If you’re new to filming and you’d like to ensure the best quality video you can film with your smartphone, we’ve collated a Steppit Production Kit to help you out.
This includes an adjustable phone stand, lighting and a microphone, which you can get hold of by ordering them online. We’ve tested this kit, and it works!
Phone stand with light: https://shorturl.at/einZ2
If you’re filming the course on your own, you can purchase one of these handy phone stands. The selfie ring light with tripod stand can greatly improve the quality of your video by providing a bright, even source of light that helps to eliminate shadows and enhance facial features.
If you have the opportunity for someone to film for you, this can be a great way to get some different camera angles and make it feel more natural to watch than a static shot. This is particularly good for action-mode shots.
Microphone:
If you’re using your phone, then just using your phone’s internal microphone might result in your clips sounding tinny or like they have a bit of an echo. Because of this, we recommend you use a clip-on mic or some other external microphone like the one listed in the suggested equipment.
Here's how you set up a clip-on microphone with your phone:
- Run your microphone wire through the inside of your shirt and clip the microphone face-down near your chest.
- Plug the end of your microphone into your phone (using a headphone adaptor if necessary).
- Open up the Voice Memos app on your phone (or a recording app) and record a couple of test sentences to check that the microphone is set up correctly. You want to make sure that the microphone is placed so that it doesn’t rustle on your clothes and that it can clearly pick up everything you say.
LED Light:https://shorturl.at/ekoNR
Nothing beats natural light. If you can, try and film in an area with lots of natural light. You can always supplement natural light with additional lighting, which will help keep your clips looking consistent if you’re shooting throughout the day as the light changes.
When using artificial lights, make sure to use white daylight bulbs/LEDs (rather than fluorescent or incandescent bulbs) to keep a good colour balance in your videos.
If you will be relying primarily on lighting the room artificially, then it’s a good idea to have more than one light that you can position to make sure your filming area is well lit and you can avoid shadows. Something like this LED panel would be perfect!
Bluetooth button: https://amzn.to/2CXbFeS
If you’d like to record and cut without running around to your phone, you can get ahold of a Bluetooth button that you can hook up to your phone so that you can do this wirelessly.
Instructions for using this Bluetooth button
- Open the settings of your phone and tap on your Bluetooth setting, and then turn it on
- Make sure the battery is in your button, and turn it on with the small button on the right-hand side
- The blue light should be flashing, which means it’s ready to connect
- Under the header ‘Available devices’ or ‘Other devices’, ‘AB Shutter3’ should appear
- Tap on ‘AB Shutter3’ to connect to your button
- If this doesn’t work the first time, try turning the button off and back on again. You can also turn your phone’s Bluetooth off. The old famous ‘off and on again’ tends to do the trick!
- Open your phone’s camera app and try clicking the button to test if it works. For iPhone, use the large button and for Android, use the smaller button below.