Hi, guys.
Justin brown here.
This video is the complete guide to filming content videos
on your Android device.
So whether you're a beginner or whether you're just
looking for a few extra hints and tips,
this video is for you.
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Before you get started, there's four things
you're going to need.
The first is a smartphone.
The second is a tripod.
The third is a smartphone holder for your tripod.
And the fourth is a plug-in microphone for your smartphone.
In this video, the microphone I'm using
is called a Rode SmartLav.
It's a lapel microphone that's made specifically
for recording and getting better audio with your smartphones.
Don't stress if you don't have all the gear.
This video's main purpose is to show you
that you can use whatever it is you got around you
or whatever you've got access to in order
to improve the videos that you're creating,
and that you smartphone is actually a great tool
to create content videos.
Now because you're using an Android device,
there's so many options when it comes
to which camera app to use.
And Samsung makes it's own.
Google has one.
HTC has one.
Now, they all operate slightly different.
At the end of the day, they're all camera apps.
They'll all let you switch to the front facing camera.
They'll all let you record video, take photos.
But the key thing that a lot of them don't have
is the ability to enable manual exposure, which
we'll get into later.
Now the answer, or my solution, is
to download a free camera app.
It's called Open Camera.
Or, if you want to find any other camera app that
enables you to use your front facing camera and set
exposure to manual for video, then that's what you're after.
But in this video, I'm using Open Camera,
and I'll put the link in the description below.
Now, moving on from gear.
Step 1 is to prepare your content for filming.
So organize any notes, any dot points--
whatever it is that you need in order
to produce your content video.
Make sure that your content is prepared.
Step 2, select a suitable location.
Now, this is critical.
You want to pick a location that looks good.
You want to pick a location that doesn't have much background
noise and isn't too distracting.
The key is that you are the focus in the video,
so you want to make sure that whatever
it is that's in the background is nice to look at
but doesn't take the attention from you.
You also want to make sure that there's
no overly bright areas or overly dark areas
and that the overall scene is lit well.
Step 3, set up your tripod.
Now, we're going to be using the front camera
on your smartphones.
So in this step, it's really important
to get your tripod and the camera lens
in your phone set up to the correct height.
So the correct height should be where you are slightly
looking down at the camera lens so that it's actually slightly
below eye level.
Now, a height adjustable tripod is
going to give you the greatest flexibility when
you're recording your videos.
Whether your standing or sitting,
you'll have the flexibility that you can actually
set up your tripod to the correct height.
Now, don't stress if you don't have one.
In this example, we're actually using a gorilla pod
on top of some books in order to get the phone camera
lens to the correct height.
So again, the whole point of this video
is to show you that you don't need to run out and spend
hundreds and hundreds of dollars in getting this perfect set up
with awesome lighting and expensive tripods,
that you can get away with gear that's not that expensive,
but still get great looking videos.
Step 4, enable flight mode.
Now, it's pretty important that you
stop any distractions, any SMS, any e-mail notifications coming
through in the middle of your filming.
So if you enable flight mode, that'll fix that issue.
Step 5, mount your phone.
Mount your phone horizontally into the tripod phone holder.
If you don't have a tripod or you don't have a phone holder,
use books, tape, whatever you've got.
Just make sure that your phone is horizontal,
that the front facing camera is facing forward,
and that it is positioned at the right height.
Step 6, clean your camera lens.
Now, because it's your phone, your camera
is actually up against your face a lot.
And it could have makeup, dirt, grime,
whatever it is smudging the camera lens.
So before you start filming, make
sure that you give it a wipe and make sure
that the lens is clean.
Step 7, wire up your microphone.
Clip your microphone to your shirt, your tie, your jacket,
whatever it is as long as it's somewhere close to your mouth
so that you're getting great audio.
If you want to learn how to hide your lapel microphone like I
am in the video here, I've done a video.
And I'll put a link in description below.
It's called "How to Hide Your Lapel Microphone
and Still Get Great Audio."
It also helps remove any wind noise
if you're doing any filming outside.
Step 8, prepare your phone for filming.
It's a good idea to check that you've actually
got enough free space on your phone
to hold the video files that you're about to create.
