Sometimes the tools to make money are right under our noses. You just have to know where to look and what to do with it when you get your hands on it! That thing in your pocket that takes calls? It can be a full video production studio if you want it to be. I once did an entire Forex video on a smartphone because I could’t get into the studio, and the video made the client $89,000. Here I’ll show you exactly how.
Smartphone:
SmartPhones
That thing in your pocket that looks swish and takes calls? It’s also a full HD video recorder. It’s very easy to forget this when you’re bugging your friends on video calls or hurling irate avian species at porcine invaders, but that thing is also a high-powered video capture device. Full HD video recording is just a click away! Now you might not want to dive straight into shooting full feature films or corporate videos in this thing, but in a pinch with nothing else to hand, don’t forget what you have in your pocket. If you’re a big-time fan of mobile tech, chances are you’ve got a broadcast quality video device in your pocket already.
Smartphone for Online? Perfect!
Smartphone for Online – Perfect
Now as I just mentioned, you probably won’t find Michael Bay shooting his latest actionfest on a iPhone, but then again, you’re probably not Michael Bay. That means your video isn’t going to be projected on a cinema screen the size of a house. If your video is primarily for online consumption, then it’s probably going to be seen in that standard YouTube sized frame. At most, a keen viewer might click ‘full screen’, but even then your probably looking at a maximum of 20 inches. So don’t be afraid to shoot on a lower quality camera to get the shot. There’s tons you can do afterwards to enhance your footage.
Smartphone Connectivity:
Smartphone Connectivity
This point isn’t just for the iPhone, but smartphones that have video recording capabilities in general. A lot of these smartphones are easier than most high-end cameras when it comes to getting your footage onto your computer for manipulation/upload to the web. Ordinarily its just a cable – that’s it. The footage is then immediately stored on your computer for you to organize however you want or import into whatever editing software you fancy. Don’t forget also that you can even do a direct upload to YouTube from most of these devices too! That’s right, send it straight on up to Youtube – direct from your phone. Online video is therefore now immediately accessible from your damn pocket. In short? It’s easier than ever, so no excuses.
YouTube’s Online Edit Suite:
YouTube’s Online Edit Suite
I can almost hear you say ‘I can’t upload direct to YouTube, it’ll look terrible!’. Never mind that – the important thing is to get it up there at this stage. Remember: no contact=no impact. Besides, YouTube now offer that ace in the hole – the online edit function. Yep, that footage you hastily threw up there and are worried about how poor the lighting is, can now be manipulated online. Filters, audio tracks, simple edits… You can do all this online. The edit functions are admittedly basic, but if you are talking about simple video, this is literally all you need. Now not only is it easier than ever to get something online, it’s easier than ever to get something that looks half decent online. Get uploading.
Smartphone Shooting – Avoid Zoom and Shoot Landscape!
Smartphone Shooting – Avoid Zoom and Shoot Landscape
When people are watching your online video, the last thing you want is someone to say ‘that was clearly shot in a phone’. Often times a dead giveaway for this is the use of zoom. When you are shooting your video, don’t touch that zoom function! Smart phone zooms are digital zooms that simply zoom in on that part of the image in it’s onboard OS – resulting in all sorts of grain, pixellation and camera shake while it valiantly tries to keep up with your shaky hand and give you a half-decent image to work with. It’s a good rule for all iPhone shooting – be mindful of the shake – if you can set it down on a surface, that’s even better. And whatever you do, shoot landscape! What online videos do you know are in a vertical portrait style? The human eye doesn’t like it – it’s a massive turnoff for even the most casual viewer.
