S2 Ep 13. Should you make your next video on your smartphone?

Ah, phones. You use them for pretty much everything already, so why not your next video project, too? You’ve seen what your eleven year old niece creates for TikTok – and all she’s using is your brother’s crummy Samsung Galaxy from 2016. Surely your brand new iPhone 13 Pro Max can do the trick? 

Look. We’ve no doubt your niece has a gorgeous aesthetic and a seriously steady hand. But please – from one video creator to another. Don’t let her TikTok clips fool you into thinking that a great video can be made with a basic camera phone and a pretty background.

Yes smartphones are getting ..well ..smarter and smarter as the years roll on. That iPhone 13 you’re holding comes with portrait lighting, cinematic mode and can record in 4K. And it all sits in the palm of your hand. 

So we get it. If you want to start making movie magic in a New York minute, using your smartphone seems like the fastest and most cost effective option available. 

But will it actually generate the results you’re hoping for? 

This is the big question Sue is pondering in this episode of Moonshine Moonshot.
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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:03

Ah smartphones, we use them for absolutely pretty much everything these days, so why not your next video project? So many people swear that it's all you need to create a great video. But is that true? Have you tried it? Just using your phone to create a video that is, did you get it in one take? Maybe it's a little bit harder than people make out, and I certainly think that it is. Look, I think they're great for Insta stories or a quick update or something similar, but to make a well-crafted video with just your phone? I'm going to explore it a bit more to figure out if it really is the answer to all your video production problems, or is it really just an answer for a budget issue? If you're a first-time listener, this is the weekly Moonshine Moonshot podcast, and it's all about helping you make better videos. I'm your host, Sue Collins, and I've been specializing in video production and filmmaking for many years. I don't want to see any more boring, poorly crafted videos any more than you do. So, to help combat the onslaught of dull content putting us all to sleep, I'm sharing what I've learned about how to make great videos. And the good news is it is definitely not as hard as you might think it is. I know that no one sets out to make boring content, but that is exactly what can happen when you don't have the skills or information to make it great, and sometimes just a few small pointers can make something dull and take it to shine online. Back to this episode, which is all about smartphones and using them to create video content. Is it really the solution that you're hoping for? Well, look, yes, smartphones are getting, well, smarter and smarter as the years roll on, and that iPhone 13 you're holding comes with a portrait lighting, cinematic mode, and can record in 4K. And it's also gonna fit in the palm of your hand. So I get it. If you want to start making movie magic quick smart, using your smartphone seems like the fastest and most cost-effective option available. And yes, there is a time and a place for filming on your smartphone. As I mentioned before, Instagram stories, there's also Facebook lives, Zoom chats, webinars. All these pieces of video communications can work really well when captured with a camera phone. Not to mention everyday antics of your kids, friends, pets, and other loved ones. Yes, there is a time and a place for filming with your smartphone. Like I mentioned earlier, Instagram stories is the perfect thing to be filming with your smartphone. You can even orientate it the right way to get the shot. You can do Facebook Live, Zoom chats, webinars, and all these pieces of video communications can work brilliantly when captured with a camera phone. And that's not even to mention the everyday antics of your kids, friends, pets, or other loved ones and just capturing all those spontaneous things that happen in life. But if you're preparing to make a video for your brand, your business, product or service, perhaps they don't quite do the trick. And why is that? Well, because phones actually aren't designed to capture high production videos or films, and put simply, they are not the workhorse you need to make an impactful video that can build awareness for your brand, help you close more deals, and share the message that you have in a clear and persuasive way. Because the message is the medium. So if you're creating a video to promote your professional service, don't you want it to look professional? And what does it say about you or your brand if you publish a video that was shot on the fly with your iPhone? I'll let you take a moment to think about how concerned you are about that and consider this. Even Gary V, who is a prolific content creator, has a videographer following him around to capture all of the work that he does these days. So, to be fair, sometimes using phone footage with professionally shot footage can actually work wonders. Don't get me wrong, your camera phone is an amazing tool, especially for capturing spontaneous moments, short snippets of everyday life, and you can absolutely work these clips into a video without it dialing down the production value. And in documentary, we use this technique all the time because often you interview somebody and you haven't got all that overlay or b-roll footage, and they might have amazing footage on their phone that complements the story that they've just told you. So you can work that footage in and it complements the footage that you capture with your professional production kit. So including some phone footage from one of your subjects when they're hanging out with their family, it really can work wonders and really build on the storytelling. But just don't make smartphone footage your whole film. So I hope that made sense. Use it to complement what you're already doing, but not as the primary method of capturing your film. Now I can hear you saying it, I can hear it, you're going, doesn't Apple shoot all its TV commercials entirely on the latest iPhone? And it's a good question, and yes, you are right. In theory, Apple has ended most of its ads since the early 2010s with the simple line shot on iPhone. But you know what it doesn't tell you on the screen? Is the fact that the iPhone is supported by an incredibly experienced director. Ivan and Jason Reitman did the latest ones, and a lighting crew and the best audio equipment money can buy, and a team of editors to polish it to perfection. So it's not just the iPhone, they still have all the other bells and whistles going on, too. And it's most likely got for Apple a really generous budget for location and talent and all the other bells and whistles. So don't be fooled by the hype that Apple films all of its videos on its own iPhones. It's not quite that simple. Now, if you don't have all those things at your fingertips, or if you do, this episode's definitely not creative for you, but for everyone else, rest assured, there is absolutely no harm in experimenting with your smartphone. But if you want to make a compelling video that showcases your offering, you should definitely consider speaking to a professional video production house. And I am sure the next question you have to that is, but won't that cost a bomb? And there's definitely lots of costs when you outsource. But just like using an accredited accountant to look after your books, hiring a video production agency to film your company or brand video is gonna be money well spent. However, I do recommend getting a few quotes because the type of service and the price can vary a lot between different production companies. So you need to find a production company that you like and that can produce the type of video that you're looking to achieve. So why use a production company? Well, filmmakers and video creators are trained professionals and have invested years into their craft, and not to mention the tens of thousands into their camera lighting and audio equipment. They have all of that complicated stuff, so you don't have to fork out for it, let alone learn how to use it. So it's actually going to save you time and potentially money in the long run. A video production company can guarantee clean audio, amazing picture quality, and can help you drill down on the exact type of video you need as well. Plus, they have the tools to edit your video into an engaging piece of content that can be shared across the platform of your choice, like YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, or your company website. So the more professional looking the video, the better the results you're gonna get when people actually watch your video. At least that's my opinion. So to answer the question posed by the title of this episode, which was should you create your next video on your smartphone? My humble opinion, I say no, not unless it's your only option. If your choices are create a video on your personal device or don't create a video at all, then please pull out your phone from your pocket and get to work. I understand that not everyone has a budget or time to join forces with a professional video production company. Even though you'd probably be surprised by how affordable and flexible many filmmakers are.