If you don't and you phone's full,
plug your phone into the computer, copy off sound files,
and then remove them from your phone.
Open your camera app and change it to front facing camera.
Step 9, frame the shot.
Now here, it's important that you're
framing your shot taking consideration what's
in the background so that you're not showing anything that you
don't want to show, that looks untidy, is messy,
or that is distracting.
Then position yourself in the shot
so that you're not dead center, that you're actually
slightly off to the side but you're looking across the shot
into the camera lens.
Now here, it's important that your phone is horizontal.
If it's not, the horizon or any lines in the background
aren't going to be straight.
And it will make your video look unprofessional.
Now you need to adjust the lighting in your shot.
So in this example, we have a lot of light
that's coming in from the window,
and it's creating a lot of light on this side of my face.
And what it was doing was leaving dark shadows
on this side.
So we've brought in a freestanding light.
You can use a desk light, reading light,
any sort of lamp, desk lamp, whatever it
is that you've got available.
Turn the light on, position it so that it evens up
any dark shadows on your face, because that's
the critical element.
In order to make you videos look more professional,
you, as the subject, need to be let well.
So here's the shot with the light
off so you can see the difference.
So you can see that there's a dark shadow
down this side of my face where there was a heap of light
coming in from this side.
Step 10, set exposure to manual.
Now, I'm assuming you've used your cameras
in your smartphones before.
And you'll see that they're constantly automatically
adjusting for any light change.
If you move into a dark area it'll brighten it up.
If you move to a bright area, it'll darken it down.
Now that is all well and good for any sort of point and shoot
or happy holiday filming.
But when you're looking at creating a professional video,
you need to make sure the light is constant and consistent
throughout the whole video.
Setting manual exposure or manual lighting
is really what we're talking about here.
Now, the issue as I touched on before
with a lot of the built-in camera apps for Android
is that they don't have this functionality, which
is why I'd recommend Open Camera because it has this feature.
If the camera app you're using doesn't have a manual exposure
setting, don't worry too much but just
be aware that any movement of yourself in the shot
or of any clouds coming over outside
will change the light and potentially
the color in your shot.
Step 11, record a test video.
Now, before you actually get started,
it's a good idea to record a test video
to check that your audio levels are fine,
that there's no background noise, that you're color
and that your shot and everything is looking
the way that you want it.
Now, if you are using a plug-in microphone,
you will need to unplug it after you've actually
done the recording so that when you
playback you'll actually be able to hear what you've recorded.
Step 12, record your video.
Now as you're recording your masterpiece,
there's a few things that you should be monitoring.
The first is that your camera is actually still set
to manual exposure mode.
Another thing to keep an eye out for
is anything that's distracting in the background.
If you've got cars going past or people walking past
and you don't want them in your shot,
then you'll just have to pause, wait for them to clear,
and then continue.
The other thing to monitor is any background noise.
So as we mentioned, any distractions
in the background-- there could be a plane or helicopter
going overhead.
Now, if any of those are going to be distracting
for you video, it might pay to stop, wait for them to pass,
and then pick up again once they passed.
When you're recording your video,
it's important to look directly at the phone's front
facing camera, at the camera that you're using.
So that way, you're creating eye contact with your viewer,
and you're not just looking at the screen
and looking at yourself.
You're actually engaging with your viewer.
Now, I've done a video all about this,
and I'll put a link in the description below, which
will give you a bit more information.
But the key part is keep eye contact with the camera lens.
So when you press record, move back into position,
get relaxed, get ready, wait a couple of seconds
before you actually start talking.
And likewise, when you're finishing your video,
before you quickly reach over and press the Stop Recording
button, just wait, pause, smile.
The last thing you want to leave your viewers with
is a shot of you reaching over to press the Stop button.
It won't look very professional.
Well, there you have it.
That's the complete guide to filming with your Android
device.
So make sure you download the PDF from this video, which
is the checklist that you can print out and use when you're
creating your content videos to make sure that you're not
missing anything.
Make sure you subscribe at videoeditingcoach.com
and to our YouTube channel, and also
leave a comment below with your feedback,
any questions you've got.
We'll see you soon.
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