
as if it's the real thing, you gonna press record, you wanna create a short little video, 10, 15, 20 seconds, test your audio, make sure that your shot looks the way that you want it to look, that the lighting is how you want it, that your focus is set correctly, and obviously that there is
sound and good quality sound coming through your microphone as well. As simple as this step sounds,
a lot of people miss this and they'll end up recording
a whole video without their microphone plugged in, or it could be out of shot or the brightness could be totally wrong and they've just wasted
an absolute ton of time. So save yourself some time and some sanity and do a quick test video before you create your
real actual content. Now it is important here that obviously you're playing this back
to check that everything is the way that you want it, but this will mean,
depending on your device and the microphone that you're using, you might need to unplug the
microphone to be able to hear and make sure that everything
is how you want it. So the most important thing then is after you've done that test, that you plug everything back in, otherwise that test was
pointless and you could end up creating a video without
your microphone plugged in. And I'm sharing that because it's happened to me more than once. So that brings us to the last step which is to hit that big record button and record your video. Now while you are recording, again remember to keep your
eye contact on the camera lens. Don't look at your cell phone camera if you're using that front selfie camera, eyes on your viewers, the camera lens, and also make sure that you're monitoring what's going on around you, just in case there is
something distracting happening in the background or even monitoring the noise in the area that you're filming as well. So if a plane is coming over, a big truck pulls up outside, you could just pause and
wait for that to move on or potentially relocate if you
have to just so you can keep creating an amazing video. Now earlier in this video, I said I would share with you
the downloadable checklist that you can download print out and use when you're creating
your videos from here on in so that you're not missing
any of these steps. There is a link to download your free copy linked onscreen now, there's also a link in the description, so grab your copy and I will
see you in the next video.
